Driving Across Tasmania

After about an 30 minutes or so after we got of the ferry, the sun began to rise revealing a beautiful land enshrouded by clouds and in the throes of winter. We stopped in Elizabeth Town for breakfast. In the village of Elizabeth Town, there is no town, only a very nice bakery. We had a great brekkie.




Since we had all day to make a 4 hour drive, we took a detour off the main road with the intention of seeing Liffey Falls. After a longer drive than we expected we decided not to make the hike to the falls. However along the way, we saw a land deep in winter hibernation with some surprises along the way. For example, ther was there is tree that was blooming for some reason.

In the center of the island, what we saw was farmland enshrouded under its seasonal blanket.

Although the trees here are similar to those on the mainland, the vast majority being some flavor of eucalypt or other, there is are noticeable differences.

Lots of mountains dealing with cloud covers in the relatively early morning.

As the sun rose, the clouds were warmed and the low-lying cover slower cleared to reveal a land that is almost indistinguishable from Hobbiton.

On a farm road we came across a flock of wild turkeys wandering along the edge of the road.

Somewhere we passed south of Launceston and hit the main road again. When we got to Campbell Town, we again left the main road to swing east to the shore along the Tasman Sea south of Swansea.

Here we found small but pristine beaches under a sky that was finally clearing a little to reveal a little character.

This panorama above has lots of issues caused by the water moving between frames and creating discontinuities in the waves. Nevertheless, I include it to give you a feel for the scene as saw looking toward the Freycinet National Park across the bay.

The orar of the surf here was resonant and loud with each successive wave bringing a full-throated baritone growl that seemed to rumble our innards. I suspect it had to do with the shape of the sea floor near the shore that cause the wave to crest and break in on specific place each time and amplified the sounds.

On down the coast, we found the sky brighter and a coastline of great beauty. It is an enchanting place.

Once the road veered back inland to once again cross the hills we crossed earlier, we focused on simply driving. Before long we were in Hobart traffic. We drove past the airport, the port, and Salamanca street (home of the famous market) before heading back up over the hills into the Huon river valley. Our long journey finally ended about 4:00 when we pulled into the driveway at Rob and Anne's house in Port Huon.