Tassie Wines -- Saved the Best for Last!

Our last day in Tasmania, and I have very mixed emotions. These past 6 days have been long and nonstop with new hotels every night. BUT, it's been worth the exhaustion to be able to experience some very unique areas that few tourist itineraries have included in the past.

Today's first stop in Stanley was a prime example. This small maritime village of 600 people is set in the middle of rolling green hillsides with more Happy Cows and just oozes with charm. Nothing about it is touristy as you pass the local pub, the favorite ice cream shop and cute Victorian cottages. It was all we could do not to mutiny and spend the morning meeting the locals. The most distinctive feature on the landscape is a huge green volcanic mound at the end of the bay . The best description would be "a green version of the famous Uluru ( Ayers Rock) in the Outback." The locals call it the “Nut.”

Our real purpose in going to Stanley was to see the Seaview Inn and their very upscale boutique property, both having fabulous ocean views. It's a small family-run property with Cape Cod architecture and gorgeous flowers everywhere. An important fact about travelling in Tasmania is its extremely good value. Rates at this lovely property start at $145AUD and include taxes and breakfast! Combining the spectacular scenery, unique experiences, truly hospitable people AND the low accommodation rates, it's obvious that Tasmania is a must-see destination!

Two hours later we were in the Tamar River Valley at the Rosevears Estate(a well-known Tasmanian vineyard.) Lunch was combined with quite a winetasting. I lost count after 8 or 9 wines which were served with various tapas that completed each wine. Starting with a delightful sparkling Pinot, we worked our way through Pinot Gris, Rieslings, Chardonnays, Gewurztraminers, several Pinot Noirs and 2 dessert wines. The vineyard is located in a hillside overlooking the Tamar River Valley and offers rooms with beautiful views for overnight guests.

Our last night is in Launceston lovely town of 90,000 in northern Tasmania. Tonight is an early farewell dinner as we have a 6am flight in the morning to Melbourne with a connection to LAX and then on to Austin,

This week in Tasmania has confirmed my earlier belief that this island state combines incredible natural wonders with charming people. I can't think of a better destination and value and I will return!

Linda

Tall Timbers and Rainforests of the North

A beautiful morning dawned in Cradle Mountain National Park as we packed up and headed out for a hike around Dove Lake, one of several lakes in the Park.. Once again, time did not permit an extensive hike, but the beauty of the scenery made up for lack of time. As you can see in the picture, there was not a cloud in the sky which made the reflection of Cradle Mountain in the clear lake the most perfect mirror I've ever seen. Reminded me of the Lake Country in Argentina. The streams were home to brown trout and were so pure we took a drink from them.

The photo of Dove Lake and Cradle Mtn. is of me taking a sip from the lake.

Following the hike we had a site inspection of the various cabins at the famous Cradle Mountain Lodge which is a property I often recommend for my clients. Accompanying us on our walk through the property was a cute little pademelon. Not at all shy, he resembled a miniature kangaroo and had a pouch. I was able to get within 3 ft. to take his picture.

The drive north to Burnie on theBass Strait was a very scenic drive with rolling green hillsides and many “happy cows.” I'll have to add this region to my list of Happy Cow sites which includes New Zealand, The Netherlands and Normandy. Lunch was a delicious meal of fresh fish and chips at the Fish Frenzy on the waterfront in Burnie.

Another 1 1/2hr drive through lush green hills and more Happy Cows brought us to the Tall Timbers Resort in northern Tasmania. Not even taking the time to check into our rooms, we were loaded into a 14-seater 4WD for a “wild” ride to the largest cool temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere. Rob, our guide with Tall Timbers Adventures, was incredibly knowledgeable and described this very unique region to us in great detail. I know I am losing credibility with my readers, but this was absolutely the most beautiful rainforest I have ever seen. I used up my camera battery trying to capture its beauty in a picture. The light from this bright sunny day filtered through the trees and ferns to transform the entire vista into a magical scene. Besides ancient trees and lush ferns, there were cascading waterfalls and rapidly-flowing creeks. As the sun started to set, we reluctantly made our way back to our 4WD for a ride that was similar to ones you pay for in amusement parks. If it weren't for seat belts we would have bounced out of the vehicle.

Another delicious meal at resort followed with the freshest and sweetest oysters I had ever eaten. They had definitely been swimming in the Straits this morning!

Tomorrow is our last day in Australia as we make our way eastward toward Launceston for our return flight on Sunday. To soften the disappointment of leaving Tasmania, we will stop for a wine tasting and lunch at one of Tasmania's best-known vineyards.
Linda

Gordon River Cruising and Devils Dining!

