Tasmania, part 2 - into civilization?

As I mentioned in my last post, Queenstown, TAS is nothing like Queenstown, NZ. Or Queenstown, Maryland either. It was mined for gold and copper and the trees in the surrounding hills were all cut for lumber. It doesn't look very pretty, but it is a convenient stopping place when you are driving the west side of the island. And they have a good Pub there, as a beer was much needed after my prolonged driving "practice".  Had we planned this better, we would probably have headed a little to the west and stayed in Strahan, (pronounced STRAWN) a pretty town on a protected harbor. But no.
Hoping for better scenery out of Queenstown we turned east, climbing through some impressive hills and cresting along a gorgeous plateau with this view:

From there it was all downhill to Derwent Bridge and Lake St. Clair, the southern terminus of the Overland Track. This is not just some day hike, but a serious 7-10 day trek through the heart of Tasmania. My cousin (who leads treks in the Himalayas) had recently completed it and said it was "challenging".  Not for us!

From here it got increasingly less wild and more farmed, and we assumed more populated by wildlife as we saw these signs often -

We were now on the outskirts of Hobart, the largest city in Tasmania. It has an incredible history: of a penal colony, a trading post, and a jumping-off point for Antarctic exploration. We however were there for the wine, the cider, and the farm-to-table food.There are many "farm gate" produce stalls and eateries in the Huon Valley, south-west of Hobart, well worth the one hour drive. Well, it would be one hour, if we didn't stop at almost every stand...

Tasmania - not QUITE the edge of the known world

Since I now live in Australia, I thought I better explore this massive country/continent some more. Next stop? Tasmania! It sounds so exotic, and no one I know has ever been there, including my Aussie husband. Since it is an island there are of course only 2 ways to get there. Airplanes, or car ferry, which we chose. "We can drive around the island!" I said. "We'll see a lot, I can get more practice driving and it will be an adventure!"
What I failed to take into account was that a lot of the roads - especially on the wild west side - were, shall we say, rustic. And we had a 'city' car; white, low riding, no 4 wheel drive.  It was an adventure, all right.
It started out quite pleasantly with a smooth sailing on the Spirit of Tasmania across Bass Straight, which is on the edge of the "Roaring 40s", a maritime region known for its fierce winds. But not that day!

As soon as we disembarked in Devonport, I started searching for places where I could get up close and personal with a real live Tasmanian Devil. I knew they really weren't like the cartoon character but they still have an awesomely ferocious reputation. There are several wildlife parks and rehab centers on the island, fortunately one was just a few kilometers down the road. With my trusty Aussie navigator in the passenger seat, I pointed the car towards Wings Wildlife Park. After several detours down tiny winding roads, and a bit of time stuck behind cattle that were being herded to a pasture across the road, we arrived and found that we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. It was fabulous! They had Emus! They had Wombats! They had kangaroos that I could hand-feed! And they had Devils!!! We got there in time for feeding so got to see their incredibly powerful jaws at work. They looked a lot cuter than I expected...

After staying overnight in the quaint town of Wynyard we set out west, along the coast. Near Arthur River is a plaque on the coastal rocks that tells you there is nothing between you and South America but open ocean. It really made us realize how remote this was! Things really started to feel even more remote as we drove inland from that tiny town; the road was no longer paved, it had narrowed down to one-plus-a-bit lanes wide, and there were no signs at all. Fortunately it is the only road through this region so we weren't going to get lost, we hoped... 
After what seemed like days and days on this road (did I mention that I was driving, to get "practice"?) we arrived in the settlement of Corinna, on the banks of the Pieman River. There were two signs, one that pointed up a road saying that the bridge was 30+ kilometers away. The second sign looked more promising as it said there was a car ferry from that point. Just go into the Pub and inquire at the bar; if the bartender is not busy he will take you across. That's what I call service! And this was the ferry -

The road improved on the other side of the river and soon we arrived in Queenstown, which sadly is nothing like the place with the same name in New Zealand. We probably should have spent a little more time there though, as the history of mining in the area is quite interesting.
Next post - On to Civilization!

Riding a camel to see the sunrise on Uluru!

I can now cross TWO items off my bucket list! Although, as that list is continually being added to, I haven't really made a dent in it. But two - in one trip! We had some friends visit from the States and being excellent travelers they planned to see various sites across the country. And, being excellent friends, they invited us to join them on their jaunt to Uluru. Yes please! My Aussie husband had been there once, long long ago on a school trip, but I had never been. Plus, this was a new State for me - Northwest Territories!
And so we went, and it was incredible. We stayed in an apartment at the Ayers Rock Resort which is about the only civilization for miles and miles. They actually do a good job there, really emphasizing the Aboriginal reverence for Uluru, and offering tours that seem to be sensitive to their culture. We were only there for 3 nights so that kind of limited our options, as we didn't want to just run from one thing to the next. So that is how I came to sign up for the "Camel Tour to Sunrise". Fortunately we were there in the beginning of May (late Fall) so sunrise was at a somewhat reasonable time, a little before 7. The shuttle picked us up at Zero Dark Thirty and took us ("us" being one of my friends and I, we couldn't talk the other two into it) even further out into the bush to a camel ranch. And this is what was waiting for us!



