28.02 // Day 1 & 2: Hobart – Fortescue Bay

I sit in a $15 dollar lawn chair from Kmart awaiting a pre-dinner tea to cool enough to drink here with Agathe at the Banksia campsite in Fortescue Bay National Park.

Our “Hyke & Byke” tent standing strong at place #14 under the sway of eucalyptus trees. The sky is grey with the evening and the echo of the shore completes this otherworldly feeling we have here in Tasmania.

Yesterday we arrived in Hobart and our first few hours were anticlimatic for the beginning of a great 3 month trip.

Getting frustrated on the drive, taking too long to find a parking spot (in Hobart of all places), a dank hostel room with some guy sleeping at 2pm (and did not get out of bed until we left the next day – hope he’s alright!) and the overall fatigue of leaving Melbourne and transit weighing us down. Funny how life works out.

Still – the city caught me in an unexpected way. It has a preserved history. A place built by the maritime industry and “convicts” or slaves. Stone buildings hug the marina that at one point launched vessels to hunt whales in the southern seas. It had a thriving and affluent period (not that it isn’t still affluent today) at the end of the 19th and early 20th century.

I wondered what it would be have been like to be the early settlers of Australia – to leave my home for an unknown land as so many did and never return again.

I think I have it in me B)

Hobart was a city in miniature. We enjoyed a half priced pizza and pint at “The Whaler” and had two tipsy girls buy us shots of tequila as an apology for yelling in our ears. Overall, very pleasant time.

In the morning, after an average night’s sleep, we did our groceries and headed to Mt. Wellington to hike the Pinnacle Summit trail. A three hour return hike that took us through some of the most beautiful geological, floral, and sweeping landscape views we could have hoped for.

Part forest, part rock, this walk brought a rush of new sights and smells that took us by real surprise. It felt like we were experiencing the outdoors for the first time and falling completely in love with it.

Strolling forest turned into rocky glacial deposits which opened to dolerite cliffs and views for miles around.

We passed a few other hikers and bid them g’day. At the summit, we had a 360 degree views and a lot of fun with our camera. What an earth, we thought.

The descent was quick and rough. Our thighs were shaking as we passed a junior rugby team and looked tough for a few moments. We got back to the car, high-fived, and made our way to Fortescue Bay through some more gorgeous and unique countryside.

I dare say Tasmania has been far above my expectations and will continue to exceed them I am sure! More tomorrow!

Hiking Mt. Wellington

01.03 // Day 3: Fortescue Bay

The evening is setting in for our second and final night here at Fortescue Bay.

This morning we woke up feeling a steady, gradual improvement to the previous nights we’ve slept in our tent. It’ll take some more getting used to but we’ll get there.

After breakfast, we got ready and set out for the 12km Cape Huay track.

But before I get ahead of myself, let’s back up for a minute. Before breaksfast, or brekkie as the aussies call it, we walked on Fortescue Beach. Bay gives way to bay gives way to open sea covered with thick, tall trees from the peaks right down to the water. 

Agathe and I were the only two on the beach. As we walked, twirling wispy clouds rose from the water and passed through us on the sand. We looked around – the trees are so dark and green they remind us of a jungle. We took the time to stare, in awe, of how mysterious it all was. What beauty we were fortunate to look upon. 

Those moments of deep thought often pass quicker than we imagine. Sometimes, I have an expectation of how long I feel a moment should last when it doesn’t last as long as I thought I feel like I’ve been slightly let down. You hope that you can hang on to this bliss but just as quickly you keep walking, distractions set in, and you have to remember what you wanted to be appreciating again. You can’t quite seem to return it the same. As is life.

But as we neared a calm stream born right there from the sea heading inland, we were again washed over by a feeling of wonder for what we were seeing. A run off forming a wider body of water with high trees and thick fern-like vegetation guarding the first few meters of the forest floor.

A seafaring bird stood atop a dead branch and I took a photo of her.

We reflected on the beauty together and made our way back barefoot to the audible squeaking of snow white sand beneath our feet.

—————— (time traveling) ——————–

The Cape Huay trail was a bit more challenging (and full of surprises) than we thought it would be.

We began by signing our names in the “walker registration” booklet – a log of all walkers departing from a given point by foot. In case you go missing, they have a final signature and idea where to look for your body.

