Australia Part 4

To Tasmania and then back Northwards

Click here for a map of Australian Walkabout.

We had booked the ferry crossing to Tasmania for the first day of low season, February 1. The weather forecast..not good. So we upgraded our seats to a cabin, took seasickness pills, and - no worries, had a good night's sleep. Little did we realise how lucky we had been. The next night a storm raged across the Bass Strait causing havoc on land at both sides as well as a very rough crossing - in fact the ferry had windows smashed in and had to return to Melbourne. But by this time we were just outside Cradle Mountain NP, snug in the van in the free car park (the campsite was fully booked due to a cycle rally). The night did seem a little blustery but no more than that.

The next day, when we met up with Jean and Geoff again, at their Cradle Mountain Lodge cabin "Remus", we took the shuttle bus to Dove Lake: our luck held again as a tree fell down on the road behind us, but had been cleared by the time we returned from our walk. This period was to be one of the highlights of our 3 weeks round the island. We were able to take advantage of "Remus" watching through the picture window pademelons and Bennets wallabies grazing, warming ourselves by the log fires in the cool early mornings and evenings, and, after an energetic day's walking with Jean & Geoff, join them for dinner in the restaurant. Its difficult to know what we enjoyed most apart from the walks together: the spectacular mountain views, the wildlife - Tasmanian devils, 'skippies', more wombats, mother and baby possum (trying to get into the cabin as we left at night); the lovely flowers - white gentians, purple "fairies aprons"; or the yummy dinners - the memory of the venison followed by hot chocolate souffle with chocolate chip icecream, berry mix, strawberries and cream still makes my mouth water!

From the heights, we went underground, first into King Solomon's, then Marakoopa, both spectacular limestone cave systems in Mole Creek Karst NP.

After a day in Launceston investigating the pretty Cataract Gorge by walking and taking the chairlift over, we rejoined Jean and Geoff for dinner and arranged to meet them next day in Ben Lomond NP for walking. By the time we drove into the park it was dark, and the creatures of the night were out in force. The dirt track became a kind of fairyland with small furry animals turning to look at us with eyes gleaming in the headlights, before hopping or scurrying away - spotted-tail quolls, potoroos and maybe a Tasmanian bettong. Next day we drove up the hairpin bends of "Jacob's Ladder" for the Creek Inn rendezvous, then walked round the Legges Tor. On the way down we stopped to look at a wedge-tailed eagle and the panoramic view stretching over Ben Nevis to the Flinders and Barren Islands off the northeast coast of Tasmania. Over a picnic lunch at our campsite we bade farewell to Jean and Geoff as they continued on their whirlwind tour, with the hopes of meeting again next year in the Mediterranean.

As we went on our way we commented on the large number of poppyfields (sadly not in flower) with strict signs about keeping out. At the Forest Ecocentre in Scottsdale we discovered the poppies were grown for pharmaceutical companies for codeine extraction. Interestingly, amongst all the displays and information were two videos made by David Attenborough and the BBC, which we watched. We spent a night in the free campsite provided by the local authority, then continued on our way to Mt William NP, spotting echidnas three times on the roadside. We reached the northern end of the Bay of Fires (named by early explorers after seeing Aboriginal fires along the shores) from the park, then later from St Helens the southern end. We camped at nearby Humbug Point where our evening campfire dreaming was interrupted by another mother and baby possum snuffling about. At St Helens we were able, on 2 consecutive evenings, to enjoy the delights of the tiny local cinema and it's sofa seating, before driving back to camp.

February, being autumn downunder, brought a wealth of fruits. In particular there appeared black cherries (a favourite but rather expensive in UK) in abundance, all types of stone fruit including greengages which we had not eaten for years. We couldn't resist buying at the street markets and fruit farms as everything seemed so cheap and good quality: at one point we could have been mistaken for a mobile fruit van with apricots, nectarines, peaches, 2 types of apples, 2 types of plums, melon, grapes, bananas, cherries, pears and mango onboard. I think it might have been about this time that we decided the van wasn't big enough!

