Tasmania Trip: Ferry -> Home

We woke up at 5:30 (this holiday has involved a lot of early mornings) and got dressed and packed then went out to the eatery to have some breakfast. Liam had a lovely feast, the rest of us ate a bit and then the girls and I headed to the gift shop for one last holiday purchase - Millie bought an oven mitt styled as a Tasmanian Devil, which she uses as a puppet - it is very cool.

Then we gathered up our bags and headed down to the car, we were one of the first cars off. We drove off the ramp into a large puddle of water - one of those flash floods we'd heard warning of on the weather the night before. It was just after 6:30 when we came off the boat into a rainy Melbourne morning. We dropped Tony off at his car (he'd left it at a friend's house) and were home by 8am.

It was great to be home, the kids in particular felt very happy to be back even though they'd enjoyed the holiday. It was weird to be here without animals. We spent the morning eating, unpacking a little bit, Tony sorted out the dishwasher which had stopped working just before we left, we cut some wood and stocked our woodpile, watched TV, set up Caitlin's new iPad Mini, and just settled back into home nicely.

In the afternoon our friends came over and bought Stripey back - a very happy reunion for all, and especially for Caitlin and her friend S.

Now to get on with organising Liam's birthday party (Sunday), finish unpacking, sort out the trip photos, and get on with our every day lives.

It was such a wonderful holiday and I'm glad we went in winter this time, it let us have experiences we wouldn't otherwise have had, and places were not as crowded or hectic as they sometimes are in summer.

Over the next couple of days I'll be adding photos to those posts which are currently just text, and the kids want to write a few more blog posts as well - so keep checking back for a few more days.

Tasmania Day 13: Cradle Mountain -> Devonport

Our big day yesterday took its toll on everyone. Caitlin had a very restless night's sleep and woke up with a fever. Millie had fallen asleep without eating dinner, woke up in the middle of the night and had some juice, and woke up in the morning and threw it all up. I was particularly worried because we had to drive out along a very windy road and I thought having 2 sick girls was going to make it much harder.

Millie picked up after a while though and ate a huge breakfast. Caitlin was extremely tired and I wasn't really surprised after her big climb yesterday. The kids watched TV while Tony and I packed and cleaned. As the kids were getting in the car to wait for us to finish, a pademelon came and hung around the car which was an exciting end to our time in this caravan park. A currawong also hopped in the open door and started to peck up crumbs - we shooed him off and closed the doors.

As we left we headed down the road towards Cradle Mountain for one last peek, then turned around and set off for Devonport. We had considered doing a few things on the way seeing as we had all day to get there, but with the girls feeling off colour we decided to get there as soon as possible and take it easy for the afternoon. The trip through the bends wasn't too bad - we were well equipped with lollies to suck on, water to drink, windows down when necessary, and Tony took it quite slowly. We stopped for a couple of quick photos of Mt Roland, then up to Devonport.

Our plan was to go back to the playground where we'd played on our first day - when we arrived however it was windy and freezing cold and no one felt like getting out of the car. We ate some lunch in the car overlooking the ocean, then went for some indoor activities - we found a play centre which had indoor rock climbing, a science centre, and a jungle gym play area (also laser tag but we skipped it). Caitlin started with the rock climbing, the women were very impressed with how quickly she picked it up, and she made it nearly to the top on a couple of walls. In the meantime I took Liam and Millie into the science centre, where we played with balls, air, pendulums, bugs, microscopes, a train set, an igloo made from foam blocks, and a few other activities which were all quite entertaining. Then the 5 of us went into the play area where Millie and Liam played happily for about 2 hours, while Caitlin sat exhausted with Tony and I - she had revived for the rock climbing then crashed once it was done. Liam made a friend and it was a lovely relaxing and fun way to spend our last afternoon.

