An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia- M is for: MORE of Tasmania; Freycinet Nat'l Park and Wineglass Bay (11/18)

[Steppesister]

It's just like rope dropping Disney! Except over an entire continent.

Just like that!

Gorgeous.

It was! I am so glad I got up early!

Gotta ask... how many times did you have to say "Anara, time to get up"?

A few. But honestly, she was really pretty good about not pushing it too hard.

And yet, you didn't mention it again, so assume it was okay?

It was fine, but we were both pretty sick for days. Especially made for some difficult sleeping.

Wow! Pretty.

Sooo... where's this "lack of quality photos"???

Ok, a few turned out.

How cool is that?

VERY! Not everyone (at least on this half of the world) can say they've seen an emu (wild!) along the road!

Oh dear.
Glad she didn't puke on one of her neighbours... although that would've made for a more entertaining TR.
Try to talk to her about that for your next trip, okay?

I'll sure try! LOL. By then I can prescribe her a few extra scop patches.

Good thing you remembered where it was! You could've been stranded there until morning.

I forgot to talk about the lady who actually showed up and did NOT have a car reservation. She'd gotten her dates wrong (like I had) and there were NO cars for her. She was in tears and I suspect they scrambled to find a hotel for the night.

Better that than not remembering the car company.

YES!

What have you got against grilled critter?

LOL!! Nothing if they're skinned and seasoned.

So much for that post terror drink.

I lived another day.

Barely.

What more do you want? Sheesh.

I dunno, warmth? A bathroom nearby?

These are the times when you decide just how badly do you need to go.

And there are times you wish there was a chamber pot.

Why not? You had stand up heaters and wool blankets.
You've become soft! Tasmania will toughen ya up.

I have. I've done a LOT of camping in my day, but I like a soft bed and to be warm now.

 

[Steppesister]

Brave lady! Driving at night in a foreign country yikes!!
Congratulations on your NP!! We will celebrate in December! I am buying you a nice big stiff drink!!

I suppose had we known our flight was going to be late and the rental car was going to take a lot longer, we'd have gotten a hotel in Hobart, but I wanted to get us an hour north onto our circuit tour so it'd make a shorter day the next day. Not sure which was better.

Thanks, Caroline! It's been a long, tough journey for sure. Can't wait for our Skyliner Crawl and celebrate.

 

[Steppesister]

The sunrise is gorgeous.

It really was, definitely worth the early wake up.

The crust is lovely but the contents do not look appetizing at al.

I agree.... kinda dry.

Rental car insurance seems like it is a lucrative scam. You're afraid not to get it but hate the upcharge,

Yeah, 1,000%. I NEVER purchase it as my own auto insurance stateside covers mishaps with rentals. But... this was just annoying.

I bet there weren't any highway lights on this road. That is a lot of animals to avoid hitting.

Nope, none whatsoever. Dark was definitely the name of the game.

I've stayed in a hotel building with communal bathrooms down the hall, but not in a separate building. That is almost like camping.

We actually ended up in quite a few of these throughout the trip opting for hostels and such to save money. Traveling with a younger companion does come with compromises, but it's worth it. I did splurge every few nights to give us a break. And yes, it was a lot like "glamping".

 

[Steppesister]

That was one intense travel day...

We packed a LOT in. Probably too much, but it was the only way to fit in the full 4 days on Tassie.

Uh oh... Nothing worse than having to fly with a head cold!

Totally! It ended up being ok and sleeping ended up being the more problematic issue with being sick.

I think you did a great job - I can even recognise it as an emu

YAY!!! Would have loved it's head, but ya get what you can get.

Glad you managed to get to your rental car after all that, but boy that is a long drive at the worst possible time of night in Tassie I can only imagine how on edge you must have been! I think I would have stayed somewhere a bit closer to the airport that night, but perhaps you had somewhere to be in the morning... I'm guessing you were making your way to Cradle Mountain.

In hindsight we probably should have, but we honestly thought we'd get in and on the road with more daylight to spare. The next day is really full and we ended up arriving right at dusk AGAIN the next night. Our days were just packed but the distances between things were just so much more massive and long than I ever anticipated.