In Douglas Apsley NP we left out a rotten cherry (generous as ever) for the mother and baby possums that were snuffling around (were these 2 following us somehow?). In the morning not only was the rotten cherry still there, but a small turd had appeared alongside (were they trying to tell us something?). Justin the ranger came round to very politely tell us that we shouldn't have parked there overnight. We pointed out that camping was allowed and the only way to get there was in a vehicle, and we had done nothing untoward except sleep in our vehicle. He agreed that the rules made no sense...but... so we went on, as planned anyway, to stay at an official campsite in Freycinet NP. Yet another lovely area, the stunning views along the coast from the Cape Tourville Lighthouse including a glimpse of the curve of Wineglass Bay.

Next day we toiled up the hill to the Wineglass Bay lookout (some people got no further) then down to the bay itself. We decided against a swim there in favour of one at Hazards Bay once we had crossed to the other side of the peninsula. We completed the circuit having revitalised ourselves with a refreshing dip and tasty picnic.

Our base for Tasman Peninsula explorations was the Lime Bay State Reserve, another free camping area. From there we made several sorties. One day we took a strenuous walk along the 300m high cliff tops to Cape Raoul, a deserted headland with impressive views down to the sea; after a shower we were rewarded with a rainbow over the sea. On another day we toured the coastal formations for which the NP is noted - blowholes, arches, tesselated pavements: a final lookout over Pirates Bay revealed a long vista of the coast and tiny islands, like menacing teeth in the rain-spattered gloom. Near Eaglehawk Neck we drove through Doo-town with its whimsical house names: AF-2-Doo, Wattle-I-Doo, Thistle Doo, Doo Drop Inn etc; I just had to sample the ice-cream at the Doo Lishus van and chose boysenberry ice-cream with strawberries, cream and raspberry puree. It certainly lived up to expectations. We also stopped to look at the statue commemorating the dogline - a fearsome line of tethered dogs across the narrow neck of land to stop prisoners escaping.

Ed: The "Dog Line" was thought up by John Peyton Jones. In 1852 he wrote:- "It occurred to me that the only way to prevent the escape of Prisoners from Port Arthur in consequence of the noise occasioned by the continual roar of the sea breaking on the beach and the peculiar formation of the land which rendered sentries comparatively useless, was to establish a line of lamps and dogs. I therefore at once covered a way with cockle shells so as to show a brilliant light on the ground at night and proposed that a certain number of Lamps be supplied and rations for a certain number of dogs (9) to be so placed that they could not fight although eat out of the same trough, and render it impossible for any one to pass through."

We eschewed the highly advertised Port Arthur Historic site in favour of going to Richmond which had also been a strategic military post and convict station, and which was freely accessible and not full of tourist groups. We found the town, with more than 50 buildings dating from the 19th century, very attractive.

Whilst in Hobart we stayed at the Royal Showgrounds in Glenorchy: this proved economical but a mixed blessing when the main arena was used one night for a training session to familiarise young dogs with the lights and sounds of a race night - floodlights and loudspeakers full on until 11pm (our normal bedtime being soon after sunset). Again we took the opportunity to see several films, this time in more conventional cinema seating, but at considerably reduced rates for 'seniors' (one of the compensations of ageing). The city centre is gratifyingly compact so we walked round Battery Point, the historic centre, visited the Museum and Art Gallery (a special John Gould exhibition was on), the Saturday morning Salamanca Markets, and were lucky to find a special flower festival on in St Davids Cathedral which demonstrated not only the lovely flowers and fruits in season, but the skill of local organisations in arranging them artistically.

So many more things we wanted to see, and our time was running out. So, a flying visit to the Tahune Forest Reserve where we went along the dizzying cantilevered Airwalk, for some spectacular views of the river and forests: the leatherwood trees were in full bloom and the bees were hard at work there to provide their distinctive honey.

More walking, in Mt Field NP, where Jim marvelled at the enormous swamp gums, and at Lake St Clair NP we were amazed to see a platypus during the day feeding in the lake. From there the drive took us through the beautiful King William Range of mountains, with a splendid view of Frenchman's Cap once we climbed up Donaghys Hill. The approach to Queenstown was something of an unpleasant contrast: years of mining and tree felling for fuel caused soil erosion and consequent devastation of vegetation over many square miles. A bleak landscape indeed.

