Yay Tasmania!!!

We have just gotten back from our first trip out of the state. Last thursday we flew to Tasmania with my folks for an extended weekend(meaning we skipped class!). Before we left, everyone told us, "Ohh, Tassie(pronounced Tazzie) is really cold!" After feeling what they called cold here in Sydney, we weren't expecting too much. In their defense it was chilly-especially because most buildings didn't have heat!

Our first few days were spent in Hobart, the capitol. After being in a city of 4 million for quite a while, a city(more townish) of 150,000 felt REALLY nice! It was much more laid back and with no hustle and bustle of the big city. We rented a car and my dad drove quite expertly on the left side. The turn signal and windshield wipers were on the opposite side, so left turns were signaled by our wipers. Much good seafood was eaten: clam chowder, shellfish, bluefish, fish 'n chips etc. All the food we had there was spectacular.

We first went to Salamanca market. It is a market where one can buy all different kinds of crafts, and food. There was a fresh juice stand with fresh apple cider which made some money off of us all. On our first full day, we went to Port Arthur down on the southern tip of the island. It was a old prison colony from the 19th century. The ruins of some of the buildings were still standing for people to wander through. We saw the main prison building, the insane asylum, the church, and various other buildings. The land was beautiful and so incredibly quiet that we rather enjoyed being there. IF we were to be incarcerated some day, we would much rather be in a Port Arthur prison than a Sydney one. They even had a set of leg chains you could try on. We have pictures, but the computer is moving REALLY slowly tonight so they'll come later.

The next day we headed for Cradle Mountain in the North. It was a 4hour drive but was well worth it. Along the way, my dad got a crazy notion to stop in one of the little towns to see 'character.' The three of us agreed grudgingly to humor him. It was a good thing we did. We stopped at a little tea house and had scones and hot soup for brunch. It was the most adorable little house. It looked like it was straight out of the countryside of jolly old England. There were little stone houses and old windmills and a sign to drive slow because of "Ducks, ducks."

Back on the road, I got a chance to drive on the left side. It wasn't as hard as I thought. It was a highway without much traffic so that made it easier still. I signaled with the windshield wipers, too. There was another little town we stopped at with a neat church and shops that sold wood and wool crafts. We finally got to the cabin on Cradle mountain. We had a nice two bedroom one back in the woods with a fireplace and heated mattress pads. This cabin was not heated and it was significantly colder here than in Hobart. Temps got to right around freezing. We played some cards and then went to bed. The heated mattress pads were heavenly! It felt so good to climb into a warm bed from the cold room and we felt so relaxed! The next day(and our last), we got up and went for a hike around a mountain lake. The views were spectacular! Just before in the parking lot, we saw a wallaby and a pademelon(basically a small wallaby) eating grass and scratching themselves. They seemed unconcerned as cars drove by and we stuck cameras in their face. Our next adventure was to the Tasmanian Devil ranch! Despite the loud noises they make and the misrepresentation in cartoons, they are actually quite cuddly. We learned about the ways of the Tassie Devils and the woes they are facing (and have faced). But the best part was that they picked up one of the devils(by the tail!) and let us pet them!!!! We took many pictures so there is proof, but it's on my parents camera because my batteries had died. Once we get them, we'll post some of them!

The day ended with us back at the airport-with our original suitcase this time!- and ultimately back to Sydney. We hit the ground running yesterday and have busy schedules until the end of June. This hasn't stopped us from planning our next trip to Tasmania already!!!!

~Mike