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Tasmania: 06. – 29.03.2011 It took us exactly 730 days to get 16.840km away from home the furthest point from home on our journey. On time for the second anniversary of our journey we stood at Cape Hauy and peaked North West wards. Our thoughts not only on our past year, because now it is official our way home has started, but more of how it began just after a little technical review of our last year traveling.
In our second 365 days of traveling we did so a slower pace. We only
drove 42.393,1 Kilometer in 8 countries. For that we burned 6.442,988
liter Diesel that cost us on average 95 Cent. Besides that we got two
new dents, but only one of them was caused by us. Nisto got three new
tires, for his fours slick we had to use the spare wheel that was never
used so far. Altogether we had to get four objects out of the tires,
doing so on one occasion the tool to fix the tire broke, we could still
fix the tire on the spot. In Chile and Argentina the culprits where
stones in Bolivia and Australia they have been nails. By the way, two of
these tires are still rolling. During the 1 ½ weeks stop in a Bolivian
workshop the clutch, the front wheel bearings as well as all brake pads
and disks got replaced. Four times the leaf springs got welded before we
finally decided to mount new stronger ones. Besides that we had to
replace all three Batteries. The Bolivian roads managed to kill the
support for the batteries as well as the solar shower. Both got fixed,
the later even four times. Also the icy temperatures left their marks,
the faucet of the shower got torn by the expanding ice, initially we
tried to fix it but by now a thumb has to cover the spot while it is
turned. Heavy hearted we had to replace two of the four ‘Swiss Cross’
cushion covers, they just could not be fixed no more. One lid from our
boxed finally let go, because Sonja still hadn’t learn that full is
full. The ‘F’ of the keyboard has been dancing away but with a change of
tunes we could convince it to stay. However the left mouse button is
still about to fall any moment and the Battery of the Computer is only
dead weight by now. For about two month Sonja had to take over the work
of the thermostat of the fridge, but with some electrical parts from
Switzerland we could trick it to work again (Thank you Marcel). The
partly rusted and well used gas stove simply we left it the Hotel in
Ecuador. Australian quarantine would have lost its mind and we had
plenty else to clean. We also had to retire one Nikon D-100, but after
33.414 pictures just on this journey we think it is a well deserved
retirement and it still serves as a backup for the underwater housing.
Even if in our second year the one or the other part died on us our
interest in our world did not. We have filled our treasure box with many
great memories however it is far from full yet.
For the start of our way home the forecast finally promised sun. Now we
just had to decide where we wanted to be? It was either the town of
Hobart or the nature of the Tasman National Park. Well those who know
us, know that there was no question where we went. So we spent the next
three day with hiking, relaxing and diving. Before we hard hearted said
good bye to the Tasmanian south. But some dark clouds came up again and
the north promised a yellow disk up at the sky.
Slowly we went northwards along beautiful scenery and seemingly endless
beaches into Freycinet National Park with its probably most often
photographed Bay the Wineglass Bay. Therefore we have not been the only
ones who wanted to peek at this amazingly white and half moon like beach
with its turquoise water. As pretty as this beach is, we have been glad
as we could, thanks to a 4WD track, flee from all the tourist crowds
and hide with the wallabies in the forest just at the cliffs of the
National Parks coast to relax.
Quite unceremonially we got ripped out of sleep that night, in the mean
time we were quite used to Possums that think Nisto is ideal to climb
on, but this sound was new. As the grey mass finally was awake we
figured that we forgot the bad milk, which we found in the fridge today,
outside on a wooden pol. We had a peek with the torch and shined it
directly it the face of the culprit. A Quoll, that quickly realized that
we caught him in the act, but it didn’t let go of its quarry, instead
it dragged the plastic bottle (about as big as the animal itself)
backwards into the woods. Now it was definitely time to get up. At 4 am
only armed with the camera Markus took up the pursuit of the thief and
caught up with him about 20 meters later. After that sleep was
unthinkable, the word seemed to be out in the forest that at the N-Team
there is something to get.
With one exception the Douglas Aspley National Park a little inland,
where we took a refreshing dip in a crystal clear water hole, we spent
the next week slowly moving northwards along the coast. Where ever we
liked it we stayed a few times we took our dive gear out and jumped into
the ocean on the search for the weedy sea dragon, that was not
successful. However we enjoyed the ocean and the sun that finally stayed
with us for a bit longer.
Even if we liked it a lot, at some stage we had to consider our return
to the northern island. We got a big surprise as we had a look on the
website of the ferry; the ship was sold out till mid April for cars
higher than 2.10 Meters. Even for those smaller than 2.10 Meters the
earliest date was March 29th. One week after the date we had in mind.
Even if Nisto is over 2.60 Meters we booked the earliest date possible
and had to figure out how to fit the square into the round, but we had a
little time for that.
As it didn’t work out to do some Off-Road driving on the west coast, we
wanted to try that track in the Mount William National Park in the north
east that we heard of. Even if it was just a short track and one of our
predecessors wrote ‘Piece of cake. Mud cake though!’ on a sign, it lead
us to a truly stunning beach. For us one of the most amazing spots on
Tasmania. But that wasn’t the only reason why we went to that park, the
park is supposed to be home to the largest marsupial of Tasmania, the
Forrester Kangaroo. And indeed already after a few turns on the drive
with the same name, there were some between the bushes and peeked at us.
So, some more Kangaroos found its way on our memory card.
After these beautiful sunny days our weather god thought it had to
squeeze in some more rain from the heavy kind, and so we entrenched
ourselves on the north coast and used the time to fix some holes in the
laundry, saw buttons on, work on Nisto or write the latest travel
report. Until at the third day the sun came out again, just to make the
farewell from Tasmania not too easy. Once more we headed inland, this
time for the lake country and on the way back north we filled our tummy
and stock with fresh cheese and chocolate from the factory. One final
National Park we wanted to visit where we should have great chances to
see some of the native fauna, the Narawantapu. So we headed shortly
after sunrise and before breakfast for a two hour hike. That was the
plan. After four hours, many fleeing Padamelons, over twenty Wombats
some with young ones and some Forester Kangaroos, that strangely looked
at us as we hoped from island to island on the meadow, major parts of it
where still flooded after the recent rains, we returned starving but
with a wide grin on our faces for breakfast.
But that should not have been it, a last highlight we had in store. Not
far from Devenport, just after dark, one can watch little Penguins how
they return to their young from a day of feeding out on the ocean. Even
as the breeding season is almost over we tried our luck and got
rewarded. It was fun to watch these little animals (35 - 45 cm) on their
way past the beach with huge driftwood logs up the bank and to their
young. Tasmania couldn’t have come to a finer end.
However there was still our height problem; how to shrink Nisto to
2.10m. We’ve asked the day before if there for sure was no space for us
to travel in our normal configuration. This was stricktly denied, on the
other hand that lady told us that everything above 2.20m would be
denied traveling. So we spend more than three hours to squeeze Nisto cm
for cm until we’ve got him to 2.16m (have a peek at the pictures.)
Though with the squeezed shocks we almost used an hour for the last 8km
thru Devenport via the highway back to the port, only to be told we are
too high. However this time the lady oh miracle just came up with a
different ticket for us one for a 4WD above 2.10m! Only with lots of
encouragement Sonja could avoid Markus’ explosion. And at least we all
made it onto the ship.
How our journey continued on the Northern Island you can read the next time.
Till soon, take care.
Sonja and Markus
Here it goes to the pictures...
Here it goes to the underwater pictures... |