Once they closed (after a couple of games of air hockey on the way out) we went and found a quick snack and got some cash, then off to line up for the boat. We sat in the queue for almost an hour before we were able to drive on to the boat, then up to our cabins and then to the eatery for dinner. The kids knew what to expect this time so picked the food that they wanted to eat and it worked much better than on the way over. The movie tonight wasn't of interest, so we watched The Block and House Rules on a couple of the various TVs around the boat, and Liam and Millie and I played Uno. Liam popped into the gift shop and the lady remembered him from the trip over and asked how his holiday had been. Caitlin crashed early, the kids and I went back to the cabin to read Anne of Green Gables and Liam and Millie played with their animals, when Tony returned I went to bed too and he stayed up (not long) with the others. The trip seemed less rough this time and everyone (even me) got to sleep quite easily.

Tasmania Day 12: Cradle Mountain

Today was a MASSIVE day and another pretty special one.

We’d talked about having breakfast down at Dove Lake in time for sunrise, but everyone was up early enough to have breakfast and get ready before leaving at 7.30. It was foggy at the caravan park and about half way down to the lake we came out of the fog to a clear morning. We excitedly waited for our first view of Cradle Mountain – and except for the very summit on the right hand side it was free of cloud. There were only 2 other cars at the lake before us and it was about 10 minutes until sunrise. I sat down on some rocks at the edge of the lake and watched the tips and then the face of the mountain slowly light up. It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful and as good as I had been imagining it might be. I felt like it didn’t matter what happened for the rest of the day, I was completely happy. The kids played near the edge of the lake and then we sorted out warm gear enough to go for another walk.

Sunrise on Cradle Mountain

Caitlin was great at making sure there were some photos of me in places I enjoyed

Tony had originally hoped that if we had a clear day we might attempt to make it up to Marion’s Lookout, which gives the most magnificent views of the lake, mountain and everything in the whole area. Its quite a climb though and after the Dove Lake Circuit yesterday we thought it would be too much for the kids. Liam  and Millie both get quite tired when walking – Millie can go in the carrier but Liam has fewer options and can become quite discouraged and lose interest in his surroundings. We decided to start with a short walk which could then be extended a few times depending on how everyone was travelling.

Our first destination was Lake Lilla, which sits just near Dove Lake but at a much lower altitude. Millie hopped in the carrier on my back and we set off through more beautiful forest and down along the side of Lake Lilla. When we reached it we found the path went over a cascading waterfall. The kids played on the rocks around the cascades and I even went down onto them so Millie could touch the water. Looking back towards the lake we could still see Cradle Mountain towering above the ridge beyond the lake. In fact I’d been thinking we wouldn’t see the mountain much on this walk but it was hardly ever out of sight.

Lake Lilla with Marions Lookout (the highest peak in this photo) and Cradle Mountain in the background

Everyone was feeling pretty good so we continued on to Wombat Pool, up a very long stretch of stairs. At the top of the stairs we had a view of the two lakes, looking like Dove Lake was hovering above the other, it was quite incredible. Down the other side of the ridge to Wombat Pool, where the kids climbed a tree and we had a bit of a snack.  Liam had had enough by this stage while Caitlin, Tony and I felt like we could go further. We decided that Tony and Caitlin would keep going and at least reach Wombat Peak, further if they felt like it, and I’d take the other two back to Dove Lake and we’d play at the Boat Shed until the others returned.

Dove Lake with Lake Lilla below it

Tony, Liam and Caitlin at Wombat Pool

We split up our supplies and went in our two different directions. As we climbed up from the pool we saw Tony and Caitlin climbing on the other side and reaching a couple of fantastic lookouts. We slowly made our way back, investigating trees and rocks and views as we went. When we reached the Boat Shed we could see people way up on top of Marions Lookout and wondered if the others had made it that far. Liam and Millie played in the edge of the lake and the rocks on the shore and explored around the Boat Shed and I took photos of the reflections in the lake and chatted to other walkers and we all played hide-and-seek.

Liam jumping off a rock on the track to Lake Lilla

Boat Shed and Cradle Mountain

Liam and Millie at the Boat Shed

After about 45 minutes, Tony and Caitlin arrived from the opposite direction than I’d been expecting. They had climbed up to Marions Lookout and come down the steeper path to join on to the Dove Lake Circuit. They were both pretty pumped and I was so excited that they’d made it! Caitlin had been wishing that we could get right over to Cradle Mountain and this was a satisfying enough substitute.

