I'm in love with Tassie. She's a wonderful beautiful incredible place.
There's so much Nature happening around you at all times that you can't have enough of it in a lifetime. If you need to be alone, you just need to choose your background: mountains, beaches, forests, lakes, hills and rivers are all around you, a stone's throw away. Wherever you go, if you skip the highways, it's likely you won't meet anyone for hours.
Though there's little reason for not wanting to meet'em. Tassie people are cheerful, jolly-spirited, and so unbelievably friendly you'd think you're best friends with everyone. They greet you with delight and a big shining smile, and most often crack a joke in the first 5 seconds.
Cities and towns are all safe and clean, and really friendly to the pedestrian. Though I reckon this could be said for most of Australia, it's certainly true here. It's hard to get lost; streets are clearly labeled, and there are signposts pointing to anything interesting. And you'll never be left wanting for a toilet or a sip of water, even on a remote track in the middle of the forest.
But sure, not everything's perfect. First there's the weather. Tasmanian weather is proverbially unpredictable and quick-changing. One minute the sun burns through your skin like a blowtorch, the next it's raining possums and dingoes. Now it's hot, now it's chilly, now it's clouded, now it's windy.
And then there's the roads. Tasmanian roads suck. Really big time. They're all narrow and winding, and many are unsealed*. People drive fast on 4wd utes with high clearance, raising dust clouds, which is a bit unnerving at times. So no cicling in Tasmania, however hardcore you might be.
And there's the roadkill, of course.
To the best of my knowledge, I've managed to spare the lives of all adventurous furry and feathery creatures that crossed my path, but I could have been less lucky and hit a big one.
But loved it, loved it, loved it and had a wonderful time.
To anyone going to Tassie I would recommend:
- Do go, it's really worth it.
- Go in summer, the winter is cold and humid.
- If you're in Hobart:
-- Climb Mount Wellington
-- Stay at the Hobart Hostel
-- And get out of Hobart!!
- Get a car, or bus pass if you have more time than money.
- Don't miss any NP, they're worth it.
- Meet the locals, you'll have fun.
*Unsealed road = gravel road = dirt track = track a goat would not venture onto
Showing posts with label tasmania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tasmania. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Out of Tasmania
Day 1 (28 Nov)
- Got to the Hobart Hostel, met some awesome people (how do you write that?)
- Had a few fun beers. Coopers Brewery=two thumbs up.
Day 2
- Hiked up Mount Wellington with aforesaid Awesome People (henceforth AP). Long hike, loads of fun. Hit wonderful weather, had amazing views. Ended up exhausted, but really loved it.
Day 3
- Rented a car. Got it cheap at first, but guy at Thrifty scared me into paying for extra insurance, which at the time seemed a good idea.
- Took a while to get used to driving on the wrong side. When signalling for turning left or right, I got a very clean windshield instead.
- Scratched a tyre while parking.
- Day trip to Bruny Island with AP. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
- Took the ferry there and back. Rediscovered I love being at sea.
- Took beautiful pictures.
- Painted the white car a shitty brown with dirt from the gravel roads.
- Couldn't see the penguins, it was too early in the evening.
- Went all the way South to the lighthouse. Chilly, windy, lovely.
- Took beautiful pictures.
- Made it back just on time to take the ferry to the mainland.
- Dropped the guys at the Hostel, went out on my own.
- Drove until nightfall. Crossed the Tasman Bridge, passed Sorrell, said ok shit that's enough and stopped near Lewisham, on a dirt patch at an intersection.
- A policeman (policemate?) came, no doubt called by someone living in the vicinity. "Neighbourhood watch", they call it.
- Woke up late, drove to the Tasman Peninsula. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
- Stopped at the Tesselated Pavement, took tons of pictures of myself walking on it.
- Went up and down Pirates' Bay, walking the sands, skipjumping rocks, climbing up cliffs and being surprised by the diversity and colourfulness of dead marine life lying on the beach.
- Got attacked by a seagull. Turns out I was conspicuously close to her eggs. Now here's an exercise for you: try jumping from rock to rock over splashing waves, while dodging an angry seagull diving at you. It's fun, but you're likely to get a bit wet. I did.
