So much to do, so little time. That’s the theme song of many tourists who underestimate the amount of time needed to tour Tasmania. This island may be mini-sized, but it’s packed with such extraordinary attractions for nature-lovers, thrill-seekers, history buffs, gourmets and indulgent holiday-makers that those who think they’ll be able to whiz around in a few days are doomed to continual frustration.
After hiring a car in Hobart, Michael and I headed west towards Strahan, the gateway to Tasmania’s World Heritage wilderness area. A leisurely cruise along the Gordon River offered a tantalising glimpse of this primeval landscape with its ancient rainforests and unique flora and fauna. During the cruise, we disembarked and walked among arctic beeches, myrtles and towering huon pines that already stood where when Julius Caesar invaded England. For a thrilling aerial view of these wild rivers and impenetrable forests, it’s worth taking a scenic flight.
Strahan, which was once a sleepy fishing port, has become a bustling tourist centre where apart from exploring the wilderness, you can ride horses or 4WDs along 30 kilometres of untouched Ocean Beach. Sarah Island, off the coast of Strahan, was once a harsh convict settlement, and the thought-provoking exhibits at the Visitors’ Centre don’t shy away from uncomfortable realities about its past treatment of convicts and aborigines.
Although Tasmania offers exciting outdoor holidays for thrill-seekers prepared to rough it, it also caters for nature-lovers who like their ecotourism blended with ego-indulgence. At Cradle Mountain Lodge, which is inside Cradle Mountain National Park, we stayed in a luxurious cabin and wined and dined in style in the chalet-style dining room every evening.
By day, we explored this magnificent region. Although the more adventurous guests rode horses along the moors, climbed to the summit of Cradle Mountain, or abseiled from the cliffs, I was content to follow some of the magical trails that criss-cross the mountains. Most of the walks radiate from Dove Lake which at dawn becomes a mirror, reflecting the mountains that surround it in a picture-postcard scene that challenges every photographer.
During another walk, to Lilla Lake, I was excited to see two wombats trundle across our path.
But we didn’t have to leave the lodge to see wildlife. We often came across small wallabies, and one morning I hung over the edge of the pond, watching a platypus swimming around. In the evenings we all gathered on the verandah while various native animals came to feed. Brush-tailed possums with babies clinging to their backs, and striped quolls or native cats were very appealing, but the most exciting creature I saw was a Tasmanian Devil, a black snub-nosed animal the size of a dog, with pointed ears, ferocious serrated teeth and an ugly bark.
Tasmania’s east coast has some of the most glorious coastal scenery in Australia, especially around Coles Bay. On the
Freycinet Peninsula, we explored Freycinet National Park which is dominated by jagged pinnacles that rise vertically from turquoise bays. Scrambling up cliffs of pink granite called The Hazards, I stood perched in between Mt Mayson and Mt Amos, staring at the white sand of Wineglass Bay on one side, and the glorious sweep of Coles Bay on the other. When we stopped along the track to peer into a cave, we laughed to see a little Bennetts Wallaby, paws neatly crossed on his tummy, peering right back at us. Although the national park is an untouched wilderness, life at Freycinet Lodge is very indulgent, and after a day spent clambering over rocks, it was delightful to relax in the spa bath and later to sit on our patio, gazing at the bushland.
Tasmania's past is as rugged as its landscape, and the blood-stained heritage of aborigines and convicts creates a piquant counterpoint to its scenic beauty but Tasmania's most chilling memorial to its convict past is Port Arthur, a day's excursion from Hobart. These evocative ruins of Australia's most notorious penal settlement with its punishment cells, workshops and the graveyard on the Isle of the Dead, haunted me for a long time.
But the past has left a positive legacy too. Tasmania is a showcase for Australia's colonial heritage. No other Australian state has preserved so many examples of convict and colonial architecture, or restored them so beautifully. Picturesque hamlets like Richmond, Hamilton and Ross, with their colonial cottages and convict-built bridges, made me feel that I had stepped back in time. Even cities like Hobart and Launceston have retained entire blocks of grand colonial homes where you almost expect to see women in long gowns stepping into horse-drawn carriages.
The past is a less comfortable country, and not many of us would choose to live there, but one of the highlights of Tasmania is being able to experience the gracious living of by-gone times while enjoying modern comforts. While touring around we stayed in charming old-world accommodation which ranged from rustic cottages like The Shambles in Launceston and The Cottage in Brighton, to imposing Victorian mansions like Franklin Manor in Strahan.
Tasmania is ideal for touring because the pace of life is so relaxed. There are hardly any cars on the road, no one hurries, and within a very short time you can feel your stress levels dropping. One of our greatest pleasures was stopping to pick our own raspberries or strawberries from an orchard, buying boutique cheeses, locally caught crayfish and local wine, and picnicking at an idyllic beach or beside a lake which we usually had to ourselves.
All islands have their individual mystique but I hadn't realised how distinctive Tasmania's ambience was until the day we stopped for a picnic on our way to Port Arthur. As we gazed at the perfect white beach where the only footprints were ours, and sucked out every morsel of the sweetest, most succulent crayfish we'd ever tasted, Michael remarked: `The seafood here is much better than in Australia!'
For more information contact Tourism Tasmania
Story by Diane Armstrong
4WD