We went back around to the path down from the carpark (which was now full of cars) and I took more photos, we played along the edge of the lake there, Caitlin, Liam and I trekked along the shore to some rocks I’d been wanting to take photos of (it was a muddy track and we nearly got our boots stuck) then we set up on a big rock just of the path to have some lunch. While we were hanging out there in the sun the clouds finally lifted completely off the summit of Cradle Mountain and we had a completely clear view of it. With Dove Lake reflecting the blue sky it was one of the most beautiful and inspiring views I’ve seen. We took a long time over lunch, Tony and I could have sat there all day enjoying the view. It was a very peaceful and restful hour or so.

Lunch at Dove Lake with view of Cradle Mountain

Finally a view of the mountain with no clouds on the peak

Eventually we left Dove Lake (around 1.30pm) and drove back to the Interpretation Centre, which had information and displays on the geography, history, plant and animal life of the Cradle Mountain area. We played and read and watched a video and pored over the 3D map of the area. Once we’d had our fill of the Centre, we headed out to do the Enchanted Forest walk – a short walk either side of a river, with waterfalls, mossy trees and logs, fungi. There were 3 man made tunnels for the kids to climb through, which were painted inside with scenes of animals and plants of the area, along with the names of all the animals.

The Enchanted Forest

From here we quickly popped down to Pencil Pines Falls which was a 1 minute walk from the carpark. They were pretty and a nice finish to our walk. By this stage the kids (Caitlin in particular) were completely exhausted. I dropped everyone back at the cabin and then went back out to do a little bit of gift shopping – and saw 2 more wombats on the way.

At 5pm we headed out again to go to the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary just down the road, to see a night time feeding. The guy doing the presentation really knew his stuff about Tasmanian Devils – it was different to other animal tours I’ve done, he wasn’t all bubbly and entertaining, he was there to share information about Tasmanian Devils and the risks to their survival. I learnt heaps. We were able to pat a Devil, and then watch them feeding in groups which was much more exciting than the individual Devil we’d seen fed earlier in our trip. We also saw quolls being fed – I think quolls are my new favourite animal.

3 Tasmanian Devils feeding

We arrived back at the cabin and watched TV, ate a very late dinner, and went to bed as soon as we could!

Tasmania Day 11: Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain is one of my favourite places in the world so today was pretty exciting and special.

The morning was spent sorting out our clothes washing – there was a problem with the machine I used last night and my clothes were still stuck in there this morning, 2 maintenance guys worked on it for a while and eventually we were able to transfer my clothes to the other washing machine and get some clean clothes. The kids watched TV and did puzzles while that was all being sorted out, and it was raining quite consistently so we didn’t feel like we were missing out on the scenery too much.

By late morning though I was ready to go. I convinced everyone else to catch the Shuttle Bus down to Dove Lake as it isn’t far for us to walk to the Visitor Centre where it leaves, and the National Parks literature all recommends catching the bus. The information I had said the bus goes every 10-12 minutes, however when we arrived the guy said every half an hour and we’d just missed one.  We explored the Visitor Centre for a while, then when he said the driver was having a lunch break so it would be 10 minutes later, we bought some ice creams to pass the time. Of course the bus came before the 2 youngest kids had finished their ice creams and the driver said he’d wait for them to finish but everyone was impatient to get going so I put the ice creams in a bag and they kind of survived the journey but the kids weren’t very happy. (OK it doesn’t sound like a very special day so far but it does get better).

Seeing Cradle Mountain again was very exciting, it was still quite cloudy and the peak wasn’t visible, but the lower horn was popping in and out of sight as the clouds moved.

Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. Glacier Rock (where we had lunch) is at the middle left of the photo

We set off on the Dove Lake Circuit. Millie was happy to walk on her own, Liam ran ahead and we made our way to Glacier Rock, where we sat in the drizzly rain and had a bit of lunch. I’d seen people standing there as we approached and it looked quite scary – it’s a large roundish rock rising up from the lake – it has a beautiful view and it feels quite exhilarating to be on, I was rather nervous when the kids were moving around on it but we asked them to stay at the back so it was quite safe. Millie walked on her own a bit further and then asked to go in the carrier on my back, she fairly quickly fell asleep. We walked along boardwalks and well made tracks, with varying views of Cradle Mountain and the cloud hiding it then revealing parts of the mountain in quick succession. A little beach off the main track provided great views and some enticing trees to climb. We could have stayed there a lot longer except that we knew we needed to be back in time for the last bus and there was still a long way to walk. The track wound through mossy forests with a huge variety of trees, sometimes through more open land covered in button grass, sometimes through eucalyptus, fagus, king billy pines, pandanis. 

