Tasmania: Part I

I didn't really share how amazing our Tasmania trip was. Sorry about that. While I'm at it, I will recommit myself to this blog. Maybe I've been feeling down, but things are actually going really well. Any who, how about some Tassie Tales, eh?
We chose a campervan because there was so much we wanted to see. We had to squeeze it all into 8 days. The van was an incredibly cost efficient choice for transport, lodging and even food, as we could grocery shop and prepare real meals.
Saturday: I've learned you can't expect much from an airline when the ticket costs $84 round trip and that includes flying over some ocean. Not having flown out of Australia yet, this was an adventure for me. We have to take a train and then a bus to the airport. Instead of walking right toward the main terminals, we walk left to the Tiger Airways warehouse. Yeah. The lines are crazy long and it's a bit confusing. They only check in one flight at a time. This is great if you’re a perpetually late person, but for the average Joe, there is no advantage to arriving early. Sure, there were coffee and food shops and one large magazine store, but I just had the feeling that I was hanging out in someone's pole barn. We walked to our plane on the tarmac. Our flight was great. It is a byo airline in the regard that even water during the flight is $3; sandwiches $8.
Australia is made of states, Tasmania is one of them. It is a small island that you can traverse north - south or east - west in less than 6 hrs. From the air and the land, Tasmania looks like a mini Ireland. It is green, lush and beautiful. We are picked up by Tasmania Campervan Rentals and we are off and running. Upon arriving at the office, we hop out of the van and Malcolm ushers us inside to watch a video about the ins and outs of a campervan similar to ours. He shows us the van, we fill out all the paperwork and away we go! Yay! I am navigating; the scenery is foreign and fun, woohoo vacation! We get about 2 hours from the office and about 1 hr from our destination and I realize we don't have our bag. OUR BAG!!! We each have a small backpack with snacks and books and that is it. Neither Jim nor I went back to the transport van to get it, and Malcolm didn't unload it...so there is sat, in the back of the van in the office parking lot. Luckily, we needed to go back that direction the next day and it was only about a 1/2 hour out of our way. We found a payphone and I called to make sure someone would be there tomorrow. We decided we could rough it for one night and the next day, wearing our same clothes that were supposed to remain our clean change of clothes for the way home. “The best laid plans...”
We enjoy our first evening. We console our minor setback with white chocolate TimTams. (By the way, not as good as the regular, milk chocolate variety.) It's easy to convert the dining area to a bed and back. We were provided with a portable heater, which came in quite handy. The Port Arthur Caravan Park, on the Tasman Peninsula, was clean and reminded us of summer camp. It had community kitchens and grilling areas; bathrooms with plumbing, where you could shower if you wished. It was also were we first got to see a beach up close and personal.
Sunday: We did a hike out to some rocky cliffs in Tasman National Park. The day was hot and the sun was out. Jim had started not feeling well a few days prior, and I think this was the peak of his sickness. He was a trooper for being hot and sick and wearing the same clothes that he had slept in. Our trek was about 4 hours. We also had some delicious fish and chips out of a van at Eaglehawk Neck, more specifically Doo Town. Doo Town is tiny, like a neighborhood. All the houses have a sign posted naming that house, similar to cottages around a lake. Doo-wah-ditty, Love me doo, Doo f%$# off, yeah for real. We enjoyed as much fish as possible during our Tassie trip. The fish was great and the scallops were like butter. It was the best. Surrounding this area, was the scenic (and not very exciting) Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen. All three were rock formations created by collapsed sea caves. Our favorite site here was the Tessellated Pavement. It is rock formations of sunken or raised squares of all different sizes. During low tide, the pools that are created have heaps of sea life in them...sea stars, with more legs than I have seen before, muscles the color of grapes, and anemones, which contract into a jelly blob outside of the water.
Upon picking up our stuff at the campervan office, I am relieved. That day was easy but some of the others will be a bit more active and it will be necessary to dress in layers.
The country side is gorgeous, as we make our way to Triabunna for the night. There is an amazing sunset. Jim is the designated driver. As I was certain I got an automatic van, we didn't. Maybe if the roads weren't SO narrow, I might have attempted to drive, but it was more comfortable for both of us that Jim drive. Being the perpetual passenger, I became an expert at photography in motion.
I have picked us out a caravan park that is minutes from where we have to board a boat in the morning for our next adventure. Although Triabunna Caravan Park turns out to be great, we were hesitant upon arriving as most of the patrons seem to be permanent residents. However, it was quiet and had the cleanest bathrooms. They were fully equipped with my favorite, the truly free, truly hot shower. At a few other places, you have to pay for the hot water, which translates to: don’t be the first person to take a shower.
Monday: This morning we take a 45min boat ride to Maria (mah-rye-ah) Island National Park. This island started out as penal colony but wasn't that for long. It was neat to be on an island and know there are less than 25 people there with you. Here, we see the picturesque Painted Cliffs formed of sandstone, the cliffs of Fossil Bay formed of millions of mollusk shells, and other ruins remaining from residents of the 1800 and 1900s. We tramped along thru green grassy pastures that seemed to have recently been aerated, but we learned this was not the case, taking notice of all of the roaming animals. We saw wallabies, wombats and a mob of lively kangaroos. This day is peaceful and perfect.
As we drive on, it’s late in the afternoon and it starts to rain. It rains all the way to our next destination, Freycinet National Park. Jim had been driving for 4 hrs in the pouring rain. As if that is not challenging enough, there is a distracting wire basket that goes a quarter of the way up and out from the windshield to act as a rock guard. It's also not great to drive in the dark either, as most of the animals are nocturnal. Happily, we arrive there late, 8:30pm. We are the only people in the campervan park; nice. Typically, reception at parks closes at 8pm. This night it happened to be useful, as the park service had closed the campervan area due to a water leak in the restrooms. We didn't know until we were hassled in the morning. We can't see it well, but the beach and ocean is just beyond a wall of bushes behind us. We are glad to be settled in for the night and looking forward to a peaceful night's sleep.

