I Love Tasmanian Devils. I Hate Hiking.

Get Outta Strahan!

Strahan was a boring sleepy town on the west coast of Tasmania. It didn't really offer us anything except serving as a stopover on our road trip through the Southwest National Park on our way towards the famous Cradle Mountain.

The drive to Cradle Mountain was about 300 kilometers, but we were climbing to higher altitudes, so it was yet again another long drive. We had the opportunity to stop at Montezuma Falls, the highest falls in Tasmania, but decided that seeing Nelson Falls yesterday was good enough. Falls are falls, water gushing down rocks. However, I would like to see Angel Falls in Venezuela - highest uninterrupted falls in the world. 

We finally arrived at Cradle Mountain at 11am. The Cradle Mountain area is very tourist friendly equipped with a visitor's centre and most attractions within a 2km distance.

The one thing we had to do in Tasmania is see the Tasmanian Devil. Sadly, this marsupial is highly endangered with only 15,000 existing. The species has gone through population highs and lows, but recently the reason behind their 50% decline is due to Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The disease is a transmissible cancer caused by devils biting each other in defense. The devil itself has low levels of genetic diversity, so they can't seem to fight off the disease.

One way to improve their condition is to do research through field monitoring and sanctuaries. At Cradle Mountain is Devils@Cradle, a conservation facility dedicated to preserve the species and educate the public.

For $16 AUD each, we could walk around the facility, see Tasmanian Devils and quolls, watch a video and pet one of the more tame devils!

Hey Fella!

The Trainer

Scurrying Around

The Devil Up Close

The devils were so cute and it was heart breaking to know their population is in decline because their bodies can't fight the disease. Inside the centre were images of the cancer around their mouth. I'm so glad we got to visit the centre and learn more about such a unique animal and know that there are preserves like this one all over the state. We left the centre with warm fuzzies.

After the devil sanctuary, we took the shuttle to Ronny Creek, a 2km distance from our Dove Lake, our final hiking destination.

Enjoying A Packed Lunch Overlooking Cradle Mountain

Cutting lunch short because of the wild birds creeping closer to our picnic, we decided to get started on our hike to and around Dove Lake.

On the boardwalk, we noticed a big furry animal roaming around like a hairy hippo. It was a wombat!

What's That?!

Wombat's Look Like Giant Hamsters

A Peek of the Cradle Mountain Peak

After 30 minutes, the nice wooden boardwalk disappeared and we had to walk on wet rocks and sand on rugged irregular ground. I was looking for a leisurely stroll. This was a nightmare.

Thankfully, at the end of the 2k hike, we ended up at the breathtaking Dove Lake with Cradle Mountain in the back drop.

At Dove Lake With Cradle Mountain in the Background

We continued our hike circumnavigating the lake. Thankfully, the wooden boardwalk returned and I got the leisurely stroll I wanted.

Taking It All In

I Kind of Like Hiking.

Dave's Postcard Pic

Panoramic View

The Grand View

Boardwalk Pathways Are Perfect For Hiking

Happy Hikers

It took us another 2 hours to walk around Dove Lake. It was cool day where even a few sweaters kept us warm, but not sweaty. Dave loves hiking and I did this for him, even though I prefer beaches or the city. But after seeing the beautiful views, I can appreciate why he loves hiking so much.

We finished hiking at 4pm and hit the road again. I got my wish and we headed east towards Launceston that night.

Who Goes West?

Hobart > Strahan

300 KM

Exhausted from all the walking and outdoor fishing, Dave and I were happy to be leaving Hobart to venture out west. When visiting Tasmania for a few days, rarely do people go west, but we had some extra time... an entire week! If we were doing Tasmania, we'd do it right and hit up as many of the major spots as we could - this included going out west through the National Parks that cover a third of the island.

First order of business was breakfast. We went to Jackman & McRoss, a famous bakery Dave's colleague told us about. We had one last meal with Kyle and Alison. Today would be their last day in Hobart and they were back to work the next day.

After breakfast, we split off and Dave took our little purple car westward to our first stop of the day, the Salmon Ponds in New Norfolk, 30 minutes out of Hobart.

