One of our buyer Barbara Tom used to buy furniture online decided to write little about Tasmania especially for clicknbuyaustralia.com.
I want to convey to you my feelings and impressions of nature and the sounds of Tasmania. This story will not be in the format of questions answered, it will be a monologue, but still, I want to try to answer all possible questions from the reader. If someone wants to ask something further, I will definitely answer in the comments.
The Beginning Of The Path And The First Impression
I landed at 8 am in Hobart and first came to Tasmania, it seemed to me that this is another Australian village, which is not particularly impressive. Yes, of course, in the background of Hobart airport, there were mountains and hills that distinguished it from other villages, but still it did not make the first impression. I had to mentally get rid of the sense of standard and make a positive impression on my next adventure in the state where beer is bottled, minerals are mined and many national parks are located! Looking ahead, I will say that at the end of the trip, the impression of the Tasmanian island completely changed, replacing it with absolute delight and admiration.
As always, a pre-planned plan, identification of key points for overnight stays, measured distances. All this, as well as the condition of the roads, made it possible to adhere to the framework of the plan and not be distracted by outside beauties who constantly attracted to themselves. The planned plan included viewing Gordon Lake (Gordon), a trip to Cradle Mountain National Park, a visit to Liffey Falls, a walk along Jacob’s Ladder in Ben Lomond National Park (Ben Lomond) and viewing red stones in the Bay of Fires. Everything else, it was assumed that will be determined in the process of movement on the designated path. Overnight nights were planned in Strahan, Launceston and Hobart
And the whole way was supposed to be about 1,800 km in 4 days!
A separate paragraph needs to be devoted to renting a car, since a car in any way is one of the key elements – both in terms of ground movements and in terms of whether it will be possible to carry out all our plans or not. After all, any trip by car across Australia means huge distances, and often the absence of any ancillary services on the way, the possible lack of cellular communication, the risk of not having to refuel, because refueling on the way are closed early, as well as the risk associated with traveling uncovered roads! Finding out and determining the key places of the trip, it was decided to take an all-wheel drive car, since the standard insurance for front-wheel drive cars do not cover and prohibit driving on uncovered roads, of which there are many in Tasmania. As a result, the Nissan X-Trail ST 4WD was shot with unlimited mileage in Tasmania.
As soon as we took the car and signed all the necessary documents, our next adventure began!
First Day, First Impression
The initial course was taken towards Lake Gordon. The path went through the beauty of Mount Field National Park (Mount Field), and the very first thing that struck the nature of Tasmania was the mountains of dark brown colour, the road went around them.
By the way, a visit to Hobart himself was planned not on the first day of the trip, but on the last.
So, after the mountains on the way, Lake Pedder. This is a charming large lake, bright blue, with almost stagnant water and bordered by various mountains and hills on the horizon.
In front of the lake there was a fork in the road. Turning to the left, you could see a small mountain in the middle of the lake, and going straight you could see the dam on Lake Gordon. He did not go left, since he had already planned to visit the dam.
The dam was struck by its beauty and power – on one side the water almost reaches the very top, and on the other side there is a huge abyss, the bottom of which was not visible from the observation platform.
By the way, in Australia there is such a feature – each dam has viewing platforms for visitors. There are no guards here, and you can walk and see any dam without much difficulty. Of course, cameras are installed around, but this does not prevent us from enjoying the extraordinary views, smells and sounds of nature around, because in many places there are practically not only tourists, but also settlements around.
After that, the regret about the chosen path was completely lost, and there was a great admiration for this first national park of Tasmania that I saw and an unbearable desire arose to see as much as possible.
After the dam on Lake Gordon, the path lay to the west of Australia, in a place called Strahan, where Strahan hostel was booked. This is one of the favorite places for tourists and photographers because the most photographed river of Tasmania, the Gordon River, flows nearby, a small boat with tourists walks along it every day, and the views around are extraordinarily beautiful.
These species can be found in the photographs of many famous and not so photographers. Unfortunately, the trip along the river was left next time due to lack of time.
Ended mountainous part of the national park. Having passed it rather quickly, and without making stops along the way, I got to the small town of Queenstown to fill the car. This Tasmanian city is located in a mountainous area, where minerals are mined, and the land there is a very interesting orange colour, as well as many mountains around. When driving down the mountains, the spirit was breathtaking – the road is very narrow, the turns are very steep! The road to Sochi came to memory, but now comparing these roads, it was clear that the road to Sochi, although it seemed difficult before, is actually very simple.