In Strahan we managed to spend all the money we had saved by staying in free campsites (and more) on 2 tourist trips. The first, a "World Heritage Cruise", took us right across Macquarie Harbour out of and back through "Hell's Gate" (the narrow entrance), next to watch feeding time at the fish farms, and on for a walk around Sarah Island, yet another relic of penal colony days. The cruise continued up the Gordon River to a landing stage for a nature walk which was notable for the mud towers built by freshwater crayfish. The journey back featured a delicious smorgasbord of Tasmanian smoked salmon and brie, ham, beef and salads. The second trip,next day, was on the "West Coast Wilderness Railway", along a 35km track between Strahan and Queenstown. For much of the way the track ran alongside the Queen River. Whilst interesting for the rack-and-pinion Abt system used for part of the journey, and the amazing bridge structures crossed, we found the scenery marred by the riversides which were devoid of vegetation: this caused by the toxic tailings deposited over many years from the mining operations further upstream in Queenstown.

Ed: One of the toxic effects is known as acid rock drainage (ARD) and it is one of the most serious environmental problems of the mining industry. At some mines it is obvious, generating huge amounts of acid with immediate detrimental effects. At others it is hidden below the surface, rotting the structure of the mine and potentially leaching into the rivers. Some ores such as iron pyrites (an iron sulphide) react with the natural water, releasing sulphuric acid into the surrounding rock, this disolves the rocks and becomes contaminated with other toxic metals, and eventually reaches the watercourses. Of course this process happens all the time in nature, but the activities of the mining industry magnify and concentrate the problem. The industry is now taking the problem seriously, and much work is now being done by various consortia worldwide, but this may be too late for some areas, which will take many years to recover.

And so, our time in Tasmania was up. As usual we felt we hadn't seen all we wanted to: my "Personal record of Tasmanian National Parks" showed stamps for 10 of 17 possibles, so we felt we hadn't done too badly.

Back across the water in Victoria there was just time for us to visit Wilson's Promontory NP where by day 2 emus swished their bustle of feathers at us (and at night a wombat peered quizzically in our torchlight) before dashing back to Melbourne in time to see "Cher" at the Rod Laver Arena. This was her 301st Farewell Concert and she is still going strong. Very glitzy and worth every dollars!

Time for the great run north

And so thanks and farewell to our generous hosts Jack and Marg, after all those weeks, next meeting scheduled for back in the UK at our place. Time for the great run north. But first a stop off in Canberra to see if its how we remembered it. Well, a few changes there then. A new Parliament House for a start.

And a very splendid one too: we had a free guided tour and marvelled at the native timbers used - such lovely names, beech myrtle, brush box, blackbutt, jarrah, blue gum, sally wattle, river sheoak.. and the range of building stones - Tarana Pink, Black Imperial, Christmas Bush just a few of Australian origin, others from all over the world. From the roof there's a grand view of the land sweeping down past the Old Parliament House to the lake and on the other side up to the Australian War Museum. This is another impressive building, from the Hall of Memory with wonderful stained glass windows, and four pillars of glass stone metal and air, symbolising water, earth, fire and air and their associations - to the audiovisual presentations such as the bombing of Germany. Onto the National Museum which is a modern and stimulating environment: we managed to see the circa show as well as the special exibition on Deserts of the Tropic of Capricorn. A trip up to the top of the 195m high Telstra Tower gave an overall view of the terrain. And that was just a few of the sights to be seen.

Next stop Sydney, where as luck would have it the Gay-Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival was on.We had time before watching the procession to visit the Queen Victoria Building: originally markets, tearooms and workshops, it has been completely refurbished and is a fascinating collection of shops and cafes where we whiled away a few hours looking in windows and at other odd items - an amazing full sized Chinese carved jade wedding carriage (of unknown origin) and ornamental clocks with moving scenes. Back ouside for the festival we marvelled at the diversity of apparel worn by the crowds lining up to see the procession, but these were as nothing compared to the parade participants. First off, a massive roaring fleet of Harley Davidsons and other big bikes with leatherclad riders (all female), then the first float sported a glorious shimmering butterfly of a person with flapping wings, followed by various community floats promulgating freedom of choice/opportunity/ treatment for same sex couples. Quite a few interesting sights, but after a few hours craning over the heads in front we decided we were too old for this sort of thing and beat a retreat.