I was expecting a salmon farm where I could observe salmon farming practices. Instead we found a finely manicured park with pools separating different species of salmon and trout. For $2, a vending machine would spit out about 2 cups of fish food. We weren't disappointed. With every handful of fish food thrown in the water, the fish thrashed on the surface exposing their bright colours.

Large Pools of Salmon and Trout

Lovely Day For a Walk in the Salmon Ponds

Every Pool is a Surprise. What Will We See Here?

Why Are They So Rowdy When They Get Fed All Day?

Spring Has Blossomed in Tasmania

Pink Salmon

The entrance fee not only included the salmon ponds, but also the Trout Fishing Museum. It was great for Dave because after yesterday's fly fishing excursion, he understood the history and background of trout fishing including lure and pole types. The museum itself looked like my grandparent's house filled with lures, fishing poles, news articles and creepy mannequins.

Trout Fishing Museum

He Knows What He's Talking About

The rest of the grounds was stunning. Beyond the salmon ponds was the rivulet that fed the ponds and more manicured lawns surrounding the property. This would be just a taste of all the mountain hiking we had planned for out west.

Manicured Lawns

Ready to Conquer Tasmania

One cabin on the property did give me some salmon fishing education. In a far corner of the grounds was the hatchery. Inside were vessels holding different types of salmon and trout explaining the breeding and fish hatchery process.

Cribs for Baby Salmon and Trout

After a good hour at the Salmon Ponds, we got back on the road because Strahan was 300 kilometers away and it wasn't going to be a straight shot going through the national parks.

We knew we were entering the park because the roads curved as we climbed to higher altitude. Surprisingly there was still snow on the ground! 

Snow on the Ground

Road trip Are Never Complete Without a Meal Inside the Car

No Sauce, But Still Good

Bread, Spinach, Edam, Salami

Like our South Island, New Zealand trip, we learned that on any road trip, you must have a meal inside your car and always follow the signs. First sign of the day featured the Nelson Falls, which was right off the highway and a 20 minute return walk.

Into the Rain Forest

Getting a Waterfall Spray

Nelson Falls marked the half-way point of our journey. The rest of the way was out of the Southwest National Park, the largest park in Tasmania. The drive from Hobart to Strahan was the longest of our journey, but we didn't mind. It was a relaxing drive bringing us back to the landscape we saw in New Zealand. 

We arrived in Strahan around 6pm. We checked into Motel Strahan, a cute motel run by a gay couple. From the outside, it looked like we were staying inside a storage unit, but inside was a large king size bed with down comforters, a flat screen TV  and furnishings in a modern blue, grey and black palette.

Our sandwiches in the car were good, but we were wanting a hot cooked meal. When you're in the country, you're best bet for food will be at a pub. Popular pub food items are fish and chips, schnitzel and steak and every meal always comes with chips (or french fries). We were craving fish and chips and we went to every restaurant in Strahan (about 6) to look at their menus. They all had fish and chips, but surprisingly expensive (about $18-$22). For a town on the coast, we expected seafood to be cheaper, but like Sydney it wasn't. We settled with where the crowd was...at the RSL (Returned and Serviced League of Australia - like the VFW in the States).

Seeing the large crowd, we assumed this was the restaurant to go to. We ended up waiting more than 1.5 hours for very plain fish and chips. Definitely something you wouldn't write home about, but in this case, I have to because this is the only thing we did in Strahan.

Strahan is known for its river cruises, but we had already done so many of these in New Zealand and we were ready to see the city again. Tomorrow will be a long drive, but we the Tasmanian Devil, Cradle Mountain and Launceston awaits us!

Girls Day in Hobart

Day Trip Around Hobart

Hobart CBD > Cascade Brewery

The boys headed out to their fly fishing tour early – like 6am early. Alison and I took the opportunity to sleep in because a) we could and b) we had no plans.

The night before, Alison and Kyle complained to the concierge that their room smelled like smoke and they got a free breakfast coupon and we took advantage of it.

