8 ReviewsThere was music everywhere. There was an absolute gem of an open boat being rowed around with a lady playing piano down the back and a bearded man on accordion amidships (pic 5). Every time they...
9 ReviewsWaterfalls are often a popular destination for tourists and Tassie has its share of good ones. Not all that far away (about an hour) are the most popular of all, Russell. They are located in Mount...
6 ReviewsI'm not sure what did it to be honest. But I left Hobart wanting to see so much more of the little town. In someways it reminded me of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in others, a small Danish coastal village....
5 ReviewsNorth of Hobart there is a series of villages, all of them historic. They include the famous Ross and Campbell Town amongst others but you'll notice smaller ones just off the highway that are also...
Strahan, pronounced strawn, is a town most people going to Tasmania have on their "to do" list. For a lot of people it satisfies, for others it is somewhat disappointing. The attraction is the Gordon River, Macquarie Harbour and the wilderness around the area which was highlighted when the river was threatened with damming for a hydro-electric scheme. Protests from conservationists and world wide condemnation put a stop to it but it left many people wondering what all the fuss was about and so Strahan became a tourist mecca.
However, before my first trip I enquired and someone mentioned the Pieman River cruise. Enquiries led me to find out where the place was and I booked in for the night at the then only accommodation at the place. It's about an hour north of Strahan.In your life there are things you will always remember with amazement. This was one of mine. When they coined the word...
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Hogarth Falls Strahan
by iandsmith
This track is located in the Peoples Park in the Strahan township, not far past the main tourist area. You can drive to the park via The Esplanade or walk there via the Foreshore Walking Track.This walk will take you through an example of mixed forest. Among the towering gum trees, you will also find species typical of cool temperate rainforest, such as leatherwood, sassafrass and myrtle, not to mention the wonderful array of ferns.
It's a pleasant easy walk that you'll be able to do with a wheelchair when the boardwalk is finished.One of the 60 Great Short Walks series, this walk starts at the top of Peoples Park and is a gentle, meandering stroll through sweet-smelling bush to a delightful waterfall. Local schoolchildren share their connections with the place on interpretive signs along the way. For extra enjoyment, leave the car in the town centre and take the foreshore walking track...
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Swansea
by iandsmith
I spent the night at Bicheno and decided in the morning I’d have a day off, send some emails and chill out. I then moved to Swansea where I had a pie at the excellent tourist attraction called the Bark Mill which has the most amazing machine for stripping melaleucas and extracting their oil along with an interesting museum.After that I chose to stroll the streets and savour the rose gardens. So many varieties, so many colours; Tasmania really excels with this species. I came across some historic homes and then did a walk named Loontitetermairrilehoiner. By the time I’d finished reading the name on the sign there was little time for the walk but, luckily, it was only a short one around a headland that is a home for shearwaters during the summer months but you have to wait till dusk to see them.
At one end of the walk there’s a poignant tale of a shipwreck. A story of a man named Thomas...
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Fortescue Bay and beyond
by iandsmith
After grocery shopping I opted for Fortescue Bay, this would knock off my 21st walk of Tassie’s 60 great day walks. By the time I reached there it was about midnight and sleep was the only option.In the morning I went to the toilet and met some of the other overnighters as I walked past their numerous caravans and tents. They were here for the long haul and had everything set up for a few days’ stay. They were chilled out totally and I decided to wait for a couple of hours before heading to Bivouac Bay as the weather was supposed to clear.I stepped out on to the squeaky white sands of Fortescue and headed off to the other end of the beach before ascending to the bush track. Apart from fleeting glimpses across the lovely bay there’s not a lot to see until you reach the wreck.It was originally a Dutch Trading Vessel called Andre Reboncas, built in 1907 as a steam powered ship of 164ft in...