Within the first 20 minutes of the track, Agathe nearly jumped out of her skin surprised when a wallaby appeared, eating some grass, right beside the track. He didn’t seemed too bothered by our presence nor screams. He was blind in one eye. I took a few photos of his little snacktime and we continued on. 

While our next encounter didn’t deliver a scream, it made both of us think long and hard about how much we wanted to complete this hike. The first half of the track is a dirt trail with tall grass on either side. So you can’t see what might be hiding inside. At some point, I heard the “sssshhhhhth” of a snake and as I passed it, a few steps later, we both turned back to watch a tiger snake eek his way across the path we had just come from. Little did I realize that this snake is one of the deadliest in the world. Whew! Would’ve been the last you heard from me. But we persisted, “onward, we say!”

The next sighting was also black and about a meter long but this time was a creature of the sky. A parrot. Then two. Then three, with meter long wingspans flying and hollaring as they flew through the trees. When I first saw one take off, I wondered if it was a bat or something. Turned out to be a parrot. Cool.

As the walk continued, we smelled scents we never smelled before and took in an ensemble of other sensations Fresh. Spicy. Windy. Sunny. Meandering at times, this path, we didn’t really know what the draw of the hike was nor where all of the other hikers were (we hadn’t seen any by this stage). 

On high alert from our encounter with the snake, we finally came to a common point of departure for the rest of the hike and made some small talk with other trekkers we’d seen. It sounded like an intense go.

We shared a granola bar and were on our way. 

Within a few minutes we looked upon a green canyon that gave way to walls of cliff on either side and southern sea below. It was one of the most stunning views I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. 

Rolling cliffs, hills with massive drop offs carved by the battering sea and high winds. The face of the cliffs were like bricks stacked vertically, ten meters high. 

We sped back in the direction we came after arriving to the finish: a crow’s nest atop the second to last cape with a heck of a wind blowing. 

Fortunately we arrived when we did because a few minutes later a heavy layer of fog moved in reducing visibility dramatically. 

The walk back was less chatting and more walking. We cruised now facing mostly downhill stairs as we came back to sea level. 

Upon arriving back to camp, we high-fived, changed and ran straight for the beach for a cool swim. 

While the sun was quite strong the water was ice cold. We entered and felt the adrenaline rush of those first few minutes bring and admiring ourselves for the bravery it took. Gazing out to water, trees, and sea we felt there was no other place to be than here.

Returning to camp, we needed a shower. It’d be only a day and half since our last one, normal in such circumstances, but it was just was we needed after such a day. We found the caretaker and bought two shower tokens worth 4 minutes of hot water for $2 dollars each. It felt amazing.

We had a late lunch and wondered where would be the best place to take a nap.

We opted to return to the beach. 

The high tide rolling in little by little, the hiss of the waves disappating on the shore, Agathe spotted a black bird floating not too far from shore all alone. Not moving very much – just hanging around there. Odd. Upon closer inspection, we saw it was a penguin! A joyful but despairing sight: why was he here alone? We thought he could be caught on something. A net maybe. But we couldn’t be sure. 

We debated what to do and decided I would swim out to him and if he was hooked on something try to unhook him. Penguin rescue mission. 

I shed my fresh clothes and walked purposefully into the rising walls of icy waves. The sky was fading blue. Step after the step the waves grew higher until I was swimming with a goal and urgency in my mind. I started to swim towards the penguin. 

Unfortunately, when I got within a few meters of him he began to paddle away. I couldn’t follow. I made a clicking sound like you would for a horse  – how would you affectionately call a penguin?

Though I didn’t help, I did manage to see his little feet attached to his rugby ball body with no net around him. Arriving back to share, he was further along but didn’t have a chance of reaching the end of that bay. I hope we don’t find him laying out there tomorrow – though it would be just another day in the life for the living. 

In and around Fortescue Bay

03.03 // Day 4: Freycinet National Park

After an easy two days at Fortescue paradise, the next two could be a real challenge.

As I write this sand is gusting into the tent from under the rain cover. Heavy winds have been dominating these parts since we arrived. So much so that another camper, Jared from Launceston, helped me set up tent noticing my struggle. Thanks Jared!

Working backwards:

We had dinner by the light of our headlamps. Tonight’s special: Campbells pumpkin and bacon soup with white rice boiled with too much water. Canned food is a campers dream (or nightmare) when you don’t have a fridge. We stood guard over our little burner, reigniting it when the wind blew it out time and time again.