Sadly, no. We just couldn't fit that in this trip. But we did see some incredible scenery with where we ended up.

Yeah, you were well off the beaten tourist track with that one. I'd have been pleased to have electricity and running water

Most definitely! It's like the deep Appalacia of Tassie.

 

[Steppesister]

J is for: Joy Riding Around Tasmania​

I took a cold walk to the shower building and had a reasonably comfortable rinse off. It wasn’t glamorous but fit the bill. The lodge room was outfitted with little boxes of cereal and cartons of milk so we each had one of those and called it breakfast. True sustenance would have to wait.

We loaded up and zoomed off right about 9:30. Had it just been me, the mornings would have started earlier, but sometimes compromise is what makes for good traveling companionship. Zoomy-zoom was at times mostly a putt-putt. The roads are insanely narrow as I’ve mentioned before and there were plenty of times this day, in fact a majority of this day, that were spent on the most ridiculous washboard track possible. While we saw some incredibly beautiful scenery, the gettin’ there was at times… tedious. Everything took FAR longer to get to than we’d hoped or planned so several of the stops I’d had on our route were cut out.

​

The day turned out to be cloudy with foggy patches which sucked for photography. But whatcha gonna do? A few times the sun peeked out just enough to use a roadside pullout or viewpoint to snap some quick shots. I confess, those moments truly did offer breath-taking panoramas of the lake in the distance or of heather-covered fields leading up to rocky hillsides. The colors were a riot of late Autumn hues, and the landscape glistened in the sunshine.

​

The bladder screamed for mercy about an hour into our trek and the little hamlet of Deloraine seemed like a good place to find potties.

​

It was nice to get out and stretch our legs and spend a few minutes watching the ducks in the little town pond. I know park ducks aren’t the most glamorous of birds, but aside from the mallard we don’t have species like this here. Maybe on a farm? Maybe? Then again, maybe I just am duck-naïve and don’t know crap about ducks. Except how to step in their poop.

(A "Tasmanian Native Hen")






(New Holland Honeyeater)


(Not all the birds were ducks. Here's a Tasmanian Yellow Wattlebird)


(And a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo near the Museum)​

Our first destination was at a kitschy-tourist trap which, although turned out to be less than I hoped, interesting and fun, nonetheless.

​

A tour through the seahorse research center, which housed a pretty robust seahorse nursery, set me back about $20. This operation raises then ships seahorses all over the world for aquariums and hobbyists and it certainly made me wonder if they also supply EPCOT. I wished I had asked but didn’t. There were also sea dragons and a few unique-to-Australia/Tasmania fish species which were super cool to see.

​

There were also a few other fish native to the Tasman Sea.

​

The most fascinating were the Spotted Handfish. I’ll let you read all about them here. Crazy cool species!!

​

We learned all about how the seahorses graduate from tank to tank as they grow, how they are fed and what at each stage of development, how they mate and have babies (did you know that the male carries the young and gives birth?) Really it was all quite fascinating.

The highlight was when we were offered an opportunity to hold one of the seahorses and feel how it wraps its tail around your finger. Anara’s smile alone was worth the $20 we each paid for our time at Seahorse World.

​

Our tour was over in about an hour, and it was time to find some lunch. Only 2 places were open nearby, and we chose this one:

​

We spent a bit more than we had wanted but it was time for a real meal as it’d been a fair spell since we’d had one. I opted for a nice meal of fried fish and a salad and Anara chose a burger. We both cleaned our plates like good little piggies. Mmmm! Burp.

​

Not only did it cost more than I’d hoped, but it also took far longer than I’d intended to spend on eating. The day was marching along quickly, and we had a LONG way to go that day yet!! Our next stop was at a little beach called Sheoak Point (Pronounced: SHE-OAK). It was underwhelming but again, provided a nice little stop to stretch our legs. Trust me, the better scenery and photos are coming on our next day.

​

I’ll leave off here with the other half of our first full day on Tasmania for another time. (Reader beware: I have a little more time on my hands so updates may come a bit quicker than in the weeks past.)

 

[pkondz]

It was! I am so glad I got up early!

A few. But honestly, she was really pretty good about not pushing it too hard.

