The Wild Island of Tasmania

A lot has happened since we last posted. i’d say! Our Tassie adventures were as varied as the island itself. From the beautiful sandy coastline to the ancient inland mountains, Rachel and I witnessed some of the most picturesque landscapes and the most unique wildlife on the face of the planet. yep yep.

From Hobart, we headed east to the coast, and the followed it northbound, stopping along the way a few times to take in the views. The weather turned cloudy and rainy, so that changed our plans a little bit, but we enjoyed the scenery from inside the car. And we had a few opportunities to get out and walk around. These two pictures were taken at Peron Dunes, near Coles Bay. The second is a fur seal, who was old and painfully arthritic, but was willing to pose for a picture or two before heading back out into the sea.


the dunes and beach were really beautiful while we walked at low tide during a break in the weather; one side of the beach was brightly overcast, while the other side was dark and foreboding—a big storm obviously on the way. the storm kept us from our original plans of camping at freycinet national park, but at least we got this one nice beach walk in. plus we got to see a big old fur seal. he was old and moving pretty slowly, but he was still majestic and neat to watch as he lumbered into the sea. this particular beach had a lot of dead sea birds on it—hundreds of them, all the same type of bird, and all looking as if they had washed up instead of fallen from the sky. we mentioned this to someone later, and apparently it is a new problem. it is not clear what the birds are dying from, but they are washing up at many beaches all along the coast.

After a night in the charming town of Bicheno, and a good long stretch at “East Coast Natureworld” (more about that later – it deserves its own post), we headed to the Bay of Fires to camp on the beach. i must say i was not too sad in the end about missing out on freycinet national park because otherwise we would have never made it to bicheno, which i loved. we got into town late and ended up staying in a little box trailer behind a gas station/takeaway shop. it was a funky little place with psychedelic bedspreads (there was a double bed and a triple bunk bed in our little unit—i can’t even imagine five people in there) and a no-nonsense owner who gave us great advice. because of him, we saw penguins coming to shore at night without having to pay for a tour, saw the “blowhole” a cool place where the waves come up through the rocks and looks like well, a blowhole, and we ended up taking his suggestion and having the best time at natureworld…

isn’t our tent cute? i think so, and actually it was quite color coordinated because the orange of the tent was about the same color as the orange algae on the rocks along the bay of fires. you can see a bit of it in the next photo, which luke took at sunrise. after we got the tent set up and had dinner, we took a nice walk on the long beach we had all to ourselves. still walking well after dark, we noticed little sparkles of phosphorescence on the sand after each wave. the amazing night sky above us and the green points of light on the sand below us made for a truly magical stroll.

Leaving Bay of Fires, we headed inland towards Launceston, stopping off for a couple bushwalks and some (yummy!) cheese-tasting. we saw two really nice waterfalls that day. the first one was a short walk from the road and came roaring down a huge cliff, hitting rocks along the way and creating lots of little cascades. it was really lovely, but was like many waterfalls we had seen before. the second one was breathtaking, and very unique. it took us a while to find it, and we were a little worried about the rental car on the road up to the falls, but i am so glad we stuck it out. the falls came shooting off a cliff and then just running down the side of a smooth rock face to meet the river hundreds of feet below. the path the water made as it came down the rock face was somehow calming and captivating. Rachel and I were both impressed by the tree ferns which grow in the rainforest valleys in Tasmania. I was especially captivated by the fist size (big hairy man’s fist) fiddle-heads.

And we spent a night in Launceston, whose claim to fame is BOAG’s brewery, Cascade’s northern rival… their store and tour area is called boag's center for beer lovers, which is a great name. cascade is better beer, but boag's has better marketing.

Well, on to Cradle Mountain National Park. Before we even went into the park itself, we had seen wombats, wallabies , possum, tasmanian devils, and even the ever-elusive duck-billed platypus. It was getting on dark, but I managed one picture that captured the moment… look closely at the second one, and you’ll see little joey’s outline. this evening was magical. we went for a walk outside the park near our campsite and ended up down an old logging road into an abandoned camp. it was sad--big old logs everywhere, pieces of rusting machinery, dilapidated sheds--but it seemed that the forest was slowly reclaiming the area, so i guess that is good. on our way back, we saw so many animals. the platypus, which luke was so hoping he was going to see before he left the country, was amazing. slick as a seal, but with this crazy beak! it swam right toward us so we could get a good look, then dipped down and was gone. womats, wallabies, birds of all kinds. as we were walking, i was thinking how this walk would be complete if only we saw some devils. no way, i thought. then bam, there they were. must have been a dozen of them running around. they are so fast! as you'll see in our naturworld post (coming soon), devils have bone-crushing jaws, so we were a little spooked, but they are scared of people, so things were fine. we felt pretty lucky to get to see all we saw that night. our karmic reward for our natureworld visit, and for not obeying the "no trespassing" signs!

