Tasmania

Arrived Devonport at 9 AM and had my car in hand soon after. Spent a relaxing hour having lunch and pumpkin scones at the Scottish Scone Shoppe in Sheffield. The place used to be called Flo’s and has been known for these scones for years.

Sheffield is known as the town of murals. The idea was to find something to call attention to the town to spur tourism and put it on the map so in 1986 people started painting murals on the walls of buildings. It has now spread to lots of other places but the ones here are spectacular. Virtually every large vertical surface of the town is covered.

So far the weather has cooperated with sun, clouds, rain, sun, wind. I like it.

Interesting little snippet in the news: the 20th of February at 8:02 PM was called a palindrome. 20/02/2002, 20:02 The next won’t won’t be for another 110 years (21/12/2112; 21:12 hours) The last one was 11/11/1111 11:11 hrs.

Stopped at the Leatherwood Honey Factory in Mole Creek. The bees pollinate these trees deep in the forests of the west. They are so remote that harvesting the combs requires guys to go camping in the bush. No such thing as just driving in there and driving out. They pack it in.

I over nighted in Launceston and stayed in the Irish Murphy’s Pub and Backpackers. Nice rooms, clean rest rooms, nice kitchen facilities and living room. Parked the car and took a walk to Cataract Gorge. Beautiful natural gorge in the middle of town where the South Esk River drains into the Tamar River.

Quite a nice walk.

Paid an overpriced $6.50 AUS per hour for Internet at a local library but I needed to check mail so--what the hell.

Back at Irish Murphy’s I got to talking to folks about the latest scandal involving the Governor general (GG) and alleged sex abuse with a young girl years ago. The GG used to be an Anglican Minister. I mentioned how it is also a mess in the US what with priests and young boys. This young lady pipes up to say, "well, I am from Portugal…" and that’s as far as she got. The subject changed immediately. Her name is Joanna and she is from Porto. We spoke in Portuguese for a while and then switched back to English out of deference to the other people there. She’s a student and wants to stay in Australia. Fancy that!

Upon re-reading these notes in my journal and getting to where I stayed I could not visualize the pub or the hostel. But as soon as I got to the part with Joanna, all the memories came flooding back--her, the kitchen, the balcony, the living room, the pub, etc. How weird that a name can unleash such a flood.

Also heard on the new that one of the new measures going on in Taz is an effort to build up business and the economy. Along those lines there is a company here that wants to establish frequent scheduled air service from Taz to Antarctica. They figure there is pent up demand for it (not tourism but hauling scientists, etc.) and they figure on a couple of hundred flights a year to Mawson and other bases and Ice runways nearby.

By 8:30 on the second day I was on my way. First stop: Evandale, full of 19th century buildings. The whole town is very well kept up and worth a visit. It is home of the annual penny farthing bike race and I saw quite a few folks out riding their bikes. Very bizarre to see these people sitting about 5 feet up on a saddle with a monstrous front wheel and tiny rear wheel. The race was the following day which explained all the folks out and about.

Next stop: Ross. It is famous for its convict built bridge constructed in 1836. As such it is the third oldest bridge in Australia. Very ornately carved. I guess the prisoners had nothing better to do but get fancy on it. Talented guys!

The town strictly controls development and growth. Because of this it very closely resembles an old English village.

From there I headed towards Richmond. Almost did not stop but I am glad I did. At first I thought I’d just check out its bridge (also built by convict labor) but then took some time to tour the town itself.

The bridge was built in 1823 and is the oldest in Australia. It is not as ornate as the one in Ross, though. In town, there were quite a few older buildings which the Tazzies are all proud about. I then got to thinking about how these buildings are mere babes compared to ours and ours are mere embryos compared to the Europeans whose buildings are mere cells compared to ancient cultures like the Egyptians and Chinese..

I toured their old jail built in 1825. That is one place I would not want to be in. Anyone convicted and sent to jail back then was pretty much screwed. They’d be lucky to get out alive. And virtually any little thing would land you in jail. Any little offense while in jail would place you in solitary (basically a death sentence.)

Got to Hobart and found the Pickled Frog and accommodations for the evening. Not a bad place and within walking distance of downtown. I had to stuff the parking meters to keep from getting a ticket so it is best to make reservations and then arrive after 6 when feeding the beast is no longer required until 8 AM the next day.

