Tales of the Empire

Very near Hobart is Mt Field National Park, where we saw Tasmania's groves of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest of all flowering plants, rivalling coast redwoods; froze our butts off circumnavigating Lake Dobson in wind-blown sleet; and unsuccessfully searched for platypus, reputed to be common there. We stayed too late on our platypus hunt, and had failed to book accommodation, so as the afternoon turned into evening, we drove the country lanes, hoping to find a cottage or a B&B with space for the night. After striking out at 6 or 7 places, one cuter than the next, we were forced to retrace our steps to New Norfolk. The rain was beginning again, and dusk was falling, as we checked the signpost list of lodgings on the edge of town. Explorer Lodge was the closest, so we headed there. Success at last! The lovingly restored former home of a pulp mill engineer from Canada, built in the Greek Revival style, offered us just the cozy space that we were looking for. During breakfast the next morning, we discovered that the owners had once lived in Botswana, where we traveled in 1987. Even more surprising, they had owned the Nata Lodge, on the edge of the Makadagadi Salt Pans (another end of the earth kind of place), where we stayed on our way to Chobe River National Park. The wife said she thought we looked familiar! Sometimes it really is a small world.

One more Strahan memory

We have met many Aussies, and because this is a county of immigrants, most of those we've met were born elsewhere. However, watching the sunset at Ocean Beach near Strahan, an elderly native-born Aussie engaged us in conversation while he and his wife waited for the muttonbirds (short-tailed shearwaters) to come in. I will not forget the tears flowing out of one of his eyes (perhaps from the wind) as we talked about Sarah Island and he told us his great, great grandfather had been transported for "nothing more than stealing. They didn't deserve such a terrible punishment." I suspect there are many others who feel the same.

Tasmanian adventures continued

Strahan and Sarah Island: In spite of what we had been told about the west coast's foul weather, and in spite of all the rain we were experiencing, we made the trek out to one of the end's of the world, to Strahan, on Macquarie Harbor. To learn a bit about Australia's convict history, and see World Heritage Site-quality temperate rainforest/wilderness, we took a catamaran cruise on the Gordon River. Through rain showers, we headed out to Hell's Gate, then entrance to Macquarie Harbor. Only 75 m wide, it effectively limits entrance to a harbor 5 times the size of Sydney's. The rain ceased just as we reached the rainforest, where we disembarked to take a short trek through dripping "pines" of several species. Huon Pine is the most famous - actually a Podocarpus, it grows very slowly for 1000s of years, forming dense, hard wood of great longevity. One of the best timbers for boats, it was harvested by the convicts confined to Sarah Island, a 12-acre dot within Macquarie Harbor, where the worst of the worst convicts endured the weather of the roaring forties. We had a guided tour of Sarah Island, where we learned that after the early, most horrible years, when convicts formed suicide pacts to "escape," and 1 escapee who headed overland with 6 others but was the only one to make it to Hobart (he ate all of the other 6 during the effort), things actually got better for the convicts, many of whom were convicted originally of nothing more than stealing food. A ship builder came to Sarah Island, taught them a trade, and they built many ships. it was so much of a success that the Motherland shut down Sarah Island - expensive to maintain and totally ineffective in deturring crimes of convicts elsewhere. I guess we haven't learned much since then! To be continued ...

Summer in Tasmania

1 Dec: breezy, cool, clearing
2 Dec: clear and fine
3 Dec: cloudy, then rain in the afternoon, and overnight
4 Dec: overcast in the morning, then rain and sleet in the afternoon
5 Dec: overcast, some heavy showers. Clearing at sunset
6 Dec: broken clouds to start, then mist and drizzle, rain off and on, clearing later
7 Dec: overcast, some drizzle and showers, then clearing
8 Dec: broken clouds, then clearing, one stray shower

On 2 Dec, one of the nice days, we had arranged a guided day of birding on Bruny Island, in the far south of Tasmania. It worked out perfectly, considering what it could have been. Bruny is carved into bay after spectacular bay with intervening farmland and forest land. Our guide led us on a very compact day of birding and botanical sights, leading us to all 12 species endemic to Tasmania, and a bunch of new birds for the trip. One highlight was an evening stop at the little penguin and short-tailed shearwater colony on the island. At dusk, shearwaters begin swirling over the nesting colony in groups of hundreds or more, and just at dark, groups of up to 30 or so penguins (these guys are only 2 lbs each) come out of the water and, huddled together for protection from predators, scamper across the beach into the dune grass. An avian spectacle for sure.

Melbourne

Bright lights, big city. Did a winery tour today, not something we have ever done in California, but hey it's a different country. Varietals have different expressions here. Several merlots we tasted were almost unrecognizable as merlot, with less juicy fruit and more complexity. Pinot noirs are more familiar, some with what we call 'old tire' on the nose, a kind of burnt rubber aroma that is not as unpleasant as it sounds, an aroma we know from Santa Barbara pinots for example. Cabernets tend to be softer, and less oaked than what Napa fruit can handle. And the food scene here is a happening thing. We went out on Saturday in the pouring rain (yep it's still raining here) to a place that specializes in wood-fired pizza, and had fabulous thin crust pizza, done the way it is supposed to be done, and with a lot of very interesting, innovative, but 'within the tradition' topping combos. It was a trip, as we sat at the bar and watched this place buzz.

Music in the background has been entertaining too. In the last two days, we have heard The Doors - Light My Fire, Janis Joplin - Break Another Piece of My Heart, Creedence Clearwater, Neil Young - Heart of Gold, Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry, and Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra dreaming of a white Christmas.

Climate change & politics downunder

We just happen to be here for a possible "meltdown" of the Liberal party (read conservative) over the issue of climate change. Said to be the biggest dustup of Aussie politics in a generation. The Liberal (opposition) leader is supporting the position of the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to do something active to fight climate change. Imagine the Republicans fully supporting Obama on this to get an idea what this is about. The Liberal base harbors many non-believers on the subject (in spite of Sydney's hottest temps ever right now and bushfires blazing everywhere). A large contingent of Liberal party "senators" have walked out and are after Turnbull's head. He remains defiant and gave an impassioned speech about fighting climate change being the right thing to do for Australia's (and the world's) future. Aussie politicians call a spade and spade - no pussyfooting around, no spin, just what they truly think and why. Refreshing, to say the least! Tuesday is showdown day - we can't wait to see the results of all this!!

Around and about

Left the Stirlings several days ago, and, since the weather finally cleared, decided to work on the sunburn, and chase down some rare birds, so off to Cheynes Beach for a night. Success on both counts, the sunburn at a nearly deserted two-mile crescent of azure water, the birds at a roadside stakeout for the noisy scrub bird, an elusive denizen of the coastal heathlands, that sings vigorously, but won't come out of the scrub, except at Cheynes, where one or two are known to cross a particular road at particular places at particular times, namely near sunrise and near sunset. We were rewarded with two one-second glimpses. Better than nothing.

Working our way back to Perth, through Albany, a former whaling town, but not that much former. Whalers from Albany took 1200 whales a year as late as 1975. Now there is a whalewatching ecotourism industry instead. Albany is also a port for transshipment of wood chips to Japan, and grain grown in the Wheat Belt.

Melbourne next,

DnA