Damn You Tasmania - Part 1

Tassie... Tassie... Where do I start... Tasmania was the last state that we had left uncovered. In 2011, we visited Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory. In 2014, we visited Western Australia and in 2016, we visited South Australia. Needless to say, we have been in the Northern Territory for the past 2 years. That left us with Tasmania as the last state to check off our list.

Tasmania is special. I dare say it is Australia's most beautiful state. You don't have to agree with me but that's how I feel about Tasmania. Yes, almost every part of Australia is special in its own way and there are stunning locations to visit in every nook and cranny of this splendid continent. However, I dare say that Tasmania takes this one step further. I don't want to inundate you with too much of detail surrounding our 18 day trip around Tasmania. If you know me, you know I am a passionate photographer so I shall fill your senses pictorially.

The trip started on 14 December 2017. This was a trip that really sprang out as a surprise for Sang and I. We had initially decided to drive from Darwin to Perth in a trip that would cover the North West region of Australia. Sang had put in many hours of work into the planning until we realised that many of the National Parks between Darwin and Perth were to be closed due to bad weather. The decision to go to Tasmania was then born. With our plans confirmed, we even managed to coerce two new friends, Luke and Sarah of NT Bird Specialists to join us on our adventure. You would later come to realise that it would not have been much of an adventure had these two not joined us.

Day 1

On the first day, we decided to drive up to Mount Wellington to check out the famous sweeping views of Hobart City. The drive up was wet and winding. At the top, we got out of the car to a biting wind that left us clutching our jackets for dear life. Cold is an understatement and although the temperature was supposedly 10 - 12 degrees, the wind chill factor would have easily made it feel like 3-5 degrees. I shall now leave you with a couple of photos from the top.

Day 2

Yes Day 1 was short. It was more of a admin day to get ourselves organise for the grand road trip. Day 2 marked the real start of the adventure. With passionate and professional birders on this trip with us, it was a necessity to fly to one of the most remote regions of Australia in search of the critically endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot. The flight was stunning as we rose above stunning natural landscapes and got an aerial view of salmon farming.

That's how we roll

Salmon farming in Tasmania is a huge industry

That's part of the Southcoast Track. It takes a full 6 days to complete this track in complete wilderness.

A ground view of a small part of the South Coast Track

We have landed safely in an open air strip 

Orange - Bellied Parrot Sighted!

Sang and Sarah walking towards the boat to begin the boating tour

 

I can't remember the name of this place but it was amazing. Kinda obvious from our happy smiles

And some aerials for your viewing pleasure

Our Aerial Steed Descends

After the epic Southwestern Adventure, we took to the food markets in Hobart City. With sun setting at 8.45pm every night, we had a lot of daylight to burn and with that, we needed the fuel to keep us going.

Dim Sum Dolly

Paella!

We eventually drove to our first campground to spend the night. It was a little town called Snug (apt name actually). After setting up our campervan, the four of us went for a short walk without our cameras to soak in the view. There were heaps of birds and and it was such a quiet and cosy suburb. We even discussed living in Snug if we ever moved to Tasmania... IF!!!



Day 3

By now you should realise that this is going to be a rather long post. It might be difficult for you to take it all in in one sitting. I suggest a 5 minute water break every 3 days to rest your eyes as well as to break your sitting routine. Besides, the bombardment of photos might be a tad overwhelming for your senses.

Moving on, Day 3 was Bruny Island day. We had heard so much about Bruny Island and were really looking forward to our day there. But first, some early morning birding in Snug before heading off to catch the Bruny Island Ferry from Kettering.

So those were some of the birds that we saw in Snug. We then drove to Kettering, bought our ferry tickets and drove right up the ferry. About 20 minutes later, we were at Bruny Island. To be honest, Bruny Island was a tad disappointing. We had heard so much about their cheese factory, chocolate factory and brewery. We duly visited all three of them. The cheese factory was good but bloody expensive. We paid over $60 for two small portions of cheese. Then we went to the brewery we had probably the worst beers ever. Well if it's bad, it's bad. There's no point in trying to pretend it was good right? And then we went to the chocolate factory which was actually a chocolate shop - there was no factory or chocolate production visible. There were many fancy chocolates, maybe a bit too fancy when all we probably wanted was some milk chocolate. Anyhow, we found our way to The Neck which was also a Fairy Penguin Rookery. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time of the day for penguins but it was a scenic viewpoint that allowed us to see a large portion of Bruny Island.

You are looking at some foul-tasting beer

Luke and Sarah can't help but be the professional birders that they are

That's the neck right there.

We then made our way into South Bruny where we decided to embark on our first Tasmanian Trail - The Fluted Cape Track. Now, we had no idea how difficult it was going to be.  We probably under-estimated the trail or over-estimated our capabilities. Either way, it was a real dive into the deep end as far as trails were concerned. It took us almost 5 hours to complete it although we did have some nice views at the top.

The start of the trail where we were all smiling

A view from the top of the trail. It was only about 200 odd metres but trust me, it was a difficult climb.

The fact that we did not have any photos from the end of the trail should tell you our physical condition. Eventually, we got to our first unpowered campsite. It was mozzie mania there so we had to make and consume a quick meal in the dark. It was also Sangeetha's first outdoor cooking experience. I had also not done any of this for awhile now so we watched and learnt as the two camping pros taught us Outdoor Cooking 101.

Luke and learn!

Check out the table setting 

Managed to take a photo of this gnarly looking tree

This brings us to the end of the first three days of our Tasmanian adventure. I'm not sure about you needing a break from the screen but I definitely do. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our experiences as well as viewing the photos. I promise there's a lot more to come and I should do a Part 2 in the next few days.