Echidna Video

Echidna spotted near Ronny Creek at Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania.

Fortescue Bay

We stayed at Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula.  We took a morning hike which was billed as easy and suitable for families but proved contrary to our expectations.  And leeches!  So many leeches to be flicked off our clothes.  Overall it was kind of mucky and not too much fun, but we did see an amazing rainbow as we set off, and an echidna on our way back.  So, in the end it was not a complete disappointment.

Cradle Mountain: Up to Marions Lookout

We didn't have to climb very far for a second alpine
lake to come into view - Lake Lilla

The next segment of our hike at Cradle Mountain led us up and away from Dove Lake on a steep trail to Marions Lookout.  As we climbed we could see Lake Lilla to the north and as we neared our destination, Crater Lake to the west.  It was a difficult climb, but the views from the top were astounding!  There were lot of people at the top, taking photos and lunch breaks, and a great sense of camaraderie.

Marions Lookout is on the Overland Track, which is a six-day hike starting at the northern end of the park and ending at the southern.  For some of the people who stopped to take in the views at Marions Lookout, like us, the hard part of the hike was over.  For others, it was just beginning.

The hike down from Marions Lookout to Ronny Creek was pleasant and overall, pretty easy (there were some steep downward sections but not quite as intense as our climb up.  Now we know.)  The walk led us through a short section of cool temperate rainforest as we passed Crater Falls on our way to the open grassland.

We saw wombats and an echidna on the last stretch by Ronny Creek.  The echidna was definitely a surprise because we didn't think we'd see one again.  The wombats slightly less so -- we had heard they are numerous and often seen on that part of the trail.  At the same time, however, we weren't really expecting to see them: it was the height of the day, hot in the sun and a certain amount of walkers on the boardwalk.  Apparently none of them minded very much at all.

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

Australian Post feat. Echidna

No blog writing today, just a picture of a drawing of a very peculiar creature.  Monotremes sure are the strangest things.  (Thanks, Australia, for having lots of weird things.)

(Apologies for the Queen Elizabeth ones we sent in the mail; Queenie E's not nearly as exciting as these little guys.)

Gara Gorge and Wollomombi Falls - Feat. Wallabies and Sleepy Echidna

This last weekend we took two hikes in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park - Gara Gorge on Saturday and Wollomombi Gorge on Sunday.

The Gara Gorge trailhead is about a twenty minute drive outside Armidale.  The road drops you off next to a lake and a rocky stream where the trail begins.  We saw one other group of early hikers; apparently there are platypus in the lake.  We'll have to come back sometime and try to spot one.

We sighted our first wallaby: startling one as we drove into the park.  We saw another shortly after we began our hike.  It watched us for a while before bounding away.  It was a little bit magical to see one in the wild.

We saw our first invasive species as well--a giant beautiful red fox.  Along with the feral goats, they're a bit of a problem for the native wildlife.  (However, we did not see any goats.)

The trail and the walk was incredibly beautiful.  The eucalyptus trees don't provide substantial shade so even in the forest the ground is blanketed in grass.  The large boulders everywhere felt like ancient statues, covered in lichen.  Except for magpies and the breeze, it was completely silent. Even though the scenery wasn't that similar, it reminded me a lot of our trip down to the Smokey Mountains last year--for some reason the temperature, the humidity, and the lush green felt familiar to that area.  Much more peaceful, however--a good place for forest bathing.

We met a pair of professional nomads on our way out.  We stopped and chatted for a while: beginning with the unseasonably warm weather and impacts of global warming (according to them, ten years ago it would have frosted by now, mid-April).  Once they learned we'd just relocated here, of course they recommended all the places in the New England region we need to be sure to visit (only one of which I can remember now).  They were very personable and seemed like really interesting people.  They've been on the road since 1978.

Wollomombi Gorge was a good hike to complement the Gara Gorge trail: the hike itself was not quite as beautiful but the views of the gorge were breathtaking.  It was also a bit more strenuous--a lot more hiking up and down the gorge slopes.

You have to cross private grazing land before you get to the park.

Wollomombi River from the first overlook of the gorge

Wallabies: exceptionally cooler in real life.

We saw a few wallabies, actually--the best was when we saw two chasing each other on the opposite side of the gorge.  They made a couple loops before separating and disappearing under the trees.  We also saw a mystery creature: coming down the gorge side, we just barely caught a glimpse of a small, dark animal with a long, curled tail.  I would guess it was a brushtailed possum but for the fact that we saw it in the daytime.

We were coming up a hillside when the birds in the trees suddenly started calling the alarm.  I thought they were just warning everything to our presence when a wedge-tailed eagle flew right over us--low, just above the tops of the trees.  Other than that, we saw more of the same: Shy crimson rosellas, magpies (everywhere), and these cute little (tiny!) gray songbirds with a golden belly.

Crossing the river

Most surprising of all, we saw an echidna!  Just on the side of the trail, it was sleeping next to a log.  We couldn't believe it.  Took some photos and some video before heading off to the last lookout point at the end of the trail.  It was still there when we came back, though it had moved a couple feet back.  I never thought I'd see an echidna in the wild.  Even though they're found in every part of Australia, I don't know how common they are--maybe this was just the first sighting of many, or maybe we'll never see one again.

What an unusual creature.