That's not too bad, then.

It was fine, but we were both pretty sick for days. Especially made for some difficult sleeping.

Ugh. Nothing worse than being sick while on vacation. I've had a few of those.

VERY! Not everyone (at least on this half of the world) can say they've seen an emu (wild!) along the road!

I sure can't!

I'll sure try! LOL. By then I can prescribe her a few extra scop patches.

"All right, miss. Who's your dealer?"
"My mom."

I forgot to talk about the lady who actually showed up and did NOT have a car reservation. She'd gotten her dates wrong (like I had) and there were NO cars for her. She was in tears and I suspect they scrambled to find a hotel for the night.

Oh geez. I feel so bad for her and I don't even know her!

I lived another day.

Barely.

Close one.

I dunno, warmth? A bathroom nearby?

That's for sissies!

And there are times you wish there was a chamber pot.

I remember sleeping at my grandmother's when I was little and there was one under the bed.

I've done a LOT of camping in my day, but I like a soft bed and to be warm now.

Well... me too.

 

[pkondz]

I took a cold walk to the shower building and had a reasonably comfortable rinse off.

I think that's preferable to taking a reasonably comfortable walk to the shower and having a cold rinse off.

It wasn’t glamorous but fit the bill.

You'd think a public shower would be!

The lodge room was outfitted with little boxes of cereal and cartons of milk

Yussss...

True sustenance would have to wait.

"True" sustenance????

LITTLE BOXES OF CEREAL ARE THE BEST BREAKFAST IN THE WORLD!!!


My 6 year old self says so.

Had it just been me, the mornings would have started earlier, but sometimes compromise is what makes for good traveling companionship.

Zoomy-zoom was at times mostly a putt-putt.

there were plenty of times this day, in fact a majority of this day, that were spent on the most ridiculous washboard track possible.

Oh, I've been there... too many times to count.

Pretty.

I kinda like the low clouds in this shot.

The bladder screamed for mercy about an hour into our trek

the little hamlet of Deloraine

Made me curious. We too have a little hamlet of Deloraine (about 3hrs west).
Deloraine, Tasmania: Pop 3,035. Deloraine, MB: Pop 1,478
This makes our Deloraine more hamlet-y.

maybe I just am duck-naïve and don’t know crap about ducks.

Me too. I can confidently point at a duck and say "Mallard!"... and point at any other kind of duck and say "Duck!"

don’t know crap about ducks. Except how to step in their poop.

But let me help you out a bit, here.

Red headed duck.

Yellow billed duck

Pink billed duck

Brown headed duck


Okay, so I made all those up. But that's what they should be called. Just saying.

That's a cool one!

(Not all the birds were ducks. Here's a Tasmanian Yellow Wattlebird)

Also cool...

(And a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo near the Museum)

Coolest yet! I never expect I'll see a cockatoo in the wild.

Like this shot.

This operation raises then ships seahorses all over the world for aquariums and hobbyists

Huh!

There were also a few other fish native to the Tasman Sea.

​

Not a fish...

Not a fish...

Not a fish...

Are you sure you know what a fish is?

The most fascinating were the Spotted Handfish. I’ll let you read all about them here. Crazy cool species!!

That is cool. I wonder how many of the 81 survived?

did you know that the male carries the young and gives birth?

Did know that.

The highlight was when we were offered an opportunity to hold one of the seahorses and feel how it wraps its tail around your finger. Anara’s smile alone was worth the $20 we each paid for our time at Seahorse World.

Awwww.

Also note she's wearing a hoodie. Was it coolish, with the clouds?

I opted for a nice meal of fried fish and a salad and Anara chose a burger. We both cleaned our plates like good little piggies. Mmmm! Burp.

That sounds good. Fish looks good.


Or was it fried crab... or octopus...

Our next stop was at a little beach called Sheoak Point (Pronounced: SHE-OAK).

Funny. That's exactly how I pronounced it in my head. Then thought, "Ah. Here's how you really say it..."

Trust me, the better scenery and photos are coming on our next day.

That's good. I was about to chuck this whole TR and move on to greener pastures. (Or beach... or whatever.)