A flying visit to Liz and Robert again in Woolgoolga gave Jim the opportunity to help Robert with the new cladding for the front of the house, whilst I nursed a nasty cold I calculated had been picked up on the return ferry from Tasmania. We got to Brisbane in good time for Erwin's 4Oth Birthday celebration at the Bulimba Yacht Club, where I had fun decorating the tables whilst another visitor,Marion, helped Doris with food preparation. All went well, and we had a very relaxing time. Which was just as well since a few days later our visit to Immigration to alter our visa proved quite stressful. Faced with having to have a medical examination and a check of police records in UK (how long would that take I wonder?) in addition to the cost of a new visa, we decided another visit to New Zealand was the quickest and cheapest option to allow us with another 6 months stay in Australia. The official we dealt with had to agree that the rules don't make a lot of sense.

With a few days spare before flying out of the country we went north to experience the "Australia Zoo": the infamous Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin was not to be seen, but there were a few 'crikey' moments: the free flying birds demo in the Crocoseum was great, nothing like having a wedge-tailed eagle swoop within inches of your head.

Ed: The wedge tailed eagle is unique to Australia. It can weigh between 3.5 and 6 kg, and have a wing span of 6-8 feet. It is the most persecuted eagle on earth, but steps are now being taken to preserve it.

I enjoyed stroking a sleeping koala as well. We had a good look at the snake collection and decided we had not seen anything too deadly so far. Having dropped Marion in Nambour we drove up to the Blackall Ranges and took a walk in Kondalilla NP. There we did see a snake at very close quarters (and without glass between us) on a narrow wooden river bridge we were crossing, but we were able to identify it as a harmless common tree snake. However I did wait until it had moved off the bridge before crossing just in case! Further south along the range we stopped at the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve for a stunning view of the Glasshouse Mountains, our destination for the next day.

Fortunately the day dawned hazy and not too hot as we climbed up steep Mt Ngungun, at 253m the lowest and most accessible of this group. Once lava plugs within volcanic cones, these steep and distinctively shaped mountains were revealed after erosion of the softer surrounding Landsborough sandstone. Though relatively low we had good views over the macadamia nut plantations and pineapple fields towards the distant coastline.

The hastily arranged trip to Auckland did mean we got to see our chum Amy again. And we went to the cinema there 3 times!!! Our only recommendation however is "The Life Aquatic" a quirky film with a nautical flavour.

Our final stay in Brisbane meant we were able to help with Alexander's Easter Hat (a huge creation festooned with ferns and adorned with paper eggs, and a bunny lounging amongst the greenery) and indeed see him wear it in the parade at school on the last day of term. We finally departed for the last leg of our land journey north, saying a reluctant 'aufwiedersehen' in the hope that it won't be too long before we see the Scholtens again. Within three days we were back in Townsville, having made overnight stops at the free Rest Areas (even providing tea and coffee) along the way.

Was it worth spending 6 months driving 15000km in a "crampervan"? YES! Definitely. It's a wonderful country full of lovely places, fauna and flora. The politicians are a bit crook (we couldn't find anybody who said they had voted for them!) but what else is new? The bureaucracy is a bit too much as well or we might well have stayed longer. But, in addition to friends and family we met plenty of friendly folk along the way; many were quick to tell us that we've still got the best bits to see - the Kimberley, Margaret River and Albany etc. (and Jim didn't get to the deserts this time) so there's no doubt that we'll have to come back - but maybe by air, and do it by 4WD next time.

Ed: (10th May 2005) Jim and Rosemary left Townsville about a fortnight ago, and made good progress on board Avalon up to Cairns. There they spent a couple of days provisioning and preparing for the long journey to Darwin, which takes them north "dodging reefs and crocs" along the Great Barrier Reef to the Cape York Peninsula - (the "top end" of Australia). They will go through the Torres Straight, across the Gulf of Carpentaria to the coast of Arnhemland, and round this "interesting" looking coast to Darwin. They don't expect to find much in the way of Internet access on the way, so I don't expect to hear from them for a month or so.