Month: November 2025

We spent the night in the central highlands in an old hayloft attic, at reputedly Australia’s oldest golf course at Bothwell. It was a real Scottish experience, with the water cutting out halfway through Georgie’s shower then returning a short period later with icy temperatures! And, of course, Rod bonged his head on the low ceiling.

Unfortunately an early morning walk to the stream failed to provide views of the large Tasmanian platypus – as big as a wombat, one bloke enthused to us!

Heading off towards Lake Pedder, we enjoyed a wander up a mossy valley to a pretty waterfall, and a steep walk to a brilliant lookout atop a rocky ridge, each were included in the numerous stops along the heavily forested roads that we followed.

Our next major call-in along the way was Mt Fields National Park, where we walked a long circuit that took us over four hours to complete. Most people could do it in half that, but we tend to stop to investigate and photograph the beautiful stuff we encounter multiple times along the way.

There were lots of wonderful waterfalls to marvel at, huge 12 metre high tree ferns, and gorgeous encounters with wallabies, pademelons, a blue wren, pink breasted robins, and blue winged mountain parrots. But perhaps the very best thing about that walk was all the magnificent towering mountain ash trees that we wandered beneath, mouth-agape. Those stupendous giants are the tallest flowering plants in the world, reaching up so high that we stood awe struck by their absolute grandness. We were absolutely dwarfed by such massive living things. Those beasties can reach heights of 90 metres or more, and the incredibly thick bases were just so huggable! This was on Georgie’s definite bucket-list, and we were both very happy to finally tick that off.

We proceeded further up the road to our next accommodation at Lake Pedder, stopping briefly to check out a few places along the way that we hoped we would have more time to investigate fully the next day. At one place Rod managed to photograph a gorgeous little echidna having a scratch! That was unusual, and very cute!

Unfortunately the rain began closing in on us, and many of the brilliant views began to be obscured by misty clouds. We hoped that the forecast of possible snow (!) would not eventuate the next day for when we returned along that same road en route to Hobart.

We awoke the next morning to 4 degree temperatures. The Bureau of Meteorology said felt like minus one. Brrrrr! Back at our home in North Queensland it was currently 30 degrees on our farm. Those are far more civilised temperatures!

Our first stop along the road was a detour to the Styx River valley and the Big Trees Reserve. Before setting off on a walk along the trail a gorgeous pademelon allowed us to photograph her, without panicking and hopping away. Eventually we wandered up the boardwalk and became totally gobsmacked by the fabulous twisted tree ferns and the absolutely astronomically towering mountain ash trees. We saw the biggest tree we have ever laid eyes on there, it must have been at least 90 metres high, perhaps more. The freezing conditions, the rain, hail, and the howling wind didn’t put us off. Even when it began to sleet.

After looking at a few other pretty sights we drove up high onto Mt Field with a plan to do a walk around an alpine lake. But before we arrived at the top, it began to SNOW quite heavily! On the cusp of Summer, no less! We even photographed a wombat who was trundling about amongst the white stuff. The zero degree temperatures deterred us from doing that walk around the lake, but Georgie’s gleeful giggles were wonderful to hear. She even managed to build a little snowman.

In a matter of a few hours that day we had experienced rain, hail, sleet, snow, howling wind, a blizzard, and bright warming sunshine, and a gorgeous rainbow. At one point the temperature even doubled within half an hour, it went from 3 degrees to 6! It was a real welcome to Tasmania for us!

Click the pics to enlarge

Nelson Falls

A magnificent view with Frenchman’s Cap in the far distance with ice upon it in patches

Weird moss along the Franklin River

Tree hugging in the Franklin River forest

Russell Falls at Mt Fields National Park

Horseshoe Falls in Mt Fields

Gorgeous tree bole in Mt Fields

The Mountain Ash just go up and up and up

Lady Barron Falls in Mt Fields

Orangutan fiddleheads

Lovely pademelon in Mt Fields

Echidna having a scratch! That’s unique!