Hearty Breakfast For the Long Day Ahead

We decided to walk along the harbour front and around Battery Park towards the Cascade Mountains, where the famous Cascade Brewery is. We walked roughly 6km along the rivulet (a fancy word for river?) until we reached the infamous Female Factory. Alison had done her research and one of the best tours in town is 'Louisa's Walk'. We signed up and quickly walked a few hundred meters to the Cascade Brewery.

Cascade Brewery

Australia's Oldest Brewery

I had heard of Cascade beer, but it's not usually not my go-to beer as I'm more a red wine person. If I do get a beer, it's a Hoegaarden. If I get an Aussie beer, I'll have a Little Creatures. Either way, beer tours are great because you learn a lot about the history of the city because back in colonial times, the beer factory is one of the main drivers of economy.

We were lucky enough to get to the tour at 10 minutes before the 12am start. Alison didn't wear the proper footwear, so had to borrow some shoes and socks from the factory. That's thinking ahead!

Alison Did Not Come Prepared.

Borrowed Shoes & Socks from Cascade Brewery

This was my first beer tour, so I learned a lot about what goes into beer and the brewing process. Beer is made of some natural and fragrant ingredients, but there are some smelly ones too. The brewery had each ingredient in a jar for us to smell and when we got to the malted barley, it smelled like sewage!

Brewing Beer

The best part of a beer tour is the end because it's beer tasting time! For $25, we got a 1.5 hour tour and 3 tasting tokens. Alison and I both went to the pale ale and lager. Normally, I would go for another ale, but I had to try their stout and fell in love with it.

Cascade Brewery Bar

Cascade Stout & Lager

We had only 10 minutes to drink 3 beers because at 1pm, the Louisa's Walk would be starting. Thankfully, they were starting in the park right next to the brewery. We ran down the driveway, a bit buzzed and discovered a group of 10 listening to a woman in period clothing talk about Van Diemen's Land, former name for the Dutch colony in Tasmania.

We met Louisa, an Irish immigrant to England who was living in London when the city was overcrowded and there was a big divide between the rich and poor. She had stole a loaf of bread and was sentenced to Van Diemen's Land, leaving her sons and her country for an unknown fate in the British colony.

Live Action Theatrical Tour

The two actors on the tour did not skip a beat. They played their parts perfectly. The actress played Louisa the entire time whereas the male lead was the police officer, magistrate, judge, captain, female factory doctor and eventually Louisa's husband.

They had us play along too. When they were on the boat to Van Diemen's Land, they talked to us like we were passengers. When we reached the female factory, the holding ground for female convicts, we too were convicts.

They demonstrated the harsh life female convicts lived in the female factory where there was very little food, unfair treatment and injustice.

About Louisa's Walk

After Louis's walk, Alison and I were exhausted. We had not eaten since our massive breakfast at the hotel and had walked nearly 12 kilometers to get to the Cascade Brewery, join Louisa's walk and head back to the hotel to meet the boys. We ended our day with a stop a local bakery for some afternoon tea. When we got back to the hotel, I passed out for an hour. Alison and the boys joined me in my room and we got to exchange stories from each of our days.

That night we were craving cheap Asian food. We ate at the Chinese restaurant next door and talked up our girl's day out - an inexpensive day where we got exercise, history, beers and a live theatrical performance for about $60 each.

The boys on the other hand had been out on a fly fishing tour - a $350 tour! We hadn't heard from them all day because they were out in the middle of Tasmania at various streams to catch something.

When they rehashed their day, the one highlight was Kyle catching the one and only catch of the day - a brown trout. The tour guide gave him a Cherry Ripe as a reward. Dave wanted some too, but the tour guide teased him saying he had to catch something first. 

Poor Dave didn't get anything, but did learn a lot about fly fishing technique. He's decided ocean fishing is more his style. 

Although their day was spent with an eccentric tour guide, got sun burnt and had little luck, they enjoyed their day out in nature. Too bad they didn't go a week later when all the may flies were set to hatch - that's when the fish are out like crazy!

Practicing His Release

The Setting

Large Brown Trout

The Outfit

The Mayfly

Male Bonding

An Unforgettable Experience