It's Halloween, mate!

Happy Halloween everybody! We had a fantastic day today (mostly because I didn't have to plan and wear a costume for the day). I treated my students this morning to some pumpkin carving. They were very excited.  Most of my class had never carved a pumpkin before as Halloween is a sort of non-event here. Schools in Canada look like a haunted house, while here in Australia, it didn't even feel like Halloween. I think I may even miss it just a little.

 I started the day with a pumpkin prayer.  As I carved the pumpkin, we prayed for eyes (hearts) to see the love in everyone, forgiveness for sticking our nose (a cross) up at other people, ears (a Bible) to listen to God's word, and a mouth to share to God's word. The kids thought it was great.

 After, we estimated how much each of their pumpkins weighed.  Most of the kids were almost right on at 4-5 kg. They then had to estimate how many seeds would be in their pumpkins, then they were allowed to draw their pumpkin face and start carving.  I, of course, was as organized as usual and did not get any parent helpers, but the kids were great and were able to use the pumpkin carving kits to cut out the pumpkins themselves. I actually had to give very little help.  Just a little tutorial on how to use the 'knife' and off they went.  There weren't even any arguments about so-and-so getting to cut more and so on.

The final act of pumpkin carving was to put their seeds into piles of 10 and then count how many they had. Almost all of the pumpkins had more than 400 seeds and a couple even had over 500. They were amazed by how many were in there.  Part of my job tonight is to take the seeds home and bake them for the kids tomorrow.  They are getting a whole bunch of new experiences this week.

Last Days in Tasmania

My final days were spent in and around Hobart. The first necessity was a tour of the Cascades Brewery. This tour was along the same lines as the Boag's tour when I was in Launceston, but at the end, instead of getting a taste of all the beers made at the brewery we were given tokens and actually able to 'buy' half-pints. Needless to say, after 1 beer and 2 ciders I was in no condition to drive. Thank goodness I had a theatrical walking tour booked that started just outside the Cascade Brewery.  Louise's Walk is no normal walking tour as it is led by two actors. They take on the characters of a female convict and the various people that she comes into contact with.  It was a fascinating story. She was sent to Tasmania for stealing a loaf of bread to feed her family in London. Her story included being forced to leave her 3 young sons behind in London to fend for themselves, several trips to solitary confinement and being raped by her 'employer' and giving birth to a daughter who later died in the prison nursery. It is actually a horrifying story. I can't even imagine being in that situation. No one should ever have to go through anything like that. In the end, Louise ended up being 'hired' by a nice man and they end up getting married, though she never saw her 3 boys in London again.

The female convicts weren't treated much better than the men and were actually sent to factories instead of jails. They were considered factories because the women often did sewing, laundry and servent work for the upper class of Hobart. This is how they got into situations where they were raped by their employers. The women who became pregnant were the ones at fault for the pregnancy.  They were allowed to give birth, forced to wean within 4 months and then sent to solitary for 6 months, leaving their child in the care of god only knows. Most infants died in the nursery as the conditions were very poor.  The governor came to visit at one point and described the nursery as being black with fleas. Very saddening.

That night I did a pub history tour. It was interesting but nothing to write home about. It was something to do to keep me occupied.

The next day, I visited the Hastings thermal pools and caverns.  The cave was amazing. The formations were fantastic and the size of the cavern was nothing like I've seen before. People actually have weddings in a couple of the 'rooms'. I made my way back to the thermal pools, thinking this would make for a great last day, maxing and relaxing in warm water.  Totally not what I got.  I was thinking Radium Hot Springs and I got Innisfail public pool. The water was no warmer than most of our pools. I was soooooo disappointed. 15 minutes was about all I could handle as it was only 18 degrees outside, so not even worthwhile.

I spent the rest of the day hitting all the back roads of Southern Tasmania. From the coast, nothing between me and Antarctica. The views were amazing and I just enjoyed driving my car around the winding roads for one last time.

The next mornng I was up early and to the airport and stepping through my door in Canberra at 9:30 am.

I really enjoyed my time and Tasmania and really did not want to leave. The scenery and activities left me breathless every day and looking forward to what was around the corner the next day. The fascinating history both horrified, amazed and tickled me. The people were beyond friendly and always waiting to help wherever needed. I definitely have Taz-mania.

The Glory of Tasmania (Hobart)

Salamanca Market

A beautiful rainy day in Hobart

Cool artwork using water at the MONA

Interactive Art. Our shadows collected  'material goods' that
weighed us down'

A creepy 'photocopy' of me.  I'm officially art!

