Tassie - Draft

Tassie.
WOW WOW WOW
Amazing country !!

This is one part of the blog that has been difficult to keep up with - so many experiences so much to see and do !!

Thus, I am keeping brief as I sit typing watching the sunrise at Recherche Bay.

This follows the general direction we travelled (and I will fill in the gaps when I get a chance) -

We were first stunned camping in the Walls of Jerusalem area, stunned by the awe of it all and that we had only booked a short two months of time here - what had we done? .... As one local said "oh two months - you won't be seeing too much then"
Cradle Mountain was next. We had a perfect two days of sun and about 27 degree heat. This was not what we expected in this part of Tassie. One the first day we walked around Dove Lake. The following day we walked a little further, from Ronny Creek to Marion's lookout. Kaiden hiked all the way in barefeet !! It was a moderate hiking track with some steep chained section near the top. The lookout had perfect vistas all around and the clarity added to the exhilaration of being in this wild place.

Hellyer Gorge and Dip Falls were the next couple of camps, and we were thrown into the results of clear felling The Tarkine - either as regrowth, plantation or recent levelling of the forest floor it was disappointing to see. What ever happened to the old ways of selective logging, and why old growth chip for paper?.

We climbed 'the nut" at Stanely before making our way back into the Tarkine at south Arthur's loop. Marrawah, Tassies premier surf spot was next, we arrived on the last day of the Rip Curl Classic surf competition. While the coastline was impressive the surf was dead flat. Not a wave to be had anywhere.

We moved on south of Arthurs River and saw numerous Aboriginal middens and even some rock carvings at Sundown Point. It was a sad reminder of what had happen to the Aboriginal people of Tasmania.

By the time we crossed the Pieman River at Corrina and nearing the next surfing location - Trial Harbour, I heard the weather report saying there was a 9 metre swell !!!! .... From flat to humongous !! Still no surfable waves - well for me anyway !!

We decided to try and head for Montezuma Falls from the west side. Apparently it was a 14km medium graded 4WD track. shortly after heading into the forest, we meet a fork in the road. The right looked easier going, so there we went. Before long with no other way around I eased the car into a large waterhole. I just couldn't get the car up and out on the other side. The exit was steep slippery clay with large polished tree roots on odd angles bumping the car around everywhere in all directions. Disappointing I put the car in reverse and tried the other track a steep rutted clay hill. Nicole was not so confident, halfway up Nicole suggested she would not like to continue. Hmmmm part way up a rutted slippery hill - no easy task to reverse !!...We decided the best way back down was to drop into the ruts and to do some road building in the deep sections before proceeding. It was a cinch. disappointed by our failed attempts we headed back to camp at Lake Burbury. The next day we did some short walks around Strahan that were far more successful and enjoyable !!

We camped near Lake St Clair during Nicole's nicole's 40th birthday. What a place to celebrate and in perfect sunny weather too !!.

Lake Pedar and the Styx
Support to the protesters holding the old growth ground !

Mt Field

Tahune state forest propaganda and Mt Hartz NP
The Tasmanian State Forest has littered the Tahune forest areas with some unusual propaganda. One interpretive sign suggested environmentalist protesters deserve the violence against them in their attempts to protect old growth forests !!
Mt Hartz National Park was a welcomed scene.


Cockle Creek (population 3)
wild windy and wet weather in paradise

Hobart
"When they walked peaceably into Hobart town in January 1832, all that was left of the Big River Nation, which had once numbered 400 to 500 people, were 16 men, 9 women, .... and one child"