- Saw the Blowhole and Tasman's Arch. Nice and rocky.
- Drove on to Port Arthur. The biggest tourist attraction of Tasmania turns out to be just the remains of the penal colony: a few old buildings. While no doubt interesting, still severely overpriced and not my cup of tea.
- Drove a bit North and had a chilly night amidst the woods, near the shore.
Day 5
- Drove back to the mainland, stopping at lovely deserted windy beaches along the way.
- Took the Wielangta Forest Drive. Lovely. Got off the main road and got a bit lost. It was great fun, I had the forest all for myself. Finally arrived at closed gate with redundant "Keep Out" message, so had to backtrack. Took a few walks in the forest, really really worth it.
- Got almost attacked by seagull. But this time I was prepared, I had a Big Stick.
- Went up the coast; Orford, Triabunna, Swansea, Bicheno. Nothing much in those places. They're all nice, and Bicheno adds to that a hill, a few interesting rocks and a Blowhole.
- Drove my way to Launceston, met the Suicidal Wallabies et altra.
- Hit a railway track and broke the underside of the car a bit. Tasmanian roads suck. Big time. No wonder all vehicles are Utes*/4WDs.
- Fixed the broken plastic thing temporarily with a piece of ripped tyre I found on the road.
- Drove on to Launceston, where I had no hostel booking. Remembered I had a "Let's Go Australia" guidebook with me, on which I identified the only hostel in the centre. Took me a while to find it.
- Guess who I met there: David & Johan, the very same AP guys from Hobart, on their way to the Overland Track. Way to go mates!
*Ute = pickup truck, usually white and with a useless snorkel
Day 6
- Spent a preposterous amount of time trying to fix the car, and finally managed it. Hope they don't notice.
- Spent some more time online, and buying food and petrol.
- Was very happy to finally get out of Launceston after too much time in city traffic. It's a nice place though, if you're on foot.
- It started pissing, but I went ahead with my plans and drove up to Narawntapu National Park, to look for wombats and kangaroos. No luck with the sighting, just a few wallabies.
- Met some other members of the Suicidium genus, spared their lives.
- Stopped for the night at a really nice free caravan park, close to Cradle Mountain.
- Saw lots of stars in the chilly night. Recognized some of them, but realized the constellations are all twisted.
Day 7
- Shitty pissing day, didn't feel like paying $22 to get to to Cradle Mountain. Got close on foot though, took my "been there" pic.
- Drove all around the mountains, through Queenstown and the National parks.
- Did a few hikes through rainforests, up and down hills, to waterfalls and rivers. Oh yes. Description is redundant, check the pics.
- Slept in New Norfolk, right in the city. Found no better place.
Day 8
- Made my way to the same hostel, dropped my stuff.
- Dropped the car. Felt really relieved. A rental car is an inexhaustible source of problems and worries.
- Went out to see what entertainment Hobart has to offer.
- Turns out the answer is "none" after 16:00. Boat trip around the bay, last one had already departed. Museum, closed when I got there. Damn.
- Walked around the historic part, read about that, was interesting.
- Got chilly, went back to hostel, met Awesome Guy, had really good time and a few beers. Cheers Shin!
- Happily got out of Hobart the next morning, on a delayed flight. Hopped on to Adelaide.
- Got to the Hobart Hostel, met some awesome people (how do you write that?)
- Had a few fun beers. Coopers Brewery=two thumbs up.
Day 2
- Hiked up Mount Wellington with aforesaid Awesome People (henceforth AP). Long hike, loads of fun. Hit wonderful weather, had amazing views. Ended up exhausted, but really loved it.
Day 3
- Rented a car. Got it cheap at first, but guy at Thrifty scared me into paying for extra insurance, which at the time seemed a good idea.
- Took a while to get used to driving on the wrong side. When signalling for turning left or right, I got a very clean windshield instead.
- Scratched a tyre while parking.
- Day trip to Bruny Island with AP. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
- Took the ferry there and back. Rediscovered I love being at sea.
- Took beautiful pictures.
- Painted the white car a shitty brown with dirt from the gravel roads.
- Couldn't see the penguins, it was too early in the evening.
- Went all the way South to the lighthouse. Chilly, windy, lovely.