Multi-media experience at the MONA. A story told in the middle.

Hobart from Mt. Wellington, the dominating feature of the skyline

Snow on top of Mt. Wellington. I'm very impressed.

Do you see any ghosts? The Hobart Ghost Tour was creep-tacular.

Inside the tunnels for the Battery.

Rainforests and moonscapes

After Cradle Mountain, I made my way to the Wild West. The main town out here is Queenstown.  It is located at the base of Mt. Lyall where they have been mining copper for over a hundred years. Because Queenstown was once surrounded by thick temperate rainforest, it was very difficult to get the copper out, and a railway was needed to the closest port, Strahan. Strahan is located about 80 km away on MacQuarie Harbor.  MacQuarie Harbor is the second largest natural harbor in the Southern Hemisphere, but also has one of the smallest and a very difficult entrance passage.

The mining and the lumber (Huon, sassafras, etc.) made this area of the world a very busy place for several years.  The infrastructure they had to put in place to get these things out of this region has made it a tourist destination. Strahan is also located on the fringes of the Unesco World Heritage area that has been set up to protect the temperate rainforests that are still located in the region.

Everyone who comes to Strahan does at least 1 of 2 things here - a Gordon River cruise (goes through the World Heritage area) and the Wild Wilderness Railway. I did both.

Both of these trips looked to be in doubt when I arrived.  The drive from Cradle Mountain was full of rain and wind. I figured I wouldn't be seeing much scenery if this was going to be the weather out here. Apparently they get about 300 days of rain out here and we're not just talking a nice little shower.  At times (at least once a day), there is a torrential downpour that can last for just a few seconds or a few minutes. The weather is absolutely nuts!

The next day, the sun actually shone and there was very little rain, so my river cruise showed some views and made some of the walking we did enjoyable. I was more enthralled by our visit to Sarah Island than anything else.  Sarah Island was another convict island.  The history here is so amazing. There is very little left of the prison site on this tiny island, but we were taken around by a acting group and they really made the history come alive. They made the people and the horrors they faced everyday real. The island was once called Hell Island by the convicts as their jaillers were quite cruel. Food was in short supply (for the prisoners) and they had to endure backbreaking labor. The island became more bearable when a shipbuilder named Hoy made his way to the island.  He treated the men like human beings and taught them skills that turned out some of the best boats made at the time. The final story told on the island is also the subject of a play that goes on every night in Strahan. The men on Sarah Island were to be moved to Port Arthur but there was still one more ship to be built.  Some men, Hoy and the ship's captain were left on Sarah's Island to finish while the rest of the men and soldiers were shipped around to Port Arthur. The men building the boat had heard about Port Arthur and had no real desire to go there, so they dragged out the ship building for as long as they could.  They also began to make a plan....

The ship was to be one of Hoy's finest, so the men thought it would be a great idea to steal the boat and sail away, and this is what they did. The left Hoy and captain along the shoreline and took the boat through Hell's Gates (the entrance to the harbor) and to Chile.  They lived in Chile for a few years, but were eventually sold out to the British by the Chileans. The men were obviously brought back to Tasmania for trial. At the trial (which the funny little play is about), the men were eventually found not guilty on a technicality.  It seems the boat did not exist on any record, therefore, they could not have stolen it. A fantastic way to the end the story of Sarah's Island. The play was fantastic as well, as there was audience participation and I got to play the Scotsman Hoy for the scene of the actual mutiny. I got to do my best Scottish accent and everything.

The Gordon River is also famous for the Huon Pine.  This tree has natural oils that do not break down and rot, so it was much valued for ships. It is now protected in the World Heritage Area, but they are still able to use it for woodcrafting as trees that have fallen in the past can still be salvaged from the forest floor.  Because they don't rot, logs that have been on the forest floor for hundreds of years can still be used. It's really quite amazing. The pine also has a very distinctive smell to it.

The next day, I did the train tour.  This train was built up and over the mountains from Strahan to Queenstown.  They needed to bring in a special type of engine and track called the ABT System. This allowed them to do grades of 1:12, 1:16 and 1:20 (for every metre horizonal, you go up 12 (or 16, 20) metres). They did this at a time when most railways avoided anything worse than 1:40. They also had to build it through the temperate rainforest jungle. It is an amazing feat. As you get closer to Queenstown, the land becomes more desolate and the rivers are lifeless. This is because the mines on Mt. Lyall created so much acid rain and they dumped so much crap in the water that the Queen and King Rivers are now dead and much of the land around Queenstown is just scrub grass. It's amazing to come out of the rainforests into the scrubland. They are doing lots to try and clean up the area, but it is of course a long and slow process.