But back to the town described. He reminded me of my previous travels in New Zealand where there is the city of the same name Queenstown, as we all used to call it, and which is also located in the highlands. I do not know if there is a connection between these cities and why they are called the same.
The Interesting Points: there were practically no people on the streets (on Friday evening), and the only gas station was closed, i.e. there were no people at the gas station, only credit cards were accepted. There was no Unleaded gasoline (91st mark) at the gas station and there was only a more expensive version of the Premium Unleaded (95th mark), but there was no choice, refueled and moved on to the place of the expected overnight stay.
Overnight Hostel
Just tell about hostels. On this trip, it was decided to stay at the hostel. Previously, there was an experience of spending the night in tents, stopping at campgrounds or hotels, but there was no experience of living in hostels in Australia, and in general it was interesting to know their structure, how everything looks and works.
What is a hostel? This is usually a room with many beds, a shared shower and toilet on the floor, or even a shared one on the hostel’s territory. The rooms are of mixed types – for men and women, separately for men, separately for women, and there are also rooms, there are rooms for two, three, four, and there are also eight people. It all depends on the selected hostel, its conditions, prices, and location. In the process of renting rooms in the hostel, it turned out that sheets, blankets, and other items needed for the night are provided only on request and often at an additional cost (depending on the hostel). I don’t know the exact reason for this service, but perhaps it’s related to the fact that backpackers travel with sleeping bags, and they don’t need blankets and other bedding.
In Australia, there is a network of hostels with the name YHA, and so this network has offices throughout Australia, and they try to meet their quality standards, all hostels are well maintained and tidy. In addition to this network of hot cards for backpackers, there are others, it all depends on personal desire.
All three nights in the hostels went well. Almost everywhere was clean, although in the central hostel of Hobart (Central City Backpacker hostel Hobart) it was a bit messy, but it was possible to spend the night without any problems, if not to find fault with much.
The only disadvantage of hostels is that completely different people spend the night in a room who are not familiar with each other, and some come or go during the night, just like in second-class trains. Of course, hostels are not barracks, but personally they remind me of something. They are very cool to stop in order to save, for a change, as well as for new acquaintances with new people.
Prices in hostels are much lower than in hotels. For example, in Tasmania hostel cost about 23 Australian dollars per person, with the cost of most hotels from 150 to 250 dollars. So that the difference is noticeable.
In any case, spending the night in hostels is a completely new experience and new sensations. Although, of course, a pioneer camp from our distant past is somewhat similar to a modern hostel. In other words, it’s like a one-room hotel, in which many different people gather for one or several nights, people that you probably never will meet again. Although it was fun to meet the same person in different hostels – they traveled on a tourist bus along the same path.
I also remember how night hostels “sound”: a lot of interesting sounds of olden times, creaking floors, interweaving of different languages …
Cradle Mountain and Liffey Falls
The second day of the trip was devoted to exploring the surroundings of one of the most popular and most beautiful places in Tasmania – Craid Mountain.
Arriving there in the morning, we immediately realized that here you only need to walk and at least three hours to see everything and admire everything. While tickets were bought to the park, and it came to understanding the route on which to go. And now, the fascinating journey, 6 km long and with a height difference from 300 to 1200 meters, began.
Sometimes it is very difficult to choose when you do not know what awaits you in front, but as it turned out, the chosen route turned out to be the best and most fascinating. The pleasure is simply indescribable!
On the way through a small forest and mountains, there were absolutely amazing plants, unusual flowering spines, just flowers, mosses, and many other diverse representatives of the Tasmanian flora that I have never met on the mainland.
Many photographs of Cradle Mountain were taken. Amazing views, the feeling of wind, the smell of freshness, space and beauty around, of course, cannot convey in the photographs, but they will remain in memory forever.
We also met representatives of the fauna: red-gray wallabies, wombats, various small birds from the wren family, as well as large birds, unfortunately, unknown.
The bus, which traveled from the parking place to the walking places, specially stopped for the demonstration of wild animals, and the driver spoke very interestingly about the area on which he was passing.
I also remember the snow on the slopes of the peaks. It was a bit, but noticeable. The temperature above was about 15 degrees, below about 23.
