I must warn you, I've never undertaken a travel blog before... Technically, I still haven't. I have to give much credit to my industrious little sister, Becca Peatross, for pretty much putting the whole thing together for me in my absence.
Firstly - a little background on Tasmania. At about 26,000 square miles (or 68,000 square kilometers if you prefer the metric), Tasmania is about a third the size of utah. Also, with a population of only about a half a million, Tassie has less than a fifth the people. As a result, the entire island has kind of a "small town" feel to it, and it's pretty apparent as you travel. I flew from Melbourne to the north of Tasmania, into Launceston (second largest city in Tassie), to begin my travels.
December 3rd-5th Launceston
As the bus routes are pretty limited, my plan was to catch a small shuttle (operated primarily as a postal delivery service and for the benefit of pensioners traveling to the market), as far east as I could go, then walk the remaining 29 miles to the coast. Luckily, the driver realized I was slightly out of place. Once he found out my plans, he popped by the small post office en-route and handed me over to another postal woman, and I proceeded to travel along 3 different mail routes all the way to the northeast coast! (Like I said - small town feel...what are the chances something like that could have happened back home?).
December 5th-8th
I spent the next 4 days walking down some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Known as "The Bay of Fires," the rocks along the beach are made up primarily of quartzite, which is the reason for the brilliant white sands. A lot of the area is difficult to access, so I largely had the place to myself (along with a few friendly wallabies!).
December 8th-9th
At the end of the Bay of Fires, I wandered slightly off-track and into the bush, ending up a little lost. As a result, I found a lovely hidden lagoon and a german mad genius named "stefan." Stefan had been camped in the area for 2 years, was entirely self-sufficient and caught all of his own food. He was a friendly enough guy, and convinced me to hang out with him for a couple of days and even speared some fresh fish and octopus for meals! (see pic). He also treated me to the use of his kayak and a much needed bath in his "bush-bathtub." You've not truly bathed til you've bathed in a bush-bathtub.
December 10th-12th
Since the people are so friendly, I decided start hitchhiking instead of having to depend on the bus schedule. I was picked up by two guys; Luca and Thomas, (Swiss and French), who let me tag along for a couple of days with them down to the Freycinet Peninsula where I camped on another beautiful beach and did some great coastal fishing.
December 12th-16th
I caught a bus out of Freycinet on the 12th down to the Tasman Peninsula, which boasts the highest sea cliffs in Australia. Unfortunately, the area is also known for snakes, and I ran accross a couple just about every day. Luckily I brought a good pair of gaiters along for just such occasions. It took me 4 spectacular days to circumnavigate most of the peninsula, ending at Cape Pillar - a column of rock that you can climb for unparalleled panoramic views of the area. On the trail I met a group of older walkers who spied my ukulele on my back and requested I stop and play a song for them. Turns out it earned me a free barbecue later that day and a ride out of the area to my next stop! (Port Arthur). Port Arthur operated as a penal colony for Australia and, similar to Alcatraz, was sold on the concept of being inescapable (as it was on a peninsula). It was also the site of a mass murder rampage in 1996, and between the two histories, the feel was somewhat dark and subdued and led me to spend very little time there.
This brings me up to date with where I'm currently based - Hobart, capitol of Tasmania. It's a lovely city with a laid-back atmosphere, making it a perfect place to relax as I gear up for my next adventure... a 20 day circuit in the Southwest Wilderness, crossing the Arthur's Mountain Range and folowing the South Coast track out. Stay tuned for more pics!