Gorgeous pademelon posing for the camera at Styx River

More tree hugging of giants at Styx River

Amazing tree ferns

Gushing clear water at Junee Cave

Then it began to snow!

Wombat undeterred by the frigid conditions

Making a snowman whilst giggling gleefully

Then the blizzard hit

We stayed in a hotel in Zeehan in which our room was graced with the world’s noisiest AC/heater. It was like a jet liner roaring through the room, so we were forced to turn it off and then bundle up, suffocatingly, under heavy blankets in an effort to endure the 4 degree temperatures.

After surviving the night, we investigated the Zeehan Historical Museum, which had a fabulous mineral collection that we could have spent hours looking at if it wasn’t for the incredibly low temperatures throughout the buildings. We shivered our way through so many amazing crystals and beautiful rocks before escaping to a nearby café to dose up on life extending and bone warming coffees.

Our travels then took us south through coastal heathlands to Strahan, where we were denied a walk to the reputedly gorgeous Hogarth Waterfall by the local council because a tree had fallen over the track. Rod was willing to ignore the plurry sign and go anyway, but Georgie insisted on being far too law-abiding. That was frustrating for Rod! So instead we investigated the aptly named Ocean Beach (!!!) whilst enduring the freezing Antarctic wind. We have discovered that there is nothing except the open ocean between there and Patagonia in South America. We thoroughly enjoyed the incredibly multicoloured stones that littered the sand in great profusion – Georgie wanted to collect pocketfuls to bring home, but we thought better of it, given our limited luggage allowance for our plane journey home. It had truly been a day of geological wonders.

Then as dark was closing in, we rugged up and went to see an open air theatre production titled ‘The Ship That Never Was’. What a hoot! We laughed and laughed! If you are ever in Strahan, for goodness’ sake don’t miss it! It’s brilliant! We hadn’t been to a stage performance since six months before in Cornwall, UK. But this one, they said, is the longest running stage show in Australia, ‘cos it’s such a beauty!

It was an early start the next day to hop on a boat to cruise Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River. We were lucky enough to strike one of the few days in a year when it was not blowing a gale and drizzling rain. Most fortuitous indeed! We thoroughly enjoyed our day, checking out that extensive harbour, then slowly chugging up the river in a spacious and comfortable catamaran that was not crowded at all. The views were lovely, the water was calm, and the short stroll along a level boardwalk through the gorgeous forest was enhanced by a guide who told us a lot about many of the trees along the way. ‘Twas a good day out that included a reasonable lunch.

After that we returned to the Hogarth Waterfall and, after girding our loins, bravely followed the trail despite the warning signs that claimed dangerous conditions ahead. We did this because a local woman we’d met the night before advised us to ignore the bloody signs. The incredible danger we had to be wary of was a couple of fallen trees that we were required to bend over a bit to pass beneath! Oh my goodness gracious me! It’s a wonder we survived! We can be very brave and adventurous sometimes (and a little bit naughty).

Staying that night in Queenstown, we had a reasonable feed at the rather stately Empire Hotel, the best part of which was the fabulous and elaborate staircase, which had previously been graced by the legendary Dame Nellie Melba! Rod just had to lay his hands on the stairs to feel the history.

The next day we followed a road south into the expansive World Heritage of the South West region which included some fabulous views of the surrounding mountains, as well as some beautiful deep dark and mossy rainforests. We met a couple of young Melbourne boys there who seemed to be a bit lost, so for safety they followed us down a narrow winding trail into a really remote corner of forest. Everything was damp and mossy, with tall trees and steep valleys. We spent the whole day exploring and wandering about, before returning to Queenstown for another night.

Lovely stones on Ocean Beach

Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour

Sailing up the Gordon River

Sailing down the Gordon River

Hogarth Falls

Pretty ferns and moss

Historical stairs which were graced by none other than Dame Nellie Melba

Lovely forest above King River

Beaut mountains

More beaut mountains

Lovely lake

Gorgeous wild waratahs

Mossy forests

Weird fungi

More mossy forest

After staying in a modern BnB (but with no wifi, so no blogging) in the pleasant seaside town of Wynyard, we took advantage of the clear sunny skies and made a hurried bee-line to the high country of Cradle Mountain again.