(Reader beware: I have a little more time on my hands so updates may come a bit quicker than in the weeks past.)

 

[Wood Nymph]

We loaded up and zoomed off right about 9:30. Had it just been me, the mornings would have started earlier, but sometimes compromise is what makes for good traveling companionship.

I agree that 9:30 does seem a little late for exploring. But compromise is critical, as you said.

I know park ducks aren’t the most glamorous of birds, but aside from the mallard we don’t have species like this here.

I am surprised to see a northern hemisphere duck like a mallard in Tasmania.

There were also sea dragons and a few unique-to-Australia/Tasmania fish species which were super cool to see.

I think you have a picture of a pregnant seahorse in that group of pictures.

The spotted handfish is very unusual. I'm glad that you spent the $20 per person in order to report its existence back to us. I hope their reintroduction plans work. But global warming is not going away soon, unfortunately.

 

[pkondz]

I am surprised to see a northern hemisphere duck like a mallard in Tasmania.

This is a very good point. I had subconsciously thought similarly, but then forgot about it.
I found this:

Green is breeding and/or resident. Blue is non-breeding (why am I picturing a very frustrated Donald Duck?), pink is vagrant, and brown is introduced. Mallards were introduced to Australia in the 1860s.

I think you have a picture of a pregnant seahorse in that group of pictures.

I noticed that too, but wasn't sure if it was just a particularly heavy-set sea horse.

 

[zanzibar138]

Everything took FAR longer to get to than we’d hoped or planned so several of the stops I’d had on our route were cut out.

Tassie can be so deceiving - distances look so short, but when the roads are hilly, windy, pot-holey, corrugated or ridiculously narrow, it takes far longer to drive anywhere than it should lol! We were caught out by it too.

The day turned out to be cloudy with foggy patches which sucked for photography. But whatcha gonna do?

OMG I love foggy weather for photography in Tassie - you got some great moody shots! I took my favourite Tassie photo ever from a roadside stop on a foggy morning.

It was nice to get out and stretch our legs and spend a few minutes watching the ducks in the little town pond. I know park ducks aren’t the most glamorous of birds, but aside from the mallard we don’t have species like this here.

Haha that little park did have a very large variety of ducks!

Our first destination was at a kitschy-tourist trap which, although turned out to be less than I hoped, interesting and fun, nonetheless.

Ooh, good to see this. We did make it to Beauty Point on the way to the penguin tour, but it was too late for Seahorse World. We did consider stopping for a drink at the little pub overlooking the harbour area but decided to just keep driving - in hindsight we probably should have stopped to fill in some time lol!

The highlight was when we were offered an opportunity to hold one of the seahorses and feel how it wraps its tail around your finger. Anara’s smile alone was worth the $20 we each paid for our time at Seahorse World.

That does sound worthwhile - disappointed I missed it now!

You got some great photos too. I always find seahorses so tricky to photograph!

I opted for a nice meal of fried fish and a salad and Anara chose a burger.

Looks like great fish and chips!


4 days was definitely a rush for Tassie! We had about that too and I'd decided it was too rushed to try to hit different areas (although if we hadn't had Grandma with us it probably would have been different!). Did you consider flying into Launceston instead, or were you interested in driving through the central plateau area anyway? At least you got to see a glimpse of a pretty part of Tassie that most people never will

 

[pkondz]

I took my favourite Tassie photo ever from a roadside stop on a foggy morning.

 

[Paulaparm]

Love the pics from Sheoak!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Everything took FAR longer to get to than we’d hoped or planned so several of the stops I’d had on our route were cut out.

Ugh, I despise when things don't go according to my plan!!! I hope you didn't have to miss out on anything you really hard your heart set on!

Seahorse World sure was full of beautiful creatures! How cool to experience holding a seahorse! I've never heard of that being offered anywhere else. That is a great picture of your daughter, too, her smile says it all.

 

[Steppesister]

Ugh. Nothing worse than being sick while on vacation. I've had a few of those.

It got worse, but never so bad we couldn't keep truckin'.

"All right, miss. Who's your dealer?"
"My mom."

Oh geez. I feel so bad for her and I don't even know her!

