What to do if you are single, poor, not so young anymore, but love to travel? Easy - just forget the first three, and go!
I booked a motorhome relocation from Hobart, Tasmania, to Melbourne over 4 days. My landlady kindly got up very early on Saturday morning to drop me off at the Gull bus station. The flight from Melbourne to Hobart took just over an hour, but off course the whole airport procedure took much, much longer.
My first glimpse of Tasmania was of the northern coastline, through hazy skies and broken cloud. On approach to Hobart I spotted the complex coastline with many bays. The airport was quite small and disembarking and collecting luggage was seamless except for the seal on the luggage belt. I walked to the nearby motorhome depot and was given a video to watch in a very noisy environment.
I had a sketchy idea of how to get out of Hobart on route 1. After a false turn which took me in the opposite direction to near Opossum Bay, I finally made it out of the sprawled urban area. Sometime I would like to spend time in Hobart itself and explore the city and its surrounds with its clean parks and many bays and waterways. My grand plan for this weekend was however, to see as much of the country as possible in three days!
Once out the city the natural beauty immediately became apparent with rolling hills, clear rivers, lovely reflections on the water with blue skies and just enough cloud to make it interesting. I headed west to Mt.Field National Park. The guide book said the park could be very busy at times due to its proximity to Hobart. I however, took a gamble when I passed the park entrance just after 4 to go and have a look at the Junee cave further down the road. I found the turn-off clearly marked and followed the road to a parking lot. From there I walked into increasingly dense and gloomy forest. There was no one else around and the deeper I went on the well laid out footpath, massive tree ferns and dripping moss gave the place a very spooky and primitive feel. What was that crack? Could it be a dinosaur egg hatching? Close to the entrance to the cave a very large tree trunk had crashed across the built up ramp and I had to crouch down to pass under it, after first checking that the handrail was not carrying the full weight of the tree. Fascinating at it was, the cave itself, or at least as far as I could see, was small, with water appearing out of the left corner, partly obscured by rock. However, this stream has been flowing underground for over 30 kilometers to this point, from the other side of the watershed.
Back at the self serve campsite, I found that the powered sites were one on top of the other, so I opted for an unpowered site on the riverbank. I hoped that there may be platypus, but I never saw them. There were very few people in the unpowered sites, although the powered sites were packed. It is hard to understand why people drive long distances to get away from it all and then are happy to park their motorhome or caravan less than 3 meters from their neighbours! Besides my waterfront location, the amenities were close, though screened by vegetation. The water was hot and there were clean showers, toilets and laundry and washing up facilities with plenty of hot water. I did not investigate the cooking hut, as I had salad for the evening. Before settling in, I took a walk along the forestry road and saw trees and more trees and a wallaby in the dusk. The Tasmanian forest has a much larger variety of trees than most parts of Australia.
The roads up to the park are littered with carcasses, mostly wallabies and pademelons, though I also saw a platypus.
I woke up late the next morning and took my time getting ready to go. I drove north, stopping for coffee in a little village called Edenvale. I stopped at a tearoom/general dealer/post office for some coffee.The proprietor, Charlie, moved to Tas from Qld 5 years ago and says he loves it. He bemoaned the fact that retirees from the mainland were buying properties in Tasmania at inflated prices. Often if bad health and/or aging takes its toll, they are unable to sell for what they paid if they want to return to the mainland. He also says that it is not a good place for families with young children as the educational system is not good. The weather in the central highlands can be very cold. He claims the northwest coast is warmer and closer to civilization. Several houses in the village had for sale signs. Charlie made an excellent cup of coffee - well presented on a doily with a small biscuit.
I drove on through the highlands with beautiful scenery and several small towns to Lake St. Clair National Park, arriving there at about 2 pm. I booked a boat trip around the lake, even though I found the fee of $60 a bit steep! However, Stephen the guide was very good and could answer questions factually without the hype and nonsense I have heard from tour guides on the reef and the north of Queensland in the past. He did not know how many species of macropod Tasmania had! Not sure he knew that macropods were the kangaroo family!! It is a trick question I take wicked delight in asking of Australians. Very few know the term macropod! I read somewhere that there are about 47 species of kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons etc.