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Cape Hauy continued
by iandsmith
I was reminded of pop music, “wet, wet, wet” came into my head as the sky darkened all across the horizon and here I was, nearly two hours from base.Where once there were left over puddles from the morning showers, now there were ponds. In places I had to side step the trail to avoid them. Though I had a spray jacket it, too, slowly seeped moisture until I reached the two hours return sign again. By then I was saturated well and truly, no longer imagining how much smarter I’d been than those who left early.There was a couple in their thirties there, wondering whether to proceed or not. They had only just finished the 5 day Overland Track 2 days ago and it had been fine the whole way. Now they were thinking of quitting this minor walk such was the weather.Within another ten minutes my boots started to squelch. What does it matter when everything including your underwear is wringing wet?...
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On to Evercreech
by iandsmith
Evercreech, where on earth they got that name from escapes me but it's certainly catching. The main attraction here is trees. Tall trees. Seriously tall trees, although the headwaters of the South Esk River that run through here are picturesque as well.
In fact, here you will find the tallest white gums in the world. Botanists were initally sceptical and seeds had to be obtained by, well, firing a shotgun (as you do). In the 1940's and 50's they were never logged due to the difficulty in getting transport into the site.However, by the 1970's a road had been cleared to the base of the tree. It was then that forester Des Howe made a fateful decision not to log, for he recognized the value of what he saw before him.Surveyors were called in and one was officially measured at 91 metres!Thus it was that in 1977 52 hectares were made into a reserve that we tourists today can enjoy.This in in...
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Port Latta
by iandsmith
Port Latta is a little known but major export base for Tasmania. Located between Stanley and Wynyard, the port is run by Danbar Marine Services, part of NWS&T. Terry Wilson is the Marine Supervisor at Port Latta.“About 2.5 million tonnes of iron ore pellets are exported through Port Latta each year, bound for China and Port Kembla,” Terry told Crew News. “We have about 14 staff at Port Latta to ensure a smooth loading operation.”The iron ore is mined at Savage River where it is crushed to a consistency fi ner than talcum powder.Mixed with water into a slurry, it is piped to Port Latta where the water is filtered out, and the ore is rolled into marble-sized pellets.“These pellets are baked in furnaces, and then stockpiled for about ten days to cool before going onto a conveyor belt out to the waiting ships,” said Terry.Terry’s responsibilities at Port Latta are widespread and include...
Savage River Mine
by iandsmith
Since 1965 Savage River Mines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pickands Mather International, operated an open-cut magnetite mine at Savage River west of Waratah and a pellet plant and loading facility at Port Latta on the northwest coast. PMI, after examining a number of options, decided to cease operations on completion of their pit mining plan, with open-cut operations ceasing in April 1996 and all stockpiled ore being treated by the end of 1996. Australian Bulk Minerals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ivanhoe Capital Corporation, took over the Savage River lease in March 1997. A $110 million refurbishment program was undertaken to allow the production of ore to commence in November 1997. The mine and proceesing plant have recently been sold to Grange Resources Limited.Magnetite concentrate is pumped from the mine site to the pellet plant via an 85 km long pipeline. The operation was...
The Nut
by iandsmith
There's a town called Stanley on the north west Tasmanian coast and it's famous for a large lump of rock called The Nut. So famous is this rock that someone even had the touristic foresight to run a chairlift up it (pic 2), still operational today.Another thing the town is famous for is fishing. Due to the protection of the cliff a thriving fishing community has found a home there from where the trawlers set forth to tackle the rich but stormy waters of the infamous Bass Strait.It's quite easy to walk up The Nut if you're so inclined (pardon the pun), just don't do so when it's windy.There a good tourist infrastructure around the area with some lovely B&B's as well as caravan parks etc.
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WHAT TO SEE & DO IN TASMANIA
by balhannah
Tasmania, and what a scenic Australian state, one that should be on your intinerary!If you have a hire car, all the better for exploring the small island.check out the website for some good ideas.http://www.australia.com/destinations/states/tas.aspx
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