Tuesday: Freycinet is known for its pristine beaches and spectacular views. One of the most famous is Wine Glass Bay. It is a short hike to the scenic vantage point and a bit further to the beach. It was in the parking lot that Jim made friends with a wallaby. This one was definitely used to people. Even with her joey in her pouch, she would let people pet her and pose for photos. We hike about 600 stairs to the view of Wine Glass Bay. One guy did point out that it was more of a "mushroom" than a "wine glass". But I guess mushroom is not a selling word. We hike down to the beach and spend some time on the white sand. This place would be great in the summer. We are here in hiking boots and wind breakers; however, there are only a handful of visitors to share the beach with. We eat lunch on some rocks. The seagulls try to be sneaky, but to no avail. Their beaks and feet are a vibrant red/orange, like I have never seen before.
After this, we move interstate. We drive for about 4 hrs to a place called Mole Creek. All the while, I have been falling in love with sheep. I get annoyingly excited when we see them in the pasture. I don't like the looks of them shorn, but when they are bulky and fuzzy with a little fat lamb trotting near, they are just the cutest! Jim pulls over so I can finally get a proper picture.

Mole Creek is one of those places you will miss if you blink. This is funny because it is one of the larger towns along the road. The Mole Creek Caravan Park is like camping in someone's grassy backyard. True to its name, there is a rushing creek on one side, providing a relaxing ambiance.
Wednesday: This day was kind of a flex day. We ended up doing a lot though. We took a tour of a wet cave, Marakoopa Cave, meaning there is a creek or river running through it, and a dry cave, King Solomon's Cave. No matter how dumb I think a cave tour is going to be, I end up eating my words. I have seen 2 caves in South Dakota, and as different from each other as those were, these 2 were equally as different and amazing. I love the story of how a cave was discovered. In King Solomon’s case, a man and his dog were chasing a wallaby and the wallaby fell down a hole. The bones were still on a ledge of the cave. You have to imagine someone in the 1800's or early 1900's climbing down a hole in the earth with only a candle or an oil lamp. Truly brave.
We visited a Honey Farm and sampled a gazillion different kinds of honey. We continued on and hiked to Liffey waterfall, so Jim could get a fix of his favorite thing.