On the way out of Hobart we visited the Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Center, which focuses on conservation, education and native animal care. The animals here were orphaned or injured and brought here for rehabilitation. Pictured here are the koalas and kangaroos; they are marsupials (babies in a pouch) as are most of Australia’s native animals.
The Tasmanian devil is found only on this island. It is the largest carnivorous marsupial, but mostly acts as a scavenger. They eat about 15 pounds per day; if pressed, they can consume half that amount in 30 minutes.
As we hit the road, we tried our first pack of Tim Tams, a rich chocolate cookie unique to Australia and New Zealand. This was the beginning of a month-long love affair - for the rest of the trip we tried every flavor - original, caramel, dark chocolate, double-dipped, hazelnut, Black Forest, coffee. Occasionally, we'd try some other local delicacies, but Tim Tams ruled as the favorite.
We traveled across Tasmania on the Heritage Highway, through small towns that were built (by convicts) as stagecoach stops. We saw lots of cattle and sheep farms before we rolled into the town of Ross, the sheep and wool 'capital' of Tasmania. We stopped at the Ross Tea Room to try Australian meatpies for lunch.
Ross is another convict-built town with lots of sandstone structures, including a beautiful bridge over the Macquarie River. Ross looks much like a sleepy English town. Its main intersection in town is known as the Four Corners of Ross: temptation, recreation, damnation and salvation - the pub, the town hall, the jail, and the church.
Further along the road, we stopped in the little town of Sheffield for a little sightseeing and a bit of fun. Sheffield's claim to fame is the painting of murals all over town - just about every building has one. Most depict the early history of the area; there's an annual contest to select new projects for any remaining blank walls.
After a look at the murals, we all gathered in the local pub to watch the Melbourne Cup - Australia's answer to the Kentucky Derby - a huge horse race that draws the whole country to watch either in person or on television. We had a little pool among our group, so we each had a horse in the race - we joined the crowd, pulled for our favorites, and cheered the winner. Nobody got rich.
Onward to our final destination - Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, a huge area of temperate rainforest and steep mountains. We stayed at the Cradle Mountain Lodge, in little cabins in the woods. Spa baths and fireplaces inside the cabin and interesting little critters (wallabies and wombats) wandering around outside made this a memorable place to stay.
After a short rest in our cozy cabin, we all headed out to walk the Enchanted Trail - along a rushing stream, amid giant pencil pines and myrtle beech trees. We saw some patty mellons (very small wallabies), Bennett's wallaby, and a wombat.
Dinner was a grand affair in the lodge, followed by a slide show about the park and its animals. Then we were off in a four-wheel drive vehicle for a spot-lighting tour - riding through the woods looking for animals. In spite of the drizzly rain, we saw quite a few animals.
After a short rest in our cozy cabin, we all headed out to walk the Enchanted Trail - along a rushing stream, amid giant pencil pines and myrtle beech trees. We saw some patty mellons (very small wallabies), Bennett's wallaby, and a wombat.
