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Lost Luggage Found!

Finally, our 2 suitcases are back with us, in our home. Frankly, I never thought I'd see them ever again. Isn't that just what we needed after some 30 + hours in transit and 2 Thursdays running (because of crossing the date line!)

Now, to find out from Pacific Coach Lines what on earth has happened to Jock's suitcase that they "lost" on Oct. 29, said they found some time during Nov. but has since then disappeared again .....

Dallas Airport

Unbelievable! Qantas has lost our luggage on our way home. What a trip this has been: Jock's lost on the way here and both lost on the return. More when I can, probably from home.

Tasmania 8 – Narawntapu NP

 

We both have fond memories of this park from our visit 10 years ago when its name was Asbestos Range NP. Many NPs in Australia have been renamed with aboriginal names – harder for us to say and remember but apparently quite good for intercultural relations in the country.

 

white-faced heron

 

 grebe

 

 

We have lovely neighbours in our campsite:

paddy melon with joey

 

paddy melon youngster

wombat

native hen

 

And a lovely view out the back window:

 

Not to mention spectacular scenery in all directions:

 

 

Not so nice challenges in the washrooms:

 

 

 (I know that you who are aware of my feelings for snakes are laughing at my reaction to seeing this sign and I just want to say, “Constipation is NOT funny!”)

 

 

Tasmania 7 – Fairy Penguins!

We left the glorious sights and sounds of our last grand but empty (of people) beach and wandered cross country, stopping along the way to enjoy sights such as this:
These kids were having a great time floating down river to the sea. What a great place to be a kid!

We stopped at Low Head, a point north of Launceston on the north shore of Tassie.

Low Head Lighthouse

 

 hebe

Our caravan park was extremely functional, new and well-maintained, right across from the tidal river and not far from the sea. On check-in, I asked about penguins and that’s how we ended up going on a guided tour of a fairy penguin colony about 3 minutes’ drive north.

As darkness falls, the parents, who have been at sea fishing all day, start to emerge from the waves onto the beach. We all couldn’t help but laugh as they appeared as if by magic, only their glistening white bellies visible in the darkness. They’d shake themselves off, do a little shuffle to find their land legs and then start waddling up the beach, through the rocks and thorn bushes, toward their waiting chicks.

 

 

The guides held their orange-spotlights (orange light apparently doesn't bother the birds' eyes).

We were told to stand aside while they came up, or even to sit on the ground for taking photos, and just wait quietly. Amazingly, they came right to us, beside us, around us, and even under one woman’s legs as she sat with them outstretched, resting on a rock!

 

 

All of this took place while the cries of both the waiting chicks and the arriving parents echoed back and forth between land and sea.

This fat chick is waiting outside its burrow. The adults weigh only up to a kilo but the chicks become much heavier as the parents keep feeding so that, on their own in a few weeks’ time, the chicks have a little extra to keep them going until they figure out how to catch their own fish.  

Here, the father stands guard outside a burrow while the mother penguin regurgitates food for the chick inside.

close-up of mother and chick in burrow

 

Unfortunately for these fairy penguins as for so many other marine species, humans are taking so much of the same foods from the sea that the penguins’ numbers are declining.

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cutest animal ever!

Paddy Melon joey

Tasmania 6

We had lots of fun in Mt William NP by doing a lot of almost nothing. The pounding waves are so soothing that it is all too easy to be so relaxed that reading the paper (The Australian) or photographing our wallaby neighbours is almost too much effort, but .....

 

Late in the afternoon, this mother stopped near us to let her joey out for a little exercise. You can see that she leaves the pouch open so that joey can clamber back in easily, and he did exactly that when another wallaby arrived quickly and spooked him. It's hard to imagine how compact he must become to fit back into her!

 

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Our biggest challenge on this trip seems to be staying awake until we can go for a night drive in search of animals that are hard to see except in our headlights. We started around 7.30 pm and found these gorgeous jewel beetles on the wax flowers:

 

 

 

 

The Forsters kangaroos were assembled in one mob or another on the far side of the grassy field where they were feeding.

We were delighted to see quite a few live wombats after the dozens of road-killed ones we've seen on Tasmanian roads. This one didn't seem to realize that we were right beside him so we had a great little visit with him, though in fast-disappearing daylight.

 

Almost dark and yet we were able to capture this scene for our memories....

... and this one, both of which remind us of the joy we found in simply watching the interactions among the members of the mob. A few of them were bounding around for reasons we couldn't fathom. Most were silent sentinels in the grass, mulling over our presence but seemingly not really bothered by us - as long as we stayed in the car!