I do wonder what they ended up doing. I hope they were nice enough to help her find a hotel or something.

That's for sissies!

Yeah, sue me.

I remember sleeping at my grandmother's when I was little and there was one under the bed.

My in-laws kept one too upstairs for the kids.

I think that's preferable to taking a reasonably comfortable walk to the shower and having a cold rinse off.

Ok, I'll give you that one.

You'd think a public shower would be!

Maybe on a cruise ship?

"True" sustenance????

LITTLE BOXES OF CEREAL ARE THE BEST BREAKFAST IN THE WORLD!!!


My 6 year old self says so.

As long as they're what, fruit loops?

Oh, I've been there... too many times to count.

It was so tedious. Pretty destinations, but man there were some tough slogs.

I kinda like the low clouds in this shot.

Mood.

Made me curious. We too have a little hamlet of Deloraine (about 3hrs west).
Deloraine, Tasmania: Pop 3,035. Deloraine, MB: Pop 1,478
This makes our Deloraine more hamlet-y.

You win. I'll bet there are more ducks too.

Me too. I can confidently point at a duck and say "Mallard!"... and point at any other kind of duck and say "Duck!"

I can name a few, but I'm not very good at them either. They are fun to watch though.

Brown headed duck


Okay, so I made all those up. But that's what they should be called. Just saying.

Very scientific nomenclature. I like it!

Coolest yet! I never expect I'll see a cockatoo in the wild.

RIGHT?! Like.. those are 'zoo birds'.

Like this shot.

I like how that one turned out too. Moody. Again.

Not a fish...

Are you sure you know what a fish is?

I couldn't fit all the photos in I wanted too. I present to you some fish:

​

That is cool. I wonder how many of the 81 survived?

I think I remember that they had TERRIBLE luck the first attempt, but tried again and it's better? I can't remember but they think they can be successful and were asking for money.

Awwww.

Also note she's wearing a hoodie. Was it coolish, with the clouds?

It was a bit chilly, yes. It was weirdly warm, but very humid so cool. Hard to describe.

Funny. That's exactly how I pronounced it in my head. Then thought, "Ah. Here's how you really say it..."

It took me a bit to figure it out.

That's good. I was about to chuck this whole TR and move on to greener pastures. (Or beach... or whatever.)

Nooooo, more coming! Promise!

 

[Steppesister]

I agree that 9:30 does seem a little late for exploring. But compromise is critical, as you said.

I don't think either of us slept well with our colds and not being overly comfy so a little extra was probably what we both needed. It all worked out for the most part.

I am surprised to see a northern hemisphere duck like a mallard in Tasmania.

I was too!

I think you have a picture of a pregnant seahorse in that group of pictures.

Yes, I think so. They keep the pregnant males in a tank all to themselves so they can quickly harvest the babies to "the nursery". I can't remember all of the guide's spiel, but it was absolutely hilarious!! Everyone was laughing hysterically as she described males being 'with children".

The spotted handfish is very unusual. I'm glad that you spent the $20 per person in order to report its existence back to us. I hope their reintroduction plans work. But global warming is not going away soon, unfortunately.

I really hope they can make it work too. Such a unique creature for us to discover and enjoy! I don't think it was warming so much as habitat destruction. They made so much of the coast around Australia now a giant national park with very strict fishing limits and no wake zone. I had learned recently that the Barrier Reef is now the healthiest its been in over 30 years, so thankfully that's making a comeback.

 

[Steppesister]

This is a very good point. I had subconsciously thought similarly, but then forgot about it.
I found this:

Green is breeding and/or resident. Blue is non-breeding (why am I picturing a very frustrated Donald Duck?), pink is vagrant, and brown is introduced. Mallards were introduced to Australia in the 1860s.

That's really interesting! But, "non-breeding"? What does that even mean? How are they even still around then? And "vagrant"? I think I need to go down this rabbit hole even more now.

I noticed that too, but wasn't sure if it was just a particularly heavy-set sea horse.

He had too much lasagna for dinner (like me. Burp)

 

[Steppesister]

Tassie can be so deceiving - distances look so short, but when the roads are hilly, windy, pot-holey, corrugated or ridiculously narrow, it takes far longer to drive anywhere than it should lol! We were caught out by it too.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought so. I thought, am I just not being an assertive enough driver? Being too cautious? Nope, the roads just suck.