We were all rugged up to billy-o in case of snowstorms or other inclement weather, but it stayed a dry 12 degrees (ish) all day. You just can’t second-guess these things in that alpine environment.

The place sure had changed in the intervening 30-odd years since Rod had been there originally. Large tourist facilities had been installed, and multiple new tracks had been built, mostly with excellent raised boardwalks. These changes are an absolute necessity because of the huge numbers of visitors from all around the world that want to experience the wonders of that beautiful place.

We ambled around Dove Lake on a walk that is supposed to take 2 to 3 hours, but we spent 4 and a half hours stopping and appreciating all that gorgeousness that assailed our senses. It is such a wonderful environment. The clear tea-coloured lake, the high rugged peaks with patches of ice still on them, roaring waterfalls, unusual plants bursting with flowers, and ancient Huon Pines leaning precariously over the water all made for an unforgettable experience.

Then, on the bus ride back to the carpark we hopped off at Ronny Creek and spent time watching the myriad wombats that strolled freely around the valley. So gorgeous! Two mummies even had little joeys poking their cute little faces out of their pouches and chewing on the grass as their Mums grazed nonchalantly. Now THAT was special!

One young family said that they counted 38 wombats! That is amazing, because prior to his return to Tasmania Rod had only ever seen one wild wombat before!

‘Twas a day to never forget.

Our lunch stop

Look at the curly leaf-ends on the Pandani plant

Can you see the cute little joey’s face poking out of the rear-facing pouch as Mum has a scratch?

Another gorgeous joey face

Awww, so cute!

Having spent a very comfortable second night in a wonderfully warm, and delightfully clean and quiet BnB with a roaring log fireplace in Loira near Beaconsfield (or Beaky as the locals call it), we said goodbye to our very friendly hosts at Marroway Farm. After a terrific hot shower we set off in search of op shops (‘charity stores’ for you folks in the Northern Hemisphere) in an effort to replace Rod’s forgotten jacket.

Some wonderfully helpful and chatty ladies in a Tourist Information office even printed out a few pages for us listing all of Tasmania’s op shops. How sweet of them!

En route to our next destination we stopped in at the Burt Munro (of ‘World’s Fastest Indian’ fame) Café in Exeter for coffee and bun, and, of course, to ogle the fabulous old classic motorcycles on display. That was wonderful! On a previous journey to New Zealand Rod had actually laid eyes upon that aforementioned famous ‘World’s Fastest Indian’ motorcycle. That had been an almost religious experience for him.

Our travels took us in the general direction of Mole Creek, via a leatherwood honey farm (Rod’s absolute favourite honey) before we spontaneously veered off to investigate Liffey Falls, just because it sounded interesting. And by golly it was!

Along the way, in the span of less than a few hours, we saw four cute little echidnas on the sides of the road, trundling around eating ants. Absolutely gorgeous! It was truly a day of echidnas. Where we come from in the tropics, echidnas are predominantly nocturnal, but here, this close to Antarctica, they are quite brazen and wander about in broad daylight, ignoring any people who stand by observing them.

The road zigzagged up into the high mountains where we came across our first Antarctic Beech temperate rainforests for this journey. There we saw huge ancient trees with dark foliage, enhanced by glorious tree ferns and mosses growing in profusion beneath them.

After a satisfying walk down into a beautiful valley to observe the pretty waterfalls, we back-tracked to Deloraine, a town filled with lots of little sculptures lining the streets, and plenty of cool steam punk and antique/junk shops. Our accommodation there was a rather unimpressive motel that paled to insignificance after our fabulous Marroway farmhouse stay near Beaky. However, we did take ourselves off for a very filling pub meal in front of a roaring fire, which helped to make us feel a lot better.

