Tasmania

Beautiful rock cliffs of the Great Western Tiers

We had a great holiday in Tasmania!  It was amazing how much wildlife we saw in our nine day trip.  We saw countless wallabies, three wombats and not one but two echidnas, kangaroos and a possum, not to mention all the birds: Tasmanian Native-hens everywhere, the green variant of Crimson Rosellas only found in Tasmania, gulls and cormorants, plovers and oystercatchers on the coast, and an enormous eagle very close up as it scavenged from what looked like a Tassie devil on the road.  Sadly, a lot of roadkill--mostly wallabies, but quolls and possums and possibly a couple Tasmanian devils.

The landscapes and geology of Tasmania are absolutely stunning.  It was amazing how much of the island we were able to see--from Cradle Mountain in the north and over the Great Western Tiers through the Central Plateau and past the Highland Lakes, to Mt Field National Park which is home to Tasmania's swamp gums, the tallest hardwood trees in the world, south to Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula, and Freycinet National Park and Bay of Fires along the eastern Pacific coast.  It's been a bit daunting to start going through all the photos from our trip -- and I haven't even looked at the photos from the second camera ... Suffice to say, it may be one or two weeks of Tassie blog posts.

The original plan (though not accurate to the route we actually followed.)

Dove Lake circuit at Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park

Echidna at Ronnie Creek in Cradle Mountain National Park

Sleeping wombat at Ronnie Creek (Cradle Mountain NP)

Foraging wombat at Ronnie Creek (Cradle Mountain NP)

Resting wallaby on the walk to Penguin Island

Our walk to Penguin Island near Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Amazing rock formations at Mars Bluff on Bruny Island

Tessellated pavement near Eaglehawk Neck on the Forestier Peninsula

Tasman Arch near Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula

Wallaby-greeter at our campsite on Fortescue Bay

None of the wallabies at Fortescue Bay seemed to mind us at all

Morning rainbow at Fortescue Bay

Whaler's Lookout above Bicheno

Tasmania's eastern coastline on our way to Bay of Fires

Bay of Fires rock throne