DOWN UNDER – PART 1

We left Fort Myers on January 31 and drove the four hours to Orlando, boarded our flight to Toronto and finally hit the sack around 1:00 am.  Lucky for us, we spent a very pleasant one-day layover in Toronto with old friends, Joanne Best and Del Zelmer.  I’d worked with Del in the mid-70s during our Toronto adventure, and Elva and I spent many memorable weekends at his dude ranch north of the city while there.  Although we hadn’t seen them in years, we picked up where we left off, as if time apart meant nothing.

After a gruelling twenty-two-hour flight from Toronto, via Vancouver, we set foot on our sixth continent and forty-sixth country on the morning of February 3.  We lost a day crossing the International Dateline but will get it back in March.  We were amazed by the efficiency of the new E-Passport system at Sydney Airport.  The journey from aircraft to arrivals hall - with our luggage - took no more than fifteen minutes.  “Like shit through a goose!”, as they say.

Australia is a huge country, about the size of the continental United States, and is home to some 23 million people, about two-thirds the population of Canada.  the continent’s first inhabitants, the Aborigines, arrived here by sea more than 60,000 years ago.  The first European colonists came in 1788 on eleven ships: 750 convicts, 201 British marines, and 40 women and children.  It must have been one hell of a place in the early years!

No sooner checked in to our hotel, we donned our walking shoes and set out to explore downtown Sydney.  On our first jet-lagged day we at least wanted to make it to the waterfront and see the iconic Sydney Opera House.  It was worth every step!  We found Sydney to be a very busy city, not surprising given that it has five million people - just a bit smaller than Toronto.  It is also very expensive: $5 for a coffee, and most meals near double the Canadian price!

On Day 2 we awoke to a steady rain.  But, as they say: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!”  We took a walking tour of the city, presented masterfully by an ambitious young woman who knew and loved her city.  By mid-afternoon - Elva’s birthday - we’d seen most of the highlights and knew what we wanted to visit our second time around in March.  That evening, we ate at a busy Thai restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed their spicy fare.
Next morning, it was on to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania.  Driving in from the airport, we were struck by how the topography and vegetation reminded us of the Okanagan Valley of southern BC.  The city’s 200,000 residents make up about 40% of the island state’s population.  After checking in to the luxurious Grand Chancellor Hotel, we explored the waterfront as well as the old neighbourhood called Battery Point, admiring the many charming cottages overlooking the harbour.

On our second day in Hobart, we once again explored on foot, going first to the war memorial, then to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens where we witnessed beauty rivalling that of Vancouver Island’s Butchart Gardens.  Elva spent part of the afternoon wandering through the bustling Salamanca Market.  It was a long weekend in Hobart, with plenty to see and do and lots of people around.  We’d have liked to rent bikes to see more, but ran out of time.

Next morning, bright and early, guide Jerry of our tour company Under Down Under, picked us up at the hotel.  I could tell right away from her beautiful smile that we were in for a good trip.  She would be our driver, tour guide, and cook - and good at all three!  We drove up the Derwent River Valley and followed it all the way to its source, Lake St. Clair, crossing into Lake St. Clair – Cradle Mountain National Park where we walked to Russell Falls.

Our route, the Lyell Highway, was built during the Great Depression as a public works project.  The terrain is rough and hilly - said to be one of the largest temperate rain forests left on earth - and it reminded us of the Cape Breton highlands.  Tasmania has put a premium on conservation, and 45% of its land area is under some form of state or national protection.  The National Park we visited is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Area.

After a very long day on the road, we arrived at our destination, a charming, isolated seaside town called Strahan (pronounced Stron) on the rugged, sparsely-populated west coast.  That evening, we enjoyed a barbecue and took time to meet our fellow travellers.  As is usual with Interpid tours, they hail from all over the world: Ireland, England, Wales, Australia, United States, Taiwan and China.

After our meal, we made our way to the little brook a short distance away and looked for the resident platypus.  Although he (or she) didn’t show up, a lady I met showed me a video she’d made the evening before.  The duck-billed platypus is a strange creature, with the body of a beaver, an otter’s paws, and a bill just like a duck’s.   The platypus and its cousin, the echidna (shown below), are the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.  And that’s the answer to today’s trivia question!