It actually sounds like a freight train powering around us. The campsite is tucked on the top of hill covered in trees and dirt overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see. Which also makes it the perfect place for wind to sweep through and our site #46 seems to be taking the brunt of it. All we can do is wish for the best. Mainly, that it stops and doesn’t break a branch onto our tent or our rental car.

When we arrived to Freycinet after a few hours driving – it was extraordinary. The depth and layers and colors, anything that is anything was in this view. Three tall, wise mounds standing strong against the calm waters and the setting sun. Breathtaking. Of the many places I’ve visited, sites I’ve seen and felt, this one has a special place in my memory as invoking a deep felt sense of awe and meaning in the most humbling way (it also happens to be the main photo at the top of this page.)

Today was a fair bit of driving to get here through what looks like winding hills of golden dead grasslands and other bush but with many reliefs of sea coast along the way. We left Fortescue Bay and headed around Port Arthur, took some pics, neither of us were feeling very good because it was so unexpectedly hot.

Drowsy and tired, we drove by what looked zebra stripes of water stretching 100 meters or more from the road to a deep blue bay. A mirage maybe?

Fortunately not. At high tide, the water reaches all the way across the lengthy flat sandscape only to retreat and leave behind these exotic formations.

Contrasted by the burnt orange and evergreen land surrounding made for a truly beautiful place. Agathe and I had fun with the camera. Walking along brought with an unexpected but perhaps yearned for, state of peace.

Driving to and arriving at Freycinet

03.03 // Day 5: Freycinet National Park – Devils Corner – Bicheno

Our alarm rang at 6.30 am but our night of sleep had been pretty bad! The wind made it feel like our tent was gonna get blown away, or more likely we were gonna die being hit by a branch. Fortunately, none of this happened! Anthony went down to the beach to enjoy a beautiful sunrise and take pictures and I stayed put in the tent hoping to catch some more sleep.

After a short breakfast at the campground (oatmeal with no milk nor sugar), we started on the famous “Wineglass Bay” hike. It was quite touristy and we were surprised to see that many people (we are in Tasmania guys – there is no one!). The hike was really easy, it is only a 45-minute walk to Wineglass bay (unless you don’t remember whether you locked the car or not and walk back for 15 minutes realizing you in fact did).

The sky was overcast and large waves were rolling in so we could not enjoy the usual stunning turquoise water but it did not detract from the beauty of the place. Wineglass Bay has a white half-moon shape beach and is dominated by the granite mountain range known as the Hazards. After a light snack, we decided to continue the hike towards Hazards beach on the other side of the peninsula.

This time, way less touristy, the hike takes you through an isthmus comprised of stagnating water and broken trees, till you make it to Hazards beach. Once we arrived we were completely taken aback by the dramatic scenery. In front of us, unfolded a long white beach stretching as far as we could see until it was met by heavy fog on both sides. The water was completely still (now being on the bay side) as if there was no life. The sky was heavy grey and the mountains stood there looming over us. The fog preventing from seeing far in the distance. It felt as if you had arrived in another dimension, frozen in time.

After this mysterious scene, we hiked another two hours along the coast and in the forest. Once done, we went back to the campground and went for a well-deserved swim at Honeymoon beach, a well-fitting name for this beautiful cove surrounded by orange granite boulders. The water was pretty cold though, so we did not stay in there forever.

Meanwhile, a friendly guy from Melbourne, on a business trip, had come a day early to see more of Tasmania, chatted with us. He recommended a famous winery named Devils Corner that we decided to check out later on. We then made lunch (warmed up a Heinz can of “ham and peas” yum! lol) and hit the road right before 4 pm. We realized too late that the winery would be closing in less than an hour by the time we will get there but decided to go anyway (being over 30 minutes drive).

Once we arrived we saw the nice guy and his work colleague just leaving the place! Too bad we could have gone there directly and had a nice time with them.

We got a glass of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir from the winery and went on to enjoy the view. I believe this is the most scenic winery I have ever seen! The landscape was comprised of hills covered in vines and array of trees (probably to protect the vines from the heavy winds), a lagoon, Coles bay and the mountains of Freycinet national park in the background. This scene had so much depth, pictures could not give it justice!

We stayed there, almost not talking, just soaking in the majesty of this place (till we got kicked out as they were closing).