Mossy forest

Having Millie asleep meant we made much quicker time, the other 2 kids walked really well. We even saw a wombat just off





the track at the far end of the lake, at the base of Cradle Mountain. Despite seeing so many at the 1^st place we stayed, this wombat was extra exciting and special as he was truly in the wild, not part of a large free-range sanctuary. He munched his grass unconcerned by the crowd of spectators (us and another group of walkers) trying to get a good photo. We crossed some pretty creeks and walked through an amazing area called the Ballroom Forest – a magical, mossy, spacious and breathtaking stretch of forest. 

Caitlin in the Ballroom Forest

Millie was awake by now, and luckily happy to stay on my back (although there was a very long stretch of stairs at one point which was harder work with a 13kg load – it was much smoother going though with her there, able to see everything and comment on it, without having to navigate it herself). We played a little at the boat house, Millie got out of the sling and played as well, then walked for a little while, and then we finally made it back to the carpark – it was listed as a 2 hour walk and it took us 3 ¾ hours – probably the longest walk our kids have done, and we were impressed with how well they handled it, even when they got tired or had a fall.

Family in front of Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain and mist. It was drizzling on and off all the way around the lake

It was all so beautiful and peaceful and I loved every minute of it – so great when something I’ve been looking forward to so much actually works out as well (better actually) than I’d hoped. I took quite a lot of photos (I imagine no one is surprised) and will remember this walk as a highlight of this trip and one of the top walks I’ve done. We didn’t quite ever get a clear view of Cradle Mountain but I got plenty of partial shots and we’re hopeful of getting a clear view tomorrow or Thursday.

Cradle Mountain and (faint) rainbow

We were all quite weary by the end of the walk, very pleased to get on the shuttle bus when it arrived – last bus of the day and it was very crowded, Millie sat on my lap so that everyone could fit on – and then walked back up to our cabin (stopping to buy more ice creams to make up for the melted ones earlier on). We’ve had a beautifully relaxing evening in the cabin tonight – some puzzles, some tv, some crochet, some games which involve a lot of noise and jumping and laughing, some experimenting with dropping lollies into lemonade and observing bubbles and colour changes etc – and now we’re all ready for bed.

Tasmania Day 10: Hobart -> Cradle Mountain

I woke up at 4.30 and remembered that I’d left the groceries in the esky in the car. Luckily the Tasmanian nights are cool enough that everything was still cold so no harm done – except I couldn’t get back to sleep after I’d put them all in the fridge. Millie woke up not long after so we played games together and on the computer for a while, then I started packing and getting organised to leave. Caitlin’s friends came and asked her to go and play so the kids went to the playground for a while. 

We left (as usual) around 10.30 and stopped for petrol and cash, then headed north. This was our longest driving day, and listening to The Faraway Tree on Audio CD helped pass the time very well. Millie fell asleep which also made it easier to get further without a stop. We made it to Deloraine before we stopped for lunch, the kids played in the playground and around the waterfall and on the suspension bridge, made a few friends and patted some dogs, then we were on our way again.

The last leg to Cradle Mountain was a beautiful drive, especially seeing Mt Roland, with cloud covering the top. The windy roads were a bit tough on Caitlin’s stomach which was not unexpected. We made good time and arrived at the caravan park just before 4. This meant Tony was able to watch most of the Collingwood-Melbourne game on TV.  Caitlin and I went for a walk to the Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre (which was closed) and to the Caravan Park Reception where we bought a map of walks in the Cradle Mountain area so we can plan our stay. We saw 10 or more currawongs and a pademelon on our way. All the cabins here are set in bushland, we feel quite secluded and I think this will be a great place for seeing wildlife just outside our door. I wandered through the dark bush to the laundry and had a bit of an explore of the park, Caitlin joined me (she somehow found me in the dark) and we ran into a couple of possums on the way back. One of them was on a log right next to Caitlin's head and gave her a bit of a fright.

