downunder 08 - mt tamborine hike

Today we headed up into the mountains west of the Gold Coast for a hike with Ben & Jasmine. Our first stop when we got to Mt Tamborine was at the hang gliding park, where there are some great views over the valleys to the west. It was really windy so unfortunately there were no hang gliders to watch. We then headed into Tamborine National Park for hike.

The hike we chose took us through a large area of rainforest, thick with strangler figs, piccabeen palms and other rainforest trees.














Strangler figs are interesting trees, begining life as a seed dropped by a bird on an existing tree. They then grow on the host tree like a vine, eventually enveloping the whole tree, which often dies and is replaced by the full-grown fig.

Here we are crouched beside the fallen trunk of a yellow carabeen tree.

Eventually we pass out of the rainforest into an area of drier open eucalypt forest on the edge of the escarpment with views of Cameron Falls.

As we returned to the parking area we came across this fellow - a large monitor lizard called a goanna. Goannas are found all over Australia and can grow to up to 2m (6.5ft) in length. They have sharp claws which they use for digging and climbing trees in search of the snakes, birds, small mammals and eggs that they like to eat.

downunder 08 - catching up with family

After our adventures in Tasmania it was nice finally stop in one place for a few days and catch up with family, although life was no less hectic. On Saturday morning Heather met up with her daughter Kate, and Ben's girlfriend Jasmine for a "girls shopping" day. The main aim was to get all our Christmas shopping done, although we managed to squeeze in a nice lunch and some clothes shopping as well!

That evening we headed to Heather's nephew's house for a 30th birthday party. Heather's nephew Angus (above) is a mean BBQ chef! We also caught up with another nephew, Gordon (below).

downunder 08 - dralion

We flew from Hobart to Brisbane and then met up with Heather's son Ben & his girlfriend Jasmine. This is the first time we had a chance to meet Jasmine so we marked the occasion by taking in a Cirque du Soleil show. Cirque du Soleil visit Australia every couple of years with a different travelling show that is performed under a large circus tent - "Le Grand Chapiteau". The concept of Dralion is a clash between eastern (Dragon) and western (Lion) cultures played out with the usual amazing juggling, balancing, trampoline and trapeze acts and exotic costumes. Afterwards we enjoyed a great meal at a Thai restaurant. (We haven't yet found a good Thai restaurant here in Salt Lake so Heather was craving it).

downunder 08 - hobart

We spent our final night in Tasmania in the city of Hobart - the state capital. The climate and numerous waterways surrounding the city are similar to Seattle, Washington and sailing and boating are a very popular pastime here. We stayed at Wrest Point Casino overlooking Sullivans Cove on the Derwent River.

When we arrived late on Thursday afternoon there were dozens of yachts of all sizes out on the water even though it was cold and grey and only a Thursday!

The following morning we took a drive through the city up Mt Wellington. At 1271m (4200ft) the mountain affords great views over the city and waterways.

downunder 08 - the tasman penninsula

After leaving Port Arthur we took in a few sights along the Tasman Peninsula. The rugged coastline of the peninsula is dotted with sandy bays and soaring cliffs. Although the sea when we were there was calm, it is often rough and stormy and is the site of many shipwrecks.

Even though the seas were pretty calm, the Tasman Blowhole still provided a display. Here the sea has carved a tunnel through the sandstone cliffs to an opening on the inland side. As the waves sweep in from the ocean, they hit the rocks at the far end of the tunnel creating a roar and a spray of water like a whale's blowhole.

Tasman arch is another natural landmark, carved from the soft sandstone cliffs by the action of the waves.

Pirates Bay is a pretty sweep of sandy beach protected from the open ocean. It was much too cold for swimming though so the beach was deserted.

downunder 08 - port arthur convict colony

A visit to Tasmania is not complete without spending a few hours at Port Arthur Historic Site, one of the best preserved historic landmarks in Australia and its convict past. The first British settlements in Australia were established by miltary personnel and convicts, using convict labour. In 1833, Port Arthur in Tasmania was founded as a punishment station for repeat offenders from all other Australian colonies. It lies on a natural harbour on a remote pennisula in the south east of Tasmania, and it's remoteness made it an ideal location for such a settlement.

The most recognizable building on the site is the ruins of the penitentiary. Although the penitentiary was used to house the convicts, they did not spend all day in their cells. The remoteness of Port Arthur acted as a deterrent to escapes and during the day the convicts were put to work cutting timber, making bricks, stone-cutting, constructing roads and buildings and producing shoes, clothing and tools.

The "Separate Prison" was built at Port Arthur in 1849 as ideas about how to reform the hardest criminals were changing. Instead of physical punishment, it was thought that "in a quiet, ordered atmoshpere a man could contemplate his sin and change his life" - what would now be called solitary confinement. The picture above shows a typical cell in the Separate Prison. What you see is the actual size of the cell. There was a bucket (for a toilet), a desk & stool (for work tasks such as mat and broom making) and two hooks in the wall where a hammock was hung at night for sleeping.

Prisoners were allowed an hour's exercise each day, but were kept separate even during exercise. Heather is standing in front of the gates to the exercise yards. Each yard was a small pie piece wedge separated by high walls. Only one prisoner was allowed in each yard at a time.

Church services were compulsory but at the chapel in the Separate Prison prisoners were still kept separate, each place in the pews being separated by a series of swinging doors and walls so that the convicts could only look straight ahead at the minister and not see or talk to anyone else.

