February 2025 - Tasmania

 I recently had a birthday and reached a disturbing age. To celebrate, and to counter the dread, Myra and I had a week in Tasmania!

 I had never been, despite living in Melbourne a good 25+ years now, and was quite keen to see some of the natural beauty that I had heard so much about.

 The adventure started on the evening of Thursday the 6th. Ferry trip! Was looking forward to experiencing this and figured this experience and the convenience of taking my car was worth the very large price tag. We booked a cabin and I must say it was quite comfortable and we slept well. Was a great experience, however despite doing this in summer with the long days, it was pretty much dark when we left, and only had a short period of morning light to enjoy the view before docking in Devonport; would have liked more of a view to enjoy. Note: the cooked buffet style breakfast in the morning was possibly the worst breakfast of our lives! Fortunately the small pizzas we had as a late dinner/snack the night before were much better.

 Friday in Devonport and the day somehow disappeared on us. Get off the ferry, find a cafe by the river for a coffee or two, drive around the foreshore, a tasty Viet lunch, then a walk along the foreshore took us to check in time at our cute little B&B. We booked the family room and Myra got to enjoy some very spacious bunk beds! Friday was birthday day, so off to dinner at a nice restaurant by the water (it was good, but I am a Melbourne food snob now and wasn't quite as good as I was hoping for).

https://thegrandonmacfie.com.au/

 We were a bit slow in starting Saturday and heading down to Cradle Mountain - partly cause holiday mode kicked in, and because we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the B&B. Myra also noticed a hedge maze on route (small detour) and we decided to check that out. I don't recall doing mazes like this, and it was a lot of fun, despite being a rather cheesy tourist type place (the Village of Lower Crackpot). Views of Mount Roland and a stop at Lake Barrington made the detour worth it. We eventually got to our cabin at Cradle Mountain, but with not enough time for any hiking. I headed over to the tourist information building and got up to speed on costs and shuttle buses. Also got my first view of it and was shocked at how intimidating it looked! Was impressed at the size of the operation - huge visitors centre, massive car park, and frequent shuttle buses all day.

 

 I let Myra enjoy a sleep in on Sunday and left her to her own hike, while I set off for an all day hike around some of the lakes in the area. Had a perfect day for it, sunny and low 20s, but it turns out my route took me along part of the Overland track and it was closed due to the nearby fires, so I had to alter my route and fortunately didn't see any fire, smoke, or embers in the area. It was an amazing hike and I can see why the area is so popular. 

https://www.trailhiking.com.au/hikes/cradle-mountain-lakes-circuit/

I went up towards Crater Lake first and was blown away by the beauty - started with some alpine looking plains, then head up into dense forest with many waterfalls, and emerge at Crater Lake; a volcanic rim with a picturesque lake in the middle. 

 

 Then there was more up; and steep enough to need chains to assist the assent. Marions Lookout provided epic views of Crater Lake, Dove Lake, Lake Lilla, and Cradle Mountain.

  A junction is a little further along; the summit walk, the Overland track, or Face Track. The closed Overland was meant to take me around the base of Cradle in a loop (head South from the West and loop around to the East then North), so instead I followed the Face and it cut across the base on the near side. The new plan was to then head around Cradle from the East for a bit then backtrack and continue the original route. Face was interesting... went from pretty easy tracks to a narrow track with plenty of rock scrambling, and having magnificent views over the valley and Dove Lake the whole time.

The walk around the back side was worth it, some great views of Cradle from a new angle. I was getting pretty worn out and stopped for a long break at Lake Rodway before back-tracking and heading back along Dove Lake foreshore (along with the many others - this part was very popular!).

Covered 20km in 6.5 hours.

 

 Monday was Cradle Mountain Summit day. I was very excited, Myra less so! It was a 12.5km route and estimated ~5 hours. Much of the route was the same as yesterday. This time when we got to the Face/Overland/Summit junction, we went up. And up. And up some more. It was a lot of fun, but it was very difficult and slow going. The last ~500m was bouldering over huge rocks and was a blast. Unfortunately it was very slow going, and we got very close to the final summit (that looked very difficult) when we made the call to return. The day was burning away and we had a drive to Strahan ahead of us. Will have to return some time and complete this one!

We were hiking for over 7 hours, and after a racing to Strahan (to be off the highway before sunset and peak animal time), we checked in to our cabin and enjoyed a surprisingly good dinner at the fancy local pub.

 We were out enjoying a cruising tour on Tuesday, and were blessed with another warm sunny day. It was an interesting tour where we visited an old mining town that has been nearly completely swallowed by the forest, and enjoying the beauty of the harbour, Gordon River and the heads called Hells Gates!

 

That afternoon we headed to the beach. My first time on a Western beach and I was keen to watch the sunset. Worth it. I get the whole West Coast vibe now, it was amazingly relaxing and chill. Gave me some retirement ideas.

 

Our next stop was Arthur River and we were looking forward to the slow drive through the national park. Alas there were many fires and road closures, so we looped around via a longer inland route. Arthur River was significantly smaller than Strahan (and it only had like 600 people), but it is a popular holiday spot and I see why. Stunningly beautify river and ocean, and so quiet and peaceful with very few people around. We had to get an AirBnB here due to lack of other options; it was a lovely holiday home that had direct views over the river and ocean. We enjoyed a long afternoon walk along the river and onto a large sandbar at the ocean head, and later headed around to the "Edge of the World" to enjoy a different ocean view. Apparently heading west from this spot gives you the longest uninterrupted stretch of ocean in the world; next landfall is Argentina!

Thursday and time to head back to Devonport. Lazy morning then drove to Stanley to climb "The Nut". Stanley was an unexpected delight; quaint little historic town, on a peninsular surrounded by beaches, and The Nut is a volcanic plug that towers over the town. Enjoyed a coffee, then we walked up The Nut and around the top, before descending and then taking the chair lift up and down (cause why not, don't get many opportunities to ride a chair lift!).

 

 Back on the ferry Friday morning at an ungodly hour as we did the day cruise back. No problems with lack of sun this time! We booked recliner lounges and had a cruisy day of reading, napping, gadgets, eating, and walking around the ship enjoying the views. I enjoyed it, and glad we did it, but unless I really needed to bring a car/caravan over for a long holiday then I suspect flying and renting cars would be cheaper and easier.

We grabbed fish and chips in Geelong, then drove home and back to reality. Will have to return and see more of Tassie, was very impressed with the small part we saw this time.