Photographs Copyright 2004 by Tom Dempsey.
I
shot all images on this page with a Canon Powershot G5 compact digital
camera. I last updated this page on March 5, 2010.
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In comparison to the rest of Australia, Tasmania offers a greater
variety
of sights closer together, which makes it a perfect travel
destination, our favorite place in Australia! Little
Maria Island alone offers surprising
variety, including spectacular sandstone patterns (image on right),
interesting history, important fossils, hiking & biking, accessible
via a short ferry ride. If you are a hiker or backpacker, you will
really enjoy Tasmania's world-class Overland
Track from Lake St Clair to Cradle
Mountain, which provides both huts and tent pads. The parks here are
wild, exotic and beautiful. In 1982,
UNESCO listed the parks of Tasmania
as a World Heritage Area, including: Southwest National Park,
Franklin-Gordon
Wild Rivers National Park, and Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National
Park.
Travel Tips: I recommend at least a week to
explore Tasmania, better yet, two weeks like we did. Since reservations
are often
tight even in "shoulder season" in
Tasmania (partly due to a new overnight ferry bringing cars from
Sydney), I recommend renting a
camper,
which conveniently lets you show up in most parks without a
reservation,
provides a kitchen, and carries all you need without reshuffling
luggage.
(We rented a car and stayed in cabins/lodging
booked a few days in advance, which took a little extra worry and phone
calls.) Note that roads are extra narrow in Tasmania, which might seem
harrowing in a camper.
Tasmania reminds me of
both
New
Zealand and Washington (which are more
spectacular). The sightseeing equivalent to Tasmania in the
USA
might be the state of Oregon, except for the
added pleasure of
experiencing
unique Tasmanian and Australian wildlife and plants, isolated on a
remote yet civilized island.
Left: Blue Tongued Skink, Bonorong Wildlife Park, Tasmania.
Russell Falls, Mount Field National Park. Published
in Wilderness Travel 2006 Catalog of Adventures.
Above: Nelson Falls, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.
Left: Nelson Falls,
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park,
Tasmania,
Australia.
Above right: Tannins from trees color the Surprise River brown, in
Franklin-Gordon
Wild Rivers National Park.
Below: Wineglass Bay, located in the wilderness of
Freycinet
National
Park (stitched from 5 images).
Above: Dog Line Memorial, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman National Park.
Above: The Tessellated Pavement is a unique natural geologic wonder
in
Tasman National Park, Tasmania.
Above: Tasman's Arch was carved by the Tasman Sea, in Tasman
National Park.
Left: Old growth Tasmanian forest is unfortunately now chipped and
shipped
to Japan to make high grade paper. (Seen from the Maria Island ferry,
out
of Triabunna, Tasmania.)
Above: I encountered these two big Cape Barren Geese on a beach on
Maria Island. Cape Barren Geese were introduced to Maria Island
National Park in 1968 from Bass Strait Islands to help ensure their
survival as a species. Now they thrive and are no longer endangered.
They naturally range across the coasts and islands of southern
Australia. The Cape Barren Goose, Australia's only native goose, was
first sighted on Cape Barren Island (second largest of the Furneaux
Group of 52 islands, located northeast of Tasmania). Cape Barren
Island has the distinction of being "the largest island of the largest
island (Flinders Island) of the largest island (Tasmania) of the
largest island (Australia)."
Below: Vertical sandstone bands in the Painted Cliffs of
Maria
Island National Park, Tasmania.
Young swimmers & snorkelers explore the beautiful sandstone
Painted Cliffs of Maria Island National Park, Tasmania.
Above: Carol and I camped on a nice tent pad at Kea Ora Hut on the
Overland
Track, with pretty sunset light on Cathedral Mountain. Cradle
Mountain-Lake
Saint
Clair National Park.
Above: Snow gums and Cathedral Mountain seen from near Pelion Gap, on
the
Overland Track. Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park.
D'Alton Falls makes a worthwhile side trip from the Overland Track,
Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park.
Above: Colorful bark on gum trees (eucalyptus) on the Overland
Track.
Cradle
Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park.
Below: Carol and Tom hike Dove Lake, and Tom later scales Cradle
Mountain seen here:
Carol hikes above Dove Lake, admiring
Cradle Mountain, in Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park,
Tasmania, Australia
Blocky dolerite rock columns atop Cradle Mountain.
Lichen on jumble of dolerite rocks atop Cradle Mountain.
Above: Barn Bluff (5114 feet elevation) is an eroded pinnacle of
dolerite
rock, seen from Cradle Mountain and the Overland Track.
Above: Lichen on rocks atop Cradle Mountain, which is a side
trip on the
Overland Track.
Cradle Mountain reflects in Dove Lake, in Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint
Clair National Park.
Massive columns in King Solomon Cave, Mole Creek Karst National
Park.
Page 2 (this page): TASMANIA:
Wombat
, Tasmanian Devil
, Russell
Falls, Mt Field NP , Freycinet NP
, Tasman NP , Maria Island NP , Cradle Mountain-Lake
Saint Clair NP & Overland
Track , Mole
Creek Karst NP
Page 1: Sydney,
NSW ,VICTORIA , SOUTH
AUSTRALIA , WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Copyright 2004 by Tom Dempsey. Photographs or text may not be copied without permission. Click here to buy a copy of any image on this page.
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