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In Launceston we
replaced the defective and proceeded on. Since we had for a change a
beautifully sunny day, we decided to head for Craddle Mountain straight away.
Craddle Mountain probably is Tasmanias best known tourist attraction. Here as
well , both, the World Heritage Area and the world famous Overlander Track
begin. The Overlander Track leeds through 80 kilometers of untouched landscape
further on to Lake St. Clair. Normally 5-6 days are required to complete this
walk.
We reached Craddle Mountain by an absolutely clear view and
instantly purchased a Holliday Pass to start our fotosafari without further
ado. Clear view can only be found on an average 30 days a year. Back again we
checked into our campsite and planned our walks for the following day. Since we
were slowly running out of time again, we prolongued our stay on Tasmania by
another 5 days and had the ferry arrangements adjusted. Our newly aquired
wollen blanket paid of the investment in the following nights. With the blanket
and the additionally purchased beanies we could sustain the chilling -5 degrees
celsius! We then discovered some beautiful walking tracks before heading to
warmer pastures further down the valley.
We headed on towards Strahan in
the Southwest. A touristic center in the West used as a hub to explore the
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers Nationalpark, which is as well a part of the World
Heritage Area. The Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers Nationalpark was established to
prevent the building of further dams and drowning more rainforests. This
Nationalpark as well is only accessible on foot.
At Lake St. Clair we
expirienced snowfall for the first time during our travels in Australia along a
beautiful, bitterly cold and strenuous walk. Our journey lead further on to the
Mt. Fields- and Southwest Nationalparks. The Southwest Nationalpark was
established around the Gordon and Pedder Lakes. These artificial lakes are
covering an area of 400 square kilometers. The Power Station at the Gordon Dam
generates one third of the electrical power of Tasmania. After a quick visit to
Southport, the most southern settlement of Australia , we drove to Hobart and
on to the Forrester Peninnsula, where we visited the Tasman Nationalpark and
Port Arthur.
In Port Arthur the story of British convicts is told very
lively and impressivly. Port Arthur was one of the biggest Australian penal
settlements. Here some 12'500 convicts served their sentences from 1848 to
1875. Here the first juvenil convict center of the British empire was
established which held kids of the age of 9 years and up. As well here were
some trials carried out with holding prisoners in solitary cells and if
necessary punishing the convicts with isolation in dark cells.
Along the
Eastcoast we then made our way to the Freycinet Nationalpark. Another one of
the Tasmanian icons. This Nationalpark features as its juwel Wineglass Bay and
a set of beautiful walking tracks which enable numerous beautiful beaches to be
accessed and explored. With that it was time for us to say goodbye to this
beautiful, but for us very cold and rainy island. By way of the Bridstowe
Lavenderfields near Lilydale and the Swiss theme village Grindelwald which was
built by a dutch fan of Switzerland, we reached Devonport. Here we boarded the
next day the rolling and swaying ferry back to the mainland.
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