We decided to head north to Bicheno to get some dinner. By chance, we found an authentic Fish and Chips joint that was everything we could have hoped for! We tried a basket of fried seafood (calamari, shrimps, gummy and other types of fish). We actually learned the fish named “gummy” or “flake” is actually a nice name to let you know you are actually eating shark!

So we had shark for dinner (quite tasty)!
While we sat outside enjoying our meal overlooking the natural harbor made of grey rock boulders where fisherman boats were anchored, we spotted a seal playing in the water. We came closer to see it and goodness this is a BIG animal!! It stayed there playing, licking its paws (are they paws or flippers?) and basically putting on a show for us. Such an amazing experience, being next to such a smart sea creature in its natural habitat! Quite the encounter!

On our observation session, we met a lovely retired British couple from Cornwall traveling Tasmania and visiting one of their son living in Sydney. We had a pleasant conversation and wish them the best on the rest of their trip.

We then headed back to the campground and witness an amazing sunset with incredible purple colors on the Tasmanian countryside.

Once the night set though, we had to be extra careful driving on the road, as wallabies hangout the most at night. Not only there are signs everywhere depicting a car hitting a kangaroo, warning you the speed limit is of 65km/h instead of 80km/h from down to dusk but given the number of animals you see dead on the side of the road (seriously – about one animal dead every five to ten minutes) you know the threat is real. Locals here drive big 4×4 with a “roo bar” (understand a “kangaroo bar” for a bull bar) and probably do not care too much about these speed limit restrictions. We are driving a small rental car with no insurance (as we didn’t use the right credit card when we made the payment – oops) and hitting a poor animal is the last thing we want to do. But we made it safe back to the campground!

Overall it was a great day made of hiking, drinking good wine and soaking in magnificent views everywhere we went!

04.03 // Day 6: Freycinet National Park – Launceston

After having spent a better night in the tent (still rough though – with just the yoga mattress and no pillow), we wake up around 7.30am, make coffee and try to fold the tent while being swarmed by mosquitoes. We hit the road and drive back up the national park still weary of wallabies that may cross the road. We do see a couple just on the side, praying they won’t just jump under our car. All good!

We stop at Friendly Beaches which is on the way out of the park. The lovely British couple we had met on the previous day had told us it was really worth it to go see this beach, telling us it is more beautiful than “ White Heaven Beach” in the Whitsundays (supposedly one of the top 10 most beautiful beach in the world – I was there when she was 17, it is incredible). The road does not go all the way and we have, once more, to drive our rental car on a dirt track, which takes us way longer than it should. Arriving at the lookout, we see the beach which stretches forever, with very white sand, but we are not amazed lol. It may be worth stopping if you do have a lot of time on your hands and want to go walk along the beach – we don’t.

Back on the road, ready for the upcoming 2h drive to Launceston, Anthony tells me we have to stop to get some gas. I check and see we are nearly on empty. Good thing to know about Australia and remote areas: you will not find gas everywhere you go! The lesson is, every time you see a gas station you should stop and refill. Well, we have to drive in the wrong direction to go to Swansea, a town 20 minutes away. Anthony is alternating in between Drive and Neutral to save some gas, he is not allowed to get any cookies for breakfast till we make it (haha). We made it!

Alright this time, we are ready to go to Launceston, after the two detours (beach and gas) that took us over an hour. The drive is quite scenic and takes you inside of the island, through rolling hills of high dry grass and massive eucalyptuses sporadically growing.

We are on the Heritage Highway, the most direct route between Hobart in the south and Launceston in the north. The road was built by convicts in the early 1800s. Apparently, over 70,000 convicts were transported to Tasmania and served as cheap labor to build roads, houses, estates, bridges and work on farms. Wild.

We drive through Campbell town which is quite famous (but really small), we do not stop but you can see some great examples of the architecture and infrastructures that were built by the convicts at the time.

Arriving at Launceston around 12pm we are too early to check in to our Airbnb. We go to Cataract Gorge which is a touristy point of the city. There is a small lake, a river, and a chair lift. It feels a bit weird like it is supposedly a point of interest but there is actually nothing to see (until you venture deeper into the Gorge). We walk around there for 10 minutes and eat lunch in the parking lot (we could have done better!).

