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

Kangaroo Island -----Paradise!

I have travelled extensively and seen a lot of this world, but nothing compares to Kangaroo Island and The Southern Ocean Lodge where we are staying. A fairly good description is "floating atop a secluded cliff on a rugged stretch of coast, the property commands peerless views of the wild Southern Ocean and pristline Kangaroo Island wilderness." Words really can't convey the incredible beauty of this new luxury lodge on the southern coast of KI. Click on this link http://www.southernoceanlodge.com.au/soltour/ and take the virtual tour. It's really this fabulous.

Not only is the Lodge incredible but also the weather. Another sunny, crisp autumn day (about mid-60's) for our "Wonders of KI" tour." Kangaroo Island is about 100 miles long and 35 miles wide and is about a 30 minute flight south of Adelaide.. Our tour this morning focused on Flinders Chase National Park on the western portion of the island. First stop was a large field with numerous kangaroos feeding on the grass. We never cease to be amazed by these creatures, especially when they are hopping away on their 2 back legs. Next stop was at the Remarkable Rocks. The "wow" facture was impressive. These ancient granite boulders have been shaped by endless winds salt spray and time to form elegant sculptures of gigantic proportions -- absolutely breathtaking! I've attached a photo of me beside these structures.

By now it was time for our 2-hourly feeding so we stopped for Morning Tea and were treated to homemade Anzac Biscuits (cookies). These became popular during WWI when eggs were in short supply and the women 'kinfolk' found that these were sturdy enough to endure the long passage to the troops (ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.) They were delicious and we all got recipes from our guide who had made them.

From there we headed toLighthouse Keepers doman and Cape du Couedic on the extreme southwest tip of the island. This rugged cape combined spectacular views of the sea as well as numerous fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks and playing in the pools. I loved the view from Admiral's Rock which is shown in the photo.

Another stop provided an opportunity to view koalas in the eucalyptis trees. They're very nocturnal but a few were awake and feeding. Awake or asleep, they are adorable teddy bears. More kangaroos and exotic birds were in the same area.

Lunch was a delicious picnic in a beautiful private bush site. Our 2 guides grilled a fabulous lunch of local King George Whiting, Haloumi (local sheep cheese), grilled potates, salad and fresh fruit Of course, Kangaroo Island wines (there are numerous vineyards on the island) completed our feast.

Just as we got back to the lodge, it began to rain briefly and then a gorgeous rainbow appeared in the ocean outside our rooms. An hour later we were scheduled for a sunset walk along the cliffs by the resort. A naturalist guided the walk and gave us fascinating explanations of the various wildlife and plants along the cliffs. Below us the surf was crashing and the cliffs turned brilliant shades of orange as the sun set. One of my photos attempted to capture their beauty.

Sadly, we must leave this paradise on the Southern Ocean as we fly to Melbourne tomorrow. A full day of trade show meetings take place on Wednesday and then I depart on a VERY early flight for home on Thursday.

To say it's been a fabulous experience is an understatement. I just hope you have come to realize that Australia is a "must see" on your bucket list!

A final farewell from Kangaroo Island and Australia.

Linda