Tasmania--- The yummy, the tall and the magnificent

The Spirit of Tasmania
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Our last adventure on this trip to Australia takes us to the smallest Australian state, Tasmania. Across the Bass Strait we made our way to this southernmost part of Australia aboard the “Spirit of Tasmania” cruise ferry. This overnight ride was proceeded by a seven hour car trek from Canberra to Melboure where Denise swa here first live road “Roo” sighting, then down the Hume highway past prolonged and rather non-descript outback. Thinking back, there was no highlight except for good conversation about how glad we will be to get home and see everybody.

Breakfast at the Salmon Pond
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This dirt road continued for 90 kilometers that’s a record for dirt road travel for us.

Refreshed from our overnight on this delightful cruise ship, we assembled some rough plans and started out towards Latrobe, through Launceston and then to Lily Ville. These places were scrumptious food stops along the way to Hobart and the national parks. A chocolate breakfast at Avers Chocolate factory, followed by cheese sampling , fifteen kinds all from very content cows , then a raspberry farm and then the largest lavender farm in the southern hemisphere.

Lavender fields
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After several hours through a parched landscape we arrived in the greenbelt that surrounds Hobart. We drove through its small seaport and settled into the Mid

City Hotel where we had dinner and explored the surrounding streets.

After a restful night, we circled the city, noted a number of scenic areas and then headed out to Fields National Park, part of Tasmania’s expansive World Heritage Site.

The worlds tallest flowers
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We walked the ‘Tall Trees” trail of the tallest flowers ( flowering Gum Trees) and enjoyed the winding dirt road (shades of things to come). The adjoining wildlife refuge had large numbers of native animals some of which we saw for the first time. They included parrots, owls, the very cool Platypus, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos and emus.

Now, its early afternoon, and our ship boards in five hours, plenty of time to get to Devonport. After all, it only took 3.5 hours all the way to Hobart yesterday. Map in hand, we noted a short cut off of the A10 over to the A5 called C178 about 70 (40 miles) kilometers and after a left turn away we go at 90(60 mph) kilometers per hour.

Siberia
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We’re noticing that the conditions are getting dryer and habitants sparser but we press on. As we crest a hill, something down the road looks funny, or rather the lack of road, well really the asphalt literally ends and its , its a dirt road. We can’t turn back now. Away we go, this rental car, A Holden Executive is not happy on dirt roads. We go 10, then 20, then 30 kilometers. I’d be lying if I told you we we not just a little worried. Would the tires hold up, gas ok now, would we overheat. We reached a power station and the dirt road continued, 20 kilometers to Wallamama , do we go right or left. This dirt road continued for 90 kilometers that’s a record for dirt road travel for us.

Field National Park
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Almost to the A5 through territory that looked like Alaskan Tundra, brown, flat dusty. “Great lake” looked like it was going down the drain with its thirsty edges long exposed to the sun.

Eureka pavement at last. The landscape turns from dry and paltry to spectacular. Cliffs and green valleys open to the north as we descend down into Deloraine and then on to Devonport. Our Holden is sleeping in the Garage below deck to gain strength for the run back to Canberra and then to the Airport where we leave for Connecticut USA home sweet home.