25th October 2009

This morning we went back to Port Arthur but decided to save the $56 to get in as I had been there before, and this visit we only wanted to do the ghost tour. We visited the gift shop and bought some souvenirs.

We then headed further south to Maingon Bay Lookout and the Remarkable Cave.

This is a beautiful area.


The sign said a 15 minute walk to the Remarkable Cave, OMG, how steep are these never ending stairs? The stairs wrecked my knee's and it took me 30 minutes to climb back up! However, it was worth the pain and really something to see. Interesting that when the tide is out the cave entrance looks like a map of Tasmania.



Next on the list to visit is the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park.
This turned out to be a disaster. I chose a souvenir for Hayden and as I was finishing my transaction Glenn commented that it was dearer here than at Port Arthur, to which the very rude woman serving me snapped "WELL, GO BACK THERE THEN!" So, Glenn put our $52 entrance fee back in his pocket and we left. I was disappointed to not see the park, but we weren't going to give anymore of our money to that horrible woman, and besides, there are plenty of other places to see Tasmanian Devils.

On to Eaglehawk Neck to see the Blowhole, Fossil Bay, Tasmans Arch and the Devil's Kitchen.

The Blowhole is a collapsed sea cave and tunnel.











Fossil Bay Lookout.



Tasmans Arch is what is left of a large sea cave.











Fossil Bay from Tasmans Arch Lookout











The Devil's Kitchen is a gulch which was once a sea cave.


We then went to Richmond, we got a site at the caravan park and went into town to have a look around. We ended up at the river and saw the oldest bridge in Australia. This bridge was built by convicts in 1843 and is still used every day. Glenn made some new friends teehee.




We had a quick look at St. John's Catholic Church which is the oldest Catholic Church in Australia, the lady at the church was lovely and we decided to go back tomorrow and have a really good look around.

When we got back to the caravan park it was pouring and freezing cold so we upgraded to a cabin. The cabin was crap, there were holes and stains on the lino floor, laminate missing off the cupboard, the utensils were dirty and there was no hot water. We slept on the bed but in our sleeping bags. The place creeped me out.

24th October 2009

We were up early and headed for the Tahune airwalk. Along the way we stopped at West Creek Lookout, a very pretty view.There are lots of Stringy bark gums here; Stringy bark's loves to burn, they hold onto their dead branches, they dangle strips of bark, and on hot days their leaves give off flammable gas. Gum trees need to burn to reproduce, strange but true.





In this picture there are Golden Sasafrass, which you can use the bark of to make beer, Blackheart Sasafrass which is used to make very expensive furniture and Stringy bark gums.




We reached the airwalk at about 10am, it was raining, but nothing new there. $22 each to get in but well worth every cent. This was a fantastic experience and one not to be missed.



The forest airwalk is 597 metres long and high above the ground, a great bird’s-eye view.



At the end of the walk there is a cantilever suspended 48m above the ground. Here you get a great view of the confluence of the Picton and Huon Rivers. I was scared on the cantilever because it bounced and moved from side to side.




After the airwalk we took the walk to the Huon river & Picton river swinging bridges, my knee's were starting to play up so Glenn found a stick for me to use as a shillelagh.





Huon River Swinging Bridge & the Huon River.


Picton River Swinging Bridge & the Picton River.


I now know that I do not like swinging bridges!
But I am happy that I crossed them both.





We then tackled the long walk back.
On the way we saw these strange green mushrooms.







This Huon pine tree is only 70cm tall but is actually 70 years old. Huon pine only grows 1mm every year, it takes 500 years for a tree to fully mature.





It was time to leave Tahune and head to Port Arthur.


Earlier that morning on the way to the airwalk we saw a sign that just said BIG TREE - 1km, which we laughed at saying "they're all big trees", but now we where more curious and decided to take a look. WOW! They call this tree the "Queen Without A Crown", she is a swamp gum and stands 87 metres tall, she is 6.2 metres in diametre and weighs 405 tonnes! She is the only tree to have survived the 1914, 1934 and 1967 fires. It was impossible to get a picture of the entire tree, but this shot gives you an idea of her size.