Finally, we check in our Airbnb at 2 pm, our host Jack has a beautiful authentic house in the nearby suburbs of Launceston. I was relieved to finally be in a clean beautiful house and be able to shower!!! (first shower in 3 days). It is crazy how not having the same level of comfort can affect you (and it is only our 6th day of traveling lol). But we’ve been in the bush, so what can you do.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the flowery backyard, enjoying the nice temperature and chatting with our host. It is nice to talk to a local. We learn that seals here in Tasmania are hated by fishermen, who always carry a rifle on their boat to shoot them when they see one! So much for our experience from the previous day!

We wrap up some work for over two hours for our companies back in Berlin, do some laundry and relax.

Around 8 pm we go for dinner at Saint Johns Bar which is a really great place for beers (great selection on tap) and delicious burgers! It is Monday night so not busy at all but we sit at the bar and make a nice chat with the bartenders, a Scottish girl and a Tasmanian local. Great time.

Overall it was a great day, not the usual traveling day but more relaxing!

05.03 // Day 7: Launceston – Cradle Mountain – Lake Burbury

Waking up in a nice clean linen bed with the timid morning lights was a delight. I tried to prolong it as much as I could to enjoy the comfort that will soon be over! Anthony on his end was working on his computer finishing a blog post for his company at 6:30 – dedicated!

We took our time, had a small breakfast, coffee and cereals provided by our Airbnb host and worked on packing up and wrote down our Tasmanian adventures to finally be able to publish something on our blog.

Our host Jack came back from his whearabouts and we started a great conversation about his family and how he is from New Zealand originally. He explained to us more about his house and its history. His mother’s pride and joy consisted of a cabinet full of china, porcelain, and crystal glasses. Being from a poor working-class background, those objects were relished as treasures. It has been put in his care to keep all of these, he told us. Unfortunately, his daughters do not seem to take interest in these so “they will have to go”. He showed us a Maori ax (the stone to be precise) and told us his first wife was Maori. We would love to spend more time with him as he was such a genuine person who you could learn so much from but we have to go. We gave our farewells and exchanged emails, we took a nice picture together in his backyard and off we went.

Our time in Launceston has basically consisted of our Airbnb, and we have loved it. It was great to take the time to relax, talk with a local and make a real encounter.

First stop is at the supermarket where we refilled on food and water. We have 3 more days to go but don’t want to be out of the essential (or arrive in an isolated town where prices are 4 times what they should be and nothing seems good to buy – what happened to us in Swansea and made me quite grumpy!).

We then headed to Cradle Mountain, an approximate two hours drive. We finally figured out how to play Spotify in the car (as most of the time there were no radio station reachable), sang along our road trip playlist which made the drive much more enjoyable!

The weather was quite nice and we finally arrived at Cradle Mountain at around 3 pm (it is only sunny 30 days out of the year so we got quite lucky!). We hopped on a minibus that takes you from the visitor center to Dove Lake – the main lake below Cradle mountain. In the bus, we met two older French couples (French are EVERYWHERE!) from Paris and Rennes. We exchanged on our Australian adventures and saw them a couple more times along the hike.

We hiked along the Dove lake trail which was just gorgeous. It wrapped all along the lake and throughout the vegetation. All plants and trees seemed to be out of a fairytale. It felt as if we were walking through an enchanted forest! We loved it. The hike was flat, only took two hours and you had so much to see!

Back at the car, I set off to drive but drove too fast and quickly realized Anthony is not as good a co-pilot as I am. The co-pilot role is far more entertaining.

We had a 1h30 drive to Burbury lake where we wanted to camp. However, the weather deteriorates and it started raining becoming very foggy. We passed through Queenstown, once one of the biggest copper mining town and now an aerie and depressing site. We continued driving under the heavy rain and decided we may have to sleep in the car as we would get soaked in the tent. We arrived at a campsite which it turns out to be a field with no facilities. There were other people, which reassured us as the whole place and surrounding areas were quite spooky! We made dinner with our small burner it was slightly raining by then but quite cold. We got in the car and wrote our daily accounts but it started raining a lot by then.

In a few minutes, I am getting out of the car to go in the tent and hope to sleep. It is 9 pm pitch black and raining! I can’t foresee a good night!

Cradle Mountain

06.03 // Day 8: Lake Burbury – Nelsons Falls – Mount Field

We woke up around 7 am, which would make it a good 10h night of sleep, having gone to bed at 9 pm. In normal circumstances, you would feel rested, to say the least. Our night was a little different. It was cold and rainy. I managed to sleep OK by burring myself completely in the sleeping bag. Anthony made a bad pillow out of his coat and was also cold all night.