We got in so late last night that I had no idea what our surroundings looked like. What a pleasant surprise to pull the curtains this morning and have a lovely view overlooking the Macquarie Harbour at Strahan. There was a very tempting long front porch with comfortable chairs but, unfortunately, no time to sit and sip a cup of coffee. In case you hadn't noticed, we are staying only one night in each location in order to see as much of Tasmania as possible. Definitely not a trip for the faint of heart!

Today's adventures began with a World Heritage Cruise down the Gordon River. I know this may sound redundant, but today's scenery was not only beautiful but also different from other areas that we have seen this week Boarding a very deluxe catamaran , we cruised through Hell's Gate. This very narrow entrance into Macquarie Harbour was named by the early prisoners sailing through this passage on their way to the penal colony at Sarah Island. About an hour after passing through the Gate, we arrived at Sarah Island and went ashore to explore this penal colony which bore the dubious designation as the worst prison in Australia. In case you have forgotten or missed yesterday's posting, but Sarah Island's commissary was run by Tim Parson's great,great,great grandfather. The structure in the photo is the remains of the main prison. The island itself was a lush rain forest making it difficult to comprehend the horrors described by our guide.

Returning to the ship we enjoyed a lovely lunch and then it was time for another exploration. This time we went ashore at Heritage Landing to tour one of the most beautiful rain forests I've ever seen. A light rain was falling, but this just added to the mysticism of the forest. From the Landing we cruised through the Gordon River. The river was fairly narrow, and the lush forests covering the hillsides on either bank had a blanket of mist covering the top adding to the serene beauty of the river. (Above photo)After several very hectic days of sightseeing, it was divine to just relax for an hour in comfortable lounge chairs and listen to the history of the Gordon River and it's logging industry during the 1800's.

By mid afternoon we were back in Strahan and ready to head northeast to Cradle Mountain National Park. Hope you can read the sites on the attached map. Before getting to the Park, we stopped at the Devils at Cradle which focuses on the social interactions and feeding habits of the Tasmanian Devils. This center was very different from the one near Port Arthur even though both share the same goal of preserving this endangered species. I wish my photos were better, because it was fascinating (although a bit gory) watching 3 devils devour a dead wombat in just minutes. (Photo is a bit dark, but Devils prefer to dine at night!)

From the center we went to the well-known Cradle Mountain Lodge for a delicious meal. Nothing can kill my appetite--even Tassie Devils! We are staying in the National Park and will be hiking in it in the morning.
Linda

Westward Ho to the Coast!

Every day has brought totally unique experiences and today was certainly no exception. Incidentally, our daily schedules have included site inspections of various properties, but I won't take the time to describe these.

Leaving Hobart we began our westward trek across Tasmania. About an hour later we turned off the road to Curringa Farms, a working sheep station owned by Tim and Jane Parsons. Tim is a 6th generation Tassie whose great, great, great grandfather, while serving as an officer in a penal colony on Sarah Island in the north, he bought land in northern Tasmania in the early 1800's. Having been raised a city girl, it was fascinating for me to watch Tim efficiently shear a sheep and explain the process of wool production. What was amazing to me was that Tim managed to remove the sheep's wool in one piece and explain that a good shearer can shear 150 sheep in one day! The best demonstration, however, was watching his 2 border collies herd the sheep. They were absolutely amazing as they raced from side to side chasing renegade sheep. Most of the time they knew exactly what to do without a word from Tim, but, if he decide to move the herd in a different direction, it only took one verbal command to get the desired results.

After a simple but delicious lunch prepared by Jane, we drove around the station to see the areas where they had diversified to maintain profitability during various economic downturns. A real surprise were the fields of opium poppies they are cultivating for 2 well-known American pharmaceutical companies. In another field cabbages were being raised to produce seed to sell to the Asian market. Besides wool and meat production and farming, Tim and Jane have built several lovely cottages on their station to rent to vacationers coming to fish or enjoy water sports in the river, explore nearby Mt. Field National Park and local wineries.

