Tasmania

Tasmania has a climate that is a lot like Canada in the autumn – cool nights and days that could be hot and sunny or could be cold and rainy. We’ve had everything. But while it reminds me of home in the weather department, the flora and fauna are so unusual. And in five days I’ve seen everything from rain forest to farmland and vineyard to alpine forest to foreshore. And animals? Like nothing I’ve ever seen: wombats and echidnas and Tasmanian devils and platypus. When you seen them you think, this can’t really exist ... but it does and likely is on the loose on any given night in Tasmania.
It really is autumn here and the harvest is coming in. While we were in the Tamar Valley we did plenty of roadside stopping at orchards for fresh raspberries, strawberries, cherries and apples. Peaches and nectarines. And when we got closer to Hobart, especially the Swansea area, walnuts. Mmmmmm.

And, I did not know what a thriving wine industry Tasmania has. The whole Tamar Valley really reminded me of the area around Kelowna. Big lake down the centre and hills rolling back into vineyards, far as the eye can see. JC and I did lots of cellar door visiting. (A warm-up for the Borassa Valley next week). Several cases of fine vintage are, even as I type, on their way to Valleyview via the wonderful Australian post office. Which happily delivers wine by the case. I love those guys.

Tuesday night we spent on Cradle Mountain. It was like being in Kananaskis, except that the critters that we coming around the cabin door were wallabies instead of deer. They were so tame, came begging to the tourists for food. One little one was so tame it even let us pet it. The air was cool and crisp and so alpine – but the trees were treeferns and myrtles and eucalypts – species so old God was playing like a kid in the Creative sandbox when these were made.

By Wednesday we were back across the Tamar Valley and making for the east coast. Just as beautiful as I have heard and hoped for and expected. You have to see my pictures to appreciate the colour on the sea. One to the left. As th weather changed and the sky changed, the sea changed colour. We spent Thursday night in Swansea, and the water was the most amazing green. Had a beautiful dinner at a restaurnat called The Ebb, looking out to sea as the sun set and sea changed from green to black. What a view.

The roads from Cradle Mountain, through the rainforest, and out to the coast (and all down the east cost) were sooo narrow and winding. I have to admit I spent quite a bit of time feeling motion sick and Joyce maneuvered the wiggling road beautifully in our "Yeller Feller" - s little yellow Getz that hugged the road and embraced every bump and swerve. I also was sea green.