I showered, ate, and went to town. The backpackers has a large multi-roomed lounge/TV room with a large kitchen. Lots of areas for people to cozy up and read or talk or watch TV. The bathrooms are large and clean and, most importantly, the beer is discounted to residents!! Not a bad deal!

Drove to the Shot Tower, a tall cylindrical building from which ingots of hot lead were dropped and in the process of free fall would take on the shape of a ball, hence the name, "shot" tower.

My little Suzuki Swift gets 38 MPG! Good deal. Better than what I’d get if I had rented a VW Bug (which is what I almost did.)

When I got to the harbor area the lighting was magnificent for picture taking so I went crazy snapping this and that. A replica of Ross’ Endeavor was tied up so I went over and chatted with one of the crew members. It is about to embark on an around the world cruise and periodically they seek out passengers to act as crew members for different legs of the trip. It sure would be interesting to go on one of those trips. I’d probably puke my guts out for the first 4 days, though.

Walking along trying to find photo ops I was walking alongside this group of 4 Ozzies when one of them was saying that another member of their group just loved to argue prompting the accused to deny it and begin to argue to defend himself. They all jumped on him for being exactly what he was trying to declare he was not. I chuckled. The arguer made a little comment to me and their friends razzed him about it. Before I knew it I was being treated to beer with them. All four were in town from the mainland for a wedding.

Their names are Scott, Andrew, Scott and Sophie. One works in agricultural sciences, one deals in commodities, one is a vet (guess which?) and another is a sheep herder.

They warned me about getting hooked up with a gin burgler (prostitute of low repute.) They also said Ozzies love Americans even thought they say they do not. He encouraged me to stay and leave my American dollars!! Said they desperately need our money and that the Tazzies were the sweatshop of Australia because of all the artisans here trying to sell things to tourists.

Day 3

A nice touch at the Pickled Frog is that they offer breakfast for the price of the bed. No great shakes but it's coffee, toast, cereal, tea, etc. No complaints from me!

I got an early start and headed out to the Salamanca Market. The weather was good and sunny and the photographic opportunities looked good.

The market reminded me of the ones in Portugal albeit a bit fancier. All manner of goods were for sale and I was tempted to buy a lot of stuff but could not because y backpack is already very heavy. Since I expect to get to Sydney on the afternoon of the 10th I hope to be able to stop in at their market and but the rest of the souvenirs I want to take back.

There were lots of musicians in the market and it seemed as if they were each allocated a certain amount of time because when I walked back to the same area I'd seen one group of tem they were gone and another took their place.

Spent a good 3 hours wandering around. One thing I notice around Taz is the absence of water fountains. Either I am looking in the wrong places or they are rare things in this state. Maybe it is some sort of socialist agreement to support some juice industry or water industry.

Bought some fruits and veggies at the market and headed back to the Frog to make lunch. From there I took off to take in the sights of the peninsulas. I had hoped to be able to go to Mount Wellington but ended up at the Talune Wildlife Preserve. Since I figure I will not see much of Australia's wildlife in the wild this was the next best thing.

They had wombats, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian Devils and other creatures. The Taz Devil is a nasty little creature with a foul disposition and a bad smell. We were given a bag of food to hand out to the critters there and I had kangas and wallies eating out of my hand. Pretty lame, really, but what the hell. I only have 3 weeks here. Not like I can hang out in the outback waiting for them to show up.

It was hilarious to watch them when they were being fed. They are carnivorous and were thrown what looked like ripped up rabbits. They'd grab a hunk, run away growling and hissing (yep, they hiss like a cat but very loudly.) Even when there was enough food for all of them they'd run around stealing it from one another all the time growling. When they tucked into their food, though, all you'd hear is crunching of bones and snarfing sounds as they munch their lunch.

So far the weather has really cooperated and I am pleased.

At the Wildlife Preserve I ran across this family who was sailing around the world. Man, wife, and 4 kids. They'd been gone for 2 years and were going to stay gone for 2 more. The guy knew Dave Carpenter from the Ice and used to own his own yacht building business in Maine but the federal government, lawyers, etc. disillusioned him. He was one of those guys affected by the failed luxury tax of the 80s. We had a good discussion about the wealthy, their tax rates and their contribution to the economy.

Also found out his friend was willed a topless joint by his grandfather and had problems with lawyers and the Disabled groups who sued him to get wheelchair access to the stage (as if any paraplegic would ever be hired to work as a stripper!!) He said it as a ploy by the locals to run him out of the location he was in. He gave up and sold, too.

