TASMANIAN TRIP - DECEMBER 2006-JANUARY 2007
TASMANIAN TRIP
DECEMBER 2006-JANUARY 2007
Monday 11 December to Sunday 17 December
Stanley to Strahan
Blog 2
Woolnorth is an extensive wind farm situated on the North West point of Tasmania with its spectacularly rugged coastline. The tour we took allowed us to get right up to the windmills and see, feel and hear their quiet power. Each turbine was 60m high and each arm of the windmill was 38m. There were 37 wind turbines in operation with another 27 in the process of being constructed. Each turbine can supply approximately 800 homes. It was pretty impressive stuff. The “Roaring 40s” were blowing what we were told was an average day with the wind blowing at 60km/h. It was an exhilarating feeling and we had the BEST time. The wind was so powerful that we were walking at a 450 angle.
We also had the opportunity to see the beautiful American cedar timber homestead that belonged to the Woolnorth Farm which produces beef from the Freshians cattle for the McDonalds market.
We drove to the most north westerly point on the island, Cape Grim. Again the view was spectacular and the wind and rain were howling.
After the tour finished we headed south through Irish Town, Edith Creek Trowutta and Tayatea bridge which crossed the Arthur River. It was very picturesque and we decided to continue to Milkshake Hills Forest Reserve and do the short walk through the rain forest. It was a cold 60C outside but it was exhilarating and the smells of the bush were fantastic.
We headed south down the west coast and stopped at Dismal Swamp which is a Blackwood Sinkhole. The beautiful Blackwoods, which are a type of wattle which grow up to 50m, flourish in the swamp environment. Their seeds can stay dormant in soil for up to a century. They usually germinate when triggered by some disturbance like a fire, flood or logging. The crayfish in the swamp churn up the soils which oxygenate the soil. The trip to the bottom of the swamp was via an enclosed slide which we slid down on mats. It was great fun. The boardwalks in the swamp led to sculptures by different artists some were carved in the trees while others were in amongst the plants.
Arthur River was our next stop where there was a well named spot called “The end of the world” where the coastline is very rugged and beautiful and of course there was a lighthouse at Bluff Hill Point.
We took the Arthur River cruise and met up with people that we have seen along the way. It was a great day with Rob the captain supplying lots of information, beautiful scenery and lunch. We cruised 14km up the river to where the Frankland River joins the Arthur.
We watched the 2 resident sea eagles swoop down for the hand out food. The female sea eagle has been in the same nest for 41 years and has had at least 1-2 chicks each year. They mate for life but her 1st partner was killed and now this new male has been her partner for the last 13 years.
The nest is huge as it is added to and renovated each year. The tree that it is in is larger than the other surrounding trees as the bird droppings and the bones they clean out of the nest regularly add fertiliser to the soil around the tree. It is a beautiful symbiosis. The sea eagles control the first 3km of the river and there are 2 wedge tail eagles in the next section and then a younger pair of sea eagles control the last section.
Rob explained the history of logging in the area and the flora and fauna. The huge Tasmanian Oak trees are not oak at all but rather stringy bark eucalypts, but as Rob said, who wanted to buy eucalypt timber!!! There were also sassafras trees, myrtle and leatherwood. The leatherwood flowers supply the nectar for the bees to make leatherwood honey for which Tasmania is quite famous.
We left Arthur River behind and headed east toward the Tarkine on the South Arthur Forest Drive with our first stop the Kanunnah Bridge which spans the Arthur River further up and onto the beautiful Sumac lookout which gives a bird’s eye view of the Arthur River and the beautiful Blackwood Trees.
Our last tourist stop for the day was the Julius River Walk which included a beautiful sinkhole through which we walked. It had the most amazing ferns, mossy myrtles and trees. The final walk was along the Julius River again a beautiful Rainforest but quite different from the sinkhole area even though it was right next to it.
We stopped at Lake Chisholm and walked through the rain forest to the lake. This lake was also a sinkhole but the area where the water used to seep away has become blocked by organic debris and the lake formed. The sinkholes form in dolerite rock which is not found on the mainland. It was a great way to start the morning. We really enjoy the temperate rainforests. The Dempster Plains was the last lookout which overlooked the plains but it was very hazy because of the bush fires so the view was limited but the summer flowers were fantastic.
Travelling further south we stopped at Corinna along the Pieman River which uses a barge for the river crossing but we were too heavy and too long to use it. Corinna is quaint and tiny with a population of 5 and is in the process of developing tourist accommodation.
We stopped at Waratah to see the waterfall which is the start of the mighty Arthur River.
