Tasmania. Just Go.

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.

I just spent a glorious week in Tasmania, but before I get into that, I will give a quick synopsis of what's been going on between now and my last post.

I left Sydney on May 26th to meet my mate, Chris, in Melbourne. He purchased a van, aptly named "Morrison" for us to drive from Melbourne to Cairns. Our plans were set, and by plans I mean, we were going to throw caution to the wind and drive northeast from Melbourne and end up somewhere new by each day's end. We were due to depart after a few days of discovering what Melbourne had to offer - when one fateful evening, the van, Morrison, had been pinched. After this unforeseen dilemma, we had some time to kill before heading north, while waiting to hear back from the insurance company, so we decided to pack up and fly south for a week.

We ended up absolutely loving Tasmania and there's no telling what we would have made it there if it weren't for this unfortunate event, so we thanked our lucky stars and forged ahead. Tasmania is an absolutely incredible place. The ever-changing terrain, landscape and temperature will keep one on their toes. The people are wonderful, most of whom are from the mainland, some from other parts of the world, but once they got a taste of Tassie, they couldn't bring themselves to leave. Chris and I experienced the same sentiment, it is truly a remarkable part of the world. We covered a lot of the island, starting our journey north-westward from Hobart, and circling back to Hobart from the east. We spent our days hiking, checking out museums, walking through local markets, meeting the resident wildlife, reading by the fire, playing beer pong with some mates we met and trying to keep warm. The day could start out warm, or at least bearable, but once we were ascending some of the mountain-tops or made our way into forests, the temperature could easily drop nearly 10 degrees, which is a lot by Celsius standards. Hobart, the largest city in Tasmania, is reminiscent of a quaint Irish or Scottish city, which I would not know since I have never been, but if watching "House Hunters International" with my father has taught me anything, it's that Hobart does, in fact, resemble Ireland or Scotland. The overcast skies and damp, heavy fog probably play to the uncanny resemblance as well.

We encountered many lakes throughout the island and couldn't help but notice the lack of infrastructure built-up around them - and I mean that in a good way. Lakes are simply left as they were found, without cabins and vacation homes impeding their surroundings and landscape. One could sit near a lake in complete silence for some time, which would only be interrupted by birds chirping or animals moving about in the bush... or let's be real, Chris and I chatting or playing games that involved throwing rocks unto the glassy surface of said lakes, just to give them a little stir. It was surreal to sit among some of the region's greatest bodies of water and feel like we were the only visitors the area had welcomed in what seemed like ages. Another, more morbid, note is that throughout the course of our trek around Tasmania, we easily passed more road kill than cars on the road. On the flip side, nature is a fascinating thing and the animals that did not make it across the road were nutritious meals for other lucky creatures that found them - likely Tasmanian Devils, which are carnivores and are able to eat every last bit of an animals remains, bones and all!

Tasmania is a place I hope to spend much more time, if not in the near future, then in the years to come.

We set off from Melbourne yesterday and have decided to ditch Google maps and our cell phones and vowed to use the old-school, paper maps to get us where we're going. So far, so good. Here's to smooth sailing ahead and many more adventures to come!