Trekking Tasmania
Photo gallery: Tasmania, Sydney and the devils' conservation program |
| Say hello to the devil while in Tasmania |
By Faith Caplan and Greg Turnbull
Special to The Advertiser
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Tasmania is all about wildlife, nature, fresh produce and wines, and a colorful history, some of it ugly — the brutal treatment of convicts in the 19th century and annihilation of the Aborigine population. There are environmental scars, too, from logging and strip-mining.
But the heart-shaped chunk of land, discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, is also one of the last great wildernesses on earth and Tassie's latitude, 150 miles south of Australia, one of its greatest assets. Here are vast tracts of unspoiled forest sheltering some of the oldest trees on Earth, pristine beaches, ancient mountains and a bizarre cast of animal characters found nowhere else on the planet, all in a temperate climate comparable to America's Pacific Northwest.
And because we like island destinations, Tasmania fit our ideal vacation model: days of bush walks and exploring, followed by great food and wines to round off the evenings. So with walking in mind, we resisted the urge to see it all and settled instead for at least two nights in each place to decompress, chat with friendly hosts, take off on car safaris if we chose, sample some of the best oysters anywhere and yet still came home to O'ahu feeling we'd covered a lot of ground and found the solitude and magnificence Tasmania has to offer.
CRADLE MOUNTAIN: STALAGMITES AND STALACTITES
Dripping rainforests of Tasmanian myrtle, beech and pandanus trees, framed by jagged mountains, make up Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Claire National Park in the center of the state. Tasmania's famous 50-mile Overland Trail begins at Cradle Mountain in the north and ends at Lake St. Claire, Australia's deepest freshwater lake in the south. Visitor centers bookend the park, but there is no through road. The Cradle Mountain side is more popular and much more developed with hotels, spas and restaurants.
Recommended hiking: If you're not up to the tough Overland Trail, the Dove Lake Circuit is a beautiful hike that begins with a boat ride to Narcissus Hut and a walk back to the visitor center along the lake. At Mole Creek Karst, two limestone caves are filled with amazing white stalagmites and stalactites.
Lodging/dining: Lemonthyme Lodge, a few miles from Cradle Mountain entrance, is a destination in itself. Large log cabin with comfortable but Spartan guest rooms, video lounge, sitting area with fireplace, dining room and huge veranda. There are also private cottages. Nearby trails lead to lovely waterfalls. The restaurant is excellent, and breakfast is included. Every evening, a naturalist feeds the wildlife and discusses their habits.
BRUNY ISLAND: HOME OF THE MINI PENGUINS
Tasmania has its own offshore islands, including North and South Bruny, connected by a narrow isthmus, "the Neck," and a single two-lane road. Although we just missed the season, there is a fairy penguin rookery viewing platform along this road where, after sunset, you can watch the smallest penguins in the world return to their sand-dune burrow nests from the ocean.
Recommended: Our three-hour Bruny Island Charter Cruise of Southern Bruny National Park coastline took us to where the Tasman Sea meets the Southern Ocean. Sculptured cliff faces, arches and sea stacks harbor spectacular wildlife: dolphins, seals, albatross and shearwaters. Wet-weather gear is provided, as are cookies and tea (yes, we needed it all that day!).
Tasmania's violent history is never far off, and Cape Bruny Lighthouse, first lit in 1838, was built with local stone by convicts. Bruny's rugged coastline, with hiking on the Labillardiere Peninsula, was our land entree to its remote beaches and beautiful bays.
Many of the great 18th-century seafarers: Capt. William Bligh, Capt. James Cook, Matthew Flinders and the French Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux (whose visit in 1792-93 gave his name to the Island and the channel), dropped anchor at Bruny Island. You can read their logs at the Bligh Museum of Pacific Exploration in Adventure Bay.
Lodging: At Adventure Bay Holiday Village Caravan Park offers everything from tent sites to en-suite cottages. We opted for charming, rustic, wood cabins or "dollhouses" with shared kitchen and bathhouse in separate building. White and brown wallabies were among wildlife visitors. White wallabies are found only on Bruny Island. www.adventurebayholidayvillage.com.au.
Dining: At the Penguin Café, Bruny's famous "Get Shucked" oysters are small, sweet and delicious. Tasmanian and mainland Australian wines accompanied food so delicious we ate there two of our three nights, and would have eaten there a third if they had been open. www.penguincafe.com.au, www.getshucked.com.au.
