We were really looking forward to having visitors next week and then the Sydney - Hobart etc but one shouldn't get too far ahead. Apparently the second prostate operation ( to fix up the first one) has meant that Ray needs to rest for a couple of months and what better place to rest than Ormiston Springs. We are now grounded at least till the next cardiologist appointment on 16th January.
We really appreciate the following out there and look forward to more adventures in January.
Keep smiling
Ray and Sally
Everybody needs to get away and simply let go at some stage in their lives. For us the time has arrived and this trip, otherwise known as the Turning Left trip is our letting go. We turned left out of our gate and each day we decide where to go next. If it's of any interest, you can follow our meanderings and please feel free to comment.
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Maria Island
Once again, it's so difficult to cull the photos because Maria Island is nothing if not photogenic. Click on a photo to enlarge it.
Well, how to encapsulate 4 wonderful days walking Maria Island, without writing a book! Briefly, Maria is virtually two islands joined by a long sand isthmus. The northern section includes 2 of the most distinctive peaks on the island, Mt Maria and Bishop and Clerk. The southern section of the island is much lower. The island contains features from many geological ages; the oldest rocks on the island, on the lower south west slopes of Mt Maria and in the centre of the south island,were formed around 430 million years ago. The distinctive headlands of Mistaken Cape and Cape Maurouard are both composed of granite, the major rock type running down the whole east coast of Tasmania. Sandstone layers, seen at Painted Cliffs, were formed around 220 million years ago during the Triassic Period. Mt Maria and Bishop and Clerk are composed of dolerite; and in the last 10,000 years rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age separated Maria Island from mainland Tasmania.
The more recent history of the island is both intriguing and complex. Abel Tasman sighted the island in 1642 naming it in honour of the wife of Anthony Van Diemen. Tobias Furneaux and Captain James Cook also sighted the island, however it was Englishman Captain Cox aboard the Mercury who became the first European to land on the island. The French explorer Nicholas Baudin later explored and charted Maria Island, and less than a decade later the island was selected as an English penal settlement, even before Port Arthur.
There were two penal settlements established on Maria, the first 1825-32 and the second as a probation station 1842-50. In 1884 an Italian entrepreneur, Diego Bernacchi, arrived and commenced a variety of industries such as wine, silk, cement, timber, fishing and even tourism (see plaque above!) Despite much hard work and outlay of money, the economic climate of the 1890s took its toll, and operations ceased in 1896. However, Bernacchi had a second attempt at developing the island in 1920, with the formation of the National Portland Cement Company, but with the unreliability of limestone quality and the looming Great Depression, production ceased in 1930.
Darlington's population dwindled and the island returned mainly to sheep and cattle-grazing by families including the Howells, Robeys and Frenchs (and thereby hangs another tale, with lots of interesting research and reading if you are so incined).
In 1972 the island was proclaimed a National Park with a marine extension in 1991.
So, having the potted history out of the way, we can now commence our 4-day walk.
In Ray's usual fashion, he impulsively booked an ambitious 4-day walk on the island with Adventure Seekers, based in Hobart. Our 2 guides, Stan (the owner) and Zane (a young man knowledgeable about all things Maria) met us in Triabunna where we threw our hastily gathered clothes into their packs and then stood by while they loaded all the gear necessary for our time on the island onto the Island ferry, which was also laden with what seemed like hundreds of bikes for those people going over for the day. Bikes certainly wouldn't have done us any good on some of the tracks we walked, or on the long, white sand beaches.
Our first day's walk was probably the longest, from Darlington past the Painted Cliffs, to Four Mile Beach then on to French's Farm, an abandoned farm house which gives shelter to walkers and campers, and where Zane worked his magic with a delicious prawn risotto for dinner, using just 2 small gas burners and 2 pots. Stan demonstrated his culinary skills on the second night with a salmon, asparagus and cream pasta - again all with 2 burners and 2 pots! We couldn't have eaten better at the Ritz!
Ray was deliberating about the second day's walk, but Stan convinced him to try it, and we had a wonderful day tracking down the isthmus to Robey's Farm, another abandoned farm with a fascinating history. We ate lunch on the verandah there before trekking back to French's Farm for a second night in our isolated tent. I know I bang on a bit about wombats, especially the lovely tame ones at Wilson's Promontory, but it was fantastic to watch all the wombats on their night's sorties from their burrows (and to hear them munching around the tent at night, seeming right next to our heads). Naturally they are not as tame as those at Wilson's Prom, but they seem to have the mistaken idea that if they can't see you, then you can't see them, and if you do happen to get too close, they simply stick their heads into a patch of bracken and present you with their ample rump.
