Recherche Bay was awash with another brilliant Tassie sunrise as I geared up for another fishing adventure. The poor outcome of the previous days fishing had left me even more determined than ever to get amongst some. Again soft plastics were my choice of weapon & I cast & I jigged & I flicked my way through the waters opposite our camp. If there were any fish present they did not show the mildest interest in my bait & just a little disillusioned, I jumped in the ute in search of more productive waters. My wanderings brought me to the Southwest National Park & with the odds of me catching any fish lengthening by the minute, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
Firstly I checked out the bronze sculpture of a southern right whale – a homage to the early & ill fated whaling industry. Intrigued by the landscape I wandered down a track, eventually spending an hour exploring the secluded beaches and forest. It reminded me a bit of QLD’s Hinchinbrook Island - both awe-inspiring places. I found a set of animal footprints on the beach & if they're not from a Tasmanian tiger then I'm not a world renown zoologist.
In the afternoon I visited the nearby Newdegate Cave, the largest dolomite cave in Australia that allows tourists. There is a thermal spring pool at the visitor centre. Dipping my hand in, I discovered it was tepid at best & forego the opportunity of a pre-tour dip for a few moments in front of the open fire. The cave was accidentally discovered by two timber getters who were illegally felling trees at the time. There are many caves in the area so they weren’t too surprised until they explored the interior, soon realising they had stumbled on significant find. The tour was a 500 step, 45 minute guided talk with one of the rangers. It was deep, damp, dark & cavernous as you would expect & there were many interesting structures. The one pictured below was my favourite. It’s dubbed 'ET' although if you use your imagination (like being just cut off in traffic) it can cast the extended finger in a different light.
Our camp being a remote locale we weren’t surprised to find a patchy mobile phone signal. On most occasions we were lucky to have one bar on our Telstra devices & the signal would come in and out sporadically. This posed a problem for watching Manly’s match against Penriff. The countdown to kick off looming, I was swearing at the iPhone, willing it to work with the use of profanity. Miraculously, just prior to kick off, it did just that. I managed to watch the entire game though the swearing did continue as we went down by 1 point in a tight one. Oh well…theres always next week I suppose.
Our time here at an end, the next day we retraced our steps all the way to Hobart before turning north, towards the Central Highlands. We stopped at the old frontier town of Hamilton & set up camp in a park by a bubbling stream. It cost $5 for the privilege & with the availability of toilets and potable water seemed like a good deal. There were hot showers as well – 5 minutes for $1. The mens were not working though so I jumped into the ladies for a quick David Gower while Shaka & Tomoko stood guard outside to warn any entering females of my presence. Fortunately their services were not required. Late in the afternoon we took a stroll on the ‘Platypus Walk’, a meandering path along the banks of the creek. I saw some ripples disturb the surface beside a fallen tree & on closer inspection briefly saw the outline of a frolicking platypus. In the few short moments it took Tomoko to come near, the shy creature had disappeared & was not to re-emerge.
My enthusiasm buoyed by the previous days sighting I awoke at dawn & returned to the site where I had spotted the mammal. Armed with a camp chair, I parked myself behind a clump of grass to hide my presence & waited. I waited & I waited & after 45 min & numb feet I could wait no more. I explored further upstream, passing through several private properties & potential platypus spotting sites but they wouldn’t make their presences felt on this day.
We didn’t stick around Hamilton for long, leaving in the morning bound for Brady’s Lake. We passed through areas of thick fog & imposing hydroelectric power stations before arriving at the shores of a tranquil lake. Like much our our travels in Tassie we were not surprised to find an empty camp ground. Wifi reception was pretty patchy here too but we were able to find a nice spot where we could get 1 bar with the occasional 2.
After lunch we drove the 30 minutes to Derwent Bridge where we visited the ‘Wall in the Wilderness’, an unfinished 100m wall of wood carvings depicting the history & wildlife of the area. It’s all the work of one local artist & despite being about two thirds completed, it’s a pretty impressive sight. The wall is housed in an equally impressive wooden lodge & the perfumed scent of Huon pine wafting through the hall is intoxicating. The owner is a touch camera shy though & photographs are forbidden but you can see some of his work here. Nearby is the entrance to the world renown Lake St Claire NP. We drove in for a quick peek at the visitor centre, spotting a snow covered mountain in the background & promised to return.
Tomoko was not particularly agreeable to sneaking Shaka into the NP, so I ventured in by myself the following day. A touch of blue sky had broken through the morning mist & it seemed like the weather gods were on my side on this occasion. I took a 1.5 hour bush walk highlighted by Watersmeet (as the name suggests, a junction where two fast flowing creeks join as one) & Platypus Bay (a sandy beach on the shore of the lake). Despite the best efforts of the weather to clear, the snow covered Mt Olympus in the distance was still mostly obscured by cloud & the view not the postcard one I was hoping for.
As is my custom, I arose at dawn. Taking Shaka for a walk in the early light I saw an animal scurry across the road 50 metres in front of me. It was a fleeting moment but from what I could see it had four legs like a Thyacine, was a Tasmanian Tiger-like tawny brown in colour & I can only deduce this was a confirmed sighting of a Tasmanian Tiger!!! Then again.......it may have been a dog.