Its raining tonight so not sure what we’ll do tomorrow, will depend on the weather, but it will involve walking somewhere in the Dove Lake vicinity. It’s (not surprisingly) much colder here than in Hobart so I’ll be hunting out all the waterproof and warm gear tonight before we go anywhere tomorrow.  We’re all pretty tired after our day of travelling so although I’d love to do a sunrise at Dove Lake it might not be tomorrow morning…

Tasmania Day 9: Millie's birthday/Hobart

Millie’s 4^th Birthday!!!!

Everyone was awake before 7 and piled into the big bed for Millie’s present opening. From Caitlin she got a little wooden cat, a wooden ladybug in a case, which wobbles when you touch it (the ladybug, not the case), and some cat lego. From Liam she got a white stone which she’d admired the day before at Salamanca Markets. Tony and I gave her a Toy Story book, some Toy Story lego, and a Daddy zebra – to complete her Schleich brand zebra family, although she pointed out that she needs a big girl zebra and a big boy zebra to complete the family – she’s only got the mummy and daddy and baby zebras.

Millie receiving her Daddy Zebra

The big kids then helped her make her lego creations while Tony and I had a lie in. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, then down to the playground for some more mini golf and a play on the wooden boat. Caitlin and Liam mastered walking along the edge of the boat without any help – Millie can do it while holding somoene’s hand. We handed the golf clubs back and then set out for Bonorong Wildlife Park. We arrived in time for the 11.30 tour and watched and listened as the keeper showed us a baby wombat, Tasmanian Devils, and a koala. Liam answered lots of her questions, and we were all able to pat the wombat and the koala. The keeper was very information and I learnt lots. I’m astounded at how quickly the Tasmanian Devil population is diminishing – I kind of knew it was, but she put it in perspective more effectively than anything I’d read or heard before. After the guided tour part we were free to wander around the rest of the sanctuary, feeding and patting the kangaroos and seeing other animals such as quolls (who I love) and native birds, and a few more Tasmanian Devils, including one who was lying asleep on his back with all four legs in the air. At one point we were all completely surrounded by kangaroos, wanting their share of the kangaroo food we’d been given when we arrived. We hung around with the kangaroos for ages, I think we were the last remaining people there who’d done the 11.30 tour. When the 2pm tour started Liam went along again so got to see the animals close up one more time and learn more about them. After browsing the gift shop the kids ate the giant lollypops that we’d bought yesterday at the markets and we headed back to the cabin.

Tasmanian Devil

Kids patting a koala

Liam feeding a kangaroo

Caitlin and her herd of kangaroos

Millie is in there somewhere

The kids went and played in the playground and Caitlin met a couple of girls around her age. They played Uno for a while then came and made some hot chocolates for everyone. Once the girls went back to their cabin, we had Millie’s birthday cake – 3 pieces of chocolate almond slice which I had found at the markets. We had a 4-shaped sparkler for a candle and Millie enjoyed cutting up the slice and distributing the pieces. The rest of the afternoon we spent relaxing in the cabin or down at the playground, before getting ready to go out for dinner (and do one last shop for food supplies for our time at Cradle Mountain).

Millie's birthday cake

Millie had wanted to go to a pub for dinner for her birthday, and I wanted to go somewhere near the water since it was our only meal out for this holiday. None of the pubs in town seemed suitable but I found a Bar and Restaurant  (Blue Skies) that catered well for kids, so we went there. The kids menu came on paper with a colouring in picture on the other side, and they provided a cup full of crayons. The kids meals were only $10 and came with a drink, salad and chips. Our seats overlooked the water and the kids all enjoyed their meals and the colouring in, and Tony and I had delicious meals as well. Afterwards we went for a bit of a walk towards Salamanca Place to check out a light display on a canopy in front of one of the exhibition buildings, the kids played in the big area underneath and I took some long exposure photos.

Family at dinner

Liam and Caitlin twirling in front of Salamanca Place

We were all exhausted after dinner and pretty much went straight to bed once we returned to our cabin.