Trippin
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Trippin’ ‘round Tassie
Tasmania, Australia's Great
Southern Island
By Dave Underwood
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Butterscotch-colored cliffs backlit by a stormy sky on
Maria’s western shoreline in Tasmania. |
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The “Great Southern Land” has a ‘Great Southern Island.’ Tasmania is Australia’s
island state, as geographically diverse and unspoiled as any settled land on
earth. And with just 500,000 people sharing a space the size of Ireland, there’s
plenty of room to explore.
Join me as I
hire a car and visit some favorite spots with my wife, Karen. Our two routes
strike out from Hobart, the island’s capital in the southeast.
First, we
head northeast on a 300-mile (483 km) loop through cultural and gastronomic
gluttony to the sapphire shores of the Tasman Sea and one of the world’s finest
beaches. On returning to Hobart, we then strike out northwest on a five-hour
journey bisecting the World Heritage Wilderness of tall trees, fairytale
rainforests and “hairy bikies,” to a coastal interlude with natural and man-made
history.
Accommodation
options abound at all the destinations we visit, so there’s plenty of reason to
take our time. Above all, Tasmania is indeed a place to linger.
That’s no ordinary market
Hobart is
Tasmania’s
capital and a city that instantly appeals. Casually straddling the
Derwent
River
and a stunning harbor, is rich Georgian architecture and colonial history,
combined with Bohemian confidence to enchant visitors. Overseen by the
4,000-foot (1,200 m) dolerite monolith of Mount Wellington, its hypnotically
beautiful waterfront is normally busy, but each Saturday it takes a breath while
one of
Australia’s
finest markets swings into gear among the art galleries and old merchant
warehouses of Salamanca Place.
Outside the
Retro Café, where we surrender to the breakfast special of spicy scrambled eggs
and French toast, the cacophony of market day already dominates the street.
There is little trash among 400 stalls of treasures, unusual for such a popular
market, and Brian, who sells antique telephones, provides some perspective.
“Sure, there
are plenty of tourists, but half the people here are locals,” he says.
“You’re lucky
today, it’s sunny, but it’s a long winter — too cold for the tourists. We have
to appeal to the locals first; they are our staple trade.”
I’m
captivated by an energetic bearded man trading from a large ice bucket nearby.
“Come on,
son, get into this. Raspberry chilli beer! Turns you into a sexual tyrant!
Brewed fresh here in the
Huon
Valley.”
“I’m game,
give me a try.”
Fortunately,
Tasmanian Fine Ice Cream operates the adjacent stall, and a macadamia and
cointreau cone restores my delicate palate, quelling any misguided hope of
sexual domination.
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Tasmania is known
for its many World Heritage Sites. |
I love a ghost story
Less than 30
minutes northeast of
Hobart,
but 170 years away, lies the
village
of
Richmond.
Rooted in the convict era of the mid-1800s, more than 50 original buildings of
the period are preserved in this Georgian shrine of 800 residents.
The Tourist
Centre’s free guide outlines the highlights, and a self-guided walking tour of
discovery transports us back in time. Many of the structures were built by
convict laborers under appalling conditions, and it’s not until we leave the
town that we uncover a lighter side to this harsh time in history.
Crossing
Richmond Bridge,
Australia’s
oldest road bridge, we meet a stonemason, Steve Kaye. He’s repairing the bridge
for the third time within many months. Casualty of another tourist misjudging
the narrow carriageway, I assume. But I’m wrong.
“Locals cause
the most accidents,” says Steve. “It’s John Glover’s fault.”
“John Glover?
Who’s he?” I ask.
“He’s a
ghost. Haunts the bridge after
midnight.
Most locals use the other route,” says Steve, pointing to the north. “Those that
cross here usually come off second best.”
Apparently,
in the 1820s, John ditched his mates for the high society types, so they
murdered him, pushing him from the bridge at
midnight. A
rough arrow carved in one of the stones even marks the spot. To this day, locals
say that John exacts his revenge on locals who cross after midnight.
“That’s why I
moved to the town side,” says Steve with a wink.
Romance in the wild — after pancakes
North of
Richmond, the “Heritage Highway” takes us to more fine historical towns, such as
Ross and
Campbell
Town,
before we detour east for the coast. A steep climb through the
Mount
Nicholas
Range
ends at the Mount Elephant Pancake Barn — an iconic pilgrimage site named after
the pachyderm-shaped mountain shadowing it and serving pancakes as big as the
name suggests.
Back by
popular demand are the salmon, camembert and mushroom crepes. Big? you ask.
“Drape off the plate,” the menu declares, and there were no left overs — ample
fuel for a hike through the
Freycinet
Peninsula,
an hour to the south.
The granite
peaks of The Hazards are backlit by a 22-degree autumn sky, reflecting the
cobalt palette of the
Tasman Sea.
It’s a perfect stage for the five-mile (8 km) circuit walk to the world famous
Wineglass
Bay
and Hazards Beach.
The climb across The Hazards is steep, but justified by 360-degree views of the
peninsula and the beckoning white arc of sand below. A contrasting landscape of
red granite cliffs, flowering scrubland and aromatic towering eucalypts escorts
us to the beach.