We arrived at Cradle Mountain on a rainy and freezing evening but woke up to blue skies even though it was VERY cold 30C. We walked the 6km around Dove Lake enjoying the views and certainly warming up in the process.
A guided tour informed us about the history, plants and geology of the area and how the valleys were carved out by glaciers. The mountain is mainly basalt and dolerite. There are temperate rain forest areas with myrtle beech trees, Alpine Yellow gum, Tasmanian Snow Gum, Sassafras, King Billy Pines, Plum Pines and many flowering shrubs. The tour also took us to Waldheim Lodge which was the original lodge built by Gustav and Kate Weindorfer who recognised the beauty of the area and bought land, built the lodge and opened it for the public in 1912. The mountain area is so beautiful.
Even though the day was pretty full we decided to go to the Tasmanian Devil night which enabled us to pat the Tasmanian Devils and watch them feed.
There was one more walk that we still wanted to do before we left Cradle Mountain so we headed to the Crater Water Falls and the Crater Lake.
Our journey down the mountain was on bitumen road to Tullah, where saw the beautiful Lake Rosemary and then on Zeehan.
Zeehan is a tiny mining town which had it’s hey day in the 1890s. We didn’t go into the mining museum which we later found out was THE BEST mining museum but we weren’t going to drive back. It was quite steep mountain driving. There are not many straight and level stretches of road in Tasmania. We continued on to Strahan.
The World Heritage Cruise leaving Strahan on Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River gave us the chance to see the area and learn about its history in comfort.
The cruise boat first headed to the opening of the Harbour, called Hells Gate, which is only 70m wide and very treacherous. The term came from the convicts who considered the penal settlement on Sarah Island hell and therefore the heads of the harbour were called the gates to hell.
The Tasmanian Salmon farms are also in the harbour. Our first stop was the penal island of Sarah Island which operated for 12 years from 1821 to 1832. It was a very harsh place for both men and women prisoners who were repeat offenders since arriving in NSW. Richard Davey was our guide around the island and his telling of the stories was fantastic. The cruise up the Gordon was beautiful and the rain forests are fantastic. We stopped at Heritage Landing to see the beautiful Huon Pine Trees in the forest. They are a magnificent site.
We saw a couple of snakes sunning on a log. After that we headed back to Strahan. On Richard Davey’s recommendation we went to see the play, “The Ship That Never Was”. He had written it and it was the story of the last ship that was built on Sarah Island from Huon Pine. Audience participation was great fun.
DECEMBER 2006-JANUARY 2007
Monday 11 December to Sunday 17 December
Stanley to Strahan
Blog 2
Woolnorth is an extensive wind farm situated on the North West point of Tasmania with its spectacularly rugged coastline. The tour we took allowed us to get right up to the windmills and see, feel and hear their quiet power. Each turbine was 60m high and each arm of the windmill was 38m. There were 37 wind turbines in operation with another 27 in the process of being constructed. Each turbine can supply approximately 800 homes. It was pretty impressive stuff. The “Roaring 40s” were blowing what we were told was an average day with the wind blowing at 60km/h. It was an exhilarating feeling and we had the BEST time. The wind was so powerful that we were walking at a 450 angle.
We also had the opportunity to see the beautiful American cedar timber homestead that belonged to the Woolnorth Farm which produces beef from the Freshians cattle for the McDonalds market.
We drove to the most north westerly point on the island, Cape Grim. Again the view was spectacular and the wind and rain were howling.
After the tour finished we headed south through Irish Town, Edith Creek Trowutta and Tayatea bridge which crossed the Arthur River. It was very picturesque and we decided to continue to Milkshake Hills Forest Reserve and do the short walk through the rain forest. It was a cold 60C outside but it was exhilarating and the smells of the bush were fantastic.
We headed south down the west coast and stopped at Dismal Swamp which is a Blackwood Sinkhole. The beautiful Blackwoods, which are a type of wattle which grow up to 50m, flourish in the swamp environment. Their seeds can stay dormant in soil for up to a century. They usually germinate when triggered by some disturbance like a fire, flood or logging. The crayfish in the swamp churn up the soils which oxygenate the soil. The trip to the bottom of the swamp was via an enclosed slide which we slid down on mats. It was great fun. The boardwalks in the swamp led to sculptures by different artists some were carved in the trees while others were in amongst the plants.
Arthur River was our next stop where there was a well named spot called “The end of the world” where the coastline is very rugged and beautiful and of course there was a lighthouse at Bluff Hill Point.
We took the Arthur River cruise and met up with people that we have seen along the way. It was a great day with Rob the captain supplying lots of information, beautiful scenery and lunch. We cruised 14km up the river to where the Frankland River joins the Arthur.