The terrain definitely changed as we began to climb into the Tasmanian Highlands. Our next destination was the beautiful Tarraleah Lodge. I had learned about the lodge a few years ago at Corroboree and knew it was the only Virtuoso-preferred property in Tasmania. It definitely exceeded my expectations, but the surprise of the visit was learning about Tarraleah Village and the massive Hydroelectric project begun in the 1930's and completed 60 years later. Prior to this period Tasmania had very little electrical power, and the government undertook this massive project to bring power to the state for factories, farms and homes.. At the height of the construction period, thousands of immigrants were brought in to supply the manpower needed for this project. Housing was built all over the area, but today only a small village remains. This community, called Tarraleah Village, contains some of the remaining 1930's homes which are completely furnished in period pieces and are rented out during summer months to tourists wanting to enjoy the wonderful fishing and other outdoor activities in the region. The school has been converted to a hotel for summer guests not wanting a complete house. As we walked through this empty community, it almost felt like a movie set, but we were assured that in the summer, it would be filled with vacationers.

From here we drove 4 hours through beautiful forest and mountain passes to the seacoast town of Strahan where we are spending the night.
Linda

Tasmania - Spectacular Vistas,Endangered Species

I've come to the realization that my photographic and journalistic skills just can't fully portray the beauty, charm and uniqueness that is Tasmania.

After a hearty country breakfast, we bid farewell to the Fox & Hounds Inn and drove to Pirate's Bay where we boarded bright yellow boats, nicknamed “4 WD's of the sea” for a 3-hr. Tasman Island Cruise. For my nautical readers, this is a 12.5 meter Naiads powered by three 300HP motors. They looked like large yellow zodiacs with comfortable seats. Having been warned to dress warmly, we were still glad to wear the bright red full-length water and windproof jump suits provided by the cruise line. We're only 1500 miles from Antarctica.

We were incredibly fortunate, according to the crew, to have such beautiful weather. Sunny with relatively calm seas – a real benefit for sickseaness-prone souls like me. For 3 enthralling hours we cruised down the rugged coastline of Tasman National Park where we saw at close range the highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere. We passed formations such as Cape Pillar, towering stacks such as Cathedral Rock, the Totem Pole ( which someone had managed to scale, arriving at the top at dusk after 10hrs) and Candlestick. Our boat had such maneuverability that we were able to cruise in and out of caves and between huge boulders rising out of the sea. Besides scenery that was truly breathtaking, we saw various types of seals and seabirds such as brown eagles, albatross with 9meter wingspans and other species native to Australia. I departed the ship at noon convinced that no visit to Tasmania is complete without seeing this wild, spectacular landscape from the sea.

The afternoon held a totally different but equally fascinating experience as we visited the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park. These small animals are classified as endangered due to a deadly, contagious tumor that appears on their face and leads to death in about 5 months. Tasmania is the only region where these creatures can still be found and this park is engaged in desperately trying to save them. By removing the healthy animals from infected areas, the conservationists hope to produce a specieis that is cancer free. They are relatively benign animals the size of a small dog and feed off roadkill. Their name came from early Tasmanian settlers who, when hearing their ferocious scream and seeing them bare their fangs, were convinced it came the devil.

We had just enough time to photograph the little devils , feed the kangaroos who willingly ate from our hands, locate the small wallabies and be entertained by the intelligent cockatoos and falcons who loved showing off their skills. All the animals and birds have been rescued and visiting the open and spacious park offers one of the best opportunities to interact with the animals.
Our busy day ended with a scenic drive back to Hobart where we were guests at a lovely dinner hosted by Tourism Tasmania and select tour operators in this region.
Tomorrow we leave the southeast coastal region and head through the center of the island to Strahan on the west coast
Linda

Port Arthur - What a history!

Although these trips are fun and very informative, the schedule can be grueling. Today's wake-up call at 3AM was painful, especially after celebrating at the Opal Gala last night. We left Adelaide for Hobart on a 6am flight with a change in Melbourne. Each segment was less than 1 hour, but Qantas served a delicious breakfast of cereal, raisin scone, juice and coffee on each flight. American carriers take heed!

Flying over the Bass Strait between southern Australia and Tasmania, we landed in Hobart, the state's largest city (about 200,000) at 10am local time. Our luck held as we were greeted by a bright, sunny day, although a bit chilly at 7C (about 58F). Our group consists of 10 Aussie Specialists from all over the US and Canada. We were met by Cheryl, our guide for the week, and Bob, our trusty driver.