Wineglass Bay
is consistently voted one of the world’s 10 best beaches — Queen Elizabeth even
insists on stopping here for a paddle and Aussie-style barbeque on the beach
when she visits Down Under.
Today is
extra special. We are alone with our impromptu picnic (crusty rolls and fruit
from the local store) when a pod of dolphins arrive in the bay — the opportunity
to swim with them is irresistible. My entire body tingles. I feel like I’m
5-years-old again on Christmas morning.
Romance in
the wild, indeed.
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Preparing an impromptu
breakfast on one of Tasmania's beaches. |
The Wild West
Tasmania’s
wild and inhospitable west coast is a long way from anywhere. It’s a five-hour
drive northwest from Hobart: a wild ride through a region dominated by dramatic
mountains, temperate rainforest and steep gorges.
There are
many opportunities to stop and explore the pristine wilderness on marked walking
trails, but the road eventually ends at Strahan: a pretty town of 700 that
serves as a gateway to World Heritage areas, and claims to have the cleanest air
in the world. The Roaring 40s lash the treacherous coastline, and the next stop
west is South America, more than half a world away.
One of the
best ways to explore the unique landscape is on the water with World Heritage
Cruises, a family business that has been entertaining travellers since 1896.
Environmentally sound catamarans take visitors on a 65-nautical-mile (around 120
km) journey through the present day world of high-tech fish farming to the
convict past, and a primeval World Heritage Rainforest — all on a harbor so big
it makes
Sydney’s
look like a bathtub.
At
Sarah
Island
we’re led ashore by performers from the Round Earth Company, and we embark on a
theatrical tour of this notoriously brutal convict settlement based on events
gleaned from the surviving diaries of long dead colonists.
A change of
landscape follows, and our catamaran slips up the
Gordon
River,
stopping at a small landing where there’s a boardwalk through the rainforest.
It’s a powerful environment — 2,500 year-old Huon Pines, some fallen, litter an
impossibly beautiful myrtle forest that could host a fairy tale.
Gliding back through tannin-black water, surrounded by gorges and perfect
reflections, it’s clear the politicians of the 1980s didn’t come here.
These rivers still flow free and the historic natural environment still breathes
thanks to thousands of protestors who converged on Strahan in 1982 to fight the
damming of the area. Some 1400 were arrested, but the people won as the
politicians’ greed was exposed.
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Fairytale settings
abound in the aromatic rainforests of Mt. Field National Park. |
Land of the Giants
An hour from
Hobart,
Mount
Field
National Park
provides a compelling and convenient reason to punctuate the long journey to or
from the west coast. Tasmania’s oldest park has something for everyone: from
glacial lakes and alpine moor land, to temperate rainforests, magical waterfalls
and the most amazing trees you’ll ever see. It also offers cheap, traditional
Aussie pub-style accommodations right next to the park entrance.
We arrive at
the National Park Hotel at dusk as a heavy fog descends. Three pickups and a
dozen Harleys share the car park.
“I hope
they’re friendly,” Karen hesitates as we enter the bar.
Inside is
another world. A gum tree stump crackles in the fireplace. The long L-shaped bar
is lined with dedicated locals and some backpackers from the hostel down the
road. Near the door is the group of bikies — a chaotic orchestra of leather,
sunglasses, chains and more hair than a 1970s rock festival. Two older members
with beards down to their waist shoot pool on a blue-topped table across the
room.
Robin is the
publican, and he asks his wife to relieve him while he gives us the tour of the
original building. It's a 10-room, 19th century homestead that’s been
faithfully preserved and now crammed with an eclectic collection of antiques and
mementos.
“The bar was
added in 1925, but the original building is much older,” says Robin. “It used to
be a boarding house.”
The next
morning is cool and fine, and a hearty cooked breakfast fuels us for a four-mile
(6 km) walk through the lower region of the park. A parade of waterfalls unfolds
as we explore secret groves of sweet-smelling ferns; but nothing can prepare us
for the Land of the Giants.
Interpretive
signs lead us through the Tall Trees Walk, a grove of swamp gums reaching 300
feet (91 m) to the sky in a riot of vertical symmetry. They are the world’s
tallest flowering plant and the tallest hardwood species. I have to lie on the
ground next to one to see its crown and Karen just wants to hug them.
The Hindus
call the experience darshana —
the ecstasy generated in the presence of a holy place — and
Tasmania
is full of them. Come and be prepared to experience your own.
If You Go
When: “Tassie” gets four distinct seasons. Rain is not excessive and
falls mainly in winter (June to August). November to April is usually best, when
the days are mild to warm and the nights cool. Spring wildflower and autumn
foliage displays blanket the island at those times of year.
Out & About: 20 percent of the island is World Heritage Area and almost another
10 percent is covered by unique, diverse and spectacular national parks. This is
nirvana for nature nuts. Unspoiled and deserted expanses of beach and rugged
coastline, abundant convict heritage and pristine 19th century
villages complete the picture. Tasmania is a place to explore. Grab a car and
tour the island. Driving is inexpensive and easy (there’s little traffic), but
be sure to get out and explore on foot.
Find Out More:
www.australia.com/tasmania
www.parks.tas.gov.au
(National Parks and Wildlife)
www.discovertasmania.com.au (Discover Tasmania)