On day 2 at Strahan, we set out for Montezuma Falls, at 150 metres, the tallest in Tasmania.  We walked about 5 kilometres along an old railway bed to get there, crossed over a swing bridge, and took in the impressive sight of the cascade.  There were only two other people there.

On the way back to Strahan, we stopped at the Henty Dunes, and climbed the 30-metre sand wall on all fours to capture a spectacular view of Ocean Beach.  That evening, we attended a play, The Ship That Never Was, where I finally received much-craved recognition and took my rightful place in the captain’s chair!

Our next destination was Cradle Mountain, the main attraction in the northern sector of the National Park.  Jerry suggested we climb to the top of Marion’s Lookout where we’d have the best view of the valleys and lakes below, and of Cradle Mountain itself.  The last fifteen minutes or so was a tough scramble.  I arrived at the summit, only to meet a group carrying huge knapsacks; on a six-day hike, complete with tents, sleeping bags, and food.  Next thing I knew, a father strolled up the path carrying his one-year old daughter in a sling.  Humbling!

After a couple more stops, we arrived in Launceston, the end of the line for day 3.  It’s Tasmania’s second-largest city.  Our guide could have hyped it up to the max and it wouldn’t have made any difference.  We were just too tired to take much of it in.

Next morning, we were off again, heading towards the East Coast and our destination of Bicheno.  Along the way, we stopped in the pretty farming town of Sheffield, walked down to St. Columba Falls, Tasmania’s second-highest waterfall, and went for a swim at Bay of Fires.

We saw a couple of wallabies spring across the road in front of us.  The crows here are very well fed.  There’s roadkill everywhere.  One of my all-time favourite animals, the fearsome Tasmanian devil, just loves roadkill, and sometimes pays the price for its gluttony!

The first highlight of day 5 was Freycinet National Park, where we hiked a beautifully-built trail up over an isthmus and down to Wineglass Bay.  Its picture-perfect beach is reachable only on foot.

Next, we visited a place I’d been looking forward to: the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.  It features a number of uniquely Tasmanian species, including the devil himself!  Like most people my age, I first became acquainted with this fearsome fictional creature through the Bugs Bunny cartoons.  Only later would I learn that the Tasmanian devil really exists.

Bonorong is home to some twenty devils, some of them hand-reared from birth.  In the wild, they are carrion eaters, consuming any dead animal they come across - hair, bones and all.  Unfortunately, a cancer called Devil Facial Tumour Disease has spread through natural populations and threatens the animal with extinction.  I sincerely hope they will develop a natural resistance before it’s too late.

On the last day of our tour, we drove from Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula, home of Tasman National Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Port Arthur.  From 1833 until 1853, its penitentiary housed the hardest of convicted British criminals, namely secondary offenders who re-offended after their arrival in Australia.  Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here.  In addition, Port Arthur featured some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system.

On the eve of our departure, as we sat on the Hobart dock eating fish and chips and the best calamari I’ve had in a long time, Elva and I reflected on another amazing experience.  Yes, the days were tiring, but we’d seen and done so much, and met interesting people along the way.  Every day, we logged over 12,000 steps on Elva’s Fitbit - two days over 25,000.  We kept up with the younger ones and had a great time.

Next, it was onto Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, where we spent a day and a half taking in as much as time would allow.  On our first day there, we boarded the Circle Tram and toured the downtown area, getting our bearings.  The Saturday crowds were buzzing.  We watched the sunset at Federation Square, a beautiful public space beside the Yarra River.

The next morning, we set out on foot to visit some of the attractions we’d seen from the Tram.  Melbourne doesn’t have as nice a harbour as Sydney, but Port Phillip Bay is quite nice and Middle Park Beach is a great spot for people-watching.  There are public parks and gardens everywhere, all of them lovely places for a stroll.  We enjoyed Melbourne and would have stayed longer.  But, it was time for our next adventure: the Intrepid 10-Day Melbourne to Alice Springs Explorer.