Saturday, February 29, 2020

Tasmania Travels. Gordon River Cruises, Strahan

Our first morning in Strahan, we woke early...but not early enough. 
I read the times wrong for our boat cruise departure and we were half an hour "behind schedule". We made it down to the jetty in the nick of time to board the Gordon River Cruises brand new catamaran, Spirit of the Wild. We were shown to our seats, a comfy booth style 4 seat couch at the bow of the boat. By the time we had departed, the booth next to us was still vacant, so we were able to spread out over the 2 seats and tables. We motored out of Macquarie Harbour, past Hells Gates to Bass Strait, then back in and up the Gordon River.
Gordon River Cruises Strahan
Gordon River Cruises Strahan

Gordon River Cruises Strahan
Gordon River Cruises StrahanThe water was the colour of black tea and we were in awe at the size of the 


Unfortunately, a  breeze kept the reflections away that day, but it was still a wonderful cruise.
Gordon River Cruises Strahan

We stopped at Heritage Landing for a short walk along the wooden boardwalk, to see the plants and trees. 
Gordon River Cruises Strahan
Gordon River Cruises StrahanWe purchased snacks for morning tea and then lunch was a delicious buffet style feast served during the cruise. A selection of books were a great addition to the cruise, as we could read more about the history of the area. 
Gordon River Cruises Strahan

Even the loo had a good view!

Gordon River Cruises Strahan
We arrived at the former penal colony, Sarah Island, where we split into 2 large groups and were led around the island by a wonderful guide, who told us the history of the place with a funny and theatrical delivery. 
Gordon River Cruises Strahan

Gordon River Cruises Strahan

Gordon River Cruises Strahan
Gordon River Cruises Strahan



We enjoyed every minute of the cruise, reflections or not, and think it was one of the best outings on our Tassie trip.
Strahan TasmaniaWe arrived back into Strahan mid afternoon and went to the Visitor Centre, where we visited a small exhibition out the back. Displays focused on mining, logging, and the Franklin Gordon Dam controversy in the '80's. 

We even played a Gordon River version of Snakes'n'Ladders...
Strahan Tasmania

 ...and learned how to tie a knot.
Strahan Tasmania
We bought tickets for the long running local theatre production, The Ship That Never Was, (Entertainment Book discount) and enjoyed a funny, informative show about the last convicts of Sarah Island and their final voyage out of the harbour.
The cast of 2 actors, accompanied by an ensemble from the audience, had us laughing hysterically as they trod the boards of the good ship 'Frederick'. 
Bravo!

The Ship That Never Was Strahan Tasmania

I bought a couple of booklets from the theatre, as well as a novel by Adam Courtenay for some holiday reading at home. 
The Ship That Never Was Strahan Tasmania

























What: Gordon River Cruise

Where: Strahan

Why: cruise, history, theatre

When: Daily 

How much: varies

Monday, February 3, 2020

Tasmania Travels - Devonport to Cradle Mountain

Fashionably late, as usual, we left Devonport for the SouthWest corner of Tassie. 


First stop was the mural town of Sheffield. We stopped at the Visitor Centre for a stamp before it had opened for the day, but luckily Tilly the Town Cat was there to greet us. She came out from behind a bush and looked at me. I looked at her. She meowed. I meowed. We became BFFs right there and then. She apparently works casual hours (very casual) at the tourist centre and is even featured in one of the town's 140 murals. 
Sheffield Tasmania Tilly Cat

Sheffield Tasmania Tilly Cat

Sheffield has an annual mural festival held in the park, but there are also painted works all over town. My favourite is this one below, Stillness and Warmth. A local man stopped for a chat as we were looking at it and told us the story of how Gustav Weindorfer, the original founder of Cradle Mountain National Park, would shelter wildlife in his chalet during the harsh winters on the mountain. 
This local man also told us how he had written a book about Cradle Mountain which featured lots of photos he had taken during his years there (and a whole lot of religious writing). He was in town to pick up a book he had ordered, about Chinese healthy eating. I asked him if the pastie he was munching on was part of the new healthy eating plan. We had a laugh. He gave me a book. I gave him some money. He refused. I gave it to his wife and told them to put it towards the price of their new book purchase. Or another pastie. The choice was theirs. We said goodbye to them and walked along the street a bit more and the man and his wife drove past, giving us a toot and a wave. 
Lasting memories of Sheffield and we were only there for an hour.
Sheffield Tasmania Mural town

Sheffield Tasmania Mural town
A signpost out the front of the Visitors Centre shows the quirky names of the nearby towns. We set off in the direction of Promised Land.
Sheffield Tasmania Mural town






 We ended up in New York City.
Tazmazia


Actually, we were in the village of Lower Crackpot, in the land of Tazmazia. Featuring one of the world's biggest mazes, we spent a couple of hours getting lost, admiring the miniature buildings and having a laugh. 
Tazmazia

Tazmazia
Tazmazia
Next stop, Cradle Mountain National Park. We arrived at the Visitor Centre with our prepaid Parks Pass receipt and registered with a staff member. We hopped on a bus that takes you 5 stops on the way to Dove Lake. We could have driven our own car up, but a winding, single lane road up a mountain with tourists and buses coming the other way didn't seem very appealing. 
We hopped off at the Enchanted Walk (Great Short Walk) stop and did the circuit through pine forests and alongside a creek. 
Cradle Mountain













Cradle Mountain
We then did the Rainforest Walk and Pencil Pine Falls...

Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain
Dove Lake Carpark to Glacier Rock...
Cradle Mountain




Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain

...and back around to the Boat Shed.


Cradle Mountain
 A well-earned ice cream cooled us down before we jumped in the car and began our descent into Strahan.


What: Devonport to Cradle Mountain
Where: Cradle country 

Whyart, hiking, maze 

When: Daily 


How much: varies