|
Still on the harbourfront, Salamanca Place is a magnificent
row of sandstone Georgian warehouses, which date back to Tasmania's
days as a whaling port. These days, the warehouses have been
lovingly restored and house delightful restaurants, chic bars,
and speciality stores selling a range of arts, crafts and
books. Every Saturday, the warm sandstone provides the backdrop
for the bustling outdoor Salamanca Market, where a
colourful array of local produce, ceramics, glassware, art,
flowers and Tasmanian timber-ware are on offer. Buskers and
street performers provide entertainment and a wide variety
of tempting food is available to recharge the batteries between
purchases. If your pockets still need lightening, the towering
Wrest Point Casino is an easily identifiable landmark,
further along the waterfront. From Salamanca Place, Kelly's
Steps lead to the historic Battery Point, the site
of Hobart's maritime history, where narrow lanes maze between
quaint homes and cottages, between which occasional flashes
of the harbour can be spotted.
National Parks
Tasmania's western wilderness is an area of unspoilt natural
beauty, which is best experienced in its two World Heritage
listed national parks. Hydro-electrical damming plans put
the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the
centre of an environmental controversy in the 1980s, but campaigning
ensured that today the area still features these two wild
rivers thundering through rainforest areas, merging to become
the Gordon River. The rush of the river is best experienced
with the rush of adrenaline that comes with taking on its
elements on a whitewater rafting tour, shooting down Grade
4 rapids through deep gorges with sheer high walls for anywhere
up to 14 days. For a less hair-raising brush with this majestic
river, a number of short walks are available in the area,
as well as scenic flights and cruises in its calmer sections.
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park features
a spectacularly rugged landscape, carved out by glacial action
over thousands of years. Cradle Mountain is reflected
in the deep, still, glacial waters of Dove Lake and
the area offers countless possibilities for climbing and bushwalking,
including the 53 mile Overland Trail, which takes in
views of the peaks, rainforest, waterfalls and forests of
myrtle, pine, beeches. A riot of wildflowers colours the area
in the springtime and brazen wildlife, including Tasmanian
Devils (a bush loving marsupial creature the size of a
cat) can be seen at close quarters.
East coast
The warm and temperate East Coast of Tasmania is characterised
by distinctive blue-green waters tickling the edges of pristine
white sandy beaches, towered over by rugged headlands. Nowhere
is this more spectacularly captured than at Wineglass Bay,
which features a magnificent jagged range of pink granite
peaks known as The Hazards. Patched with orange lichen,
they rise above the clearest imaginable azure water and an
almost ridiculously perfect curve of white sand, which is
sheltered on either side by densely forested mountains. The
Freycinet Peninsula is dotted with secluded beaches,
including Sleepy Bay with its brightly coloured orange
rocks and enjoyable snorkelling and diving, and the Friendly
Beaches, which offer literally miles of unspoilt white
sand beaches to leave footprints in. Thousands of wildflowers,
including over 60 varieties of orchid, grow profusely here
and keen birdwatchers will find plenty to keep them occupied.
Apart from its outstanding beauty, the whole area is a playground
for fishers and boaters, climbers and abseilers, windsurfers
and walkers, mountain bikers and swimmers alike. Taking to
the waters, cruises to the southern tip of the peninsula offer
a different perspective on this most scenic of coasts, plus
close encounters with seals, dolphins, whales, penguins and
sea eagles.
Tasman Peninsula
The Tasman Peninsula is the home of one of Tasmania's
most visited sites - that of Port Arthur, Australia's
most infamous former prison, a final place of exile for the
worst-offending convicts. Today, the prison remains lie in
over 40 hectares of landscaped and serene grounds, these surroundings
sitting somewhat incongruously with the area's harsh past.
A step back in time can be experienced by exploring any of
the 30 buildings and ruins that are still in existence, including
a convict-built church, an asylum and a hospital where convicts
and soldiers were kept in separate wards. The Isle of the
Dead is the settlement's gloomy burial site, but for a
truly hair-raising experience, lantern-led ghost tours take
place by night, with a guide telling spine-tingling tales
of strange apparitions and unexplained events in the area
from the earliest days of convict history to recent times.
The whole peninsula is also well known for its sheer, high,
weather-sculpted coastal cliffs, seal colonies, waterfalls,
secluded bays and scenic vistas.
The Nut
The most striking feature of the rugged North West Coast
of Tasmania was called Moo-Nut-Re-Ker by the Tasmanian Aborigines,
but is known these days as The Nut. It is an odd-looking
geographical outcropping; a table-topped circular headland
rising 500ft above the atmospheric and historic town of Stanley
nestled at its base. A bracing walk to the top or, for the
less energetic, a chairlift, leads to stunning panoramic views
over the coast, the Bass Strait and the narrow strip
of land linking the Nut back to the mainland. One hour away,
the impressive Table Cape is a flat-topped headland
of undulating cliffs sloping away into the sea. There are
various lookouts along the headland, including one at the
base of the historic lighthouse. The nearby town of Wynyard
is also a good base from which to explore the Fossil Bluff,
site of the discovery of the huge Marsupial Lion -
when the tide is out, fossils can be found along the shore
at the base of the bluff.
Lake Country
Tasmania's Lake Country features literally hundreds
of lakes, ranging in size from minuscule to massive. The area's
main draw, aside from the serene beauty of these clear, glacial
bodies of water and the steep mountains that tower over them,
is fishing. The lakes are absolutely stuffed with trout,
although strict fishing regulations are aimed at ensuring
that it remains this way for the future. The region also comprises
rolling farmlands, historic towns, Georgian architecture and
sandstone cottages, while the number of antique stores villages
peppered through the towns will charm antique enthusiasts.
The Ross Bridge is a convict built structure, uniquely
decorated with intricate carvings and is worth seeing, especially
by night when floodlighting enhances its detailed designs.
|
