Hello again, finally able to get to a computer; they are few and far between - I'm still surprised by that! Our first 'adventure' began with check-in at the ferry. You first get inspected for fruits, vegies, plants - cannot bring into Tasmania. Well...in our preparedness, we decided to shop for these items in Melbourne thinking we'd save money - better prices - but we had to give all this up (whatever we couldn't consume on the boat) Arghhh, neither of us read the Confirmation which clearly outlines the policy!!! We had about $25 worth of fruit (its very expensive down here) They check under the bonnet and the boot - Jean couldn't find the bonnet latch - we were laughing uncontrollably and then when her car door was open part of the ferry confirmatin flew out into the wind. Jean's chasing it to watch it go over the wharf - more laughter - but the security folks said its okay - res is in the computer. Then we are on the boat and realized they missed some of the vegies we had in the esky - more laughter (we'll throw them overboard!!)Krikey, it was like "Thelma & Louise" except we won't ride over a cliff at the end!
Well the Spirit of Tasmania was kind of a ride from hell. The "ocean view" recliners proved to be uncomfortable, so Jean and I decided to upgrade and buy a berth. I was skeptical as it was an inside cabin and I get motion sickness easily if I can't see the horizon. The cabin turned out to be not great for me (Jean is a vocal sleeper - sorry Jean!) So I got up around 2 AM and wandered around a bit, read a paper, went back to room, tried more sleep - basically got about 1 hr sleep total. Ferry ride is about 10 hrs - it takes awhile to unload. All vehicles are secured because seas can be quite rough. The swell was about 1 metre but I sure felt it when we were on the open ocean for about 5 hours. Unloading took another 2 hours. EVERY vehicle is subject to another inspection on shore. Sniffer dogs and more inspections (we did ditch the extra produce in rubbish bin) I believe the Aussies are the ULTIMATE in paranoia. They do need to protect their agriculture industry so I guess I can understand; but to check on both ends? We did manage to clear "Checkpoint Charlie" without incident!
My first impression of Tasmania - it is BEAUTIFUL! Pastoral with lots of green, green, green. Mountains in the distance, rolling hills, windy roads. Reminds me a bit of Gulf Islands. Our first little village - Sheffield - where they have painted murals to depict its early days (apparently copied the idea from Chemainus) After a nice breakfast and cappacino, we headed up to Cradle Mtn National Park. Jean hit a pothole near the top and when we checked into our cabin, I noticed she had a flat tire. Here we are in the middle of nowhere! Oh well, I figure - its just a glitch in the plan. A maintenance guy at the caravan park, put on Jean's spare tire and set her up with the service station back in Sheffield. We weren't sure what was involved as she also bent the rim on the wheel. Anyway, Jean headed back down the mountain and I did a 7.5 km hike around Dove Lake.
Dove Lake was quite beautiful - I must have hiked through 3 different eco systems. the entire trail was a boardwalk and built in steps of stone. The shrubs are in flower, lots of tree ferns and other palm like plants, tall trees of sassafras and myrtle. It had clouded over so it was good hiking temp. I could hear lots of fabulous bird sounds, but foliage so thick and canopies so high, you don't see them. Wildlife I saw today....an echidna waddling across the highway - it rolls into a ball when threatened and looks like a round spiny ball. Also saw a little wallaby - kangaroo type animal - right outside our cabin.
When I got back from hike, Jean was there, tire fixed - rim restored for only $30. Much to our relief. There was a tack in it and the service guy figures she had it in a while and when she hit the pothole it flattened the tire. Which he says might have been a good thing because if we had been going a high speed and tire blew - it might have been another story!
Tonight I was in bed by 8pm and got up at 7am. Bed was so comfy; slept like a baby - had to catch up from lack of sleep on ferry.
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