Okay.. its a bit late that i am writing about my first tryst with untouched raw beauty of Tasmania in the land down under...... but as its said... " Better late than never"...
This is where it all began and the lonely traveler bug caught me ....the first adventure trip... Magical Tasmania.
When you are living a pseudo bachelor life , have time to kill in a new place , what would you do.... Explore.... that's what the basic human nature is since birth , and this was the trip which helped me learn a lot about planning a trip and myself.
So heading into an extended Easter weekend , I decided to explore Australia.
This is where I started to learn my lessons , in life and self discovery :
Lesson no. 1 - Plan well ahead. Especially when on extended weekends / holidays.
Accommodation, , Flights , Local Transportation/Rental Cars could be hard to find during the holiday season.
Even though , living a pseudo bachelor life , i was (read as am) very frugal and on tight schedule. The only advantage i had was , i had not explored Australia at all, so i did not have any particular choice of where to go.
Looking for the cheapest and quickest mode of transport, found an offer for return ticket to Hobart, Tasmania.
A quick search on the google about the place and the decision was made, I was flying to Tasmania. Since I was planning to travel alone, there were plenty of shared accommodation for travelers on the Airbnb. Rental Car from Airport was also sorted out easily.
Lesson no. 2 - Follow the untrodden path.
There is no harm in exploring the popular tourist spots, but would it be peaceful ? Atleast not for me. Not that I haven't explored the popular tourist spots, but there was always something missing.
Peace.
You need a quiet place to absorb the calmness of a place , the tranquility to explore your inner spiritual side, the unknown to feed your inquisitive self.
Lesson no. 3 - Friends and Family.
Even though, travelling alone helps you find more time exploring your inner self, having friends or family along brings the fun element, and could also bring down your expenses as lot of costs get shared.
Having friends or family on vacation , could also help you bond as a family, while giving a bit of peace to the family back home about your safety, and a second perspective on exploring the place, maybe in an efficient manner without tiring your self.
Lesson no. 4 - Make Memories, don't just focus on taking photos.
You are travelling for yourself, not for a story of a newspaper.
Click as many photos as you want/can, but take a minute or two, to just be there and connect with the place, its energy , its calmness and its history.
Lesson no. 5 - Pack Light, but without compromising on the essentials and safety.
Whenever you are going for any trip, pack the essentials only, and whatever is required for ensuring your safety. Below checklist is a generic one :
- Insect Repellent
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Power Bank
- Dry Bag
- Spare Clothes( if possible Hi Viz)
- Sun glasses
Now... about the magical places i visited in Tasmania.....
Hobart - Probably the Manchester of the southern hemisphere, it has all the charm of a big metropolis , having a mix of old and modern architecture. Not to mention, Parking woes.
Salamanca Market - I haven't seen so may kiosks and pop up stalls , regularly set up as shops... apparently from 1972... every day..... arts, crafts, jewelry, fresh food and produce, collectibles and home wares. There is an Indian Restaurant in the Salamanca Market , Annapurna, just in case you are missing some good Indian food.
Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park - Its one of the most majestic bays i have seen.... the pristine blue waters, the jungles the mountainous trek... .the trek is a bit steep in some areas, but overall paved and easy to climb.
Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain : a must do.... 6 kms ....3-4 hr walk around the dove lake.... reminded me of the opening scene of the movie Jurassic Park .... please be mindful that the temperature here can drop to 0 degree , even in April, when its sunny... i was freezing....( lesson no. 5 ). The lake itself is super calm and the pristine emerald water.
Mount Wellington : Around 22 kms from Hobart... its usually covered in snow... and provides the best views of Hobart... and in general Tassie Land.
The roads are crisscrossed, and steep... often water flowing down through the bitumen.... there is an observatory at top, which unfortunately was of no use when I reached... it was raining like cats and dogs...and the visibility reduced to around 3-4 mtrs because of the thick clouds/fog. ( Lesson 5 revised as the temperature was around -2 degrees Celsius)
Maria Islands : The highlight of my entire trip... Maria Island.... an uninhabited island (except few rangers ) and is located around 4 kms from mainland Tasmania ... a ferry from Triabunna (around 16 kms ) takes you to the Darlington Bay of the island. The last ferry back from the island is at 5 PM.
There are around 10 rooms maintained by the Tasmanian Wildlife parks department and can be booked from their website. Not fancy rooms, just some bunk beds and vinyl covered mattresses, reminded me of the 2nd class AC coach of the Indian Railways.
Island has lot of wildlife ( wombats, tasmanian devils, kangaroos , wallabys and a lot of birds).
Some beaches probably not visited by any human for months or may be years. The purest form of nature, beautiful , calm , tranquil and raw. Just what i was looking for.
World famous Painted Cliffs ( a popular computer operating system used them as standard wall paper ) are located on this Island.
When visiting this island, make sure you have water , food , power bank(s) and insect repellents. You cant leave anything behind, you wouldn't want to anyways spoil the beautiful clean nature.
Remarkable Caves : Around 1.5 hr drive from Hobart , in Port Arthur . These caves are basically tunnels created by the sea , eroding the stone for thousands of years. The waves fill up the cave during high tide. Lucky for me, reached there during low tide and was able to walk into the caves. This is where i realized the power of sea waves, crashing on the granite stones, and carving huge caves. Please be mindful of the stairs from the car park , going down till the caves, took around 15-20 mins to climb down to the viewing platform. Being the adventurous, i did jump over the platform to walk through the caves (errr.... legally not allowed )
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Maria Island |
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Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain |
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Painted Cliffs |
Interested ? Have a look at the Complete Album- Magical Tasmania
