Tasmania .... devilishly fun

While Tasmanian Aboriginals had occupied the island for some 35,000 years, the first European to visit this island was Abel Tasman (a Dutch explorer ... are you reading this Hermen?) in 1642.  However, the first settlers did not arrive until 1803, a large number of convicts and their guards. One of the most notorious, and harshest, penal colonies was established in Port Arthur, not far from Hobart.  This prison housed the hardest criminals that Britain and Ireland could produce and, while this was conceived as a model prison, it had some of the harshest conditions existing anywhere on the earth. Surrounded by shark-infested waters, it was billed as being inescapable.  One enterprising convict covered himself in a kangaroo hide and tried to escape except he forgot to recon on half-starved guards who tried to shoot him for a meal. In fact, as late as 1996, during a prison riot, 35 convicts were massacred (the Port Arthur Massacre), the worst in Australian history. Because of European diseases, the Tasmanian Aboriginals were virtually wiped out.

Richmond bridge, built by early prisoners

 

Despite this early history of Tasmania, this is a fun place to visit.  If you are active, there are hundreds (literally) of hiking, biking, and walking trails of various difficulty not to mention kayaking, surfing and other water sports. On our first day here, we took a tour of Richmond, one of the earliest settlements in Tasmania, and visited a wildlife preserve.  The town itself dates back to the earliest convict settlements, including a bridge built by these early prisoners. At the wildlife preserve, we had a wonderful time playing with kangaroos, watching Tasmanian Devils being fed with actual carcasses and seeing them rip apart this food, crunching right through any bone as if it was butter.  We also got to see two Koala bears being handled and feeding on eucalyptus trees.  There were also a variety of other marsupial animals such as opossums, spotted quolls, and a couple of baby wombats.  There were also a variety of birds and reptiles.  What a great place to visit!

Tasmanian Devil (they really are quite cute)

Gail playing with kangaroos

Koalas at lunch time

Spotted Quoll

Any older devils looking for a new home?

John with a young "roo"

 

On the second day we each escorted a tour of “Hobart Highlights”.  This was a four hour bus tour of the town of Hobart and the surrounding area.  The highlight was taking a winding and twisting road up Mount Wellington to the top where the wind was so strong it would literally knock you to your knees if you were not careful.  On the other hand, the view of the valley and city below was spectacular.  On the way back down, we visited the local botanical gardens and another outlook featuring a view of the bridge and our ship.

View of Hobart from the top of Mount Wellington

Flat Stanleys waving "goodbye" to Tasmania

After our tour, we wandered off to see the town on foot.  We had a birthday lunch for John at Muses, a wonderful seafood restaurant with some of the best fresh fish we’ve ever had.  We also had some Tasmanian Cascade beer from Australia’s oldest brewery (established in 1834).  The beer was wonderfully refreshing, by the way. We returned to the ship in time to leave for Sydney, where we will arrive in 48 hours.

Birthday beer for John