We departed Hobart in our rental car (way to go, Kelvin, for pretty expertly figuring out how to drive on the *left* side of the road without too much trouble!) and headed to the Tasman peninsula.
We hadn't originally planned to go to Port Arthur, but as it was only ten minutes from the Unzoo, we stopped their first. It is one of the best preserved convict settlements in Australia, where many British felons (for crimes like stealing one handkerchief) were sent from Britain, held in cells, and made to endure forced labor for years.
The Penitentiary
"Escaping" the cells!
Kids in the Guardtower
Asylum
We tried, soberly, to explain to the kids how demoralizing is solitary confinement. They mimed pooping in a bucket in one of the cells.
There was an interesting exhibit ("Little Depraved Felons") about Point Puer, the first juvenile prison in the British Empire.
Iver exceeded the height of some much older 19th-century kid convicts.
Convict Church
Some of the first bells in Australia
We then headed to the nearby Unzoo, a sort of free-range wildlife sanctuary.
We watched "Birds of the Bush," a show featuring some friendly green rosellas.
Devils only live about 6-7 years.
Pademelon Corner
Cape Barren Geese, native to South Australia and some of the rarest geese in the world.
More 'roos!
A true highlight was seeing a young joey peek out of its mother's pouch. Kangaroos are the only species of animal that can put a pregnancy (already a short 30 days of gestation) on pause ("diapause") if conditions are unfavorable for raising a newborn. Baby kangaroo joeys, born the size of jellybeans, spend up to 8-11 months mostly in their mom's pouch before transitioning to life outside.
We watched a teenaged tassie devil down some (favorite food) wallaby legs on a bungee cord, crunching through all including bone (apparently they draw the line at eating teeth)!
We left the Tasman peninsula and drove about three hours north along Tasmania's East Coast (wine country) to Freycinet National Park, another peninsula and jewel of the state.
See-sawing on a break in Swansea
We stopped for a few minutes at the pristine sands of Friendly Beaches.
We had an incredibly scenic meal and lodging at Freycinet Lodge, overlooking Richardsons Beach.
At dusk, we headed to the town of Bicheno, where we caught sunset near the famous ocean blowhole.
We had a 9 p.m. penguin tour, as one of Kelvin's priorities for this trip to the Southern Hemisphere was to see penguins (check!)! There is a rookery and protected area near the coast that houses upwards of 250 native Little Blue Penguins in burrows. Flashes hurt their eyes, so our guide held a red light flashlight to illuminate the little birds in the dark.
We watched as they exited the sea to gather on the rocks before heading back to the burrows for the night and feeding their downy chicks, identified by their unique chirps.
March of the (little blue) penguins
The tour recommended we check out their (professionally done) photographs which are displayed here:
After the tour, we had a precarious drive back to our Lodge due to lots of nocturnal marsupials coming out and crossing the roads-- we dodged at least a half a dozen possum, wallabies, and pademelons and thankfully didn't hit any (frogger, anyone?). Phew!
Wineglass Bay is the highlight of Freycinet National Park (rated one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world), and we started our next morning with a popular hike to a lookout spot and then down to the beach (one of Tasmania's greatest short walks, although you can do several-day treks in this peninsula too, as much of it is only accessible by foot or aqua taxi). We had spectacular warm (about the warmest of our trip so far!) weather in the high 60s and blue skies.
Wineglass Bay (and a peek of Hazards Beach, just a touch too far for our family to walk in one day, across the isthmus) from the Lookout and the Hazards mountains in the distance.
We spent a pleasant hour and a half enjoying the picturesque white-sand Wineglass beach before heading the ~2 miles back to the carpark/trailhead.
It was windy and really not that warm, but some brave souls (not us) even swam!
Niall loved lying on the (pretty) warm sand and being "buried."
"Whale rock"
We stopped at Cape Tourville lighthouse and walked the short scenic boardwalk trail on the coastline.
Friendly parking lot wallaby
Sleepy Bay had some large orange rocks abutting the turquoise water, fun for kids to climb and explore!
Can you spot the kids?
Kelvin and I enjoyed some delicious fresh local seafood (oysters, abalone) at Freycinet Marine Farm, where their outdoor seating area had a floor of oyster shells.
We're so glad we were able to experience such a stunning part of this state and country! 5 stars for Freycinet National Park, a must-see if you ever go to Tasmania!
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