Mole Creek caves was our destination for the next day. The chatty ladies at the information centre had recommended the river cave with glow-worms, which was reputed to be fabulous. As we’d had an almost spiritual experience in New Zealand cruising through the glow-worm caves there, we figured we should have a go at Tasmania’s version.

As it turned out, the caves were pretty – as all limestone caves tend to be – but it wasn’t quite to the standard of the Kiwis’, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.

Later, driving around through the mountains we came across more echidnas mooching around by the side of the road,. Those little monotremes are just so-o-o-o cute, and not just because they are just one of only two egg laying mammals that remain on the planet!

Our accommodation in Tullah looked quite shabby from the outside, but was warm and clean, and had everything we needed for the night. We drove to the recommended Lakeside Lodge for dinner, but as they didn’t have a log fire burning we didn’t stay. Instead, we retreated to the local pub and sat in front of the roaring fire to eat a perfectly serviceable pub meal. In those frigid conditions we felt we NEEDED to have a log fire to just survive!

We appear to have arrived in what all the Taswegians claim to be an unusually cold spring. That we can believe! It is VERY chilly here, particularly for this pair of soft Northerners! The days tend to average at about seven degrees, and we are wearing as many layers of clothes as we can, whilst still being able to move our limbs.

The next morning we made a bee-line for the stunning Cradle Mountain, a magnificent place that Rod had visited over 30 years previously when he was last in Tasmania. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side, as it was windy, wet, and incredibly cold. So we had a bit of a poke around near the Visitor Centre and decided to return in a couple of days when the rain was forecast to abate a little. We figured there was no sense in being miserably cold and wet in those gorgeous surroundings.

However, we did get to see our first wombat there, who posed beautifully for our cameras. Later we were blessed with another two wombats, as well as another two echidnas, ambling about alongside the road. Oh my goodness gracious me! We now just need to espy a Tassie Devil!

An incredible walk down into a dark wet valley to view the beautiful Philosopher’s Falls near Waratah was probably the highlight of the day. The stunning dark mossy Tarkine rainforests had us totally gob-smacked. Georgie stated that it was her new favourite place on the planet.

In our inimitable way we took an unusual trail that was well off the beaten track, and ended up following a rough dirt road for over 120 kilometres. Luckily Rod enjoys the challenge of driving on dirt roads – although he much prefers to do it on a dirt bike (but NOT in those frigid Tasmanian temperatures) – and we passed through all sorts of interesting bushland. Unfortunately that included about 95 000 hectares of burnt-out forests from a wildfire that had occurred earlier in the year. That was a little depressing. Over the intervening nine months since the fire, it was clear that the vast majority of the vegetation had been killed in that terrible inferno. Very little was re-sprouting. It was a Moonscape as far as the eye could see.

Eventually we ended up in a caravan park cabin in the remote township of Arthur River, and settled in for the night, with pretty dark wallabies grazing on the grasses around us. Wildflowers grow in absolute profusion in that coastal area.

We must make comment on the enormous number of road kills we have seen scattered along the highways. So many squashed wallabies and possums, and sometimes echidnas and wombats. Some roads have a posted speed limit of 45 kph between dusk to dawn in an attempt to reduce the death toll.

We made the silly mistake of not carrying enough water, because so much of Tasmania’s water is wonderfully clean and absolutely everywhere. But even after double-boiling Arthur River’s bore water we paid a terrible price the next day after drinking it. Oooh, our poor tummies!

After settling our long-suffering intestinal tracts, our intention was to drive the Tarkine Road and investigate the advertised multiple view points along the way. There was a broad variety of interesting farm land, coastal views, and forests to look at, the latter being predominantly not the cool temperate rainforests like we expected. Much of it was drier eucalypt forests that showed a fair bit of damage from wildfires back in the 1960s and were still recovering, with huge stark skeletons of tree trunks standing high above the regrowth. However there were lush green pockets of rainforest scattered amongst the enormous plantations of Tassie bluegum, which we gleefully investigated. Timber harvesting is a huge part of the Tasmanian economy, and even the now-protected National Parks show evidence of previous cutting of unbelievably huge trees. The moss coated sawn-off stumps are massive.