When we arrived in Port Arthur we lashed out on a cabin and booked a ghost tour for that night. The ghost tour was only $20 each, great value. The tour was creepy and very entertaining, I loved it and I was hoping I would see a ghost, but I didn't.





Around our cabin there were lots of friendly little potoroos, Glenn fed them sustain cereal which they loved.





The last thing we saw on TV that night was a report saying that tourists were giving Australia the flick because it's too expensive, we just looked at each other and nodded. Everything is so expensive over here, attractions, accommodation, food, petrol, everything! Wherever you go there is someone holding their hand out for something.

23rd October 2009

Today we went to the Cadbury factory in Claremont. Glenn spat the dummy that we had to pay $7.50 each to get in, but they did give us chocolates and boxes of Cadbury roses at the door, yummo. The chocolates here are so cheap! I had no idea how much mark up is on chocolates when you buy them at the supermarket.

There is no tour of the factory, just a dvd of the chocolate making process and a lady giving a talk on chocolate molds who only wanted to talk about her lawnmower, sigh, so we left.



They have lots of souvenirs here, mostly toys from their ads, like the drumming gorilla and the chocolate people, all very expensive. They had a beautiful purple hoody, but at $60 I thought I would give it a miss. I just bought a couple of postcards.



From here we went into Hobart, I don't know what it is about this place, I have been here a few times but I just can't warm up to it. I spent hours in the library going through rolls of microfiche and finally found the passenger list for "The Caroline" 1828, and I also had my hands on a copy of "The voyage of the Caroline", a book I have wanted to read for ages. Unfortunately for me you can't borrow this book and it was way too big to read in a couple of hours. Whilst I was at the library, Glenn bought a new battery for the car, Yippi! Now we can have the doors open and the tailgate up etc. without worrying that the car won't start. We then had Hungry Jacks, which was as pewky in Tasmania as it is in Victoria and headed south to the airwalk in Tahune.




We got to Geeveston and met some lovely people who were having the opening night of their pizza parlour.






One bloke said he would rent us a cabin for the night for $25. OMFG! When we saw the disgraceful, stinky shithole in the middle of what looked like a tip we left and went to the backpackers. I set up the car while Glenn got our money back. Had a great 8 hour sleep.

22nd October 2009

I am so excited about today, I hardly slept a wink because I was worried I would sleep in and miss the cruise. We were up early and at the Strahan wharf by 8am, the cruise starts at 8.30am. The Lady Jane Franklin II is fantastic! We had the cheap seats, $85 each in the atrium which is the middle of the boat, we didn't see the point in paying $110 for window seats or $210 for the Captain's deck because as soon as the cruise starts you are allowed to move where ever you want. There are 3 decks and modern facilities, I laughed because I had never encountered a vacuum toilet before, I'd like one of those at home.

We headed past the lighthouses and out through Macquarie heads, or Hell's Gates as the convicts called them, and into the southern ocean where the waves can reach 20 metres in height. 16 ships have been wrecked here.


Near the harbour mouth is the ruins of a 3 kilometre stone wall which was built by 300 men over a period of 2 years in the 1890's.

The purpose of the wall is to keep sand out of the channel, it works like a funnel which keeps the channel clear without the need for dredging. Along the top of the wall are the remains of a railway line.


Heading back through Macquarie Heads.


Cruising through Macquarie Harbour we saw the salmon and trout farms. I don't know how many pens there are, lots and lots, but I do know that each pen holds about 25,000 fish.



A funny day, cold but lovely when the sun breaks through. We cruised past Sarah Island and into the most beautiful and amazing Gordon river.

Back in 1982 & 1983 the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Wilderness Society came to loggerheads over this area. The Tasmanian Government wanted to flood the middle reaches of the Gordon and Franklin rivers as a power scheme, the Wilderness Society wanted the Gordon and Franklin rivers to run free. The fight went all the way to the High Court of Australia which ruled in favour of the Wilderness Society.