The Wallabies commonly dead along the road are Bennets Wallabies. Tasmanian devils are occasionally seen near the camp. Echidnas are common and wombats are seen. Possums frequent the camp. One startled me in the cooking hut by passing right by my feet unannounced.
The lake is over 170 meters deep, is 11 degrees Celcius and has only one indigenous fish species. I would like to learn more about the dearth of indigenous fish in Tasmania, given its magnificent rivers and lakes! Trout has been introduced and fare well. One needs a licence to fish in Tasmania. It may be purchased online. During the safety briefing on the boat Stephen stressed that if he told passengers to don their lifejackets, they must not jump overboard but wait for further instructions. I wonder how long one can survive at 11 degrees?
The views from the lake are amazing. The boat travels up the left bank and returns down the right bank. Most mountain peaks are named after greek deities, Olympus being the main one on the left side, and Ida on the left. The old pump station, no longer operational, is an imposing building on a concrete jetty. Apparently there are plans afoot to turn it into luxurious tourist accommodation. The boat stops at two spots on the bank to pick up hikers returning from the 5 day overland trail. The youngest person to complete the trail was five and the oldest 84! I have no idea how strenuous it is, but perhaps I should try? There have two deaths so far this year - one a heart attack and one from exposure. The weather is very fickle and it can turn cold wet and windy in an instant. Proper preparation and gear is most important. Coal brickettes are airlifted to the huts en route and sewage is airlifted out! For this reason a fee is charged to hike the route. Overnight huts are very basic with wooden bunk beds, outside toilets and an indoor wood stove, but they do provide welcome shelter against the elements.
After the boat trip, the water was calm and the late afternoon reflections on the lake just begging to have its picture(s) taken. I set off along the shore. When I could go no further, I found the footpath to Platypus beach, some 20 minutes further on. It was getting late, but the path was wide and clear and the best chance to see platypus is an hour before dusk, so I hiked to the bay in gathering dusk. I stood at the lookout point patiently until it was almost to dark to see, but no platypus showed itself. It was nearly dark when I walked back. A beer at the lodge cost $7.50, but I felt I had earned it! Not much a beer drinker at home, but I really enjoy OZ beers, perhaps because they sell less bitter ale, compared to SA's lagers. I used all my small change, then to my consternation discovered that I needed $1 coins for the stove plates and the shower! Luckily another tourist could change a $2 coin for me.
Unfortunately a bunch of very loud young Americans pulled up next to my carefully selected remote campsite - so no peace until very late!
After a late start the next morning, I was concerned that I may be late for the ferry if I visited Cradle Mountain, so passed by the turnoff - reason enough to return to Tasmania - which I did a few weeks later!
Tasmania is unbelievably beautiful, with much to see and do - especially for the nature lover, although there is also much of historical and cultural interest.
Expenses: Gull bus to airport $20
Park entry for 8 weeks $60
Motorhome $20 ($1000 dollar bond on credit card refunded)
Fuel $80
Fuel $60
Groceries $50
Ferry upgrade to cabin $66
Boat ride $60
Campground $10
Campground $20 (+ 20 deposit)
Stove use $1
Shower $1 (6 mins)
Gas in motorhome $10
Coffee 2X $8
Meal $18.50
Beer $7.50
Book $32
Public transport $5 (plus $10 not recorded by Myki!!)
Drinks and snacks en route $20
Flight $35 (frequent flyer points used)
Train $5
Map of Victoria and Melbourne - to find my way from ferry port to Werribee!
Map book of Tasmania
Next time remember to take:
$1 coins
Coffee, Milo, tea
Chutney/tomato sauce
Flashlight
Gloves
Beanie
Thermal underwear
Waterproof gholf pants to wear over jeans
More thicker socks.
Laundry bag
Wine
Nuts, chips etc.
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