Tassie - Cradle Mountain & The North West.

We have just completed two lovely weeks travelling around Tassie's North West with John's sister Jenny, and her husband David. They flew into Launceston on Monday 5th March, and we farewelled them at 6.30am from Stanley, on the 19th March. Yes, that is correct, it was 6.30am, as they had to drive back to Launceston! In between we have had two action packed weeks, seeing as much as we could on the North West of this amazing little island.

Platypus at Platypus World.

Seahorses at Seahorse World.

First up was the beautiful Tamar Valley. A drive up to Beauty Point gave us the chance to catch up with a few Tassie locals.

Echidna at Platypus World.

We visited Platypus World and Seahorse World, conveniently located on the same wharf at Beauty Point. At both venues, you do guided tours, and get to have close up and personal encounters with the little creatures. At Platypus World we were also able to play with the echidnas, so it was a great way to learn about these little critters that are plentiful all over the island. The seahorses were fascinating. The centre breeds them commercially, both as pets and for export to Asia. We saw them from tiny, to fully grown, and in a variety of colours. Fascinating!

The Beaconsfield Mine rescue.

Next day we were at Beaconsfield. We all remember those images of the two guys emerging from the Beaconsfield Mine after having been entombed for weeks. They have done a wonderful job of building the Mine Heritage Centre, which is a wonderful walk through the history of the mine, the district and that amazing rescue. We lost a lot of time walking around here, and yes the mine is still working.
No trip to Launceston is complete without a visit to the Cataract Gorge, situated just 5 minutes from downtown! It is a spectacular sight. The suspension bridge and chairlift are icons of Tasmania, and the gardens are lovely. It is also home to a large population of peacocks, that are very tame, and turn a visit to the open air cafe, into a battle of survival. Turn your head for a moment and your raisin toast is gone!
A visit to the Swiss village of Grindelwald, sounded lovely, but proved a bit disappointing, as it was run down and very tired, except for some nice gardens. Likewise, we cancelled a visit to the famous Bridestowe Lavender Farm, as it had just finished harvesting, and as the lady at the visitor centre said, "not worth driving all that way to look at fields of stalks!"

Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain.

Cute little Eastern Quoll.

On Friday, we headed up to Cradle Mountain. Carol & I stored the caravan at the caravan park in Devonport, we would be returning to after a weekend at Cradle Mountain, and we all piled into Jenny & Dave's rental car for the short trip up the mountain. We had decided to spoil ourselves for the weekend, and had booked Spa Suites with log fires at the famous Cradle Mountain Lodge. It is a lovely drive up the mountain, but as you get close to the National Park, the landscape changes to open plains and lots of dead trees. Apparently the dead trees are the result of no termites in Tassie, and the colder climate meaning a slow rotting process. We arrive at Cradle Mountain Lodge, check in, and drove up to our rooms in the wilderness. The place is really spread out with the cabins quite some distance from the lodge. Still they are spacious and very comfortable, and with the night time temperatures in single figures, John gets the fire going. Doesn't take long before the room temperature is approaching 40 Celsius, and we have to open the doors to cool the place down!!
Dinner tonight is at the Tavern, as we have an 8.30pm tour booked at Devils @ Cradle, for a real close up with the Tasmanian Devils and Quolls. It was a great tour, very informative and a very close encounter, in drizzly rain.

Pencil Pine Falls.

Jenny & Carol on the stairs
to Knyvet Falls

The next morning dawns clear and bright, so we head for the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre. Traffic is limited in the park, so shuttle buses are the best way to get to the various walks. We have decided on doing the Dove Lake Walk, about 3.5 hours of travel around the beautiful lake set in the cradle of the mountains. What a treat. This is World Heritage listed wilderness, and it is breathtakingly beautiful in a harsh kind of way. The walk is on a well worn track, up hill and down dale, right beside the lake and then up above it, through some rain forest and along some boardwalks and wooden stairs. It is a delight at every turn, and on a beautiful cool, but sunny day, we meet a lot of people, and the odd bit of wildlife, along the way. At the end of 3.5 hours, we are all tired, but very happy having completed a magnificent walk. Back on the bus we head back to the Interpretation Centre, which has some great exhibits, and do a short walk to Pencil Pine Falls, which are lovely. Another short walk back to the Lodge, and spas all round!! What a day!! Throw another log on the fire, and it's time to head down to the fine dining restaurant, Highlander, for a great meal. The huge log fire is roaring away, creating a fantastic atmosphere. A really lovely night. Back at the room, the heater is still on 40 and Carol starts peeling off the layers, as John throws another log on the fire!!
Next morning is drizzly and cold. We check out, and head across the road to do a shortish walk to Knyvet Falls. What a walk. It is only about an hour, but is down stairs and along boardwalks through mossy and ferny forest. It is the forest from Lord of the Rings, and we are all blown away by the tranquility and beauty of what we have been lucky enough to see. The falls were pretty good too!