And the next day, in between rain showers, we walked around Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain. Not to the top… but close enough to feel its presence.

cradle mountain is one of the most visited places in tasmania. it is the home of the overland track, a 6-7 day walking trail that thousands of people do every year. the park has actually had a lot of damage from all those walkers on the trail, so they have put in strict regulations--a high fee to walk the track, a lottery for spaces, a limit of hikers leaving per day, etc. all that money and energy is going to good use, i have never seen a park and trails so well managed. we didn't have time to do the whole overland track, so we just went into the park for a day and did a few good hikes.

That night, we were visited by some friends in the campground… i love marsupials!

And we can’t let the fauna hog the spotlight, Tasmanian flora is incredible too. The first is a Waratah, which were blooming all over the island while we were there. Second is the King Billy Pine tree (or as much as would fit in my viewfinder), reputed to be about 2000 years old. I wanted to see the Huon Pines, which grow to over 4000 years, but we didn’t have time to make the trek to where they grow.

We left the park after about two days, and made our way to a little town called Deloraine, where we met some new friends. Bonnie and Damian were so great, and we immediately felt at home with them in their newly acquired home. We even celebrated Thanksgiving with them (which, to be honest, I had almost forgotten about… I know, how un-American).

i could gush all day about how great our time with bonnie and damian was. friends of a friend, they made us feel instantly welcome. our visit inspired bonnie to throw a thanksgiving party, which was lovely. the food was delicious, the company grand, and i got to have a nice thanksgiving, which i didn't even realize i was missing (lavanah, you would be proud: i made a delicious gravy for the turkey!). on sunday, the day before we left, we all enjoyed a regular lazy american sunday together, which was fantastic. we had a late breakfast, lounged, napped, watched a movie, had a late dinner. all in all, our visit was so wonderful, we didn't want to leave on monday morning. thank you again and again bonnie and damian, you were the cherry on top of our tasmanian sundae!

our last day was a whirlwind. on the way to catch our boat, we stopped at a raspberry farm, a cheese maker, a cherry farm, a huge variety shop (they give you a map when you walk in, that's how big it is. we wandered for an hour), and a chocolate maker. lots of samples that day, yum! then, on to devonport where we caught the "spirit of tasmania," a cruise ship that runs between melbourne and tasmania. we did an overnight cruise, then caught a plane to new zealand.

And then we cruised… we acted like total tourists on the boat. taking self-portraits, buying tea towels and spoon rests in the gift shop. it was decadent, and so much fun!

Goodbye Tasmania, Hello New Zealand!

Melbourne and Hobart

Well we have discovered that blogging on the go is a little more difficult... we just lost all of the text for this one, so this might be a little abbreviated (i am pretty bummed out. i stayed up so late last night writing all sorts of fun stories... i will try to recreate, but i haven't had my tea and "brekky," so i don't know if i have the strength):

We stayed in Melbourne last week for three days, which was quite nice. Melbourne is smaller and a little slower than Sydney, and we had a great time taking it in, day and night. we stayed in this funny little guest house luke found, called st. arnauds. it is run by this formidable irish woman--very cheerful and friendly, but i could tell you didn't want to cross her. there were lots of old people there, free tea, and vegemite and white toast for breakfast. leave it to luke to find us a "retirement" guest house! really though, it was a lovely home away from home...

this is the arts center downtown. melbourne has a lot of interesting architecture, as well as a lot of green space. there are parks, gardens, walkways along either side of the river, open squares and playgrounds. it was a wonderful place to wander for hours, which is what we did most of the time.

Above is the stained glass ceiling in the National Gallery of Victoria, an art museum housing a few permanent collections, and some visiting ones as well. that's me on the floor. i couldn't help it, i just had to lay there a while and soak it in! we explored some of the other collections, but nothing could quite compare to this ceiling. it was mesmerizing. Below is the welcoming face of the other Luna Park, at St. Kilda beach just outside Melbourne (this one is a bit scarier than the sydney one, i think).

We took a stroll through the local community gardens in St. Kilda, which were filled with friendly sculptures, flowers, and veggies... it was a really neat place. so many people put so much creative energy into the place, not to mention all the yummy veggies and fruits growing there. there were even chickens running around.