This is now a World Heritage Area, and on a global scale it surpasses the Pyramids of Egypt & Stonehenge in England by meeting 7 out of the 10 required criteria. This is ancient forest and it is so beautiful it moves you and you wonder how people could ever think of destroying it.







You are not allowed to have power boats on the river so there is a tug which takes them up river for you.





A Huon pine growing next to the river.











As you get closer to Heritage Landing the river changes and becomes a highly polished mirror.


When you get to Heritage Landing the boat stops and you can get off for a nature walk.


Back on the boat it is now lunch time, lunch is included in the ticket price and is a smorgasbord, all day tea and coffee is also included.

Once we leave the Gordon river we head for Sarah Island, Tasmania's first convict settlement (1821 - 1833), for a walk and talk.


The worst of the convicts on Sarah Island were put into gangs and sent up the Gordon river to fell and haul huon pine, some were so desperate they would confess to murders they hadn't committed just so they could hang. Sarah Island became a shipyard using the rot-resistant huon pine in it's ship building. A total of 131 vessels where built at Sarah Island. In 1827 a Scottish shipwright named David Hoy arrived on Sarah Island and under his direction crimes and attempted escapes fell by 90%. Governor Arthur didn't like the idea of his convicts being "happy" and ordered the closure of Sarah Island.


When Governor Arthur closed Sarah Island the 120 ton Brig The Frederick was unfinished, so 10 convicts and 1 guard were left behind to finish the job. Can you guess what happened? LMAO, once the ship was finished they all jumped in and sailed for Chile where they lived as free men.

4 of the men were recaptured and tried at Hobart Town as pirates, somehow these men evaded execution and were freed on a technicality.

Back on the boat and back to Strahan and reality. Off to the post office to pay some bills and send a couple of postcards. We laughed that I was paying my Victorian bills in a Tasmanian post office using my Queensland bank account.

Next we went to Woodworks, a place where they mill timber and create wood products. So expensive! I couldn't afford anything in their shop, but I did take pictures of a couple of things.

A lizard carved from Huon pine.


Mother and child - Huon pine

























And if you've got a lazy $15,000, maybe you'd like to purchase this hand crafted 10' Huon pine dinghy, with hand made brass & stainless steel fittings and marine grade finish. The centre board, rowlock braces, gunwales and tiller arm are Blackwood and it has a Douglas Fir mast and Pine oars.

It was now time to leave Strahan and head for Queenstown.



It was an easy drive, along the way we saw this monument commemorating the building of the road from Strahan to Queenstown in1835, the road opened in 1837. There was another plaque for the Zeehan Highway which opened in 1841.




The view coming into Queenstown.











The Queenstown caravan park was closed until 5pm so we went into town for something to eat. We had egg and bacon pie, which just between you, me and the gatepost was very average compared to mine. Glenn said he didn't like Queenstown and the place was creeping him out so we decided to leave and head for Lake St. Claire. The drive out of Queenstown was a steep, windy and narrow road. We stopped and took a couple of pictures.


Lake Burbury.











We then came to the World Heritage Franklin - Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

We took a walk up to Nelson falls, gorgeous.



Headed through Victoria Pass and past Frenchman Cap. By now it was starting to get dark, I took a very bad photo of King William Saddle. We finally made Lake St. Claire only to be told you have to book in by 3pm! So, back on the road again. A little way up the road we stopped at a truck stop and tried to get some sleep. I just layed there for 2 hours, it was so dark and so quiet and every 30 seconds a frog would croak, it gave me the heebie jeebies. Glenn couldn't sleep either so we packed up and headed for Hobart. We played dodge the potoroo, wallaby, bandicoot, echidna, kangaroo and brush tail possum as we drove along. One brush tail possum sat right in the middle of the road, we had to fully stop, he then turned and zig zagged down the road, so cute, he looked like he was dancing. Saddest thing I saw was a wallaby sitting in the middle of the road with it's dead mate, heartbreaking. We got to Berriedale about 2.30am and found a 24 hour macca's. Ut oh, the car wouldn't start *#@&^%, so one of the macca's employees gave us a jump start. We found a caravan park and slept. What a day!