Steam Fest - Old Steam Engine

So all back into the little car, and back down the mountain to Sheffield. This is one busy itinerary, and we are on our way to Sheffield, the mural town, covered in one of our earlier postings, but this time it is not the murals that are the focus of the visit, but Steam Fest, an annual celebration of steam engines and old machinery. The clouds have gone and it is bright and sunny, and the show is terrific. From ploughing the fields with a horse drawn plough, to heaps of fantastically restored steam engines, a steam train doing rides, good old fashioned tractor pulling, bands, people in Medieval Clothing, crafts, vintage cars and food of all kinds, it was a great afternoon. Dave even had a go at archery, and hit the target every shot! Good one Dave.

Railton - Topiary Town.

We finally made it to Devonport, where we had a catch up day. Jenny & Dave did Latrobe, covered in an earlier post, and we ventured back to Sheffield for Jenny & Dave to have a look at the murals, and finished with a round trip through Railton, the topiary town. We got the impression that the locals once really embraced the idea, but had lost a bit of interest. There were some good examples, but it was poorly sign posted, and we really only fell upon the best display by good luck. Deloraine was last stop on this part of the trip, with its lovely craft shops, deli, and galleries.
Next stop Wynyard, where we stayed at a lovely little caravan park called the Beach Retreat Tourist Park. Weather went pear shaped, with lots of wind and rain, so we spent most of our time indoors at the Makers Mart at Burnie, and having lunch at a fine old pub in the centre of town. We were all pretty underwhelmed by Burnie and all its industry.

Stanley & The Nut.

Last venue on our two week interlude was Stanley, also covered in an earlier post, so this time will only talk about the new things we did. This is a great little old fishing village set under the imposing monolith, The Nut. It is also the crayfish capital of Tasmania, but at $85 to $90 per kilo, the only ones buying were the few Japanese tourists in town. As you can see from the photo, the weather had improved greatly, as we took a drive around the district. It is all rich farming land, with lots of big dairy farms being the dominant feature. We took drives up the road to Smithton, the nearest larger town, which had a lot of industry, especially timber and dairy related, and back down the road to the gorgeous beach side hamlets of Boat Harbour and Sisters Beach. Boat Harbour is one out of the box. The white sandy beach and turquoise water, set in between the rocky headlands, is one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen, in Tasmania or anywhere for that matter, and right on the beach is the Jolly Roger Restaurant, that forces you to sit down and drink in the view, as well as the Pinot Gris and the Caesar Salad, or Fish 'n Chips. Some one has to do it!!
On our last Saturday night, we decide to spoil ourselves with a delicious dinner at Xanders Brasserie, set under the imposing Nut, and with delightful views out across the town and the bay.  It will be our "break up party", and the food and wine was wonderful, which when combined with the view and the overall ambience, made for a special night for us all.

"The Edge of the World"

At Turks Landing for lunch.

White breasted Sea Eagle.

Bush BBQ on the Arthur River.

One last treat in store, was a cruise on the Arthur River. If you have a look on the map, you will see that Arthur River is set on the rugged, and remote, West Coast. It claims to be "the edge of the world", as standing on the cliffs at the entrance of the Arthur River, there are thousands of kilometres of ocean before the next land at South America. Thankfully, our journey was to be up river! We climb on board the red boat, whose last owner might have been Humphrey Bogart, and are introduced to the crew. When the owner;s name is "Cagey" and the captain's name is "Wog", you just know it is going to be a great day. There is a qualified, and very passionate, environmentalist on board, Greg, who gives a fantastic account of the history of the region, as well as the plants and animals of this true wilderness area, known as The Tarkine. Towering gum trees, rain forest and that black tannin stained water. It is truly awe inspiring. We get to see the magnificent white breasted sea eagle up close. There is a mum, dad and young one. I just love those big birds of prey! We travel upstream for 14 kilometres to a place called Turks Landing, which is just a metal gantry sticking out of the bush, where we all do a walk through the bush for a first hand chat with our enviro guru, Greg. While all this is happening, Cagey and Wog are cooking up a terrific Aussie BBQ at the bush camp site, where we share lunch with a wallaby or two and a couple of cheeky currawongs. It just doesn't get any better than this! There are lots of yarns, and lots of laughs, plus a cup or two of wine, and Cagey knows how to stir up trouble, so the whole day, 5 hours in total, just flys by. If you didn't enjoy this day out, you're dead!!
Back in Stanley, the sun is shining on The Nut. We've had a fantastic couple of weeks, and seen and done a lot. One last visit to Hursey's Fish & Chips, on the waterfront, a slow walk back around the bay while the sun sets, and it is early to bed for that 6.30am departure!