All that to say is that when we woke up and got brave enough to get out in the cold, we rushed to get our tent packed under the rain and started driving away (now enjoying the heating inside the car). We drove til Nelsons falls, about 15 minutes away, a lush place nested in the foresty hills where after a 10-minute walk you can admire a nice waterfall.

It felt like you were in Jurassic Parc, with the giant ferns and heavy vegetation but also because it was now pouring rain. I finally realized my coat wasn’t actually waterproof nor Anthony’s. Apparently he had been telling me this for awhile. We were now soaked.

Anthony was keeping high spirit and we continued our road in our little car. We wanted to stop at Donaghy’s lookout as Anthony had written it on our itinerary as a must do. We sat there in the car still wet trying to decide if it was worth the 40 minutes walk under the rain. While thinking, we made breakfast (basically warming some water on our burner and drinking our instant coffee with some biscuits in the car). It continued pouring rain and a heavy fog was rolling in. We decided not to go.

Next stop was “The Wall” and all we knew was that there were sculpted panels about the region displayed inside a sort of museum. It was an easy choice since it was inside but again we weren’t really sure what to expect. We paid $15 per person and went in this recent barn style building which turned out to be incredible.

A big fire was roaring in the main area with nice leather couches , relaxing music and a nice smell of wood which we learned was Huon pine. The sculpted panels turned out to be made of Huon pine, made by local artist Greg Duncan. It was depicting the history of Tasmania from the arrival of westerns and their impact on local flora and fauna and natives. We also learned about the Tasmanian tiger now extinct (only since 1936). Tasmanian tiger or Thylacine, was the largest carnivorous marsupial (yes, it had a pouch for its joeys! – crazy!).

We got back on the road, and rain turned into snow. Yes, it was snowing!

Hard to imagine that 2 days ago we were swimming and now got caught in heavy snowfall! We drove for at least an hour and decided to cook lunch under a covered picnic area on the side of the road, facing a lake. We were cold and a lot of fog was rolling in but we managed to cook up some of our Heinz cans (basically what we ate during the entire trip). Anthony did the dishes in a puddle as there was no running water).

We drove for the rest of the day and arrived to Mount Field National Park around 4 pm. Mount Field is famous for hosting the tallest flowering plant in the world, the eucalyptus regans. The highest reaches 98m. In comparison the tallest tree in the world is in Red wood national park in the US and measures 111m high. We were quite impressed as we took a hike in the “Tall tree forest”.

07.03 // Day 9: Cradle Mountain – Hobart

With a stunning view of blue mountains, hills covered with houses, and a fading grey sea – I’d say this is one of the best Airbnb’s one could ever hope for. We are now in Hobart, relaxing as our trip in Tasmania is arriving to an end. Looking back on the day:

Today showed us some of the more magical sides of Mt. Field.

Russell Falls. Horseshoe Falls. And Lady Barron Falls.

Eucalyptus Regans standing and fallen. Huge fern trees along gulleys. Green and thick. Light and open. Tall. Wise. Aromas so spicy and sweet that you feel like you’re sense of smell is for the first time realizing it’s potential.

What did we do to deserve to know this?

Nothing, of course. Right place right time.

In the national park, your sense of time fades away. Sounds, sights and all sensations really feel awoken, if you let them, to reveal a place that our world forgot long ago.

As one of the last temperate wilderness in the world, it holds deep natural and cultural significance.

Panels along the path regularly challenged and informed the visitor to think about and feel – contemplate – the forest.

The forest, it said, follows a different time scale than we humans do. And as such, calls for a different way than most are used to for better experiencing and appreciating it.

“Close your eyes. What do you hear? Feel the wind blow, look up at the sky, sit still and be silent, like a tree.”

The tree giants were something.

The bark was soft to the touch.

Long strips of bark peeled away and hung down.

The only way for young trees to compete is to grow as tall as quickly as possible to snatch any rays of light they can. Only 1 in 100 trees lives to become a giant growing upwards of 85 meters.

Mt. Field, in all its wonder, was a very special place.

Now we’re back in Hobart to relax and catch up on writing, photos and the blog! Need to factor in such breaks during our trip to stay on track! The day after next we depart for Perth and the next chapter of our 3 months trip around Australasia. Tasmania has been incredible on so many fronts – all we can say is CHECK IT OUT 🙂