After the train arrives in Queenstown, you take a bus back to Strahan. I don't get carsick, but on that bus I was definitely feeling it. That road is ridiculous.  I'm very thankful that I rented a car and got to drive it the whole time as I may have this way for the entire trip otherwise.

Once the bus made its dizzying trip back to Strahan, I hopped in my car and started to make my way back to Hobart.

either snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us.

Early in the morning, I headed northwest from Launceston and up the other side of the Tamar River to Beaconsfield and Beauty Bay.  At Beaconsfield there is a gold mine and heritage centre with some very interesting information gold mining in the area.  The mine is still operational, as well.

Next, I made my way upriver to Beauty Bay where you find Platypus World and Seahorse World. Both places were interesting, especially Platypus World where I got to see a Platypus up close and personal. Up until now, I've only seen them in the middle of the pond as they are very shy. There were also echidnas (a porcupine type animal that also lays eggs like a playpus) to feed and entertain us. Seahorse World is an information centre as well as a sea life farm.  They ship various types of seahorses all around the world for people's aquariums.

I started my way south towards Cradle Mountain, making a stop off at the site of the oldest settlement in Australia, Yorktown. There is nothing left here of the town as it was abandoned in 1805 because the land was no good for growing stuff and too far away from the river to be useful for shipping. I also made a trek into the wilderness to find and view Liffey Falls.  It was a beautiful walk through a rainforest that time forgot. The falls were magnificent and worth the 40 minute walk down to see them. The road up there was also one of the windiest roads I've ever encountered (which is saying something in Tasmania) and I don't think I took my car out of 3rd gear the entire way up or down. It was a little nerve-racking, especially when I encountered another vehicle coming down the track.

The next stop was Cradle Mountain. This is a World Heritage National Park and a great place to visit.  I am definitely coming back some day. The hiking trails take you to all kinds of extremes and the people here are fantastic. On arriving, I immediately booked for the after dark spotlight animal tour.  We saw wallabies and wombats mostly. We even saw a wombat baby poking its head out of it's mama's pouch for a little snack.

The next morning I woke early to begin my trek around the area.  The day started off very rainy and cloudy.  In fact, it was so cloudy the shuttle bus driver had to point between two other mountains and say, "That's usually where Castle Mountain is." As disappointed as I was, I began my hike around Dove Lake, a two hour journey that took me through every Canadian season. I started with rain, and as I made my way around it began to snow, yes snow. Luckily, at the same time, the cloud cover around Castle Mountain began to clear a little so I could make out the shadow of the left peak of the mountain. A few minutes later, patches of blue sky began to appear, but within minutes it was again snowing.  The weather would continue in this pattern for much of the day.  Snowing one minute, raining the next and sunny blue skies in the next. It was insane. I've even managed to take 3 pictures of Castle Mountain within the day and you would never guess that they were taken on the same day.

Once done Dove Lake, I next walked up to Crater Lake. By the time I got there it was almost blizzard conditions. I could barely tell there was a lake there. I made my way back down to shuttle bus area and went back to the entrance of the park. From there, I caught a bus tour of the park and learned about it's history. A German man came to this area and was so impressed by it's beauty and botany that he declared that it should be a place that all should enjoy.  He convinced his rich wife to buy some land and they made it into a wilderness retreat area in the early 1900s. Not a whole lot has changed since then, other than there are hundreds of people that tour the area everyday. Shuttle buses (an ingenious system) transport people to the various trail heads so that traffic congestion is limited within the park. The tour also included a Tasmanian Tiger exhibit which was a fascinating study of the extinction of the Thylacine with the habitation of people on the island. There was also an exhibit of fantastic wilderness photography. Definitely made me feel inadequate with the photos I'd taken that day.

I finished the day with a fantastic buffet meal at the Chateau and friendly conversation with a tour bus driver. It was a great day at Cradle Mountain, and if the weather was better I would definitely stay.  Someday I will have to do the Overland Trek (something like the West Coast Trail) from Cradle Mountatin to Lake St. Clair.

Cradle Mountain is a must do for those of you who make it to Tasmania.

Now, where was I....?

