Hey, everyone! This past week I’ve gone down south to the Tahune Airwalk and then joined my friend Shawn on a multi-day trip along the east coast of Tasmania. It has been a really good week filled with hiking, wildlife, and some really impressive sights. I’m now back in Hobart (for two days) and my body is so thankful for the rest haha.
Tahune Airwalk
One evening, Thomas and Jack (peeps from the hostel) invited me along to venture down south to the Tahune Airwalk the following day. Apparently, there was a tree top walk (similar to Valley of the Giants down near Albany). Without knowing much about it, I agreed, figuring it would be a fun adventure and a good way to bond with people from the hostel. The next morning, we met up and left around 10am. The drive was beautiful and while the day was gloomy and rainy, there were a number of rainbows along the way.
The airwalk itself was cool, but not THAT cool haha. It cost $32, and was actually probably less impressive than the Valley of the Giants. We did some more hiking in the area, though, and that was really nice. We walked across a couple of suspension bridges built over a flowing river. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.
There were also plenty of mushrooms growing in the area. So many mushrooms in general in Tasmania!
After the Airwalk and hike, we stopped for food at this really strange place in Geeveston. It was part grocery store, part restaurant, part… community center? It was bizarre. Below the window displays of hot foods, there were shelves of shampoo, deodorant, etc. I’d never seen anything like it before. The food was good, though!
We drove back the long way, appreciating coastal views. At one point, we saw something breach out of the water and we pulled over to check it out. We saw some dolphins swimming along somewhat close to where we saw the breach, but honestly the nature of the breach reminded me more of a shark. Who knows?
Freycinet National Park
One evening, I was talking with a Canadian named Shawn at the hostel. He is from Ontario and not super far from Toronto. His accent was not completely unlike mine, except that when he said “about” it was DEFINITELY Canadian. It was comforting to hear somebody with such a similar accent to mine. The next night, he told me he was going along the east coast of Tasmania for a few days and that they upgraded his room from a one to a two bedroom and I was welcome to join him. I was like – uh, absolutely!
We drove out the next morning, with Freycinet National Park being our principal spot of the day. There, they have this notoriously photographed beach called Wineglass Bay. Originally, we planned to do a hike called Amos Peak, but there was a lot of bouldering involved and the rocks were slick from rain. It was too risky, so we decided to do the Wineglass Bay hike instead. It didn’t disappoint! I got my workout in that day, with some steep inclines and declines along the way. The beach was really photogenic with powerful waves crashing along the beach. Boulders covered in orange lichen were scattered along the beach.
It was starting to get dark out and we still had a couple of hours to drive so we drove from Freycinet National Park to St. Helen’s. As it got dark out, we saw numerous pademelons, wallabies, and possums. I saw a wombat and… you will not believe this (because I couldn’t snap a pic in time and it was dark out) but we almost ran over a Tasmanian Devil. INSANE! We first saw a possum and I went “TASMANIAN DEVIL” and then was like… “No, that was not a Tasmanian Devil.” Maybe three minutes later, one actually did cross the road and it was unmistakable.
Tasmanian devils are nocturnal, so they’re not often seen during the day. I’m really hoping to see one during the day so I can snap a picture, but I doubt it’ll happen haha. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll get lucky.
Bay of Fires
The next morning, we drove a short drive over to the Bay of Fires. It is a popular destination with large boulders dipping into the Tasman Sea, covered in vibrant, orange lichen. It was really neat, but I think it would have stood out more if it was later in the day and the sun was high in the sky. I’m sure the orange would complement the bright, blue sea much more impressively. Alas! It was still a great location.
Little Blue Lake and Cube Rock
From there, we drove to Little Blue Lake, where we saw… a little, blue lake! It was not deceiving at all. Such a curious blue color, too. (“It’s not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.” – Miranda Priestly)
We continued along to do a hike up to Cube Rock. Cube Rock is… a big boulder that looks cube-shaped when you look at it from a distance. We reached the summit, had a snack, admired a rainbow in the distance, and then headed along to our next destination.
St. Columba Falls
While our original plan was Ralph Falls, we were forced into a detour to St. Columba Falls instead. This was the first proper waterfall I’ve seen since being in Australia. The waterfall itself reminded me of some I had seen in Lake Tahoe. With the location being amongst a rainforest, and rain pouring heavily, we waited in the car for a little while before doing the short, 15 minute hike. The rain calmed down and we seized the moment. The waterfall was lovely and the foliage along the way was really nice, too. It reminded me of a hike I did in Volcanoes National Park years ago. Ferns, mossy trees, small creeks with flowing water. I love that type of terrain.
After St. Columba Falls, we headed back to our accommodation and had a chill night. I’ve been reading A Discovery of Witches which is a DAMN good book.