No time was wasted as we loaded the suitcases into the van and headed south through beautiful countryside to Port Arthur. After a site inspection of a property at Stewart Bay, we were treated to a delicious lunch of homemade soup and sandwiches.
Refreshed,we continued on to Port Arthur to tour the Port Arthur Historic Site where the infamous penal colony was established in 1830 as a punishment facility for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies. “Hellish Reform” was instituted by the British in an attempt to transform these men, women and children into law-abiding citizens. When flogging was abolished due to the influence of Quakers, an even worse punishment of extreme solitary confinement was instituted leading to the building of a mental assylum for these prisoners who became insane from this punishment. The setting for the prison is an incredibly beautiful pastoral setting -- so peaceful that it was hard to believe the pain and suffering that took place here from 1830 to 1877.

Following the tour of the penal colony buildings, we boarded a boat for a cruise around the bay and saw other small islands where prisoners had been buried and a facility that was actually the first juvenile prison, built to house young criminals.

I had always heard that Tasmania was one of the most beautiful areas of Australia, but the pastoral beauty is exceeding my expectations. Accommodations, while simpler than in other areas in Australia, remind us of life in the US in the 50's, but the breathtaking settings more than compensate for the lack of 4* facilities. The downside of this pastoral life is that the only internet access at the Fox and Hound Inn where we're staying is dial-up modem, not compatible with modern laptops. Hopefully, I can get this posting out tomorrow from Hobart will be a cruise of the Tasmanian Peninsula and tha Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park.
Linda

W

Corroboree in Adelaide

The flight from LAX to Melbourne was a new experience aboard the Qantas A380 Airbus. This is the largest plane ever made and was initially designed to carry 800 passengers with 2 full levels of seating. Qantas has reconfigured it to hold around 500. Service was excellent, and I never felt as though I was on an overcrowded aircraft.
Our 3-day Corroboree has been a great learning experience as we met with over a hundred Australian vendors to learn wonderful sites and experiences for my clients. Work, however, was mixed with fun social events. From the opening

cocktail reception at the National Wine Center to the closing Opal Gala, I visited with other Aussie Specialist friends, dined on delicious foods and sampled wonderful Australian wines.

The second evening was a special evening at the Penfolds Wine Estate. Although this is a well-known Australian winery, I was ignorant about their Grange wines which are a blend of Shiraz and Cabinet Sauvignon. The first vintage of Penfold's Grange was made on an experimental basis in 1951 by Max Shubert, an employee of Penfolds Wines. Having toured Europe in 1950, he developed wine-making techniques observed

in Bordeaux upon his return with the hope of creating a red wine able to rival the finest Bordeaux creating a red wine able to rival the finest Bordeaux wines both in terms of quality and ageing potential. He was definitely successful in this blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grange wines are considered the top collector's wine in Australia, and a 1951 vintage sold in 2004 for over $50,000 Australian dollars. Needless to say we enjoyed good wines but none of the Grange!
These photos,taken over the last 3 days were the view from my room at the Adelaide Hilton showing the Australian and Aboriginal flag blowing in the breeze on a very beautiful spring afternoon. The barrels of wine at the vineyard were each valued at over a million dollars and the other one is of me with the “Bondi Boys” from Let's Go surfing. I've decided my next visit to Sydney will not be complete without surfing lessons at the famous Bondi Beach from these guys. It's a rough job but someone's got to do it!
Returning to South Australia has enhanced my appreciation of this area as a must-see site for visitors to Australia. If the abundant wildlife, numerous wine regions, ancient Aboriginal history and breathtaking scenery aren't enough to whet your appetite, the hospitality of the people will complete the picture.
Although our brief stay in Adelaide has been delightful, I'm anticipating incredible adventures and natural beauty as we fly south to the island of Tasmania.
Linda

Australia -- Just can't stay away!

It's only been 3 months since I was blogging to you from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, but on Wednesday, Sept. 9th, I'll be flying back to Adelaide. The occasion this time is our annual Aussie Specialists' Corroboree. That's Aboriginal for "gathering." Each year we meet to learn more about this wonderful land down under.

For those of you who followed my blog in May, you may recall that Adelaide is Austin's Sister City. Both are lovely, vibrant cities and are located on/or near rivers. They have a strong emphasis on education and the arts as well as a well-developed hi-tech community.


Following the 3-day meeting in Adelaide, I will be participating in a 6-day tour of Tasmania with other Aussie Specialists. This is a long-anticipated trip as I've always wanted to see this beautiful region which is Australia's only island state. I've been to many other areas of Australia and some several times, but until now Tasmania has remained on my Bucket List of must-see destinations with a high priority ranking!

Having seen a preview of our schedule in Adelaide and, since I will be in meetings most of the time, I probably will not be sending out daily blogs until we leave for Tasmania on the 14th.


More from Australia in a few days.

Linda