That is us on the St. Kilda pier, with the Melbourne skyline in the background, and that about wraps up our stop in Melbourne. well, almost. i want to tell you quickly about rememberance day. november 11th is rememberance day here--like our memorial day, i guess. we happened to be staying near the shrine of rememberance and happened upon their services that morning. there were thousands of people there. the governor of victoria was speaking, children were laying wreaths on the shrine steps, a choir sang, fighter jets flew overhead, a horse troop galloped by, a children's drum corps gave a spirited performance, and then we got to go inside and see a beam of sunlight that only hits this special stone at 11am on november 11th every year. afterwards, the red cross gave us tea and fruitcake and orange slices. we felt like honorary australians.

From there we flew to Hobart, Tasmania, which quickly became our favorite city so far. It is much smaller, more laid back, and caters a bit more to alternative lifestyles. After the first evening of wandering through little shops and enjoying local street musicians, we felt right at home. there was free music in the main square that night. loads of people of all ages were dancing and having a great time. as you know, i can't resist a good dance, so i pulled luke out there for some boogie time. The next morning, we spent hours browsing wooden bowls (Tassie is famous for its unique woods) and wool products at the market (and ate some pretty delicious food as well--yep yep!). not to mention all the other amazing stuff at the market--veggies and fruits, baked goods, jams and jellies, silks, jewelry, everything! it was a huge market with hundreds of stalls and thousands of people. i got a handwoven silk scarf, luke got some nice raw chunks of interesting woods, and we both got hand-spun, hand-woven wool hats. In the afternoon, the enjoyment began in earnest with the Tasmanian Beer Festival.

there were heaps and heaps of people there sampling over 150 beers. we tasted lots of delicious beers and ate tasty sausages! we met some nice folks too, jessica and shaun, who let us tag along with them the rest of the evening. we went to another night market/music concert, then to a pub to meet some of their friends, then on to a huge houseparty. i don't think i have been to a party like that since college. it was a blast though, we all danced a lot and laughed at the drunk people. jessica and shaun were lovely people, and their friends were great as well. they certainly helped us have an amazing time in hobart!after sleeping in to an obscene hour, we got up and met jessica and her friend melanie for a drive around the countryside. we got some veggies for dinner at a roadside stand, drove up mt. wellington, took a walk to a nice waterfall (picture above), and stopped in a local pub for a drink and perhaps the worst game of pool ever played. none of us were any good, but at least we were evenly matched! and it was cheap, because the game lasted forever! the picture below is of the bus stop outside the pub. it is decorated by the children of this rural area, and apparently doubles as a hangout spot for them. it was really cute, and so creative.

We didn't take the official tour (our new friends said it was "rubbish"), but we stopped by the historic Cascade Brewery to take it in. It is an impressive and important Tasmanian establishment, both physically and culturally.

Magnificent Fish & Chips... and it was a floating restaurant shaped like a fish! It just about seals the deal making Hobart the coolest city in Australia. the fish and chips were heavenly, and exactly what we needed to fortify our souls after the wild night before. greasy, crispy, fresh, perfect. washed down with a cold ginger beer, it was a meal fit for the gods. and, yes, i agree. hobart is my new favorite city. i hope we get to come back someday...

Sydney for Two

Well, I have finished with the first phase of my trip (work), and with the arrival of the lovely lady Rachel, have officially entered playtime! We had a week together in Sydney, which was mostly a cloudy one. But we had a relaxing time, and found some interesting things to do.

it's me, rachel, in the italics. leaving floyd was bittersweet--i was sad to leave it, but so excited to get here to see luke again. honestly, i was a little nervous to see luke again--would i still feel the same? would he? yes. and yes. it was a wonderful feeling to get back to him, and to be in such an amazing place together. sydney is a beautiful city, and the apartment that luke acquired for us (through work trade, bless his heart) was cozy and in a great location.

Here is a photo of the Eveleigh Farmer's Market, which was right next door to our apartment. We tasted all kinds of local food and wine, and left with bellies full, arms loaded with produce, and smiles on our faces. our apartment was in an area of the city called newtown--very vibrant and bustling. lots of interesting restaurants, op shops (thrift stores), art galleries, coffee houses, and pubs. the farmers market was in this huge building that looks like it used to be some kind of forge--there are three old steam hammers still in there--connected to the carriage house across the courtyard. there were so many amazing stands--beautiful fruits and veggies, wines, meats, cheeses, prepared foods, and more--all locally grown and produced. the close location was invaluable to our stay-at-home dinners and breakfasts.

