tassie is the nfld of oz

on sat night, we flew into hobart on the se coast. hobart is the cap city of tas and 2nd-oldest city in oz. cute little city on the water. cold here! went for nice meal of fresh fish on harbour front. and
coffees at nice cafe at harbour next morning. and a chilly morning at that!

picked up hired car at 10.30 and strated drive north to coles bay, gateway to freycinet national park. was a varied drive thru framland, forest, and along the coast. i'm surprised at the amount of farmland here - didn't expect it at all.

coles bay is pretty little town on the water and the first plastic bag-free town in oz =). lucked into an awesome cottage near the water. had a jacuzzi tub! haha. luxury. drove into national park for evening walk around lighthouse track and then sleepy bay track. white-bellied sea eagle here!!! rounded out the evening relaxing in our own little home with wine, meet the fockers, and a game of monopoly.

next day did awesome hike in freycinet nat`l park - gorgeous 12-km circuit in to wineglass bay and hazards beach. wow. trail thru endemic silvertree peppermint (Eucalyptus sp.) forest, rocky outcrops, to gorgeous white sandy beaches, thru rainforest, marshland, and along coast. mom says it`s the nicest hike she's ever done. saw bennett`s wallabies! and mara and i got some good birds. yellow-throated honeyeater! and mara spotted a red-bellied black snake in front of me while i was looking up at birds. it's venomous and very pretty.

eft early next morning for 5-hr drive west to strahan and gordon river national park. midlands of tas all rural farmland, much like new zealansd. closer to strahan drove thru windy and mountainous state forest parks. rained most of the day. pretty rainforest, but queasy drive toward the end. i was ill by the time we got to strahan. spent night in huge 2-bdrm house.

next day drove 4 hr northeast thru cradle mountain national park to launceston to catch our flight to canberra. nice mountainous drive, then along coastline eastward to launceston. stayed at 'the stables', circa 1838; our room was a converted horse stable. so cool. early morning flight to canberra, the capital of the country.

photo 1 is wineglass bay, freycinet nat'l park

photo 2 is us at wineglass bay beach

photo 3 is red-bellied black snake

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