 A bit of history - camels were brought to Australia in the 1840s for use in exploring the Outback, some escaped into the wild and they have been quite happy, breeding to pest-like numbers. So this camel ranch rounded up some and tamed them, and now we were going to ride them through the desert to see the sun rise and illuminate the massive iconic rock that is Uluru. If you have never been on a camel, I highly recommend it. They have a swaying almost hypnotic gate, and their height gives you quite a good view across the land. And what a view it was!

Season(al) Disorder

So today is officially the first day of Autumn in Australia. But it is not yet the equinox, you say. No it most certainly is not! However like so many other things, Australia assigns the season a little differently than everyone else - they start their seasons on the first of the month which is the Meteorological way of doing things. I had never heard of this as I have lived all my life believing that the seasons changed on the Solstices and Equinoxes. This I have learned is the Astronomical reckoning of the seasonal changes. This has been very educational because I have also learned that there are MANY other ways of assigning the seasons:
Ireland uses an ancient Celtic calendar system to determine the seasons, so spring begins on St Brigid's Day on February 1. Some cultures, especially those in South Asia have calendars that divide the year into six seasons, instead of the four that most of us are familiar with.
In Finland and Sweden, the dates of the seasons are not based on the calendar at all, but on temperatures. Here, spring officially begins when the average temperature rises above 0 °C (32 °F). This means that the seasons within each county start and end on different dates, depending on the regions and their climate.

It still feels like Summer, so I am holding out until March 21st to admit to Fall. 

Driving Lessons

I have now driven in 3 countries. The U.S. (of course) Canada, and now Australia. Canada almost doesn't count as a separate country as it is just like driving in the States except with that kilometer thing.  My Aussie husband has driven in lots more countries, Italy being his "favorite". He says that any non-Italian who drives there has to be crazy as there are so many unwritten rules of the road.
As he was born in Australia and learned to drive here, he has become my driving instructor. Australia being it's own land mass can make up whatever rules it wants to for driving, so they drive on the left (British) side of the road. In Melbourne there are all sorts of rules about how to drive with trams, as they use the same lanes as cars and the tracks run down the middle of the streets. They have stops every other block it seems, and you are not allowed to pass them while they are letting passengers on or off. Your only chance is to pull up next to them at an intersection and beat them out of the gate when the light turns green. I love the tram system, when I am riding on one. Driving behind one? Not so much. 
Back to my instruction. My husband, not wanting to add to his grey hair suggests that Sunday mornings would be a good time for me to get behind the wheel and work on my driving skills. Not too much traffic, and people aren't quite in as much of a hurry to get places, he says. Sounds good to me! So we set off, following streets that are near and familiar to me. My confidence building, I head for a main street with a tram line. Of course I time it perfectly and turn in right after a tram has passed. What should have been a quick 10 minute drive now stretches into an eternity, with me anxiously looking for an opportunity to pass the tram, and my husband sweating in the passenger seat, praying that the tram does not make any stops for the next 10 kilometers. Fortunately for all involved we arrived at the road that goes to our place, I turn left off the tram line, and my husband can breathe again. Strangely, he has not suggested another driving lesson for me...

More Language Confusion

So I moved from the United States to Australia. Easy, right? Both countries speak English! I won't have any problem understanding them, or them understanding me. Piece of cake? Not exactly...
They speak English, yes, but have a whole lot of different words for things and that confuses me daily.
Am I walking on the sidewalk? NO! It is a footpath. Do I put gas in my car? Of course not - it is petrol. Post, not Mail. Splash back, not back splash in the kitchen. A pie is most often savory and filled with meat, not something you get with a scoop of ice cream at the end of your meal. A Hotel is not a place you can get a room for the night, it is a pub. Actually it is like a Sports Bar, as they all have a million TV screens showing different races you can bet on, and often rows of slot machines or "Pokies". However they also have Chicken Parma specials with which you get platters of food bigger than your head for very reasonable prices, so I can overlook the other things... 
And my favorite? Cotton balls are called "cotton wool".  I think they are confused, as it cannot be cotton and wool at the same time.

And don't even get me started on the spelling differences! Harbour. Colour. Authorise. My spellcheck goes crazy every time I try to type anything. It is going to take some time to assimilate.

Hunting for good beer

The apartment we just moved into is right above a shopping center. We have a grocery store, drug store, dry cleaner, Chinese massage, several places to grab a bite to eat, and a Liquor Store - Bottle Shop as they are called here. I have wine at my fingertips! Want a cocktail, but don't have all the ingredients? Why, you can just pop down and pick up whatever you need. It is all just an elevator ride away. Except decent beer. The Bottle Shop has a woefully mainstream selection, where Golden Ales are deemed strong, and a Craft Beer is Sierra Nevada. (odd thing to import!) My poor Aussie husband was very disappointed. I felt bad. And so I went on an expedition through the nearby shopping districts. All the main roads have at least a block-long grouping of shops and restaurants on them, so it was just a matter of finding the right type of shop on any given main road.
One day last week after a visit to the Australia Post shop, I almost bumped into a sandwich board advertising beer on sale for Father's Day. (it is the first weekend in September here, not June) I walked in and was surrounded by Beer Nirvana. They had an amazing selection of Stouts, shelves of actual IPAs, and even stocked selections from Moon Dog, our new favorite brewery. I couldn't wait to bring my husband there! We have to leave our complex to get the good stuff, but it is worth the 15 minute walk. NOW we have everything we need!