Waratah, Tasmania

Waterfall in the front street

The Pub

View from the Pub

Across from the Caravan Park

The Caravan Park

I will always remember Waratah because it's the only town I've ever been to that has a waterfall in the front street. Its other claim to fame is that it's the wettest place in Australia with an average 314 rainy days a year, even during summer.

This part of Tasmania is so rugged, the road through here wasn't finished until 1963. In 1871 James Smith discovered tin on Mount Bischoff which made Waratah the richest tin mine in the world at that time. Now it's a lovely place to stop over on the way to Cradle Mountain.

We are camping on lush green grass instead of dried up chaff, we haven't even bothered to put the mat down under the awning - sheer bliss. $20 a night, mobile/internet access, no tv reception. We may have to invest in a satellite dish.

Burnie, Tasmania

Guide Falls

Fern Glade

Platypus etched into a large rock

A short drive from Burnie is Guide Falls, not so spectacular today but after good rain would be worth seeing.

Another short drive away is Fern Glade. We were told that you can see platypus here at any time during the day, there's no need to get here at the crack of dawn or last thing at night. At about 12.30 I asked a young German tourist if he'd seen any and he yes, about 20 minutes ago right up there by that tree. I took off to the tree and sat with eyes glued to the water until my bottom went numb. I'm beginning to think they are a myth, I am not destined to see a platypus in the wild.

Got chatting to two nice American ladies who arrived in Burnie this morning on a cruise ship, one was from New Hampshire, the other from Maine. I hate to think what they thought when they docked at Burnie, there are huge mounds of woodchips and ugly associated machinery on the docks which seems out of place on an otherwise picturesque waterfront.

Gunns is the largest woodchipper in the Southern Hemisphere. It has over 900 square kilometres of plantations, mainly eucalyptus trees. It is Tasmania’s largest private land-owner, employs over 1200 people and has a turnover in excess of AUS$600 million. Japanese paper companies buy about 80 percent of the woodchips produced by Gunns.

Woodchipping is a very sensitive political subject, the bottom line being jobs versus saving trees.

Somerset, Tasmania

Park Cafe

Pip on the beach

Somerset looking east
Somerset looking west

Somerset is a small town 6 kms from Burnie, Australia's fifth largest port .

The Somerset Beachside Park is just across the road from the beach and it must be a popular spot because we got the last caravan site - it's completely booked out with motor homes, fifth wheelers and caravans.

The cafe and gift store is set amongst large trees and it's a pleasant place to visit for an afternoon or morning coffee and delicious cakes. $22 a night, dog friendly and close to the thriving city of Burnie, population 20,000.

Reflections Arthur River Cruise

The Captain

Rainforest Walk

Sea Eagle Nest

There are two boats operating Arthur River cruises, one does a barbecue lunch but we chose the other one which promised a 'gourmet lunch with a walk in the rain forest'.

It's a full day out, boarding at 10am and back at 4pm but the time didn't seem to drag at all. Over lunch, soon perfect strangers were all chatting away, everyone has a story to tell of how we got to this place in the wilderness.

The captain has a few sea eagles on the payroll and they know each other well. When he spots them, he stops the boat and places a salmon in the water, then everyone rushes for their camera and right before your eyes, a beautiful bird swoops down, picks up the fish and flies into a nearby tree. I got so excited, I mucked up almost every shot.

It was only 13 degrees today, in February, our hottest summer month. The captain said there was a Gale force 9 wind last night and it continued all day but once we got up the river, it was smooth sailing.

A wonderful day I will never forget.

Arthur River, Tasmania

We are now on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, in fact we are 'on the edge of the world'.

The Edge of the World

Arthur River is one of the last truly wild rivers of Australia and is a recognised wilderness area of world value.

Looking toward the river in the background. Notice the driftwood left behind from a wild tide.

Where the river meets the sea

The Big Tree and Dip Falls

Just up the road is The Big Tree. It's a browntop Stringybark, at least 400 years old and 62 metres high, but they can grow to 90 metres. Its circumference is 16m.