After The Park, My Path Lay To Liffey Falls
On the way there was a new dam, which was not as impressive as the previous one on Lake Gordon, but it was also quite nothing. I would like to note that in Australia such dams are built to create a reservoir, and then the pipes discharge water to another level where the turbines of power stations stand directly.
Reaching the territory of the waterfalls, it was found that there are three levels, the most beautiful is the lower one. Again it was a pleasant surprise to find out that in order to get to the waterfalls, you have to walk twenty minutes one way. The place is amazingly beautiful, so it’s a pleasure to walk here and take great pictures.
The Liffey Falls itself is extraordinarily beautiful. The water, seeping through the stones and falling cascades down, created an amazing landscape. Here you can walk and enjoy the beauty of the clock. At the same time, there were very few tourists, only a few people, so it was very convenient to photograph.
By the way, I would like to note that in Australia in natural tourist places no one ever throws rubbish at all. He is taken with him. Given that there are no guards in the district and there is no one at all to follow everything, the paths are well-kept and everything around is conducive to rest, walks and pleasant pastime in nature.
So, it was almost evening, and the way lay to the place of lodging for the night in Launceston.
Mountains, Rocks And Beaches
The third day of the trip was especially interesting for visiting the Jacob staircase, which is a zigzag road with a sharp rise to Mount Legs Tor. Leads to a small village, which is the most developed ski resort in Tasmania and located at an altitude of 1572 meters above sea level. This is the second largest highest point in Tasmania.
I think you should not even repeat how many sensations, emotions and impressions arise when you are there. The only thing I will say is that if you have the opportunity to visit here, then it is worth it!
After the mountains it was planned to take part in one more very interesting and mysterious place in Tasmania – the Bay of Fires. First of all, this place is famous for its orange stones lying along the coast. The name of the coast was given by Captain Tobias Furneaux in 1773, seeing the lights of the aborigines on the shore. The captain accompanied the expedition of James Cook and was forced to independently explore the southern and eastern coast of Tasmania. In fact, it is granite, and lichens give colour to it, which grow on stones and create an interesting illusion. This colour is unusually combined with a blue tint of water, and with the green colour of the surrounding vegetation.
Well, since the stones in the Gulf of Lights were the last key point of the journey, and time is never superfluous, it was decided to look at one more place – Wineglass bay. By the way, the beach in this bay is among the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. This place is located on the Tasmanian Freycinet Peninsula, in the National Park, about 125 km north of Hobart.
I had to walk to the bay again, but the spectacle is so impressive that I advise everyone who has the opportunity, be sure to go here and also walk, admiring the surrounding beauties!
In the district, we met several wild wallabies, who begged for food and were not at all afraid of people, letting themselves be stroked.
As a result, I had to return to Hobart at night. On the way, we met a lot of kangaroos or wallabies, Australian possums (not to be confused with possums!), who carried each other on their backs, and a whole bunch of other animals, whose names still remained unknown.
Conclusion
The fourth and final day of travel in Tasmania was devoted to exploring the city of Port Arthur, where prisoners were previously kept, as well as a small historic town of the first settlers – Richmond. Three hours were spent on inspection of Port Arthur.
In the 19th century, hard labor operated under severe conditions. And although this is not the most remarkable part of the history of Australia, it nonetheless exists. Looking around the vast territories of former prisons, the museum of past life, and the old churches had a sense of touch to the history of Australia. By the way, in Port Arthur, playing cards were used to designate prisoners, which replaced names and were matched in meaning to prisoners. The prison compartments were the smallest among all Australian prisons and were 1.5×2 meters in size.
From Port Arthur, the journey continued to Richmond, which is not far from Hobart.
It is also a small historic town, in which there are old churches, old cemeteries, a museum – a former prison, the oldest bridge in Australia is the Richmond Bridge and many old houses. If you want to get in touch with the history of Australia and Tasmania, to find out how and how the first settlers lived, then you are here. A sense of the spirit of the time, the past is everywhere here…
The end of 1752km of traveling in Tasmania was marked by a visit to the beach near Hobart Airport, where it was possible to watch windsurfers.
Tasmania is striking in its nature, national parks, flora and fauna. Be sure to visit here if you are in Australia. And while many compare Tasmania with New Zealand and say that after visiting New Zealand, Tasmania will not like it so much, but after visiting New Zealand and only then in Tasmania, I can say with confidence that they cannot be compared at all. Tasmania is beautiful in its own way and differs from New Zealand in its special flavor.
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