Tasmania - a return trip by the Travellers - Burnie

On the way to Burnie we detoured off the main road to the Rocky Cape National Park. The seascapes and surrounds were amazing.

A pademelon wallaby came to check us out whilst we were having our picnic lunch.

Our day in Burnie started at the Makers of Burnie Workshop, an area that gives craftspeople a space to work and also a sales point. Burnie has a long history of paper making (which no longer happens) so the Makers space devotes an area to hand making paper. Their displays were incredible, both life-like and looking like marble statues yet made from paper; we were intrigued.

Another artist that caught my attention was this lady who collects old ropes from the sea shore, unravels them then sews them into baskets and pots.
She said that she gets very excited when she does the unraveling and sees what colours she has. An environmentally pleasing craft.

The displays included many of the local produce items - cheese, wine, oil, jams, honey and even rocky road. It was a challenge but I resisted!

Time for a quick walk in the park and up to the waterfall.

The Burnie Museum was well worth the time we spent there. There were two sections; one devoted to Burnie of the past and one recognizing the locals who served in the World Wars. Both excellent displays.

After lunch it was off to the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden where, despite it not being rhododendron flowering season, we still thoroughly enjoyed the garden. Commenced in 1985, this 11 hectare site with over 22,000 plants is run by volunteers.

Another day and another waterfall, this time Preston Falls.

 From Preston Falls we continued on to Kaydale Lodge Gardens. What a beautiful example of a family working together to produce something really special. This 2 hectare garden is a cool climate garden so it has many plants which do not grow well in our area.  The stone work is a feature of the garden.

                                                                                                             

 

After a quick picnic lunch it was on to Leven Canyon, a limestone gorge of great age. The walk to Cruickshanks Lookout was reasonably easy and the view made it worthwhile. Breathtaking in fact, and not just because we were standing on a little platform 275 metres above the gulch.

From there we took the Forest Stairs, 697 steps to the Edge Lookout. Certainly challenging as you could not take your eyes off the steps.

The view from The Edge Lookout shows the zigzag pattern of the Leven River as it passes through the canyon.

It was just as well that we had eaten some sustenance earlier as the climb back up Fern Walk was extremely challenging for some of us, especially me. I think it was picturesque but I can't be sure as I was gasping for breath most of the time.

Back at the car park the group gathered for a photo, however not all these people did the walk.

We had certainly earned our seafood dinner at Fish on the Edge in Burnie. Most had the seafood platter to share but we had the superb seafood laksa.

 And so it was on to Hadspen, on the outskirts of Launceston.

Tasmania - a return trip by the Travellers - Stanley

In mid March our 'Travellers' group set off for another visit to Tasmania, that small island state with a huge amount to see and do. Twenty-one of us took the over-night 'Spirit of Tasmania' ferry to Devonport and disembarked for a nineteen day exploration of the north of the state.

I shall let my photos tell something of our trip, which started on the western side and ended in the east. We spent three days at each base camp (cabins or holiday apartments) and radiated out from these places daily.

We did not all do exactly the same things so these photos record what Kelly & I did, mostly with parts of the group but occasionally by ourselves.

 Of course, our mascot Aldo came with us!

                          
First stop was morning tea at Penguin. Penguin is a small sea side town looking straight onto Bass Strait.

The new Penguin bring and swap Library.

Lunch was at Wyndham where we enjoyed Tasmania's famous scallop pies ... are you seeing a pattern already? 

We also visited the motor museum which had many beautiful old cars.

The first three nights were spent at Stanley, at the foot of The Nut. Some lovely old architecture and a seafood feast gave a good first impression.

 The whole group took a tour of the 'Woolnorth' property at the most western point of Tasmania. Originally settled in 1826 by the Van Diemen's Land Company as a sheep stud, it is now a wind farm and Australia's largest dairy farm. The wind farm has 68 turbines and is directly in line with the Roaring Forties, thus producing lots of power! The dairy farm is actually thirteen separate dairies, each milking over 1000 cows twice a day.

The rugged scenery is stunning and even Cape Grim looked good to us! All agreed that 'Woolnorth' was a highlight of our trip.

The next day some of the group did a tour on the Arthur River, near The End of the World. We decided to drive the Tarkine Wilderness loop.

We passed through Irishtown on St. Patrick's Day but we didn't check if they had green beer - a bit too early.

The Tarkine Wilderness includes the Savage River National Park and amazing rainforest. It was extremely quiet, beautiful and untouched, a joy to be there.

The Trowutta Arch is the result of a complex geological formation over millions of years involving sinkholes, of which there are hundreds in the Tarkine. The caves and sinkholes in this area are unique in the world, both by their formation and the animal life that lives within them.

Another sink hole with stunning reflections.

The not so rapid Rapid River.

Button grass on the Dempster Plains.

A rare sight, a Tasmanian Tiger protection sign, but not as rare as seeing a Tasmanian Tiger in the wild.

More pristine and ancient rain forest on the walk to Lake Chisholm.

Lake Chisholm, a flooded limestone sink hole.

The forest was full of wonderful plant like, especially lichens.

The next day we were moving from Stanly to Burnie but there was more to see in Stanley before that.

Highfield Historic Site - Highfield is a very good example of a gentleman's home and farm in the 1830s. It was another part of the Van Diemen's Land Company property and is now administered by the National Parks & Wildlife. 

It has a great view overlooking Stanley, and nearby another unusual road sign.

Joseph Lyons (1879 -1839) the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, was born in this cottage in Stanley. Now a small museum, it pays tribute to Joe Lyons and his wife Dame Enid Lyons.

There was so much more to see and do but it was time to move on.