For those not restricted to solitary confinement, life was hard but not always unpleasant. Many learned trades such as brickmaking, shipbuilding or tailoring, that would help them earn an honest wage once their sentences were finished. Above is view from the old hospital towards the harbour.

The soldiers that guarded the convicts lived in a barracks located close to the Penitentiary. Today only a stone wall and the guard towers remain, after much of the structure was destroyed by bushfires in 1897.

By 1840 over 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived at the Port Arthur settlement which covered over 40 hectares (100 acres). Many of the cottages of the civil servants such as the magistrate, medical officers, chaplain and government accountant have been preserved and restored.

Becasue convicts were guarded by soldiers rather than police or corrections officers, the miltary commandant was in charge of the colony. The commandant's cottage sits on a hill next to the barracks, overlooking the harbour.

Inside the Commandants Cottage has been furnished as it appeared in the late 1800's.

View from the harbour towards the Commandant's cottage, ruins of the Barracks and the Penitentiary.

downunder 08 - the road south east

We descended from the mountains and headed south east across the rolling hills and farmland of central Tasmania.


We saw a mix of sheep, dairy cattle and beef cattle, including these cute shaggy angus beef cattle (below) that are well suited to the cool summers and cold winters of this region which is also well know for lavender growing and honey.

We stopped for lunch in a small town called Mole Creek (population 220). The Mole Creek Guesthouse and Cafe was built in 1890 as a hotel and general store. We had a wonderful lunch of venison & mushroom pie and a ploughmans platter of local cheeses, pickles and home made bread.

This old farmhouse in Mole Creek had a wonderful display of "pigface" (similar to the US "iceplant").

As we drove through central Tasmania, we came over a hill and were presented with the sight of this magnificent lake. Named "Great Lake" it is the second largest freshwater lake in Australia covering 114km2 or 40 sq miles.

It was fairly late by the time we reached our destination, Port Arthur on a pennisula in the far south east of Tasmania after travelling approx 400km (250 miles) across the island state. We had time for a nice dinner and then headed off on a night time "ghost tour" around some of the convict era ruins at Port Arthur Historic Site.

downunder 08 - cradle mountain & dove lake

This morning we woke up to find the rain gone & the sun shining, although it was very cold. We decided to do the 6km (4 mile) Dove Lake circuit hike, perhaps the most popular hike in Cradle Mountain National Park. Dove Lake sits below Cradle Mountain, and as you can see from this pic it is very picturesque!

As we set out for our hike we came across this cute wallaby who was also enjoying the early morning sunshine.

This area was shaped by glaciers during the last ice age. The rock that Heather sits on has bears the scrape marks of ice & rock. The "cradle" of Cradle mountain (in the background) shows the classic U-shape of a glaciated valley. Dove Lake lies in a lower glaciated valley.

The ragged peaks of Cradle Mountain are covered in snow in winter, but in Summer are clear of snow and popular with climbers. At 5,069ft (1545m) Cradle Mountain is less than half the height of our mountains in Utah, but impressive to see none-the-less.

A waterfall plunges about 100m (300ft) from the base of the "cradle" to the Dove Lake valley.

On this side of the lake, there are many streams and thick, lush vegetation. This section is called the Ballroom Forest (I don't know why).

At the southern end of the lake we climbed a bit through temperate forest and heath land where we got a splendid view back across the lake.

The lake is also popular for canoeing and fishing. An old boatshed sits on the western shore of the lake.

downunder 08 - tasmanian wildflowers

Although it rained a lot there were plenty of summer wildflowers blooming. Here's a slidshow of some of the wildflowers we encountered from the spectacular red waratah to pink mountain berry and Australia's national flower the fluffy, pale yellow wattle.

downunder 08 - cradle mountain national park

Leaving Strahan we headed north east into the central highlands of Tasmania to Cradle Mountain National Park. It rained steadily all morning during the 2.5hr drive and continued to rain as we arrived at our accomodation at the park. Although it was Summer, someone must have forgotten to tell Tasmania, as the day reached only a chilly 8 degrees celsius (46F). We spent a couple of hours in the warmth of our room at the lodge hoping the rain would ease and debating whether it was worthwhile to venture out in the rain. Given the high rainfall of the area we decided we may never get a better chance to see things so we purchased a rain jacket at the parks office and headed off on a hike to a couple of waterfalls, which, thanks to the rain, were in full splendor. The first stop was Pencil Pine Falls, named for the surrounding abudent pencil pines.

The ground here is perpetually wet, soft and spongy, so much of the trail was "protected" by a wooden plank walkway.

Interestingly, the walkways were all covered by chickenwire to give added traction to the otherwise slippery, wet wood.

The abundent moss made us feel like we were in an enchanted forest from some fairytale.

As we passed out of the "rainforest" into the open eucalypt forest we came to Knyvet Falls.

Then on the trail Heather saw a small, round, brown rock... but wait, the rock moves... it was a little echidna! Echidna's, along with platypus are monotremes or egg-laying mammals. They are similar in appearance to hedgehogs and are sometimes called spiny ant-eaters using their long snouts to feed on ants and termites.

Further along the trail we came across the smallest relative of the kangaroo - a pademelon. Pademelons average 30cm-60cm (1-2ft) in height and live in dense forest or scrubland feeding on grasses, leaves and small shoots.

As we headed back to our lodging we caught sight of wombat that had just crossed the road. (If you look carefully in the middle of the pic below you'll see him). We were glad that we had decided to do our hike in the rain. We had encountered three shy native animals that are rare to see in the wild, probably thanks to the dim light and heavy rain keeping other hikers off the trails.