- Took beautiful pictures.
- Made it back just on time to take the ferry to the mainland.
- Dropped the guys at the Hostel, went out on my own.
- Drove until nightfall. Crossed the Tasman Bridge, passed Sorrell, said ok shit that's enough and stopped near Lewisham, on a dirt patch at an intersection.
- A policeman (policemate?) came, no doubt called by someone living in the vicinity. "Neighbourhood watch", they call it.
Policeman: "G'day mate!"Day 4
Me: "G'day"
P: "Ev'thin' all righ'?"
M: "No worries"
P: "Wherabouts yer from?"
M: "Spain"
P: "Oh, ess-pa-nya!"
M: "Yupp"
P:"Sleepin' 'ere t'night, are ya?"
M: "Yupp"
P: "Ok, g'night then"
- Stopped at the Tesselated Pavement, took tons of pictures of myself walking on it.
- Went up and down Pirates' Bay, walking the sands, skipjumping rocks, climbing up cliffs and being surprised by the diversity and colourfulness of dead marine life lying on the beach.
- Got attacked by a seagull. Turns out I was conspicuously close to her eggs. Now here's an exercise for you: try jumping from rock to rock over splashing waves, while dodging an angry seagull diving at you. It's fun, but you're likely to get a bit wet. I did.
- Saw the Blowhole and Tasman's Arch. Nice and rocky.
- Drove on to Port Arthur. The biggest tourist attraction of Tasmania turns out to be just the remains of the penal colony: a few old buildings. While no doubt interesting, still severely overpriced and not my cup of tea.
- Drove a bit North and had a chilly night amidst the woods, near the shore.
Day 5
- Drove back to the mainland, stopping at lovely deserted windy beaches along the way.
- Took the Wielangta Forest Drive. Lovely. Got off the main road and got a bit lost. It was great fun, I had the forest all for myself. Finally arrived at closed gate with redundant "Keep Out" message, so had to backtrack. Took a few walks in the forest, really really worth it.
- Got almost attacked by seagull. But this time I was prepared, I had a Big Stick.
- Went up the coast; Orford, Triabunna, Swansea, Bicheno. Nothing much in those places. They're all nice, and Bicheno adds to that a hill, a few interesting rocks and a Blowhole.
- Drove my way to Launceston, met the Suicidal Wallabies et altra.
- Hit a railway track and broke the underside of the car a bit. Tasmanian roads suck. Big time. No wonder all vehicles are Utes*/4WDs.
- Fixed the broken plastic thing temporarily with a piece of ripped tyre I found on the road.
- Drove on to Launceston, where I had no hostel booking. Remembered I had a "Let's Go Australia" guidebook with me, on which I identified the only hostel in the centre. Took me a while to find it.
- Guess who I met there: David & Johan, the very same AP guys from Hobart, on their way to the Overland Track. Way to go mates!
*Ute = pickup truck, usually white and with a useless snorkel
Day 6
- Spent a preposterous amount of time trying to fix the car, and finally managed it. Hope they don't notice.
- Spent some more time online, and buying food and petrol.
- Was very happy to finally get out of Launceston after too much time in city traffic. It's a nice place though, if you're on foot.
- It started pissing, but I went ahead with my plans and drove up to Narawntapu National Park, to look for wombats and kangaroos. No luck with the sighting, just a few wallabies.
- Met some other members of the Suicidium genus, spared their lives.
- Stopped for the night at a really nice free caravan park, close to Cradle Mountain.
- Saw lots of stars in the chilly night. Recognized some of them, but realized the constellations are all twisted.
Day 7
- Shitty pissing day, didn't feel like paying $22 to get to to Cradle Mountain. Got close on foot though, took my "been there" pic.
- Drove all around the mountains, through Queenstown and the National parks.
- Did a few hikes through rainforests, up and down hills, to waterfalls and rivers. Oh yes. Description is redundant, check the pics.
- Slept in New Norfolk, right in the city. Found no better place.
Day 8
- Made my way to the same hostel, dropped my stuff.
- Dropped the car. Felt really relieved. A rental car is an inexhaustible source of problems and worries.
- Went out to see what entertainment Hobart has to offer.
