Australian Adventure: Week 20, December 4-10, 2022

This week we have been busy exploring Tasmania!

Last week we took the Spirit of Tasmania ferry over to Tasmania from Melbourne. We arrived in Devonport, a port town, at 9am.

From there we drove along the Northern coast stopping at lookout points. We were lucky to see a platypus in a river during our lunch stop!

From there we made our way past a few more lookout points to The Nut! The Nut is the remains of an ancient volcano plug that has a flat top. We took a chair lift up to the top, did a hike around the circumference and took the lift back down.

On Monday, we spent the day at Cradle Mountain - probably Tasmania’s most famous National Park. We hiked around Dove Lake, which sits below two mountain peaks.

Then, we went to the Tasmanian Devil rehab centre where they treat injured devils and breed them to support the population. They are severely endangered because of a rare contagious mouth disease they spread between them.

Later in the day, we did another hike in Cradle Mountain National Park and saw wombats! There were about 25 of them hanging out along the walking path!

On Tuesday we drove South to Queenstown, a small mining town famous for its connection to the Gordon River and Wilderness Railway. We explored the town checking out a few local hikes and waterfalls.

On Wednesday, we took a catamaran down the Gordon River, with Gordon River Cruises. It was a full day tour with two stops on remote islands where we heard stories about the convicts that used to live there. It was a beautiful piece of Tasmania!

On Thursday, we left Queenstown for Hobart, Tasmania’s capital. On our route we stopped at Mount Field National Park where we saw beautiful waterfalls and a “big tree” reserve.

Then, we drove up Mount Wellington for a beautiful, but cold, lookout point over Hobart. That night we had Greek food in the city.

On Friday, we spent the day at Port Arthur. Port Arthur is a village and historic site. Sitting on the Tasman Peninsula, it was a 19th-century penal settlement and is now an open-air museum. The site is filled with ruins including a huge penitentiary and the remaining shell of the Convict Church, which was built by inmates. We learned about the brutal history of the settlement during our time there.

On our way back into Hobart we stopped at a few points of interest, along the ocean.

On Saturday, we visited Salamanca Market in downtown Hobart. The city reminded us a lot of Kingston, Ontario. It was right on the water, had lots of restaurants, and was lively with cruise ship passengers on a port day.

This week, we are in Tasmania for a few more days to explore Freycinet National Park and Bay of Fires. Then, we are heading back to the mainland to explore a bit more of Southern Victoria.

Thanks for following along on our adventures! We will see you next week :)