Tasmanien: 18.02. – 05.03.2011

After an hour of sleep we headed shortly after 6am towards the ferry pier. With Anita and Roger we made the night to day. They just came back from Tassie and couple years ago they traveled thru South America in their Land Rover so obviously there was a lot to talk about, and since we had all day to sleep on the ferry we used every minute we had.

The 10 hour passage we spend mostly with gathering information. While Sonja was turning the visitor center of the ship upside down, Markus got from Alex, an Australian we got to know while waiting to board the ship, some Tips for all around Australia. After arrival it meant to fill up the fridge before we headed already in the dark for our first Tasmanian sleeping place somewhere along a creek. In the meantime somebody opened the gates up above and it was just pouring. Also the next morning there not much change on this end and a peek to the weather forecast only sowed that the whole island was hiding under a huge cloud of rain. So there was nothing else to do than to sit it out. In the Mole Creek National Park we found a nice spot, and waited a day for things to pass.

On the second day sun got more or less it way and we stated our discovery tour. Lots we have heard about Tasmania Everybody only speaking in the highest tones about this piece of earth. Our expectations accordingly, but we had some doubts that they really could be fulfilled?

For our first excursion we got our hiking boots out. We wanted to walk to the Wall of Jerusalem in the National park with the same name. But we never got to see it. After we managed the 600 altimeters we reached a cloud covered plateau that had about 10 centimeter fresh snow on top of it, so much for summer. While in the beginning it was big fun to walk thru winter wonderland it soon turned into slush, big pools of water and mud, so we turned around without making it to our original target.

The next day we tried our luck a bit further west, in Tasmania’s most famous National Park, that covers some 1’262 square kilometers around Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair. But it seemed that we were not the only ones, countless tourists romped on the parking and in the Visitor Center, and People pushed and pressed one another. It is almost a wonder that we didn’t turn around right away. But ultimately our stamina got rewarded. During our walk around Dove Lake the famous Cradle Mountain was hiding behind clouds most of the time but in the evening we got to see it in its full glory.

Also that evening on the search for a sleeping place we met Steffi and Thomas, two Germans who started their semiannual journey in Nepal four month ago and Travel now with a little Campervan from Perth to Melbourne with a little detour to Tasmania. Together we spent a fun night with wine and temperatures just at freezing level. It was them who convinced us to actually climb the top of Cradle Mountain the very next day as it was supposed to be the most beautiful day for a while. And that it was, with steel blue skies and bright sun all day long we enjoyed our climb to the 1’544 Meter high mountain that ultimately got quite tricky, but we can talk about it so it was all manageable.

After this deviation to the mountains we went back to the ocean. Slowly we traveled counter clockwise along the coast, past amazing high cliffs and along beautiful beaches. We also wanted to drive a bit Off Road. But no matter where we asked we always got to hear it is impassable or we need to be at least two vehicles so one can rescue the other out of the mud, with all that rain the last couple days we believed these explanations and suck to the ‘highway’. However the plus side of it, all the waterfall had plentiful supply and some even tried ‘more less successful’ to compete with the Iguazu Falls.

As we turned inland to the mountains again, rain definitely got the upper hand again, and at times it was even snowing. Not again, so we only paid little attention to Lake St. Clair, Australia’s deepest freshwater lake (over 200 Meters deep) and went right for the Mt Field National Park. Here a very special encounter let us forget all the rain of the past few days. Since we got to Tasmania we peeked in every creek in hope to see one of these strange creatures, but until now without success. Platypus, next to the Echidna the only mammal who lays eggs, with a bill like a duck and a tail like a beaver, English scientist though it to be a hoax from the settlers who ‘first’ encountered it. It was fantastic to watch this rare animal on the surface diving every now and then for its food.

How Tasmania continues for us, you can read in the next report.

Till soon

Sonja and Markus

Here it goes to the pictures...