- Turns out the answer is "none" after 16:00. Boat trip around the bay, last one had already departed. Museum, closed when I got there. Damn.
- Walked around the historic part, read about that, was interesting.
- Got chilly, went back to hostel, met Awesome Guy, had really good time and a few beers. Cheers Shin!
- Happily got out of Hobart the next morning, on a delayed flight. Hopped on to Adelaide.
When
When green is the color and blue is the contrast
When the road is a mirror and the sky is on fire
When the world is all fields and a tree is an island
When the water is soothing and the sand is your bed
When the sun is ablaze and the rain is not wet
When the void is not empty and the stars are misplaced
When the rays pierce the clouds and the wind's in your face
When now is the time and here the place
When the light blasts the shadows and they lay on the ground
When the North is the South and the Earth is so round
When a mountain's a stone and the sky is the limit
When the sunset's the end and the dawn the beginning
When life is a road and your maps are misleading
Then you know you're alive and you know you are living
When the road is a mirror and the sky is on fire
When the world is all fields and a tree is an island
When the water is soothing and the sand is your bed
When the sun is ablaze and the rain is not wet
When the void is not empty and the stars are misplaced
When the rays pierce the clouds and the wind's in your face
When now is the time and here the place
When the light blasts the shadows and they lay on the ground
When the North is the South and the Earth is so round
When a mountain's a stone and the sky is the limit
When the sunset's the end and the dawn the beginning
When life is a road and your maps are misleading
Then you know you're alive and you know you are living
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Kangaroos
Today I've seen my first wallabies*. More accurately, today I've almost run over my first wallabies.
Eight of them. One thought that crossing the road just in front of my car was an exciting adventure. Another just sat in the middle of the lane scratching its nose. The rest mostly poked their nose into the asphalt, apparently trying to judge its nutritive value.
This was all at sunset. They do warn you about this. Apparently, the road is the cool place to be at sundown, in wallaby town. It's the trendy disco, the fashionable lounge, the seat of all excitement.
I was thrilled myself. I was excited as a child in a theme park. I tried to get close to a couple of them with photographic intentions, to no avail. They don't mind your car hitting them, but you'll find they're quickly hoppping away as soon as you try to take a snapshot. Reclusive, shy, suicidal little bastards they are.
*wallaby = small to medium-sized kangaroo
Eight of them. One thought that crossing the road just in front of my car was an exciting adventure. Another just sat in the middle of the lane scratching its nose. The rest mostly poked their nose into the asphalt, apparently trying to judge its nutritive value.
This was all at sunset. They do warn you about this. Apparently, the road is the cool place to be at sundown, in wallaby town. It's the trendy disco, the fashionable lounge, the seat of all excitement.
I was thrilled myself. I was excited as a child in a theme park. I tried to get close to a couple of them with photographic intentions, to no avail. They don't mind your car hitting them, but you'll find they're quickly hoppping away as soon as you try to take a snapshot. Reclusive, shy, suicidal little bastards they are.
*wallaby = small to medium-sized kangaroo
Saturday, 1 December 2007
On the road again
I've rented a car for 5 days. Here comes a piece out of my road diary.
From time to time, a yellow sign says "Narrow winding road - next 7km". They could save themselves the trouble of planting that sign. All Tasmanian roads are narrow and winding.
They're also lined with roadkill of all shapes and sizes. It's like a macabre zoo, an ongoing exhibition of dead animals. Here you can see a dead wallaby, that's a Decomposing Wombat. Oh, and don't miss the decom-possums...
Crows are everywhere, feeding off the roadside carcasses. No wonder they are thriving here. Quote the raven: "yum, yum"
This island is so full of life that you meet Death on every corner.
From time to time, a yellow sign says "Narrow winding road - next 7km". They could save themselves the trouble of planting that sign. All Tasmanian roads are narrow and winding.
They're also lined with roadkill of all shapes and sizes. It's like a macabre zoo, an ongoing exhibition of dead animals. Here you can see a dead wallaby, that's a Decomposing Wombat. Oh, and don't miss the decom-possums...
Crows are everywhere, feeding off the roadside carcasses. No wonder they are thriving here. Quote the raven: "yum, yum"
This island is so full of life that you meet Death on every corner.
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