This trip started with a flight to Sydney, Australia, where we met Matt's parents and spent a few days before moving to Hobart, Tasmania.
Sydney was not the part of Australia we were most interested in exploring, but as usual we enjoyed wandering around, eating, drinking and letting Cata destroy a small car.
Australian animals are weird. The Bennett's Wallaby is quite common in Tasmania.We flew from Sydney to Hobart and took a car ferry to nearby Bruny Island. Bruny was quiet, peaceful, and turned out to be a great for exploring beaches, forest hikes, wildlife encounters, and eating oysters.
We also spotted a "white wallaby" near our rental, apparently an albino variant of the same species that only exists on Bruny.
We returned to Hobart. Hobart is a historic city originating as a penal colony and whaling port. It has some trendy shops, restaurants, and a great farmers market. Hobart also has industrial vibe and one can look south from the port and imagine the wild Southern Ocean between this southern most Australian city and Antarctica a few thousand miles to the South.
We explored the Botanical Garden, had a fancy Christmas dinner, and visited the modern art museum. This museum has an incredible eclectic collection, including a machine that digests food and poops.
Foggy day at Freycinet National Park
Maria Island has no current permanent residents. Many people come in the summer to hike, camp and explore the abandoned settlements. The visitor center is housed in an old building that was once part of a convict settlement.
We tried a delicious "Fume Blanco" Sav Blanc at Puddleduck Vineyard that we're still dreaming about. We also loved Pooley Wines.
We spent the last few days our trip exploring the Tasman Peninsula, doing some wine tasting and visiting the World Heritage site Port Arthur, another fascinating part of Australia's convict past.
It was established in 1830 and housed some of the more serious criminals; due to its remote location, it was not an easy place to escape from.
We found our last camp spot exploring the Fortescue Peninsula.
The sun was out and the water was blue. It felt like our trip had turned into a tropical beach vacation.
We visited an "Un Zoo" which was essentially an old farm repurposed to attract the wild Australian animals in the area.
We visited an "Un Zoo" which was essentially an old farm repurposed to attract the wild Australian animals in the area.
The "Un Zoo" did have a Tasmanian devil and it was definitely in an enclosure.
Other Tasmanian Critters:
Black Swan
Opossum
New Holland Honeyeater |
Bandicoot
Galah
Pacific Gull
Pied Oystercatcher
Hooded Plover
Brush Bronzewing
White-fronted Chat
No comments:
Post a Comment