Day 4

Got an early start and headed out looking for tourist sites. Saw the Tasman Arch, the blowhole located nearby (no big waves or storms so it was not performing well) and also saw the Devil’s Kitchen. On the road I passed by what’s called the Spikey Bridge, constructed by (guess who?) and has upturned sharp stones imbedded in it. A novel way of decorating a bridge.

The Tessalated Pavement was a great place to stop. It’s a formation of stones that cracked into hexagonal shapes thousands of years ago. The tops of it are at water line so depending on the tides you can walk out on them.

From there, on to Eagle Hawk Neck, a narrow spit of land between an old prison and the mainland which was guarded by 18 purposely underfed and very angry large dogs to keep convicts from escaping. A few managed, anyway, but most died in the attempt. Got to see the Officer’s Quarters nearby and they have models of the doghouses and chains nearby.

I wanted to check out Port Arthur but it cost a bit of money to enter the place. It’s totally preserved and there were loads of tour busses arriving. I passed on that one.

Along the road I saw a sign for Remarkable Cave. Had to stop., of course. Hiked down to sea level and there was a fence to keep yokels like me out. I jumped it and walked out towards the beach through the cave. If you stand back before going in and look through to the sea you will notice the outline of the opening is in the shape of Tasmania. Pretty amazing! Found a dead seal on the other side. YUCK!

Then I headed out to the Freycinet Peninsula and climbed up the path that led to an overlook of Wineglass Bay. Stunning!! There were over 600 steps built into the path and most of it was steep but not too arduous.

A somewhat long day of driving but eventually stopped at a place I originally not no intention of stopping at: Bicheno.

The hostel, off Morrison St., is very small and well fitted out. The landlady was extremely helpful and the place is quiet.

I took my stuff in, showered and found a pub with ocean views where I sucked down a cold one and had a great steak dinner all for under $10 AUS. Note: the Ozzies are like the Kiwis: they eat with the fork in the left hand and turned upside down. A piece of food is pierced and it acts as a dam from which more food is piled on behind it. I do not find it an easy way to eat.

The town supposedly has penguin rookeries but I did not get to see any. Wrong time of year, too, I was told.

Day 5

I had read about a place in the Lonely Planet guide book so I made sure I got there in time for breakfast. The place? The Elephant Pancake Barn. What an idyllic setting! If I owned a business I would want it to be like this one. They had lovely classical music piped in, good food, good coffee and plenty of it. Plus it was quiet.

I spoke with the owner, Lew, an ex-pat American, about Aussie tax laws and how they affect businesses. We discussed how even high tax rates can’t solve social ills like bums and street kids (he calls them feral children--I love it!!) He fears that if the left stays in power the Australian situation will worsen and spending will increase sending government into a huge deficit spending spiral. Even worse than the $750 Billion AUS it is already in. Consider, too, that ALL of Australia has a population less than Chicago, Illinois!!!!!!

Visited St Columba Falls, the 2nd tallest in Australia. Spend a nice couple of hours hiking down, down, down to the base and just sat there taking early morning photos. Then the school kids appeared with their raucousness, ruining the moment so I trudged up the hundreds of steps to the top.

From there I went to Weldborough Pass and checked out the rain forest. Only 11% of rain forests remain in Tazzie. The best times for it were about 8,000 years ago but now there is too much cold and interference by man in farming and lumbering.

Spent the night in Deloraine YHA. It is OK but no great shakes as far as amenities but the views from the porch are spectacular.

Typical of Australia I would drive by many dead wallabys on the road. Much of the route today was over serpentine roads up one mountain range a down another. I’d hate to have to cycle this area. The weather was magnificent and the drive stunningly excellent.

Day 6

Veering westwards I got to the site of Cradle Mountain. Debated internally whether to go in or not (it’s a pay site and the weather was overcast) and resolved to take a chance. I was not disappointed. Drove as far as I could and started hiking around the lake which provides awesome views of the "Cradle." The walk took 2 hours.

As I walked the weather cleared and I got good before and after photos. Lovely.

Went to Waldheim Cottage which was first inhabited by this guy who literally carved a place out of the wilderness. No roads, lousy weather. Not great a growing season, either. To get to town was a several day expedition over mud bogged trails.

The Tasman Tiger has a couple of interesting stories that come out of this area. The first deals with a woman who went looking for her kid and got lost in the woods by some falls in the area. She resorted to sleeping in logs and when she awoke the tigers were there, awaiting her death so they could feed.