Our third day's walking was a return to Darlington on the inland track past Ned Ryan's Hill, Monah Hill and Marra Hill. Stan assured us that it was an "easy" track but there was still a fair bit of uphill in it in places. We chose not to climb Mt Maria (ask Ray!) and arrived back at Darlington with Stan to find that Zane had relocated all our belongings to one of the large penitentiary cells, had laid out our sleeping bags on the bunks and lit a huge fire. That night was BBQ night (don't ask how or where all this food and wine came from?) and then we settled down in our warm cell, which in the "olden" days would have housed 33 men - and no fire. The nights on Maria had been really cold, as was the last one, but we were toasty and slept well.
Day 4 was an easy day, with a trek to the cliffs to the east of Fossil Bay (magnificent) and a bit of a scramble down the hill to see the shell fossils (and a roosting penguin which clever Stan spotted). A lot of the hillside had been quarried for cement in the early 20s so how many millions of fossils were lost I hate to think, but each layer reveals another million years worth; mind-boggling. From there it was an easy walk across the hills, past the small airstrip and the very interesting old cemetery to Darlington where we had another tasty lunch, courtesy of Zane, and then read some of the collection of books about the history of the island, while we waited for the afternoon ferry.
It was wonderful to return to our little nest, which was waiting for us in a field behind the Spring Bay Hotel, but despite the cold and the wind we wouldn't have missed the walk for quids. A big thank you to Stan and Zane for their care and attention - they not only walked all day, as we did, but then prepared, served and washed up all meals, put up and pulled down tents, carried our packs, and answered all our questions. The holy grail of bird watching on the island is the Forty Spotted Pardalote, and many people go there simply to find it. However, we had one come to us, perch on a branch in the middle of the path, and allow us a good look before it flitted away; without Zane's knowledge it would have been simply a pretty little bird, but he was tickled pink to see it himself and we had boasting rights back at the Penitentiary!
It's taken a couple of days for the hips, knees and ankles to return to normal (whatever that is at this age) but we'll always remember our special time on Maria Island, and the many birds and animals we encountered along the way. Did I mention the lone seal we saw frolicking in the waters off the Fossil Cliffs? Or the 2 Tiger Snakes we encountered on the tracks? Or the graceful gannets diving for fish. Or the Tasmanian Native Hen's 3 new born chicks, one of which we saw emerging from the egg? Or the yellow tailed black cockatoos? Or the Forester kangaroos and Bennetts wallabies?
Here endeth the lesson on Maria Island. If I don't post this right now I'll only think of another page of exciting things I need to share!
Sally (and photographer Ray) xx
 |
| Painted Cliffs, on Island's west side |
 |
| One of the many walking tracks through the Island |
 |
| Ray's favoured panoramas, allow you to see more of the scenery! |
 |
| One of the many beautiful beaches we walked |
 |
| Panorama from a walking track |
 |
| Our isolated splendour at French's Farm, down among the wombats |
 |
| Penitentiary accommodation on last night, luckily re-roofed |
 |
| Looking towards Darlington harbour, with convict-built Commissariat |
 |
| How beautiful is this wombat? |
 |
| Sally, Zane and Stan, dinner on our last night in our Penitentiary room |
 |
| View of the cliffs east of Fossil Bay |
 |
| Fossil Bay cliffs - fossilised shells 180 million years old just lying around! |
 |
| Penguin resting in its nest - sorry Katrina, we weren't allowed to bring it home |
 |
| Darlington, the only "civilisation" on the island |
 |
| This needs no caption - but it's about 100 old |
 |
| Handsome young Cape Barren Geese which abound around Darlington |
Well, how to encapsulate 4 wonderful days walking Maria Island, without writing a book! Briefly, Maria is virtually two islands joined by a long sand isthmus. The northern section includes 2 of the most distinctive peaks on the island, Mt Maria and Bishop and Clerk. The southern section of the island is much lower. The island contains features from many geological ages; the oldest rocks on the island, on the lower south west slopes of Mt Maria and in the centre of the south island,were formed around 430 million years ago. The distinctive headlands of Mistaken Cape and Cape Maurouard are both composed of granite, the major rock type running down the whole east coast of Tasmania. Sandstone layers, seen at Painted Cliffs, were formed around 220 million years ago during the Triassic Period. Mt Maria and Bishop and Clerk are composed of dolerite; and in the last 10,000 years rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age separated Maria Island from mainland Tasmania.
The more recent history of the island is both intriguing and complex. Abel Tasman sighted the island in 1642 naming it in honour of the wife of Anthony Van Diemen. Tobias Furneaux and Captain James Cook also sighted the island, however it was Englishman Captain Cox aboard the Mercury who became the first European to land on the island. The French explorer Nicholas Baudin later explored and charted Maria Island, and less than a decade later the island was selected as an English penal settlement, even before Port Arthur.
There were two penal settlements established on Maria, the first 1825-32 and the second as a probation station 1842-50. In 1884 an Italian entrepreneur, Diego Bernacchi, arrived and commenced a variety of industries such as wine, silk, cement, timber, fishing and even tourism (see plaque above!) Despite much hard work and outlay of money, the economic climate of the 1890s took its toll, and operations ceased in 1896. However, Bernacchi had a second attempt at developing the island in 1920, with the formation of the National Portland Cement Company, but with the unreliability of limestone quality and the looming Great Depression, production ceased in 1930.