Perhaps the two most favourite spots of ours were the amazing Trowutta Arch and the stunning Lake Chisholm sinkhole. We quietly crept around the latter, hoping ever so much (in vain, unfortunately) to view platypus, which are reputed to be much larger than our cute little tropical versions. The forests in both of those places were absolutely gorgeous, and incredibly different from each other. Quite a bit of tree hugging of massive ancient monoliths occurred as we wandered about oohing and ahhing.

Click on images to enlarge

Burt Munro’s Cafe

Our first cutie-pie echidna for this trip

Antarctic beech rainforest

Upper Liffey Falls

Lower Liffey Falls

Part of the trail to the falls

What the…
Conservation area? We think Bob Brown needs to get there quick smart!

Our first cute wombat

Beautiful mossy wet Antarctic Beech rainforests on the walk to Mole Creek Caves

The entrance to the cave

Another echidna

The walk to Philosopher’s Falls

Georgie at ‘The Edge Of The World’ in Arthur River

We forgive them for leaving off the ‘E’

On the walk to Trowatta

Lake Trowatta

On the walk to Lake Chisholm

Tree hugging

Lake Chisholm

We flew into Launceston too late to pick up the hire car, so we taxied into the city and stayed in a Heritage-listed BnB. It was still daylight (the Sun doesn’t set until very late in the evening this close to Antarctica) so we wandered down into the town and checked out the nice old architecture and all the tiny independent book, fashion, curio, and shoe shops nestled there – window shopping only as they were all long closed for the day. The place had a nice feel to it. Then we saw a small restaurant called ‘Hello Georgie’ and just HAD to have dinner in that establishment.

After picking up the car the next day we headed off in a vaguely northerly direction, admiring all the wildflowers blooming along the roads. A spontaneous pop into a cute little Art Gallery in Lilydale, which included a long chat with the proprietor, was then followed by a short walk up to a couple of very pretty waterfalls. Massive tall eucalypts with the bark hanging off in decorative strips and fabulous thick tree ferns bursting with new fronds that uncoiled from their centres had us oohing and ahhing as we wandered up the trail.

The winding roads took us through beautiful countryside bedecked with gorgeous tall flowering gum trees and rolling green fields, until we visited an iridescent body of water called Little Blue Lake. The iridescence was due to a high concentration of minerals in the water, which didn’t seem to bother the froggies that were chorusing joyfully from the lake.

At another lake nestled behind some coastal sand dunes we happily watched a flock of majestic black cockatoos chewing on pinenuts from the cones of tall pine trees.

A drive up Mount George had us admiring the view of the Tamar River mouth, before we trundled off exhausted to our splendid farmhouse BnB. It had been a long and scenic day, and we relaxed comfortably in front of a gorgeous wood fire in our superb surroundings. A nice dinner and a few tasty Tassie beers topped it off wonderfully.

What a fabulous first 24 hours!

Click on the pics to enlarge

A small sample of the lovely architecture of Launceston

One of the pretty Lilydale waterfalls with gorgeous tree ferns

Interesting rock art in a mountain bike enthusiast’s area

More art in the mountain bike zone

Little Blue Lake

Majestic black cockatoos feasting on pine nuts

Sitting in the Cairns Airport, waiting for our flight to the chilly hills of Tasmania, Rod suddenly realised that he had left his jacket behind! Oh my goodness gracious me!

Guess who’s going op-shopping on Monday!

It was only the day before leaving that we were absolutely blown away by visiting an Albert Namatjira exhibition at the Cairns Gallery. Wow, that man was an amazing interpreter of the stark Australian outback. There has been quite a few artists that have followed his lead, but still no one can equal his magnificence. Not only did he invent a whole new style, but added so much feeling and understanding to his work that no one else can compare.

We loved it