Tasmania

One long weekend is just not enough for this beautiful place.  Must give credit where it is due.  Many of these photos are Wayne's.  He really does take the best pictures!

Yes, so many possibilities

We flew from Melbourne to Lauceston late Friday night.  In the morning it was pouring rain but we went to Cataract Gorge Reserve for breakfast.

There were so many wonderful wildflowers along the roads.  It made driving in the rain just a little more enjoyable.

Beach at Bridport.  Stopped at bakery here to pick up some fresh bread because we were on our way to the Pyengana Dairy Company - home of Tasmania's most famous cheese.

Typical roadside vegetation on the road to Pyengana (NE corner of Tasmania).

The much praised east coast - still beautiful in the pouring rain.  

Did I mention that it was still pouring rain!

Look at this amazing beach at the southern end of an area known as Bay of Fires.  It was gorgeous!!

Attempting to stay dry while enjoying the beach.

After a night of rain in Bicheno we awoke to sunnier weather.  The land in the distance is the Freycinet Peninsula home of famous Wineglass Bay.  You will have to google pictures because we did not want to risk a 3 hour hike with the weather looking rather iffy.

 Not quite sure where this is.  East coast between Swansea and Triabunna.

Another stop for wildflowers.

 Decided to take a shortcut south of Orford since we were headed to Port Arthur on the Forestier Peninsula.  The GPS was not happy with us and continued to tell us to turn around until we were almost back to the main highway.  It was a great drive!  The road less traveled.

Maria Island off in the distance.  I looked into a trek on this island.  The scenery would have been spectacular, but the weather may have been pretty wet.  Glad I choose the Eyre Peninsula instead this time.

Forestier Peninsula in the distance.

Another wildlife sign.  Tasmanian Devils.

Overlook just north of Eaglehawk Neck, the narrow connection of land that allowed Port Arthur to be such a secure penal colony.

At the overlook I spotted a few delightful and striking Blue Fairy Wrens.  Luckily Wayne was quick with his camera and got some great shots.

Our next stop was a Tasmanian Devil conservation park near Tarrana.  Apparently a cancer is sweeping through the devil population on the mainland and they are hoping to keep the wild population on the peninsula isolated and healthy.  It is very sad. 

Brothers about 2 years old.  I should have learned this from Bugs Bunny, but Tasmania Devil's eat just about anything that is dead.  They are scavengers with incredibly strong jaws.  We kept our hands well away.

Fencing and wildlife crossing under the road for Fairy Penguins.  We did not stick around until evening to see the penguins.

Port Arthur Historic Site.  So peaceful and picturesque today. 

The main penitentiary in the foreground and the hospital behind.

A pair of Tasmanian Parrots was very interested in a crevice in the wall of the hospital ruin.  It was too small for them to be nesting there so we weren't sure what the interest was.  Then we saw a smaller bird chase them off.  Do parrots raid the nests of other birds?  Don't know.

Semaphore signalling station (a replica).  Apparently they could signal to Hobart and receive a return message in 15 minutes on a clear day using a series of semaphore signalling stations.  I'm glad I have the internet.

Hobart - a small, quiet lovely city with a picturesque port.

Historic building teaming with galleries featuring local artisans.  A shopping score!!!

Spent the last hour of our trip enjoying the flowers at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

 

Did not even get to the mountains.  Tasmania is a place you could spend months exploring.  It is definitely on our list of places to come back to.