We had heard that Tasmania was a place not to miss when you are down under, so we spent a week on the island driving around in a hi-top campervan, the spacious Toyota HiAce.
We figured it would be the best way to see the island, but totally overlooked that not only did Terry have to drive on the left (the wrong side of the road), but he also had to maneuver a huge vehicle with manual transmission. Let’s just say that it took us a good 30 minutes to practice in the parking lot before we were on our way! Things after that were effortless and I must say, that he did an exceptional job avoiding wild animals, driving the windy paths up mountains and hanging over cliffs to get some excellent photos.
Wow – Tasmania was wonderful! With more animals than people, we thoroughly enjoyed our week exploring the wilderness, the wine regions and the views.
We started our week in Hobart, the largest city in Tasmania, used mainly as a port. Since the total population on the entire island doesn’t hit ½ million, you can imagine that this “city” wasn’t comparable to even most small towns in the US. However, it was a charming place and we ate the freshest fish and chips yet from a restaurant that was located on stilts in marina bay and took in fish hauls from local boats daily! We even had time to watch some tennis at the local casino and explore the local library for some internet time.
Mount Wellington was a steep but picturesque climb up to the summit where you can enjoy views of Hobart and some neighboring towns and ocean as far as your eyes can see, and you’ll never feel lonely as you are high enough to be accompanied by sweeping clouds.
From Hobart, we headed north up the east coast to set eyes on some of the more remote and beautiful beaches in Australia yet. Crystal blue waters beyond jagged cliffs on our right and cows, kangaroos, sheep on our left completed our view for the 3 hour drive up to Bicheno, an endearing little beach resort town with many activities.
Never had we seen so much exotic road kill! Ever few kilometers, there was a dead wombat, kangaroo, crow or some unidentified creature. We thankfully avoided any mishaps and saw the living forms of all these animals as well. Apparently, every night, Tasmania’s “clean up crew” hits the roads to devour the carcasses – the infamous Tasmanian Devils! We visited East Coast Nature World near Bicheno and saw all the recognized and famed Australian wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, emus, ostriches, kookaburras and many more! We even petted the little Devils and they were adorable. Our favorite was feeding the kangaroos that just hopped about the huge park freely and loved to follow us around. Apparently, kangaroos here are as frequently seen as deer back in the States (and they even taste similar – more on that later!).
That evening, we signed up to see the fairy penguins coming back ashore. The penguin tour in Bicheno is more personal than the one at Phillip Island (near Melbourne) and there were no ropes or barriers between us and the little guys, so we had been saving this moment until we arrived in Tasmania. Oh my goodness – they were even cuter than the kangaroos! I just wanted to pick one up and put it in my pocket. A full grown fairy penguin only gets to about 12 to 16 inches tall and we were lucky enough to see about 50 of them coming back to their boroughs right along the path we were walking and right between our feet at many points. We even saw newly born chicks, mothers feeding the chicks through regurgitation and a sad little chick whose parents never came home to feed him – it was heartbreaking – Terry and I wanted to slip him some Oreos – poor little dude. The funniest part was watching them swim up to the shore and then wait in a huddle and argue about who was going to cross the beach to the grassy areas first. Evidently, predators lurk and wait for the fairies to cross, so they send one penguin out to check out the scene while the others wait, then when the coast is clear, the huddle of ten shuffle across the sand. We can just imagine the conversations “Go on Johnny, it’s your turn!”, “No, Mildred, I went first last week – send Tommy over there!”, hilarious.
After all the cuteness, we continued up the coast to St. Mary’s and then over to Launceston and Tamar Valley. We enjoyed some fantastic award winning wines and conversations in Tamar Valley and stopped at a cheese factory to complement our palates. We decided to forgo the hours of driving over to the west coast and instead took some more leisurely routes and actually enjoyed the camping aspect of the campervan.
While Campervaning includes being out in remote areas, enjoying your meals with some spectacular views, there are some hidden adventures that also come your way.
One night, while stationed in a national park, Manali’s bladder got the best of her and she needed to sneak out into the bushes (the bathrooms were far, ok?!). She quickly realized that a pair of beady eyes were staring at her through the thicket. She screamed and yelled for Terry who dashed to her rescue and shooed away what we believed was a Pademelon (Aussie raccoon like creature). At least Manali marked her territory and it wasn’t to be seen again!
The entire week in Tasmania, we stayed in numerous National Parks (the majority of the island is covered in parks) walked some short treks and enjoyed many of the look out points. Camper-vaning was definitely the right way to go! With the lack of options for accommodations and high prices during the busy seasons, being in the van was easy, secure and so much fun! If you have the time, a week to ten days in Tasmania will add to a lifetime of memories!
-
Tasmania | Australia :: Campervan Views
03 March 2010 1:14 PM | No CommentsHere are some of the views we enjoyed from the back of our van!
Read More -
Tasmania | Australia :: Britz Campervan Tour & Review
05 March 2010 1:26 PM | 5 CommentsWe had no idea what to book for campervans, had no suggestions from others and since it was the busy season and relatively urgent, we pretty much blindly booked a vehicle a few months before our arrival with Britz. The administration and paperwork at the office was a nightmare at 8am and the company [...]
Read More -
Halls Gap | Australia :: The Grampians National Park
16 March 2010 4:10 PM | 1 CommentOn our way back to Melbourne, we stopped a night at the Grampians National Park, a huge forest of gum trees with abundant wildlife and years of aboriginal history. Apparently, hundreds of koalas make their home in this forest, but we were yet to see any of them, they were really difficult to find! [...]
Read More
the temp in Atlanta has us all saying ENOUGH IS A ENOUGH now the exquisite photos of your experiences in Tasmania arrives and restores my faith – enjoy enjoy stay safe and out of the "bushes" hugs
the views and scenery are spectacular on film!…It must have been breathtaking first hand…I loved the video of all the animals and Manali be careful out there in the bush. Something might decide to claim you!…I LOVE the still picture of you above…gorgeous…and you're cute too son
Just catching up on your blog — I have been a bit behind. What gorgeous pics! You both look happy and healthy.
xo