The Dip Falls waterfall was running but only just. They had about 50 inches of rain last year in this area but it's still very dry. Notice the unusual volcanic rock formation at the base of the waterfall.

Mawanna, Tasmania

The more I see of Tasmania, the more I understand that their heritage is centred around trees and still is for that matter, judging by the amount of logging trucks I see racing around the countryside.

And it's plain to see that John, who has been running the Timber Heritage Tours here at Water Wheel Creek for three years, is passionate about trees. He's attempted to give us an insight into just how things were done in the early days and I think he's done it very well.

John squaring off a beam by hand.

He gave a demonstration of how to winch a log from 50 metres away, load it onto a log hauler and carry the log back down the railway tracks to its original position. The tracks are also made out of wood, only the curves in the track have a short span of steel for reinforcement.

Winching the log

I marvel at how our ancestors found a way to cut down and transport these huge trees so efficiently, it's a testament to their ingenuity and skill.

Rolling it onto the log hauler

Taking it back to its original position

It gets cold and wet here in the winter so the pioneers would often be wet all day and have to work in mud up to their knees. The women folk would also have to be strong in mind and body to survive such a hard life.

Interesting fact: There are no white ants in Tasmania

Stanley, Tasmania

The Nut

Many of the original pioneers are buried here in this cemetery with a view

The Town

Now that's a view

You can walk up or pay $10 and take the chairlift.

Double click photo to enlarge image.



The nut is the plug of a volcano. Imagine a volcano getting ready to erupt, the pressure underground builds up and up and all of a sudden it runs out of puff and stops. When it cools down it's stays that way. Over millions of years the outside rock gets washed away by the elements and what you have left is the plug - the nut. The lady in the Visitor's Centre showed me what geologists think it would have looked like thousands of years ago and it's much higher and wider than it is today.

It's an interesting place to visit and on a beautiful sunny day like this one, the views are fantastic. If you are fit enough, you can walk to the top or pay $10 and get the chair lift.

There is free camping on the wharf, several caravans were parked here and it's not in the Camps 4 book.

Crayfish Creek, Tasmania

Looking towards the bridge to the road

Under the bridge looking towards the caravan park.

Crayfish Creek Caravan Park is tucked away in the bush beside a tidal river 20 kms from Stanley.

There is a beautiful beach that streaches for miles just a short walk away and the camp sites are private and secluded amongst the trees.

$20 per night and dog friendly but no mobile phone/internet access here.

George Town, Tasmania

George town is another small town on the Tamar River, opposite Beauty Point. I liked the old pub on the waterfront, The Pier.

The Batman Bridge, Tasmania

The Batman Bridge is a pleasant spot to free camp beside the Tamar River.

There were 4 caravans camped here yesterday.

Beauty Point, Tasmania

Beauty Point is a tiny town at the mouth of the Tamar River, opposite George Town. It was developed to serve the nearby Beaconsfield gold mines.

The Australian Maritime College is right next door to the pub and accommodates over 100 residential students who study seamanship and fishing, they even have their own training ships.

We had a cold beer at the pub and were contemplating a fish and chip lunch until we found out the fish was flake (shark). I can't believe people still eat it when there are so many other delicious fish available.

Although we've only been in Tasmania for a week, we haven't seen any of its famous seafood yet, maybe they export it all and there's nothing left for the locals.

Beaconsfield, Tasmania

On Anzac Day, 25th April 2006 there was a rock fall in the gold mine at Beaconsfield. Seventeen people were in the mine when it happened, 14 escaped, one was killed and two were left trapped.

In one of the greatest news stories in Australian history, we all sat glued to the TV, praying that Brant Webb (37) and Todd Russell (34) could hang on. On Tuesday 9th of May, a full two weeks after the initial rock fall, the country wept with relief and joy as they stepped out of the cage onto the surface, alive and well.

It's little wonder that this town is now a tourist destination, almost every parking space was taken and I saw one tourist bus. I sampled a pie at the bakery where the media from all over the world gathered almost 3 years ago, to keep warm while waiting for the latest news and wonder where Todd and Brant are now - not down a mine I'll bet.