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Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 12 – Cradle Mountain – Walking with Wombats to Waldheim

October 18, 2024

Today is very wet – the goretex jackets, overpants and boots are worth the cost in this type of weather as we stay dry all day despite the downpours and persistent misty rain. We catch the shuttle bus to Ronny Creek about 8km into the park. This track is one of the starting points for … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 12 – Cradle Mountain – Walking with Wombats to Waldheim

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 11 – Cradle Mountain

October 17, 2024

Cradle Mountain National Park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This is a world renowned place of spectacular beauty with moss-covered ancient rainforests, deep river gorges, snow-covered mountain peaks, wild alpine moorlands and glacial lakes. A Black Currawong came to say good morning at our cabin. Cradle Mountain (zoomed image) from Cradle Montain … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 11 – Cradle Mountain

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 10 – Mole Creek

October 16, 2024

Big Coffee Pot at Deloraine. I feel I had been here before – I had a sense of deja brew. Alum Cliffs Reserve (Tulampanga) was a meeting place for Pakana people. Ochre was found in the cliffs on the Mersey River. Wildflowers at Alum Cliffs Western flag iris (Diplarrena latifolia) A shy pademelon. Alum Cliffs … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 10 – Mole Creek

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 9 – Great Lake and the Central Plateau

October 15, 2024

The Central Plateau Conservation Area is a wild place of sub-alpine moorlands and a myriad of tarns on the northern edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is in the isolated heart of Tasmania and is un-serviced by the State’s major road network other than the A5 which forms the eastern boundary. Flanked on the east … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 9 – Great Lake and the Central Plateau

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 8 – Launceston

October 14, 2024

Tamar Islands Wetlands is a unique estuarine wetland ecosystem of mudflats, lagoons and islands. Just down the path from the entrance were these Black swans and cygnets. Boardwalk to the Bird Hide Bird Hide at the Tamar Wetlands. “Listen, lad. I built this bird hide up from nothing. When I started here, all there was … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 8 – Launceston

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 7 – Narawntapu and the Turbo Chooks

October 13, 2024

Our first full day in Tasmania will be around the Tamar region – the large inlet and river that runs south to Launceston. Big Apple at Spreyton. I went for a walk last night and there was an Apple pie, Apple strudel and Apple Charlotte on the ground. The streets were strangely desserted. The Big … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 7 – Narawntapu and the Turbo Chooks

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 6 – Across Bass Strait

October 12, 2024

The excitement builds – today is the day we cross Bass Strait. We are caught up in Tas-mania! The 26th largest island in the world was colonised as a penal settlement in 1803 to dissuade the French from settling there during the Napoleanic Wars. Environmentally, the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) is presumed extinct from hunting and … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 6 – Across Bass Strait

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 5 – Geelong

October 11, 2024

The Sphinx Hotel in Geelong is a curiosity – complete with 15 metres high Sphinx, a pyramid, pharaohs and columns. It is a very clever pyramid scheme. Now that is a grand entrance. The other entrance The Big Amphora is quite jarring. Inside … the foyer We were sure we had been transported to Egypt. … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 5 – Geelong

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 4 – Big Day in Victoria

October 10, 2024

How to avoid Melbourne traffic on roads less travelled. The original 1917 SPC factory (Shepparton Fruit Preserving Company)…. …. and the newer plant across the road. The Big Cherry at Wyuna (Older image from Wikipedia) We had hoped to start the day by seeing a different kind of fruit – the The Big Cherry at … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 4 – Big Day in Victoria

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 3 – Gold, guitar, gargantuans and grazers

October 9, 2024

550km today through the South Western Slopes Biogeographic region of New South Wales. Sheep west of Cowra. These guys couldn’t break into the next paddock. There was no battering ram. Angus with four mates…all called Angus too. Grenfell main street Grenfell’s favourite son is Henry Lawson. On meeting this lovely young lady, Henry recited a … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 3 – Gold, guitar, gargantuans and grazers

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 2 – Big Day in New South Wales

October 8, 2024

Now this is malarious! The Big Mosquito at Hexham. We’ll need to call the SWAT team for this big guy. Did you know the inventors of mosquito repellant had little to go by at the beginning of their research – they had to start from scratch. The Big Ugg Boots at Thornton near Maitland. Some … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 2 – Big Day in New South Wales

Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 1 – On the road south

October 7, 2024

Hello everyone! The time is right for a trip to Tasmania. So its “Down with the Devils” for us as we travel far south. There are the carnivorous marsupials to see – the Tasmanian Devils, but there are also the odd references in Tasmanian marketing such as “Welcome to Hell” for the winter-time Dark Mofo … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 1 – On the road south