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Tasmania, The Centre and the South

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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.


Through the Hills near Gowne Park Through the Hills near Gowne Park Craddle Mountain: Clear View on 30 days per year. We are lucky Craddle Mountain NP: Pademelon Craddle Mountain NP: Crawled almost undetected to our Bread in the car, a young possum
Craddle Mountain: One of the other 335 days, Craddle Mountain from Lake Lilla Craddle Mountain: Wombat Pool Craddle Mountain: From Marions Lookout Craddle Mountain: Steep descent to Lake Dove Craddle Mountain: Circuit Walk along Lake Dove
Craddle Mountain: Pandani around Lake Dove Craddle Mountain: Yet another angle Landscape near Queenstown Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Nelson River Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Nelson Falls
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Rivulet in the Rainforest Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Moss Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Moss Landscape Buttongrass Landscape near Derwent Bridge Lake St. Claire
Lake St. Claire: Coloured mosses Lake St. Clair: Mother of Shield Fern Lake St. Clair in a stormy Mood Lake St. Clair: At Narcissus Point Lake St. Clair: Mt. Ida on across the Lake
Lake St. Clair: Snow in the Moss. The weather changed from sun to rain and snow within minutes Lake St. Clair: Vie over the Lake Mt. Fields NP: Russel Falls Mt. Fields NP: Horseshoe Falls Mt. Fields NP: Lake Dobson
Mt. Fields NP: Black Currawong interested in our Food. In vain I might add Southwest NP: Mt. Anne on the Horizon Southwest NP: View over Lake Pedder from Scotts Peak Lookout Gordon Dam, holding back over 400 squarekilometers of water from Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder Lake Gordon
Tahune AirWalk: Walking amidst the Tree Tops. 48 m above the Huon River Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement formed like Loafs of Bread at the Waters Edge Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement formed like Pans further inland Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement, the Transition from Loafs to Pans Tasman NP: The coastlane on the Peninnsula
Tasman NP: Tasman Arch Port Arthur: The Convict Prison ruins of Port Arthur Port Arthur: Walking inside the ruins Port Arthur: The Asylum, people loosing their minds in solitary confinement were locked up here Port Arthur: The catholic church
Freycinet NP: View of the prominent Landmarks from the Coles Bay Campground Freycinet NP: Wineglass Bay Freycinet NP: Hazard Beach Freycinet NP: A view from the Lighthouse Freycinet NP: The Algae covered colored Rocks of Sleepy Bay
Freycinet NP: The Algae covered colored Rocks of Sleepy Bay Freycinet NP: Sleepy Bay Beach The sadly not yet blooming Lavenderfields at Bridestowe Farm near Lilydale The sadly not yet blooming Lavenderfields at Bridestowe Farm near Lilydale A dutch Switzerland lover reinvented Grindelwald here. Beautifully done
Grindelwald Resort: The Clocktower Grindelwald Resort: Chalets Grindelwald Resort: The Resort Village viewed from Tamarhorn Grindelwald Resort: The viewing platform on Tamarhorn Grindelwald Resort: The village square from the Clocktower
Through the Hills near Gowne Park
Through the Hills near Gowne Park
Craddle Mountain: Clear View on 30 days per year. We are lucky
Craddle Mountain NP: Pademelon
Craddle Mountain NP: Crawled almost undetected to our Bread in the car, a young possum
Craddle Mountain: One of the other 335 days, Craddle Mountain from Lake Lilla
Craddle Mountain: Wombat Pool
Craddle Mountain: From Marions Lookout
Craddle Mountain: Steep descent to Lake Dove
Craddle Mountain: Circuit Walk along Lake Dove
Craddle Mountain: Pandani around Lake Dove
Craddle Mountain: Yet another angle
Landscape near Queenstown
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Nelson River
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Nelson Falls
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Rivulet in the Rainforest
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Moss
Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP: Moss Landscape
Buttongrass Landscape near Derwent Bridge
Lake St. Claire
Lake St. Claire: Coloured mosses
Lake St. Clair: Mother of Shield Fern
Lake St. Clair in a stormy Mood
Lake St. Clair: At Narcissus Point
Lake St. Clair: Mt. Ida on across the Lake
Lake St. Clair: Snow in the Moss. The weather changed from sun to rain and snow within minutes
Lake St. Clair: Vie over the Lake
Mt. Fields NP: Russel Falls
Mt. Fields NP: Horseshoe Falls
Mt. Fields NP: Lake Dobson
Mt. Fields NP: Black Currawong interested in our Food. In vain I might add
Southwest NP: Mt. Anne on the Horizon
Southwest NP: View over Lake Pedder from Scotts Peak Lookout
Gordon Dam, holding back over 400 squarekilometers of water from Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder
Lake Gordon
Tahune AirWalk: Walking amidst the Tree Tops. 48 m above the Huon River
Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement formed like Loafs of Bread at the Waters Edge
Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement formed like Pans further inland
Tasman NP: Tesselated Pavement, the Transition from Loafs to Pans
Tasman NP: The coastlane on the Peninnsula
Tasman NP: Tasman Arch
Port Arthur: The Convict Prison ruins of Port Arthur
Port Arthur: Walking inside the ruins
Port Arthur: The Asylum, people loosing their minds in solitary confinement were locked up here
Port Arthur: The catholic church
Freycinet NP: View of the prominent Landmarks from the Coles Bay Campground
Freycinet NP: Wineglass Bay
Freycinet NP: Hazard Beach
Freycinet NP: A view from the Lighthouse
Freycinet NP: The Algae covered colored Rocks of Sleepy Bay
Freycinet NP: The Algae covered colored Rocks of Sleepy Bay
Freycinet NP: Sleepy Bay Beach
The sadly not yet blooming Lavenderfields at Bridestowe Farm near Lilydale
The sadly not yet blooming Lavenderfields at Bridestowe Farm near Lilydale
A dutch Switzerland lover reinvented Grindelwald here. Beautifully done
Grindelwald Resort: The Clocktower
Grindelwald Resort: Chalets
Grindelwald Resort: The Resort Village viewed from Tamarhorn
Grindelwald Resort: The viewing platform on Tamarhorn
Grindelwald Resort: The village square from the Clocktower
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Last Updated : 30th of November 2001


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