We watched the 2 resident sea eagles swoop down for the hand out food. The female sea eagle has been in the same nest for 41 years and has had at least 1-2 chicks each year. They mate for life but her 1st partner was killed and now this new male has been her partner for the last 13 years.
The nest is huge as it is added to and renovated each year. The tree that it is in is larger than the other surrounding trees as the bird droppings and the bones they clean out of the nest regularly add fertiliser to the soil around the tree. It is a beautiful symbiosis. The sea eagles control the first 3km of the river and there are 2 wedge tail eagles in the next section and then a younger pair of sea eagles control the last section.
Rob explained the history of logging in the area and the flora and fauna. The huge Tasmanian Oak trees are not oak at all but rather stringy bark eucalypts, but as Rob said, who wanted to buy eucalypt timber!!! There were also sassafras trees, myrtle and leatherwood. The leatherwood flowers supply the nectar for the bees to make leatherwood honey for which Tasmania is quite famous.
We left Arthur River behind and headed east toward the Tarkine on the South Arthur Forest Drive with our first stop the Kanunnah Bridge which spans the Arthur River further up and onto the beautiful Sumac lookout which gives a bird’s eye view of the Arthur River and the beautiful Blackwood Trees.
Our last tourist stop for the day was the Julius River Walk which included a beautiful sinkhole through which we walked. It had the most amazing ferns, mossy myrtles and trees. The final walk was along the Julius River again a beautiful Rainforest but quite different from the sinkhole area even though it was right next to it.
We stopped at Lake Chisholm and walked through the rain forest to the lake. This lake was also a sinkhole but the area where the water used to seep away has become blocked by organic debris and the lake formed. The sinkholes form in dolerite rock which is not found on the mainland. It was a great way to start the morning. We really enjoy the temperate rainforests. The Dempster Plains was the last lookout which overlooked the plains but it was very hazy because of the bush fires so the view was limited but the summer flowers were fantastic.
Travelling further south we stopped at Corinna along the Pieman River which uses a barge for the river crossing but we were too heavy and too long to use it. Corinna is quaint and tiny with a population of 5 and is in the process of developing tourist accommodation.
We stopped at Waratah to see the waterfall which is the start of the mighty Arthur River.
We arrived at Cradle Mountain on a rainy and freezing evening but woke up to blue skies even though it was VERY cold 30C. We walked the 6km around Dove Lake enjoying the views and certainly warming up in the process.
A guided tour informed us about the history, plants and geology of the area and how the valleys were carved out by glaciers. The mountain is mainly basalt and dolerite. There are temperate rain forest areas with myrtle beech trees, Alpine Yellow gum, Tasmanian Snow Gum, Sassafras, King Billy Pines, Plum Pines and many flowering shrubs. The tour also took us to Waldheim Lodge which was the original lodge built by Gustav and Kate Weindorfer who recognised the beauty of the area and bought land, built the lodge and opened it for the public in 1912. The mountain area is so beautiful.
Even though the day was pretty full we decided to go to the Tasmanian Devil night which enabled us to pat the Tasmanian Devils and watch them feed.
There was one more walk that we still wanted to do before we left Cradle Mountain so we headed to the Crater Water Falls and the Crater Lake.
Our journey down the mountain was on bitumen road to Tullah, where saw the beautiful Lake Rosemary and then on Zeehan.
Zeehan is a tiny mining town which had it’s hey day in the 1890s. We didn’t go into the mining museum which we later found out was THE BEST mining museum but we weren’t going to drive back. It was quite steep mountain driving. There are not many straight and level stretches of road in Tasmania. We continued on to Strahan.
The World Heritage Cruise leaving Strahan on Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River gave us the chance to see the area and learn about its history in comfort.
The cruise boat first headed to the opening of the Harbour, called Hells Gate, which is only 70m wide and very treacherous. The term came from the convicts who considered the penal settlement on Sarah Island hell and therefore the heads of the harbour were called the gates to hell.
The Tasmanian Salmon farms are also in the harbour. Our first stop was the penal island of Sarah Island which operated for 12 years from 1821 to 1832. It was a very harsh place for both men and women prisoners who were repeat offenders since arriving in NSW. Richard Davey was our guide around the island and his telling of the stories was fantastic. The cruise up the Gordon was beautiful and the rain forests are fantastic. We stopped at Heritage Landing to see the beautiful Huon Pine Trees in the forest. They are a magnificent site.
We saw a couple of snakes sunning on a log. After that we headed back to Strahan. On Richard Davey’s recommendation we went to see the play, “The Ship That Never Was”. He had written it and it was the story of the last ship that was built on Sarah Island from Huon Pine. Audience participation was great fun.
posted by Mike and Carol at
11:54 AM