Ah, yes.  I had finally made my way away from the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania and into Launceston. The day after arriving, I walked my way down the Esplanade to the Boag's Brewery for a tour of the Brewhouse and Packaging. It was really fascinating. I don't think that I ever really knew how beer was made. After the tour we got a free tasting of 4 of the 6 beers they make. All tasted pretty good, but the best part is that none of them made me sick. Yay, for Tasmanian beer! Next, I was off to the Flying Fox (zip line) about 20 minutes out of town. There were fears that it was going to rain, but the weather stayed beautiful as we made our way through 700 m of zipline that criss-crossed a small creek. At one point, we reached speeds of 70 km/h. This was a definite highlight of the Launceston area. Finally, to end a very busy day, I made my way north to Low Heads.  This is the sight of one of the earliest settlements on Tasmania as it is at the mouth of a river and Bass Strait (the strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania). There is a very cool lighthouse here as well as a semaphore system that was once used to communicate with Launceston (50 km down the river). Also here is a Little Penguin colony.  After sunset, we headed down to the beach to watch the little water birds come to shore.  Very quickly, groups of them were wading onto the beach and up into the bluffs of the beach.  Some of them walked so close we could have touched them. We stayed at the beach for an hour and saw about 50 penguins. They are very, very cute. Amazingly, these penguins stay out in the open ocean from sunrise to sunset and will stray out about 40 km to get their food. They then come back to the beach to feed their young, or at this time of the year, to mate and prepare their nests. Their nests can be located 1500m up from the ocean. Their little legs sure can take them places.

After the penguin show, it was back to Launceston and good night's sleep before heading off to my next adventure.

Freycinet is A-OK

After departing the ferry, I drove up the coast to Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park. I arrived mid-evening and mostly just got myself settled in the hostel.  The next day, I woke up early to do the hike to Wineglass Bay. I'd also tried to get on a kayaking tour of the coast, but unfortunately they were all booked up (more on that later).

I drove into the national park, parked my car and headed off for the crystal clear waters of Wineglass Bay.  This may be one of the hardest beaches that I've ever had to go to.  It involved a 1.5 hour hike over a 'mountain' to get to it. It was very beautiful, and the wave action was amazing. There was even a friendly wallaby and her joey wanting to share some lunch with the hikers.  I met two lovely American ladies and the invited me to do the Isthmus/Hazard's Beach hike... a three hour journey around the peninsula. It was a fantastic hike that showed off the forests of the Freycinet Peninsula and the white sand beaches. I have to say that I was pretty knackered at the end of the 3 hours. I gave my new friends a lift back to the lodge and headed out to Cape Toursville to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse was amazing, but the cool thing was I again got to see 2 whales.  7 whales in 2 days. Fantastic! They were even playing down in the bay and I got some very long distance photos of them breaching.  Here's hoping that zoom will let them show up half decent. After watching and taking 100 photos hoping to just get one good one, I went back to the hostel.

While hiking with the ladies, they informed me that they were doing the twilight tour with their group that evening and they knew of a couple ladies who had decided to drop out.  I casually made my way to the beach for their meeting time, and it just so happened that there was room. I got to go on the kayak tour.  Yay for making new friends. It was fantastic. We again got to see some seabirds, including a sea eagle, and there was hopes that we would see some whales again in the bay, but no such luck. When the kayak tour was over, I found out that I didn't even have to pay for the experience. I've now started to talking to various random strangers just in the hopes of getting a good deal on something.

After spending one more night in Coles Bay, I made my way up the coast to the Bay of Fires this morning.  It was a very grey, overcast day so the scenery was a little lacking, but the wave action was fantastic. I spent the morning walking the beaches and sand dunes of the Bay of Fires and then drove inland towards the city of Launceston. Fortunately, I arrived with enough time to go to the Cataract Gorge.  This is an amazing place that the people of Launceston tried to 'tame' in the late 1800s, early 1900s. It is literally in the middle of the city.  There are high cliffs, the biggest river I've seen in Australia, and a large manicured area at the end of it with a walking suspension bridge and a chairlift. It was fantastic to walk around for a couple of hours.  I spent the next hour getting acquainted with Launceston. It seems like a very nice, quiet city.  Though it is Show Day today so everything was closed downtown.

I'll spend the next couple days zipling, visiting Boag's Brewery and maybe even see some penguins. Then it's off to Castle Mountain and the West Coast. Can't believe my first week is almost over here and that I have a while week yet to explore and discover.