I know that it has only been a week since my last blog post and the time we spent in Tasmania (Tassie) needs its own little shoutout! My only wish is that we had more time. Tasmania was the perfect way to cap off our eight incredible weeks in Australia. I am SO glad we went. My takeaways from our time down under, although I learned in writing this post that New Zealand is also considered “down under” so technically we’re still there, are as follows; Aussies love life. They seem to exude joy and gratitude for each day. They acknowledge and respect the diversity of its people and the ancestors that came before them. They honor the land that they are on by trying to protect it and everything that comes from it. I only wish all countries could follow suit.
In the brief time we were in Tasmania we saw and did many things. We continued to be blown away by the beauty of the biodiversity that was all around us. From the beaches, to the water, from the forests to the wildlife, Tasmania and Australia as a whole are amazing and I already can’t wait to go back! Instead of listing everything we did in this post I’m going to share through the photos. I hope you enjoy it!
With love from Auckland,
Alison
A carriage of cute Tasmanian devils greeted us near the baggage carousel at Hobart International Airport. After we checked into our Air BnB we went out and explored Hobart. This beautiful mural can be found in the quaint Irish pub called the New Sydney Hotel. The food and drinks were delicious. The first full day of exploration began with a before sunrise departure for our road trip up the East Coast of Tassie. This beautiful view is from Kelvedon Beach.
It rained the night before so this is my attempt at capturing the good omen for the day from the car.
We pulled over wherever we could along the “East Coast Whale Trail” to capture pics of the beautiful coastline. This is Spiky Beach. Spiky Beach. Our first official stop was the town of Bicheno. Someone we met in Brisbane had recommended the lobster shack here but we arrived too early. Next time. These amazing rocks and the view of the hill called Whalers Lookout are part of the Bicheno Foreshore Footpath that leads around the other side of the hill to the blowhole. The water is beautiful here. Dave capturing photos of the waves at the blowhole. Melaleuca or Tea Trees.After breakfast in St. Helens we made our way to the Bay of Fires, Suicide Beach. The contrast between the white powdery sand and the blue frigid water was breathtaking. After that stop we continued through the Bay of Fires Conservation Area to Binalong Bay. Simply gorgeous. We stopped at the Farm Shed: East Coast Wine Center in Bicheno on the way home. They sell local wines mainly from wineries that are not a big enough producer to have their own cellar door/ wine tasting facility. They also have Tasmanian beer, gin and whisky. It was fun to learn more about Tasmanian wine making which is considered “new”, only 200 years, with a modern revival in the 1950s. It was a nice way to finish our massive day of travel topping off at 11 hours. Davey was a champ!Sunrise view from our Air Bnb in Hobart. Our next day of exploration began with a visit to Mount Field National Park. With all the big cities that we’ve visited on this leg of the adventure it felt good to be in nature again! We decided to do the Three Falls Circuit which was said to take a little over two hours and it was wonderful. It was fun to see so many adorable Tammar Wallabies in their natural habitat. Incredibly tall Swamp Gum Eucalyptus trees. Another adorable Wallaby. Beautiful tree ferns along the creek that ran through the forest. Lady Barron Falls. Tree ferns. Tall Trees Walk. Horseshoe Falls. The view from the top of Russell Falls. Russell Falls. It was the perfect way to start the day. Tassie countryside. After Mount Field National Park we went to Derwent Estate Vineyard. What a beautiful spot!We enjoyed a cheese plate and shared a wine tasting while taking in the view. We even got to see black swans on the lake with their babies!Our last full day in Tassie we drove up Mount Wellington to see the sunrise. We tried to make it to the top but the fog became so thick we couldn’t see the road in front of us so we found a better spot to watch.
It was breathtaking!
First peek. Now we were ready for the rest of our day. As the clouds just started to clear. While Davey took a wee nap I went down to the port and visited the Salamanca Markets. I approve of this reverse psychology advertising. 😉After visiting the markets Dave and I met up and boarded the ferry that would take us to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). MONA is a renowned, privately funded art museum that everyone we talked about going to Tassie with said we must visit! Arriving at MONA. The view from the grounds. “Bit.Fall” by Julius PoppThis installation felt like indoor fireworks. “4pm” by Dean Stevenson with “Snake” by Sidney Nolan in the background. “Artifact” by Gregory Barsamian“Kryptos” by Brigita Ozolins“White House” by Ai Weiwei “Fat Car” by Erwin WurmSeagull bath time. One final view from MONA. We finished our day at Manky Sally’s which is a “luxury dive bar” and the home of Moo Brew Brewing. They specialize in blending sustainable, locally-sourced Tasmanian ingredients with eclectic flavors. We had the smacked cucumber salad, the spent grain focaccia and the tofu and mushroom dumplings. It was delicious! Before we left for the airport we paid Banjo’s, our favorite early morning cafe and bakery, one last visit. This is the Tasmanian newspaper from Sunday. Zoom in on the caption underneath “we are one and free”. I feel like this message really captures the spirit of Australian culture.
