Endless riches

Since I left you last I have experienced Tasmania in more positive ways than how my my last post left off. This little island has so much to see, so much to do, it's a wonder anyone with any inkling of wanderlust could ever leave. If it's not enough to be chalked full of raw, Jurassic nature Tasmania's food possibilities are endless and gorgeous. The Troll and I have had countless encounters with vistas stretching out across buttongrass -created over 10,000 years of fires burned by Aboriginals (yes, the original humans that roamed this land created their own functional ecosystem)- dotted with nunataks (a word I learned in Alaska that I believe to be of Inuit origin that refers to mountain peaks poking through vast icefields ie. Glaciers) created when Earth was being pulled apart, cracking like dried skin and allowing red hot magma to surface to form what is now known as dolarite. With every corner brings new perspective on how our world formed because the evidence is right before our eyes. One would have to drive around blind folded on this island in order to deny the process of evolution. The hills that everyone warns us "poor, suffering" cyclists bring this perspective ever closer as we sweat and ache our way up feeling with each pedal just how the earth formed beneath us while we see with our naked eyes ancient flora and fauna that are often more closely related to species found in South America and New Zealand than they are to their neighbours. My wonder and awe has peaked on this island. My heart in my throat and tears in my eyes as I've walked through what looks and feels like Jurassic Park as well as when I spot a penguin by the moonlight, not far from my private campsite, waddling up orange-lichen covered rocks making her nightly journey from the crashing waves to feed her fury chick hidden under a mini-rock ledge. Experiences like these are daily. Go to sleep in a rainforest, on a beach, by a river, wake up with stunning views, endemic wildlife and blackberries wild and free for the picking. Blackberries are everywhere on the side of the road and I've been lucky enough to start the cycle tour right when they started ripening. They are invasive, so no guilt in picking them and it is encouraged. I've also encountered wild apples and plums that taste of honey. (Check out fallingfruit.org for a worldwide effort to catalogue available fruit in need of picking on the side of the road, hanging over someone's property or that someone has too many of and wants to share).

After climbing up about 12 or 15% grade on the way to Cradle Mountain NP

Walking along the Jurassic Park-esque landscape

Living evolution -one of two monotremes, an echidna

Cradle Mountain peak emerging from the trail with Barn Bluff in the distance

Cradle's dolarite. Very fun to climb!

More dolarite on the way up to Cradle Summit

Barn Bluff from Cradle summit

Now that we've tackled the west, gone to the north and reached the east we're coasting, cruising even, down flat part of the road system hitting up each beach, brewery and berry along the way. I've never felt so rich on $20 a day....if that.

 

Bay of Fires. Named for Aboriginal fire area. Orange lichen on rocks.

 

Another spectacular view from our private/free campsite and hammock

 

Falmouth, Tasmania

 

A magical private/free campsite with the view in the following photo.

 

 

East coast brings fewer hills and more of this.

 

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