At the 11th hour, just a few hours before we were to board the Spirit of Tasmania, I took my last opportunity to witness the Aurora.
I ventured out at 4:30 am to Braddon's Lookout and mother nature put on a spectacular show for me.
What a spectacle! I'm so chuffed that I finally got to see and capture the Aurora.
As our adventures on the Apple Isle draw to a close, we left Strahan and headed up the A10 - destination Devonport. We embark on the Spirit of Tasmania at 1030 on Saturday, 20th April.
First night of the final trip was a stopover at a free camp in the small town of Tullah. The 'campground' is on the banks of Lake Rosebery. We shared the space with one other traveller.
Next morning was a perfect opportunity to nip out at dawn to shoot a few images on the lake.
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| Lake Rosebery previous afternoon |
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| Lake Rosebery Previous afternoon |
After brekky, we headed off further north and decided to pull up at a roadside rest area at Hellyer Gorge. There is a short walk to be had here, so we took a stroll through the scrub by the Hellyer River. It was chilly all afternoon so we made a fire and veged out for the rest of the day. This was only the second fire we've had the whole time we've been here - There has either been a fire ban or it was raining.
Before nightfall, we moved the van away from the road a little and stayed hooked up for a quick getaway in the morning. No road noise for the night though. It is a reasonably main road but next to no traffic all night. Plus, it was a better view of the sky for Starlink. We shared the campground with one other couple in a 'wizbanger'.
Early getaway next morning saw us arriving in Devonport perfectly around check in time at Discovery Park Devonport.
Spent the next two days catching on blog posts (including this one). As I write this, we are preparing to get away early tomorrow morning to catch a ride on the boat back to Geelong.
If it all works out, I'll do an early trip around 3:00 am to Braddons Lookout hoping to successfully catch a glimpse of Aurora Australis - last chance! Hoping for clear skies and an actual Aurora.
Next post, we'll be back on the mainland and you'll find out the Mission Aurora is successful or a dismal failure.
Next stop - Strahan (population 658) - formerly the port servicing the local mining communities in the 19th century, nowadays, tourism is Strahan's main focus.
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| Wilderness Railway Station |
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| Customs House and Post Office |
Strahan was always a must see in our travel plan. We stayed at Strahan Beach Caravan Park. Pretty much rained the whole time for the duration of our visit. However, we had some small windows of respite, enough to get around and check out as much as we could fit into the 2 days there.
Walking access to Hogarth Falls is from the local park within the town. It's an easy walk along formed tracks and boardwalks through rainforest.
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| Hogarth Falls |
On the second day, we took the 'Spirit of the Wild' (the grey boat) on the Gordon River Cruise. There are two operators that run this cruise experience - the Red Boat and the Grey Boat. We can't fault our experience. Six hours takes you out on the Macquarie Harbour through Hells Gates in the open ocean - crack a u-bolt back through the harbour and down the mouth of the Gordon River. Once you enter the river, the boat switches to electric motors and the silence and sense of calm can't be overstated.
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| Mouth of the Gordon River |
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| This old Huon Pine died and fell about 25 years ago. It has been dated as 2300 years of age. |
At the turn around point, we went ashore for a short immersive experience in the wilderness. Back on board, a wonderful buffet lunch was served as we cruised back to the mouth of the river. The heavy overcast skies and misty rain added to the ambience of the place. Hopefully, the photos do it justice.
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| Our turn around point up the river |
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| On our return, we past the red boat cruising up the river |
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| Hells Gates |
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| Hells Gates Lighthouse |
On our return up the harbour, we landed at Sarah Island where we had a very animated guided tour through the ruins of the former convict settlement.
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| Solitary confinement cells |
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| All aboard! |
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| Rain followed us home |
That night we went to the play - "The Ship that Never Was". Last year, the play celebrated its 30th birthday. The play has a cast of three, one of which was our tour guide on Sarah Island. It's all about audience participation.
Enjoyed that - it was a blast!
Queenstown, our next stop, is a town in the West Coast region of the state. It is in a valley on the western slopes of Mount
Owen on the West Coast Range. The drive from Derwent Bridge is a dramatic entrance to town with the Lyell highway descending steeply via switchbacks. Pretty hairy descent on wet, slippery roads with a van on our back. It rained all the way from Derwent Bridge and rained pretty much the whole time we were in Queenstown.
The legacy remains of Queenstown's history of gold and copper mining. The moonscape surroundings are a testament to that.
We stayed at the Queenstown Cabins and Tourist Park, a small but spacious, clean and tidy park and reasonably priced at $45/night. We stayed 2 nights (Friday and Saturday).
Although it rained most of our stay, we did have some scattered respite, long enough to enjoy the sights of the area so we spent Saturday exploring.
We took a trip on the Wilderness Railway which we'd recommend if in the area - an informative and light-hearted commentary of Queenstown's history is provided along the ride.
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| Changing the points to bring the loco to the other end of the train for the trip home |
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| Judy tried her hand at gold panning. Plastic pans! I'm sure if there was ever gold in those tubs, it would have been found long before today. |
After returning from the train ride, we headed back toward Derwent bridge to check out Nelson Falls - yep, chasing waterfalls again! We drove past the day before, but due to the weather, decide to give it a miss. It's a 45 minute easy walk to the falls and back. The falls were pumpin' hard! The walk takes you along the eastern bank of the Nelson River through dense rainforest - one of the nicest walks we've done.
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| Horsetail Falls |
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| The ruins of the Linda Hotel |
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| A misty scene on the side of the Lyell Highway |
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| "The Iron Blow" - an old copper mine pit. Don't ask! |
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| "The Gravel" - Queenstown's local AFL field - the playing surface is gravel. Ouch! |
