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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!

 

 

 

 

Tasmania 5 

The east coast is so incredibly beautiful  and accessible that we had no choice but to visit many of the turn-offs that lead to one WOW photo or moment after another.  Seeing two right whales was one such moment that we couldn’t record on camera.

Our stop at the fruit farm with (good) WiFi made us both very happy as the only charge for the internet was whatever we would buy anyway. That meant, in our case, 2 "long black" coffees, "a slice" (a new expression we’ve learned here that seems to mean something to eat with your coffee) and 2 containers of just-picked raspberries and strawberries. Good deal, even at Aussie prices.

This post will have mostly photos from previous stops on the Tassie journey because I simply don’t have enough time to get to all of them unless we have a very good connection, which is quite rare.

As I write this on Saturday, in preparation for our next blog opportunity, we’re beside the crashing turquoise waves of Stumpy’s Bay in Mt William NP. We have lovely neighbours, Forster’s Kangaroos as they’re known in Tassie (Eastern Greys elsewhere) and the sweetest wallabies. Apparently the rest of this state is having a 35-37 degree today but it is more like a perfect summer day where we are.

I absolutely LOVE wallabies! If I could have one as a pet, I'm sure I would! This one seems to be singing to herself, "I'm so pretty, oh so pretty..." and she definitely is!

This one is chowing down on these beautiful trigger plant flowers.

And this one must have a full tummy and be ready for a nap.

Note this echidna's sandy nose, feet going in all directions and ... 

spiny tail to go with the rest of him!

This pied oyster catcher chick, almost as big as the parent, was trying to act convincingly "starving".

 

wattled lapwing, a very common but surprising skittish bird

 

Australian swans, handsome with their bright red bills and white wings in flight.

 

Cape Barren geese

 

one of our favourite sights, pelicans soaring overhead

 

On our way to Mt William NP in the northeast corner of Tassie, we explored the coast wherever possible. The white sand spit (all the sand seems to be pure white) is about 6 KM long and projects parallel to the coast creating a sheltered lagoon that all sorts of birds appreciate. These crested terns were having a good rest until a sea eagle startled all but one of them into flight.

 

This sleepy lizard was basking on the road side and simply wouldn't move.They often lose their tails so are also called stumpy lizards.

 

 

On our way to our camping site in Deep Creek, we encountered this sign. It made me glad I wasn't in a tent!

 

This was the view from our campervan: a lagoon with orange rocks and crashing turquoise sea behind. And not another living being was there with us, except the roos and wallabies.

At sunset, the orange lichen on the rocks comes aglow. It's truly breathtaking. 

 

And it's not too bad in the morning light either.

 

 

 

The Eddystone Light House (in the background), built in 1899, is surrounded by masses of these golden composite flowers, probably not indigenous to here but still very beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

Tasmania 4

On our second awakening in Freycinet, the wind was still howling so we decided to explore the leeward side of the peninsula. Good decision. We had a great day exploring one amazing beach, viewpoint or seaside trail after another – in relative warmth and calm. Words can’t do justice to the beauty of this Australian Island state so the pictures will have to suffice.

The wattle trees are in glorious full bloom, masses of tiny yellow balls.

Sleepy Bay

Sleepy Bay

Cape Tourville Lighthouse

Patersonia

a heath flower, maybe an erica?