My second day in camp started early with a 3km walk to the West Coast Wilderness Railway - a nice, easy stroll along the Esplanade to Regatta Point Station, ready for a train ride. But first a breakfast at Tracks on Point - the cafeteria attached to the railway station. Known for its burgers, the breakfast menu is popular with the train crowd, so I arrived extra early to ensure I got a table.
Next, a 50 minute ride through the Teepookana Forest Reserve through the old Teepookana township and onto the Lower Landing station. What a rich history this train line has seen. Built out of necessity when copper was discovered, it was once the way through to Queenstown and bustling townships along the way.
The commentary on the train covered the pioneers who founded the line, the rebuild of the line following its closure and the use of the line today as we followed the King River along its course. Over 100 locals are employed by the railway in the current day, so not only is it a great tourist attraction, but a significant employee within the area. There are over 40 bridges in just the 35km stretch that has currently been rebuilt, including one bridge that was shipped all the way from London, put together like a jigsaw puzzle and lowered into place using barges and temporary parallel railway lines. the engines have been re-built a number of times, first to remove the need for the coal fires (no longer a steam train) and ran on oil. The second conversion enabled the engine to run on recycled automotive oil, and the entire company is working towards ecologically sustainable practices.
The stop at Lower Landing station offered a lovely rainforest walk with commentary on the local flora and fauna, and a free honey tasting. The railway is used to bring in hundreds of bee hives every year to assist in the pollination of the leatherwood trees, and having tried the leatherwood honey, I must say it is a worthwhile effort that they do so.
Back to Strahan (and trying not to fall asleep with the gently rocking of the train) for lunch at The Kitchen, where I had a typically Tasmanian delight - a curried scallop pie and a Hurst soft drink while sitting on the Esplanade and watching the water stream by.
Next stop, Ocean Beach where I got a bit more than my feet wet and experienced the absolute strongest pull of ocean waves. The beach was almost deserted (no surf lifesaving clubs around this area) and I spent a lovely hour talking to the Pacific gulls - some of the largest seagulls I’ve seen in the Southern Hemisphere - on par with the big guys I found in Seattle.
The rest of the afternoon was spent just following the streets around Strahan, before returning to Westerly Seafoods for prosciutto-wrapped oysters battered and dipped in soy sauce and a quiet night in my tent.
Early morning pack-up next morning and it was time to tackle the 99 bends on the road to Queenstown. I hadn’t originally planned to travel this way, however Hayden assured me I had to visit Queenstown as it was the home of our favourite AFL coach - Chris Fagan. I’m so glad I explored this beautiful town as there were some hidden treasures in and around town.
First stop Spion Kopf (Spy Hill) a beautiful lookout that takes in the entirety of Queenstown, but is a tough climb up the side of the hill. Lots of history to tell stories about and when I messaged Hayden to let him know I was in “Dad’s” hometown, he asked if I could find the old gravel footy field. Didn’t take long on the top hill to look to my right and see it right below.
I made my way down the hill and had breakfast at the Tracks cafe - this one is part of the Queenstown railway system - and then back on the road to Launceston via the bottom loop. Stop off at the Iron Blow Lookout, which has the most spectacularly blue waters, the Franklin River Nature Trail, which took me down to the banks of the Franklin River, a river that I learned so much about in the 80s when the Tasmanian Government was talking about damming it and the associated protests and subsequent decision not to do so. Final few stops before the final night at Hadspen was a visit to Lake St Clair - the end point of the Overland Track, where I witnessed a few groups completing their multi-day trek. Then onto the geographical centre of Tasmania before cruising over some dodgy gravel “highways” to stay just outside of Launceston.
My final day was spent at Tasmania Zoo - where I spent hours wandering around all the enclosures, watching the animal and birds, and listening to keeper talks. I loved that they had signs up to talk about the natural habitat of the animals, the threats they face in the wild, their typical behaviours and other interesting little tidbits. I love zoos and the chance to see animals from around the world, but couldn’t help but feel sad when I read about how the African Painted Dogs would hunt and spend their days, only to see them lazing around in the sun, not hunting. Lions who would roam the savannahs in their enclosures not hunting, just lazing in the sun. But then I watched something really interesting. The lions are on one side of the zoo, the painted dogs on the other side of the zoo. While I was sitting watching the painted dogs, the lions began to roar. I watched those dogs go from prone and laying in the sunshine to upright and on high alert, sniffing the ear and listening to the roars. While they may not be in their natural habitat they are still hard-wired to respond to sounds that their ancestors have lived with for generations.
Another cute little animal, the Binturong’s interesting fact on their sign was that they smell like buttered popcorn. As I was walking past their enclosure the second time, the wind changed direction, and there it was - the smell of buttered popcorn. When I mentioned it to one of the keepers, she mentioned that it was actually the the scent of their urine - they would rub their feet through it, and track it around. I suggested that they should get a popcorn machine in the cafeteria, because I was craving popcorn after smelling the scent.
I had two animal encounters while at the zoo - and got to cuddle a Tasmanian Devil joey, and a baby wombat. I don’t think I could smile any wider in those photos.
My trip to Tassie has been phenomenal and we are already planning a return in December, this time with Brendon in tow. We will do a lot of the things I didn’t do this time (Bruny Island, Port Arthur and more of the North-East) and a few of the things I did do that I knew Brendon would enjoy.
