I fell in love with Tasmania
Admin | Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 6:24PM 
After four weeks away, 7000 km under the wheel and lots of astonishing moments, we are now back on board in a hot and humid Brisbane. It is going to be hard not to use too many superlatives as our road trip was just amazing. So let’s start with the negatives: Tasmania is too far away and Australia is a really big country …I can’t think of others!
After few days in Sydney meeting up with our old South African friends Emma and Harvey and seeing again our sailing buddies from SV Nika (met first in Panama), a few hops here and there, a too quick visit of Melbourne, we boarded the Spirit of Tasmania, all excited.
Our three weeks traveling around were full of excitements, breathtaking views, friendly encounters, delicious tastings, astounding discoveries, laughters and a great family spirit. We arrived on a cold day and our first stop was to wear our thick jackets and buy some gloves. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept with some socks on, but I couldn’t see myself not doing it for few cold nights in our tents. We learnt quickly that you can have four seasons in one day in Tasmania.
The wind, the sun, the clouds and maybe some rain: it is all very lively there and you have to do with these natural elements. Packing jerseys, rain coats, sunscreen and lots of water became a daily habit. We went from city discoveries to bushwalking, from camping in the middle of nowhere with only few wallabies and noisy birds as neighbours to more sophisticated camp sites. We became tent popping and packing experts. Our site can be ready in 5 minutes. We had few longer walks (6 hours), some being a little bit more demanding. We even ended up buying better walking shoes to Felix and Clea so they could have a better grip on rocks. We went from forest lands to mountainous sceneries and coastal environment.There wasn't a day when we didn’t like our surroundings.
The trees are beautifully magnificent. Their huge straight trunks are majestic. The forests have such a magical vibe that you can’t be bored looking around, from the roots to the canopy. The sea was super clear. The beaches were empty and the rocks were inviting. Tasmania has so different places to visit and we have the feeling that we just had a pre-view of that amazing island. Tasmania, we’ll be back.
Yes, I fell in love with Tasmania, its landscape, its trees (can I become a Tree Hugger?), its berries and cherries, its invigorating air (apparently the purest in the world) and its magic.
Summary of our stops in Tasmania and links (in bold) to the photos:
27-30 Dec: Hobart: MONA, Sydney Hobart race, Visit of the French research vessel Atalante, walk on Mount Wellington, Salamanca market, Taste of Tasmania
29 Dec: Port Arthur
30 Dec: Franklin Boat shed, Tahune Air walk
31 Dec: Huon Valley with Hartz Mountains, Hasting Caves and hot springs
1 Jan: Franklin (Boat shed), Cockle Creek (far south) – 18km walk to the
2 and 3 Jan: New shoes – Mount Field, Tall trees
4 Jan: Sorel Lake
5-9 Jan: Same spot for 4 days: Freycinet, Bicheno, Coles Bay: more walks, fish and chips, huge ice creams, orientating World Cup – My camera refused to work from the 6th so after that the photos are from Greg’s Iphone!
9-10: Back to a mountainous landscape Lake St Clair: short and long walks (to Shallow Lake)
11 Jan: Drive to Strahan via Franklin Park. Wood cutting, Huon Pine experience, McQuarie Heads and Ocean beach
12-13: Arthur River with David, Joanna, Jude and Leni (friends from the kids school)
14 Jan: the Nut, drive along the North Coast (West and North coasts photos here)
15 Jan: Ferry back
16-17: Drive to Brisbane (via “the dish”)
(all the photo galeries are under "tasmania")
Reader Comments (1)
Magnifique !
Mamouss.