Getting there: Reach Bruny Island via a 20-minute scenic ferry ride from Kettering. Cost: $28 per person.
MORE GREAT WALKS: MOSS, FERNS AND FALLS
Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service and Forestry Tasmania maintain a wonderful system of walks that range from 10 minutes to eight hours. Many include boardwalks and are wheelchair accessible. Top of our list:
Find these and more at "60 Great Short Walks,"online, www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/shortwalks/index.html.
VINEYARDS: DRINK UP SCENERY
Yes, we know, you're thinking "all this hiking and exploring, when did they get to the vineyards? Well, it was a challenge, but with the quiet determination we're known for, we selected around a dozen vineyards, and guess what? We visited them all.
Tasmania is known for rieslings, pinot noirs, chardonnays, and dessert and sparkling wines. Tasmania's tourism board publishes brochures for the northern wine route around the Tamar and Piper rivers, and the southern route that includes Derwent Valley and Huonville.
RECOMMENDED WINERIES:
Home Hill is a winery, cellar door and restaurant at Ranelagh, in Tasmania's Huon Valley about a 30-minute drive south of Hobart.
The 12-acre vineyard is planted with award-winning pinot noir, chardonnay and sylvaner grapes. Home Hill's elegant glass-walled restaurant has stunning views of the vineyard, farmland and mountains, and music from its resident pianist. www.homehillwines.com.au.
Stefano Lubiana Wines is a vineyard and winery at Granton, in the Derwent Valley, a 15-minute drive north of Hobart on the Derwent River.
Fifth-generation winemaker Steve Lubiana established the vineyard in 1991, bringing to Tasmania a family winemaking legacy stretching over 200 years. Chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, riesling and nebbiolo, and behind-the-scenes insight into a working winery. www.slw.com.au.
Pipers Brook Vineyard, in the northeastern Pipers River wine region, is the home of Pirie Vintage sparkling wine, which has been described by international wine writers as one of the best sparkling wines in the southern hemisphere, plus cool-climate pinot noirs and chardonnays. Lunch or afternoon tea at the lovely Winery Café gets you tasting plates of produce, and cheese platters perfect for sampling more of the estate's wines.
Pipers Brook Vineyard is at Pipers Brook, about 50 minutes' drive from Launceston. www.kreglingerwineestates.com.
Guides to Tasmania's wine routes are at www.tasmanianwineroute.com.au.
HOBART: HISTORY, DEEP-SEA WONDERS
Small and neat, Tasmania's capital Hobart straddles the Derwent River, its Australian colonial architecture rising above a fine deep-water harbor. The city dates from 1803, and nowhere is its maritime history more evident than in its historic waterfront terraces.
Today, the city is most famous for the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, one of the world's premiere blue-water races, beginning in Sydney Dec. 26 and finishing in Hobart on New Year's Eve.
We found ocean life of a different sort at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, where the elaborate "Islands to Ice: The Great Southern Ocean & Antarctica" exhibit explores Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and what makes the great southern wilderness a world of its own.
It's not all history, either: A rare giant squid that recently washed up near Strahan, on the west coast of Tasmania, is now at the museum. The squid, thought to have been more than 25 feet long, weighed in at 300 pounds. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, free, www.tmag.tas.gov.au.
The Salamanca Place Market (Saturdays only) in lovely historic buildings is easy to see on foot. Fresh produce, crafts, food stalls, used books, posters and swap-meet-type wares. We stopped here to pick up food for our road trip to Kettering, 23 miles from Hobart on the southeast coast.
Recommended hiking: Russell Falls at Mount Field National Park, about 50 miles west of Hobart, is a 120-foot backdrop to a magical valley of ferns and 250-year-old blue gum trees on the "tall trees circuit" walk. Tasmania's last-known thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was trapped in this region in the 1930s.
Lodging: Russell Falls Holiday Cottage, Mount Field National Park, has self-catering cabins but with few options for dining.
Dining: Barilla Bay Seafoods and Restaurant, www.barillabay.com. Fabulous oysters come with an ocean view and extensive wine list, and you can tour the oyster farm. Peppermint Bay Restaurant, www.peppermintbay.com.au, has excellent seafood soup, fireplaces and couches; most welcome on cool days.
Grandvewe Cheeses, www.grandview.au.com, offers free tastings of their cheeses and wines, and tours. The pecorino and the gewurztraminer were favorites.