It was to the catchy tune of the old cooler advertisement ‘I’m heading for the west coast’ that we pointed ourselves in the direction of Queenstown. We first had to contend with 56km of the Franklin River NP & as the symbol of Queenstown appeared on the Garmin I thought 'how easy was that'. I had been told from a couple of people that the road from Derwent Bridge to Queenstown was pretty hairy. Sure, it was mostly winding but driving up the old Ballina to Alstonville cutting was more of a challenge & I was a touch disappointed. Just as I was pondering this, the landscape abruptly changed. In front of us loomed Mount Owen, towering majestically over Lake Burbury. The road followed the contour of the mountain's base before we found the path of least resistance & briefly ascended through a barren landscape of old mine tailings. Arriving at the crest of a hill we found ourselves looking down into a deep valley & the descent into Queenstown. It was every bit as breathtaking & challenging as I was told & I enjoyed the task of safely getting us to the bottom.
Queenstown is a throwback to yesteryear & by the looks of some of the derelict buildings, has seen better times. The main attraction here is the Western Wilderness Railway, an old steam train that snakes it’s way through the local mountainous surrounds. Tempted as we were, we opted to have a quick bite to eat & continue the additional 40 kilometres to Strahan. This is the home of the famous Gordon River cruise & we arrived to find the town ghostly quiet, though the large number of empty parking spaces suggesting it's not always the case.
With much of our accommodation in Tassie being free camps, we are always on the lookout for a free hot shower & we found one opposite the post office. I never thought the basic act of having a shower could feel so glorious but after a few unwashed days it truly does. Throw in a change of clothes & we were both feeling fresh as a daisy & on top of the world.
We planned to camp at the Macquarie Heads Camp Ground, 10 kms out of town. It’s a basic state forest bush & even just $6 a night seemed like highway robbery compared to some of the pristine free camps we have stayed in. The wikicamps app suggested a Telstra signal was available but once unhitched we had to drive back through the forest till we found a decent connection for Tomoko to attend to some work emails.
The next morning I boarded the 32m catamaran 'Lady Jane Franklin II' for a day cruising the Gordon River. Tomoko decided to sit this one out. The boat holds about 230 punters but on this cloudy day, a little over 30 customers were on board. I didn't mind the overcast conditions to be honest, it gives a more authentic west coast experience in my opinion.
Firstly, we passed through the narrow heads of Macquarie Harbour, affectionally titled Hell's Gates. There's a training wall and break wall there now but I could imagine it would have been a daunting journey through the narrow channel at the mercy of the Southern Ocean. We passed by some atlantic salmon farms before gliding up the upper reaches of the river. Here the mirrored waters are deathly still and tannins from the rainforest give them an impenetrable darkness.
We berthed at the small jetty at Heritage Landing & entered the ancient rainforest with slow growing Huon pines believed to be 1500 years old. Huon pine is a big deal in these parts. It's celebrated for it's golden yellow colour and contains methyl eugenol which not only smells damn good but makes the wood resistant to rotting. There are many shops selling their products but beware, they command a fair price.
We ate the standard day-cruise meal of cold cuts & salad. Most of the passengers looked ready for an afternoon nap by the time we arrived at Sarah Island. It is Tasmania's oldest convict settlement & one of the harshest. I am in the middle of the classic novel, 'For the Term of His Natural Life', which I picked up at an op shop for 50 cents. Much of the book is based on the island & so I had a particular interest in visiting. We learnt of the island's mysteries from a very lively & entertaining tour guide. Her enthusiasm & antics were the ideal pick me up for us flagging tourists & the perfect finale before returning to Strahan.
In the early evening Tomoko & I lined up to see 'The Ship That Never Was', Australia's longest running play. We were happy we did, it was tremendously entertaining. We were firstly seated in a small outdoor theatre & the 20 or so attendees given blankets & hot water bottles to stave off the cold. Two actors tell the true story of 10 convicts who escaped Sarah Island by stealing a ship & sailing it to Chile. It is in the pantomime style, involving much audience participation. As there wasn't much of an audience, we all had a role to play in the play - myself as the geriatric sailor 'Billy Nichols' and Tomoko as the parrot. The telling of the fascinating story is a roller coaster ride of gags & had us in stitches for the duration of the show. You can see the highlights (it's a very short clip) of our theatrical debut below.
A window of fine weather opened up the next day & we took advantage of it by heading to Cradle Mountain. It took all morning to get there, most of the journey shrouded in mist. We questioned the forecast of good weather but sure enough as we neared the mountain, blue skies emerged. Fortunately the visitor centre sits just outside the NP & we confidently left Shaka in the ute while we embarked on a 2.5 hour walk around Dove Lake, which lies at the base of Cradle Mountain. The place certainly lived up to all the hype. It's a stunning place & we were grateful to experience it on what turned out to be such a fine day. We passed many grazing wombats on the shuttle bus ride back before reuniting with Shaka. We opened the door of the ute to find no dog but a misshapened seat cover. I touched the cover & a bleary eyed Shaka emerged from beneath. Somehow the silly bugger managed to burrow his way underneath it. I know we like him to keep a low profile if we sneak into a NP but this was going beyond the call of duty.
As the shadows grew longer, we wearily drove the last 40 minutes to the camping area at Gowrie Park. It was a great way to end week 4 in Tassie. Only one week left. Until then...adios amigos.