Tasmania… A real postcard! A variety of amazing landscapes… from mountains to beaches passing by countryside… all of this on a small island!

Arrival at the airport of Hobart after 3 hours delay… thank you Tiger airways!… The ticket was indeed cheap… now we know why ;-) … so I could enjoy a small sleep on the ground of the airport while Marjan was reading her book! Fortunately for us, upon arrival at the airport, our rental car was still waiting for us … so we could go to our accommodation in the centre of Hobart without any problem!

The day after… departure for the West Coast of the island… We had to change our initial plans as some accommodations where we wanted to stay were already fully booked… And Tasmania is not Sydney so no other possibility to find another place to sleep for cheap!

Crossing the island from East to West means about 300 km and 5 hours drive… no highway but a one way road going through the mountains… Beautiful landscapes of lakes surrounded by mountains, a bit like in Canada and Scotland to give you an idea. Awesome! Arrival at the youth hostel in Strahan (along the East Coast) under the rain…

Next day, we decided to go to the Cradle mountain… about 3 hours drive North from Strahan. The Cradle mountain is a famous place in Tasmania for its beautiful lookouts and landscapes in an impressive National park. We have done a 2 hours walk around Dove lake… see pictures below.

Third day, we are leaving the Cradle mountain for the North Coast of the island… Scenic roads with impressive lookouts. The landscape is now flatter and we could enjoy a drive along some Australian vineyards… before arriving at Bridport, our final destination. The hostel is beautiful and just along the sea… we are the only ones with a group of senior cyclists from NZ… ;-) We loved the place!

Next day, it is time to discover the East coast J And the famous Bay of fires… a series of beaches well known for their red rocks on white sand in front of a turquoise sea… Not bad! ;-) We finished the day at Coles bay admiring the sunset… until it started raining L

Last day, we went from Coles bay back to Hobart… But before leaving Coles bay  which is located next to the Freyconet National Park.. We did a 3 hours walk to the Wineglass bay… only accessible by foot so no car around J Really nice! Hobart is a small city along the sea… compared to the other Australian big cities…

A last comment… we are still looking for a Tasmanian devil… we just saw dead ones along the road L

Today we are back in Melbourne… Tomorrow, on the agenda, LAUDNRY LAUNDRY and … LAUNDRY ;-) It is definitely a must… it is too many days I’m wearing my unique long trouser…. I don’t want you to know the exact number of days in fact ;-)

12-11-2010 om 12:45 geschreven door Marjan & Isa  

After the Red Centre experience, we moved further south to Adelaide City… Initial plan was to stop there in order to visit Kangaroo island and the Fleurieu peninsula… and then head to the Grampians National Park and the Great Ocean Road!!!!

But… we changed our mind… That is what is great when you are a backpacker! We love it!!!!

So we decided to stay a few days in Adelaide in order to rest a bit… then join a group for 3 days to do the trip to the Grampians National park and the Great Ocean Road…. And then go to TASMANIA! J We found some cheap flights and a good deal to visit the island.

 (We are currently at Melbourne airport waiting for our flight to Tasmania that has been delayed of 1h30 … That’s maybe why it was so cheap ;-) So we take this as an opportunity to  update our blog!)

So let’s start from the beginning again…

Adelaide:

A smaller city compared to Sydney and Melbourne but we enjoyed staying there… We visited the Adelaide university, the Rundle mall, the Australian Wine Centre, the Botanic Gardens, Glenelg beach and… we had the chance to meet some great people (David, Doug, Kay, Jessy,… Hello guys if you read this!)… with whom we celebrated Halloween (it is a big party here compared to Europe…) and did some animated table tennis tournaments! ;-)

Leaving Adelaide for Melbourne… The Grampians National Park and the Great Ocean Road!

Wake up at 6AM in order to catch the bus in front of our youth hostel… there are about 20 other “sleepy” backpackers on the bus J The adventure can start!

First stop, the Grampians National Park (about 5 hours drive East from Adelaide)… One of the most beautiful Australian parks with incredible views… On the agenda, walk to the McKinsey falls and the Balconies, visit of the Aboriginal Centre, observation of kangaroos and koalas in the wildlife,… (see pictures below).

In the evening at the hostel, we enjoyed playing a few games with our travel mates… (A special hello to Hannes, Leen, Wongee and Graham!... I (Isa) am still trying to win at the Regenwormen ;-) )

Second step, the Great Ocean road! This road is about 200 km along the Australian south coast.  Between some rain showers, we had the chance to admire a sunset on the famous Twelve Apostles, walk along the beach, take some impressive pictures along the coast (e.g. London bridge),… and even a bath in the sea for 3 courageous backpackers of our group (Anna, Hannes and Graham… Congrats for jumping in the cold sea ;-) )

Again a great evening at the hostel with the group … J It was great travelling with you !!!!

Arrival in Melbourne on the 4^th November in the evening…. We decided to meet with our travel mates for a last diner and drink together! Sorry for the long walk in Melbourne but our Italian restaurant was worth it ;-) Then we had a last last drink on a terrace... At midnight, we didn’t forget to sing and wish HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Marjan… J

Melbourne:

Great city! … where we planned to spend two days before heading to Tasmania in order to celebrate Marjan’s birthday! Start of the day with a good breakfast on a terrace followed by a walk in the city and some shopping…. (We absolutely needed an extra trouser for Tasmania as it is freezing cold over there… we should not complain but still ;-)).

At noon, last lunch with the two Belgian we met on our tour, Hannes and Leen. It was really nice to meet Belgian backpackers (which is not common here)… For sure, we will see you again J (hopefully in NZ ;-) )

In the evening, we met at the place of a German friend, Julia, that we met on our tour in the Red Centre… Two Italian friends (Ilaria and Nico) also joined us to celebrate Marjan’s birthday… They even cooked for us REAL ITALIAN PASTA! It was AWESOME as we say here ;-) End of the evening in a pub around a few beers (and a coke for Isa)…

Today, walk in the city with Julia and Keith (another UK friend from our Red centre tour)… Unexpected long trip to reach one of the Melbourne famous beaches – Brighton beach – about 2h30 for a trip that should have taken us 30 minutes…. But at least we visited the suburbs of Melbourne! Julia, thank you for this ;-) … We finally reached the beach and could enjoy a great view on the Melbourne skyline.

PS/ In the meantime we have changed our watch two times (we finally got rid of this weird 30 minutes) and you have changed as well once, so we are now officially 10 hours ahead of Belgium (which will change to 12 once we arrive in NZ).

12-11-2010 om 12:43 geschreven door Marjan & Isa