Darlington's population dwindled and the island returned mainly to sheep and cattle-grazing by families including the Howells, Robeys and Frenchs (and thereby hangs another tale, with lots of interesting research and reading if you are so incined).
In 1972 the island was proclaimed a National Park with a marine extension in 1991.
So, having the potted history out of the way, we can now commence our 4-day walk.
In Ray's usual fashion, he impulsively booked an ambitious 4-day walk on the island with Adventure Seekers, based in Hobart. Our 2 guides, Stan (the owner) and Zane (a young man knowledgeable about all things Maria) met us in Triabunna where we threw our hastily gathered clothes into their packs and then stood by while they loaded all the gear necessary for our time on the island onto the Island ferry, which was also laden with what seemed like hundreds of bikes for those people going over for the day. Bikes certainly wouldn't have done us any good on some of the tracks we walked, or on the long, white sand beaches.
Our first day's walk was probably the longest, from Darlington past the Painted Cliffs, to Four Mile Beach then on to French's Farm, an abandoned farm house which gives shelter to walkers and campers, and where Zane worked his magic with a delicious prawn risotto for dinner, using just 2 small gas burners and 2 pots. Stan demonstrated his culinary skills on the second night with a salmon, asparagus and cream pasta - again all with 2 burners and 2 pots! We couldn't have eaten better at the Ritz!
Ray was deliberating about the second day's walk, but Stan convinced him to try it, and we had a wonderful day tracking down the isthmus to Robey's Farm, another abandoned farm with a fascinating history. We ate lunch on the verandah there before trekking back to French's Farm for a second night in our isolated tent. I know I bang on a bit about wombats, especially the lovely tame ones at Wilson's Promontory, but it was fantastic to watch all the wombats on their night's sorties from their burrows (and to hear them munching around the tent at night, seeming right next to our heads). Naturally they are not as tame as those at Wilson's Prom, but they seem to have the mistaken idea that if they can't see you, then you can't see them, and if you do happen to get too close, they simply stick their heads into a patch of bracken and present you with their ample rump.
Our third day's walking was a return to Darlington on the inland track past Ned Ryan's Hill, Monah Hill and Marra Hill. Stan assured us that it was an "easy" track but there was still a fair bit of uphill in it in places. We chose not to climb Mt Maria (ask Ray!) and arrived back at Darlington with Stan to find that Zane had relocated all our belongings to one of the large penitentiary cells, had laid out our sleeping bags on the bunks and lit a huge fire. That night was BBQ night (don't ask how or where all this food and wine came from?) and then we settled down in our warm cell, which in the "olden" days would have housed 33 men - and no fire. The nights on Maria had been really cold, as was the last one, but we were toasty and slept well.
Day 4 was an easy day, with a trek to the cliffs to the east of Fossil Bay (magnificent) and a bit of a scramble down the hill to see the shell fossils (and a roosting penguin which clever Stan spotted). A lot of the hillside had been quarried for cement in the early 20s so how many millions of fossils were lost I hate to think, but each layer reveals another million years worth; mind-boggling. From there it was an easy walk across the hills, past the small airstrip and the very interesting old cemetery to Darlington where we had another tasty lunch, courtesy of Zane, and then read some of the collection of books about the history of the island, while we waited for the afternoon ferry.
It was wonderful to return to our little nest, which was waiting for us in a field behind the Spring Bay Hotel, but despite the cold and the wind we wouldn't have missed the walk for quids. A big thank you to Stan and Zane for their care and attention - they not only walked all day, as we did, but then prepared, served and washed up all meals, put up and pulled down tents, carried our packs, and answered all our questions. The holy grail of bird watching on the island is the Forty Spotted Pardalote, and many people go there simply to find it. However, we had one come to us, perch on a branch in the middle of the path, and allow us a good look before it flitted away; without Zane's knowledge it would have been simply a pretty little bird, but he was tickled pink to see it himself and we had boasting rights back at the Penitentiary!
It's taken a couple of days for the hips, knees and ankles to return to normal (whatever that is at this age) but we'll always remember our special time on Maria Island, and the many birds and animals we encountered along the way. Did I mention the lone seal we saw frolicking in the waters off the Fossil Cliffs? Or the 2 Tiger Snakes we encountered on the tracks? Or the graceful gannets diving for fish. Or the Tasmanian Native Hen's 3 new born chicks, one of which we saw emerging from the egg? Or the yellow tailed black cockatoos? Or the Forester kangaroos and Bennetts wallabies?
Here endeth the lesson on Maria Island. If I don't post this right now I'll only think of another page of exciting things I need to share!
Sally (and photographer Ray) xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)