Saturday we visited the Chinese Gardens of Friendship in Darling Harbour, downtown Sydney. the gardens are in the middle of this busy public space, but you get inside and it is calm and peaceful and you can't even hear the city. the paths wind around and around, so this small, one hectare garden feels much bigger. many of the rocks, plants, and animals (birds, lizards, etc.) were brought over from china. the big pond and waterfalls made for a cool break from our hot day in the city.

Sydney was quite a spectacle Saturday night. The Harbour was bustling with lively crowds, and the lights shimmered in the water. After attending a symphony performance at the the Sydney Opera House on Friday, we decided to have a look at the REAL cultural center of Sydney... Luna Park. While we were there, I took some photos of and from the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is quite an impressive structure up close.

the smoky, cloud-like wisps floating by the bridge is actually smoke from a fireworks display that surprised us as we left luna park. we still don't know what they were for, but they were beautiful. we didn't get the camera set up in time to capture the fireworks themselves, so the next best thing is the smoke, i suppose.this was taken from the harbor bridge. we walked back across after visting luna park. it's a long bridge with impressive ironwork. the curves of the structure above us, and the beautiful city below us made for a lovely evening stroll...even with the rumble of the cars speeding by.
Well, there you see us posing in front of the opera house, naturally. it took us a few shots to get this decent one. luke was enjoying fiddling with his tripod, exposure settings, and self-portraits. we had to sit still for several seconds because of a long exposure time. i guess i don't sit still very well (who'd have guessed?) because i was alwasys blurry. i don't know how people stood stone still for minutes on end to get some of the pictures you see from 100 years ago! On Friday afternoon, we toured the interior of the complex, including its 5 main venues and striking lobby spaces. Architect Jorn Utzon and his engineer solved an array of unsolvable problems and defeated unfathomable odds (not without some drama) to complete the structure, and only went about 1500% over the original budget. I think everybody now agrees it was worth it. look at luke's last post to see some photos of the opera house from the outside that he took before i arrived.

Here she is, my lovely date to the symphony... enjoying a meal on the Harbour before heading into the concert hall.

Our last day in Sydney, we rode a bus out to Bondi Beach to have a look at the annual exhibition called "Sculpture by the Sea." It was a nice 2km walk along the coast, on a clear and windy day, with sculptures sited dramatically along the path.
this was the most amazing installation; the favorite of both luke and i. it was a bunch of flags positioned to catch the constant wind coming off the sea and up the cliffs. the bright fabrics flapping in the wind created a hypnotic show of ceaseless movement and sound.
So many of the sculptures were wonderfully concieved, beautifully executed, and well positioned in the landscape. But I think Rachel agrees with me that the true winner here was the sandstone cliffs... sculpted by wind and rain and time into an intricate lacework of niches and ridges reminiscent of some of the microscopic sea life which undoubtedly lives just beneath the waves breaking on the rocks below.

our week in sydney was really lovely. we have been in melbourne a couple of days now, and are actually getting ready to head to hobart, the capital city of tasmania, tomorrow morning. we will spend the weekend there (yay, beer festival!), then pick up our rental car for a week's drive around the island. we are both looking forward to getting out of the city for a while...

SYDNEY

Well it is Sunday night in Sydney, and I have had quite a week here. Monday through Friday I worked. This is the job here, a two story brick rowhouse in the first stages of a very thorough renovation. We spent the week pulling out timber floors, breaking down brick walls, busting up tile floors, excavating soil, and carrying it all in 5 gallon buckets out the back door to the dumpster. Needless to say, I slept pretty well those nights. Here I am at the end of the week with Jeff (left) and Ashley.

Newtown is a suburb of Sydney (about a 30 minute walk from the inner city). It is an interesting place in itself, an artsy and eclectic mix of Australasian cultures. It has a reputation as an accepting an peaceful community, which I have no reason to rebutt. Here are a few shots of Newtown by night:
Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens are situated at the heart of the city, overlooking the harbour and the iconic opera house. The gardens are extensive and full of beautiful sights and smells.

These are 'flying foxes,' which have taken up in the treetops of the botanical gardens. They are huge bats that feed on the fruit and seeds available in large quantities in the gardens. The bats serve as pollinators, but because of their numbers and unnaturally long feeding season here, they are slowly destroying the canopy. Here they are sleeping the day away.

And here it is, what you've all been waiting for. The most recognizable building of all time... the Sydney Opera House in all its glory. It is every bit as impressive close up.

A not-so-subtle message appeared in the sky as I was appreciating the architectural genius of jorn utzon...

And just one more thing, I think you may enjoy this. I recorded an hour of Sydney Harbour, then condensed it into 39 seconds, and this is what came out: