Hey, everyone! Wow – my final week in Tasmania and it has been busy between aurora hunting and visiting MONA, Maria Island, Peter Murrell State Reserve, and more. I can’t believe my time in Tasmania is over! (Warning: this post is LOADED.)
MONA
MONA, or the Museum of Old and New Art, is one of Hobart’s major tourist attractions. Everyone seemed to mention it as a place that must not be missed. I put it off until my final week. All that I can really say is that it felt like I was under a spell as I walked along the different art exhibits.
The architecture itself is incredible – gorgeous underground tunnels, geometrically-patterned walls, etc.
The art was so bizarre, too. To put it into perspective, there is one art instillation that is literally a simulation of the digestive system, ending in a tube that… defecates. It smells like it, too.
There was lots of strange, fascinating art. Glass boxes filled with what looked like spider webs, a ceramic horse hanging by a noose, a melting Porsche.
One of my favorites was a room you entered that had binary code embossed along the walls (01000101 0101000). It is a sort of maze, taking you into the center of the room. To get to the center, you have to duck inside a small entry. As people entered and looked up, they would jump or gasp, so I was already on edge. Entering the center of the maze, I started to look up and saw a dark blob above me, moving as if towards me. It spooked me, but then I realized it was my own reflection.
There was a lot of cool art here and definitely worth checking out if ever in Tasmania. I could see why it was such a major draw and “put Hobart on the map,” as some have said.
Aurora Australis (Southern Lights)
Ah, the aurora. I have loved auroras ever since I went to Iceland and saw them for the first time on my golden birthday. I have even booked trips specifically to see them, like the Norway/Sweden/Finland stint I did with my brother a number of years back.
The aurora borealis is regarded as different from the aurora australis. The main difference is that the borealis is up near the north pole, but australis is near the south. The aurora australis also tends to have an orange tint to it. The cool thing about the aurora australis is that you can see it all year round. Up north, places like Iceland, Sweden, Norway have 24 hours of daylight during the summer months – so you’re unable to see the lights at that time. In Tasmania, you could potentially see them any time of the year.
And I got lucky! After going out a couple nights, I finally was able to see them! After seeing there were some reports of aurora sightings one evening, my friend Chang and I drove over to Goat’s Bluff, which is on the South Arm (where I went on a hike my first full day in Tasmania). At first glance, you could hardly tell it was an aurora. It looked rather grey and there wasn’t much movement. With a long exposure on a camera, you could pick up the greens, but I was hoping for vibrant colors to the naked eye. Of all the times I’ve seen the aurora, the only time I got a really lovely show with some decent green coloring was in Sweden. Even then, I have never seen the aurora where it is incredibly vibrant, rich colors to the eye.
That said, the aurora started to build slightly in intensity. “Beams” started to appear, which look like vertical spotlights going up into the sky. They move around like a curtain in a breeze. There it is!!! I was so thrilled to be seeing the aurora australis in Tasmania.
The sad part – for me – is that later on that evening (actually at 5am the next morning), the aurora was so strong that you could see the colors with your eye. Some people reported it was so bright, they thought it was sunrise, able to see bright red beams exploding across the sky. If only I had known! I would have loved to have seen it, but alas. Auroras are hard to predict. Even with the monitoring resources (KP index levels, solar flares, etc.), you never know when, for how long, and how strongly the aurora will present. ALAS!! One day, I will see an aurora blow up the sky with color. Le sigh.
Chang and I also drove down near Dover the following night to try to see it again, as there was a supposed geomagnetic storm happening. We did see the aurora again, and the beams were even stronger than the night before – but still, it appeared rather silver/grey, not colorful to the naked eye.
Still, I’m very lucky to have seen the aurora twice within a month of being in Tasmania. I would like to live somewhere one day where the auroras are frequent.
Maria Island
Maria Island is “an island off an island off an island.” It is an island off of Tasmania, which is an island off of Australia… which is another island. Haha. It is actually one of seven UNESCO sites in Australia and one of 11 convict sites.
I had heard great things about Maria Island – that it is bountiful with wildlife, a gorgeous location with a very healthy population of wombats. I knew I wanted to get there, so I booked a shuttle bus from Hobart and then took the ferry over for a day trip. To me, it seemed like the Rottnest Island of Tasmania.
Immediately, I thought, “What a beautiful island.” It seemed to just have something special about it. My mission for the day was to see wombats but also to try to see a Tasmanian devil during the daytime to get a picture of it. I had NO SUCH LUCK with a devil, but I knew it was a long shot anyway. With the wombats, though. WOW.
Walking to the Painted Cliffs, I started spotting wombats. A momma and her baby, some other random stragglers munching away.
It was getting warm out, so I stopped for a second to take off my wool jumper. As I put my backpack on, I noticed some movement just to my right and jumped. Right next to me, just off the trail, a wombat sat on a patch of grass, staring at me. He proceeded to scratch an itch, but then continued to just sit there, looking at me. Of course, I had to snap some pictures (and I also tried to maintain a fair distance from him). I could not believe I was finally seeing a wombat that wasn’t eating food. He was absolutely waiting for me to photograph him haha.
Eventually, I realized he was waiting for me to move along so he could continue on with his day. I walked further away from him and he proceeded to cross to the other side of the trail.
How amazing! I had been hoping to experience something like this at Cradle Mountain, so I’m really glad it worked out on Maria Island.
I ended up walking around the entire seven hours I was at Maria Island. I walked past the Painted Cliffs and had gone as far as Four Mile Creek, in search of Tasmanian devils. While there were no devils, I continued to see wombats, wallabies, and some cool birds.
I decided to head back to where I started the day so I could do the Reservoir Circuit trail, which seemed to be calling to me. I’m really glad I did, because there were some excellent sites along the way and I even was able to see forester kangaroos for the first time!
It also started to rain at one point. I hid underneath some trees to keep from getting soaked. After the rain, the wombats’ fur seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
I had to be mindful of the time, since the final ferry was at 4pm. Eventually, I went back to the main “town” of Darlington (this is no longer an active town, just a historical site from the convict days) before heading to the jetty. There, I saw some more wombats, more kangaroos, and also some cape barren goose who started FIGHTING each other! Two of them started fighting and then flying towards me and I thought they were going to fly right into me haha. They did not. There was a young girl who said “the rangers said they are nesting and very territorial so that’s why they’re fighting.” Very interesting!
Once it was time to go, I said goodbye to my wombat friends and got back on the boat. I’m really glad I saved Maria Island until the day before leaving Tasmania. It was such a beautiful, nature/wildlife-filled day and was the perfect summary of my time in Tasmania.
Art of the Week
I am not sure what I’m doing with my art these days, but this is a sort of amorphous blob, inspired by the octopi I had witnessed back in Coral Bay. I would like to explore these organic shapes more, but we’ll see what happens.
Reflections
What else has happened this week?
On one of my lazy days, I stopped inside a church to look at the stained glass art and to meditate in one of the pews for a while. It has been a long time since I’ve been in a church, but was thinking “I bet my mom would like this church,” so decided to stop inside.
I took the bus to Peter Murrell State Reserve one day. It was a nice little hike with some great views of kunanyi/Mount Wellington from a different perspective. They had a hiking trail that was literal bush-walking. I practically needed a machete to get to the other side of the trail haha.
Chang and I also drove down to Cockle Creek, which is the furthest south you can drive in Tasmania. “The end of the road.” The view there was excellent. On the way back, we were going to go do the Mystery Creek Cave Track to see glow worms, but it started pouring rain and the signs said not to attempt the trail as flooding may occur. I’m sure I will see glow worms either on the mainland or once I go to New Zealand.
On April 26, I celebrated eleven years sober. I went to a meeting and everyone was very nice and supportive. It’s great to be able to have a sober community anywhere in the world, who are happy for your sobriety. It felt really nice.
One funny thing recently… my dear friends Rob and Joey are currently on holiday and while out and about on their hikes, they’ve seen some roadrunners. Joey messaged me saying how funny that I had seen a Tasmanian devil and they were seeing roadrunners – just like in Looney Tunes!
I also saw the tawny frogmouth once again, the night before leaving Hobart. This time, I had my camera with me and was able to get some cool pictures of it. Such a weird bird!
On my final day in Hobart, I checked out of the hostel and then hung out with my friend Mason for a few hours. We walked around the city, stopping into op shops (thrift stores) and getting tea. I’m glad we were able to hang out again before I left.
After spending time with Mason, I decided to visit the rivulet, the view of the mountain, and the platypus one final time. Walking along the rivulet was my first activity in Hobart so it seemed fitting that it would be my last. Closing the circuit. I walked back and forth along the usual spot where I would see the platypus, but to no avail. After being lucky enough to have multiple observations of my platypus friend, I wasn’t finding it. I thought, “this is fitting. It is signaling the end of my time here in Hobart.” I had to remind myself – I can’t get everything I want (aka to see this platypus one last time). I can’t see everything I want to see (STRONG southern lights, daytime view of Tasmanian devils, etc.) And that’s okay! I can be such a brat sometimes haha.
A little down, I started walking back to the hostel… and then – a girl was crouched with her camera, looking down at the rivulet. “There’s a platypus just there,” she pointed. I thanked her and watched my little guy for a few more brief moments before I had to grab my backpack from the hostel and head to the airport. It has been such a joy to be able to visit the platypus so many times throughout my time in Tasmania. Lots of people come here, hoping to see them and never do. I’ve been very lucky. I tried to make the most of it, observing the creature as much as I could.
I was feeling anxious yesterday, and pretty sad to be leaving Tasmania. It is such a beautiful place, rife with wildlife and nature. To leave there to go to a big city was feeling like a mistake, somehow.
I found myself wishing there was more time. More time to strengthen the friendships I made in Tasmania, to get to know the place even better. And yet, as I’ve known for many, many years… Everything is ephemeral. This too shall pass. I talked with my good friend Michael about it, as he came to Australia years ago and did this. He told me it’s “mourning the could be’s,” and I completely agree. What could have happened if I were to stay in Hobart longer? Unfortunately, I had to move on. I don’t have that much time left on my visa and there is so much more I’d like to see. So, for now… that’s that.
Gah! I feel like the last few paragraphs were kind of a bummer, but it’s just how I have been feeling. It’s not a bad thing. I can be emotional, sentimental, etc. I know these things are bittersweet. It’s hard to meet people, to connect, and then to leave. But it is the nature of travel. We visit and then we leave. We make lots of memories along the way and meet many people that enrich our lives and make an impact. I think for me, the hard part is thinking “I may never see these people again.” But you never know – because even though the world is big, it can also be pretty small at times.
Anyway. Enough of that.
I am now in Melbourne as of late last night. I haven’t done any exploring yet because I need the morning to relax and catch up on this blog. But now, I shall go get lost in this big, big city. Wish me luck!
Sending my love xx