OMG I love foggy weather for photography in Tassie - you got some great moody shots! I took my favourite Tassie photo ever from a roadside stop on a foggy morning.

WOW, is that ever a nice photo! I love the silhouetted tree!

Haha that little park did have a very large variety of ducks!

It did! I love how there were folks sitting on benches reading books or just walking. It really looked so peaceful.

Ooh, good to see this. We did make it to Beauty Point on the way to the penguin tour, but it was too late for Seahorse World. We did consider stopping for a drink at the little pub overlooking the harbour area but decided to just keep driving - in hindsight we probably should have stopped to fill in some time lol!

OH, I really like this one! Really nice!!!

That does sound worthwhile - disappointed I missed it now!

You got some great photos too. I always find seahorses so tricky to photograph!

They are. I always try at EPCOT The Seas, but come away with only so-so pix.

4 days was definitely a rush for Tassie! We had about that too and I'd decided it was too rushed to try to hit different areas (although if we hadn't had Grandma with us it probably would have been different!). Did you consider flying into Launceston instead, or were you interested in driving through the central plateau area anyway? At least you got to see a glimpse of a pretty part of Tassie that most people never will

I did consider it, but thought a "LOOP" tour would be good so we could see what most people described as the prettiest, wildest part of Tassie's middle. My original plan was to stop and see the cottage on the lake and take those scenic photos you got but there just wasn't time. The flight times sucked and we got in too late. I also had plans to tour around Port Arthur, but again, time was our enemy.

 

[Steppesister]

Love the pics from Sheoak!

Thanks!!! I think the better ones are from the next day! Stay tuned....

 

[Steppesister]

Ugh, I despise when things don't go according to my plan!!! I hope you didn't have to miss out on anything you really hard your heart set on!

Seahorse World sure was full of beautiful creatures! How cool to experience holding a seahorse! I've never heard of that being offered anywhere else. That is a great picture of your daughter, too, her smile says it all.

I really had wanted to get a photo of the cabin on the lake. Like this:


(not my photo!)

You can see Cradle Mountain in the background, but it was too far out of our way to go. Poop.

It was really a unique stop for sure. I've been to lots of places where you can touch starfish and urchins and sand dollars, but never a seahorse. The lady was telling us how each one that they have "trained" to be touched actually has a personality and they will come back and bob their head after you touch them to see you. She says they can get moody even!!

 

[zanzibar138]

WOW, is that ever a nice photo! I love the silhouetted tree!

OH, I really like this one! Really nice!!!

I did consider it, but thought a "LOOP" tour would be good so we could see what most people described as the prettiest, wildest part of Tassie's middle. My original plan was to stop and see the cottage on the lake and take those scenic photos you got but there just wasn't time. The flight times sucked and we got in too late. I also had plans to tour around Port Arthur, but again, time was our enemy.

I really had wanted to get a photo of the cabin on the lake. Like this:

Oh that makes more sense then if you had planned to get to Cradle Mountain. If it makes you feel any better, it was a pretty big effort to get there. The road to get there was pretty horrendous, and once there you have to park at the visitor's centre and take a bus to get around. I had to wait 20 minutes for the first bus, then it took about 20 minutes to get to the trail head for the Dove Lake circuit. The walk directly to the boatshed and back would take at least 20 minutes. Plus however long you need to wait for the crowds to clear to be able to get your photos. And then the same again in reverse. So you probably would have been looking at a minimum of 90 minutes from the visitor's centre just to get that one photo. PLUS the extra travel time.

The boatshed was very crowded on my visit and I couldn't be bothered to wait, so I wasn't even able to get the beautiful iconic photo like that one. I got some nice photos, but I had to get creative with the angles so you couldn't see the people. I think given your time constraints, you made the right decisions

I think I put this in my TR, but this is the closest I got... There were actually about half a dozen people in this photo behind the boatshed/trees, just off to either side etc. And there was a constant stream of new people arriving.



I actually really like these ones, but they don't have the mountain in the background.