Ben Lomond National Park
Our last day was spent at Ben Lomond National Park. We drove up to this one spot where a hike begins next to an abandoned mining town. It was eerie, with decrepit buildings with broken windows and basic furniture left inside. The hike was very rocky but not super strenuous in terms of inclines. (I would also like to note that my knees have been fine with all the hiking I’ve been doing lately – yay!) We saw some pademelons along the way and I spotted what I thought was wombat scat. Much too large for pademelons or wallabies.
Our initial intention was to hike to the summit but it was pretty cloudy up there, so Shawn made the executive decision to call it quits after a certain point. We went back into town and got some pies. Shawn got a meat pie, and I got a curry pie… which I’m pretty certain ended up being a meat pie, too. This is the first time I’ve consciously eaten meat in YEARS haha. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but it was fine. It tasted good, but I am not a fan of the texture anymore.
From there, we went back to Ben Lomond National Park, but to the other side of it. Here, we had some really incredible views of mountain tops. We went for an afternoon hike and were surrounded by a vista of mountains. So lovely! Along the way, we had to balance across stones, with a creek flowing around us. I was really impressed by the views here.
On the way down, Shawn spotted a family of pademelons. He hadn’t seen any up close before so he was really tickled by them. After having seen so many marsupials in Australia, I am not as excited as I once was to spot them, but I still appreciate their beauty and love seeing them.
What I WAS excited about… was seeing deer, wombats, and a spotted quoll on our drive back from the mountain!
As the sun starts to set, ALL the creatures start coming out. We saw I think six wombats in the span of fifteen minutes, it was wild. Unfortunately, the lighting was dark and I couldn’t get a solid, focused picture. I’m hoping I’ll have the chance to get a better one in the future – particularly at Cradle Mountain in the next few days, where there is supposed to be a healthy population of wombats. Still, I was so happy to see them!
The spotted quoll was especially cool to see because they are endangered here in Tasmania. It ran across the road so it was a quick observation, but enjoyable nonetheless.
And then… DEER? I literally had NO IDEA that Australia had deer. I had seen some signs along the road that had images of deer and I thought to myself, “what?” And then we saw three! And what’s more interesting is that I had been on the phone with my mom the night before, where she told me she had seen a deer outside her front door that morning. Perhaps the deer were sending me love from my fam 🙂
After an exciting day, we went back to our accommodation to prepare for a long drive back to Hobart in the morning. I am back safely now.
Art of the Week
This week’s art is a bit of a cop-out haha. I haven’t really been feeling it lately, spending most of my time exploring. Hopefully I’ll have something cool to share next time. But – it’s a platypus! I’ve been trying to do a “venomous creatures” series, but I’ve done some deviations lately. Interestingly enough, male platypus do have venomous spurs along their back legs! Therefore, they are technically venomous and fit within the theme.
Reflections
I must admit – when I first got to my hostel, I felt SO awkward trying to meet people. I am an introvert and generally tend to be quite untrusting of others, so to put myself out there and be vulnerable is very new to me. That said, the people I’m connecting with have common interests. Travel, wildlife, nature, etc. What I’ve taken to doing is sitting at the large dining room table when I eat food. It’s easier to start conversation with someone when you’re already at the same table as them. I think this will be good for me. Learning to be more social haha.
Mason (the friend I went hiking with last week along with Brenda and Jess) had invited me to a party he was DJing on Easter Sunday. After hiking around down south all day, I wasn’t sure I’d be up for it, but I’m really glad I went. Brenda and Jess were there as well and I got to chat with them some more. Jess is a DJ too and she got up on stage after Mason’s set was done. Mason had showed me some photos of the crowd at Jess’ Sydney DJ parties and they were nuts. So many people! It was cute to spend the evening with the crew. It was essentially a closed party – they were celebrating their friend Trevor’s 40th birthday. A lot of them were DJs and it was cute to see them all DJing for one another.
Mason also invited me over for dinner and to watch The Devil Wears Prada (one of my absolute favorite movies). It was so nice to have a home-cooked meal! Obviously, Kory would make them for me occasionally in Perth as would our friend Yen, but it’s always such a treat.
One thing I’ve felt weird about lately is that I wish I was able to be here for longer. I could see myself becoming good friends with Mason, Brenda, Jess, their other friend Fabian, etc. It is one of those things, I suppose. The fleeting nature of connection whilst traveling. Le sigh.
Remember when I was leaving Perth and it actually rained for once and I was rejoicing? Well, that was just the beginning. So much rain here in Hobart! I love the rain so, but hiking in it? Not fun. Also not fun when there are cloudy skies and you want to try and see the aurora australis, damn it!
And lastly… turbo chooks. I think these guys are the answer to Perth’s bin chickens haha. They don’t fly, but rather they run at very quick speeds when they feel threatened. They are very cute.
So, what’s next?
My friend Mo gets into town tomorrow and we’re going to head up north to Cradle Mountain, Launceston, and St. Helen’s (again) for a few days. Do some sightseeing, hopefully see more wildlife, etc. Weird that I’ve already been in Tasmania for two weeks at this point and only really have two weeks left before I must move along.
Sending you all my love! xx