The other story involves Waldheim, himself, who in a letter to friends was describing his loneliness after the death of his wife. He mentioned that his dogs had also died and he was utterly alone---with the tigers in the area. They were emboldened enough to enter his cabin through the kitchen and then trash it while he was in it. He feared for his life. Both survived.

The last tiger was spotted in 1938. Rumor abounds that they still live but chances are they became extinct shortly after the last spotting. Considering the size of wilderness and how inaccessible some areas are in Tazzie, (some have yet to see man’s footprints) it is not improbable that they may yet exist.

Went to Roseberg, an old mining town, where things are very expensive as the nearest large town is miles and miles away.

Can not recall the name of the town I stayed in but it is famous for its shearwater birds (muttonbirds.) Right around sunset I drove to the beach and the observation area to await their nightly migration to shore and their nests nearby. It was cold and windy but about a couple of dozen of us braved the elements. The sunset was spectacular.

At about 10 ‘til 9 they started flying in. they’d swoop low over our heads and the only real way to "see" them was this darker shade of black than the night itself would occasionally flutter past.

They fly over 11,000 km on a migration from the Arctic and breed only in Australia, mainly Tazzie. There are approximately 1 million birds that do this. They live about 38 years and mate for life using the same nest over and over. How they locate them in the dark I will never know.

The smart people who’d done this before brought along those big honking flashlights to catch them swooping around.

Day 7

Decided not to take the boat ride to see Sarah Island or the 2000 year old Huon pine tree. I figured $55 AUS plus lousy weather did not appeal to me. As for these pines, they are much prized and were originally found floating as debris in harbors and waters off the coast. Early sailors, retrieving the logs, cut into them to find that rather then being rotten, these were in perfect condition with a nice aroma. What appealed to them was the waterproof qualities of the logs.

It took 10 years of sailing up and down the coasts and various rivers before the true source of the trees, the rain forests of the Strahn, was discovered.

From that point forward it was all downhill for this majestic tree as furniture makers and ship builders clamored for it. Early in the 20th Century mechanization brought with it a greater ease to find the lumber to build ships and then clear cutting and the logging off of virtually all trees virtually did them in.

Efforts to stop clear cutting resulted in small areas being set aside with all cutting prohibited. Now the efforts are focused on recovering the trees felled by storms and fire. The forestry service estimates the value in many millions of dollars with enough wood laying around to last until the end of the 21st century.

The big issue the Aussies are all up in arms about continues to be the child abuse mess with the Governor General. Whereas the GG is not implicated in actually abusing anyone, people are questioning his leadership when he was in charge of his diocese and did nothing when the issue was brought before him..

Another issue is the rising cost of insurance premiums. The govt. approved a 7-9% increase (no increases in the last three years!) and people are fit to be tied. The liberals are spewing all over the media how Howard had promised 2 years ago that costs would go down. What no one counted on was the fact that, with government promising to pay 30% of the premium, many people who’d not had insurance jumped on board and immediately availed themselves of doctors, nurses, emergency rooms, etc. People began making clams for elective surgeries they’d been postponing and had been getting putting off by the government plan at the time. Well, DUH!!! I wonder who the rocket scientists were in charge of this project!

The Aussies are facing the same issues we face:

Finally got to Queenstown. Very industrial looking but with lots of homes and businesses for sale. I saw one 3 bedroom for $12,500 US. The town has the look of devastation about it due to denuded hillsides and forst fires. Much of the denuding is due to the method of mining used for decades. Of course, the weather does not help as clouds and rain are the order of the day for 5-6 days a week on average.

Headed north and out of the area bound for the northern coast and eventually Devonport. Along the way I stopped at Fossil Bluff for great views along the coast and then into Penguin, a quaint little village with a penguin motif (trash cans, meters, etc.)

I arrived in Devonport later in afternoon so as not to have to deal with the parking meter problem. Found they have a Target and K-Mart and Woolworth’s so it is considered THE place to go for shopping. Most all of them are also grocery stores. Amazing how America influences so much around the world. You gotta love the USA!

I stayed at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and discovered the town basically rolls up the carpet about 6:30 PM. Curious habit here in the bars: smokers drop their cigarettes straight on the floor. I saw no ashtrays anywhere. Maybe it’s a worker’s rights thing to NOT clean ashtrays?!?!?!

Getting anxious to head home!!!