Back on the Mainland

My trip to Tasmania has now come to an end, and I'm really pleased that I listened to Stephen and Damien and made my way there.

After leaving Cradle Mountain, Fabian and I drove down to a place called Queenstown, a mining town on the edge of the Wilderness, a World Heritage Site that covers a great part of Western Tasmania.

We were really pleased with the fact that we got a room for two for the price that you would normally get dorms, but not so impressed by the kitchen...the whole place was gross. Should they have tried to grow Ebola or another deadly virus there, even it wouldn't have survived.

However, they did have electric blankets...I really felt like an old granny switching mine on. I guess I was just missing my hot water bottle.

The following day the sun was shining when we woke in the morning, so we decided to head towards Lake St Clair, as it was on the way and is the end of the Overland Track. However, you can't really plan anything in Tasmania at this time of the year, and within half an hour, it was grey, wet. Winter had hit us, after a nice spring morning...

Nevertheless we still stopped by the park and did a short trek to Platipus Bay, trying to see what are, probably, the oddest animals on earth...sadly, they were more sensible than us, and had decided to stay indoors.

Platipus Bay, no platipus though...

From there we went down to Mount Field National Park, the home of Russell Falls. I must admit that I was thinking, once you've seen one fall you've seen them all...but this is one is pretty good, especially as it had been raining so much lately.

Once back in Hobart we decided that we had not seen enough mountains, and so on Sunday morning we headed up Mount Wellington. Beautiful mountain, towering over Hobart, giving amazing views over the city and the area around it. Strangely, it was free...I was surprised that they had not turned it into a National Park and slapped a $22 entrance fee on it. Honestly, here they charge you for everything...

It was another great morning, deep blue skies, sun warming up our backs as we took the path across the bush and upwards...but as we got closer clouds moved in to cover the summit, so I couldn't get the perfect pic of the bay I wanted.

Having spent a week in Tasmania, I have decided that there are few places I have visited that attracted me so much. It may sound like a cliche, but people here really are truly friendly, welcoming, love to talk, to the point that even I can't get a word in.

I will be back, as one American General said when leaving some Pacific islands to the invading Japanese.

Well, Fabian has now left for Sydney and I am back to travelling on my own. I'm in Melborune at the moment, but only for a couple of days, as I am heading down to New Zeleand tomorrow where I'll hook up with Charles again. I must get a travel guide soon, there is so much to see there and I'll only have two weeks, not even that.

I have really enjoyed meeting Fabian, odd how you can relate to someone so different from you. He was half the age of my ex and most of my friends. He kept reminding me that I was so old myself..

There was something going on in Federation Square in Melborune...