It is our last day in Tassie and it is time to go back to Launceston. We went through Penguin, Sheffield and visited Cataract Gorge in Launceston on our way to airport.
Our way from Edith Creek (Allendale Gardens) to Burnie, where we planned to stay overnight, had a number of stops. From the main road we turned to Rocky Cape, then to Table Cape to look at the Cape Tourville Lighthouse and tulips near Wynyard. At the end of the trip we arrived to Burnie, where we were lucky to see a platypus and penguins in a wild.
We had a plan to visit two gardens in one day: Allendale Gardens near Smithton and Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden near Burnie. We thought that we would spent an hour in Allendale Gardens and then go to Burnie. In fact we spent more than 3 hours wandering through the Allendale Gardens with no chance to see Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden. And you know what? I think that was a great idea to stay here longer than expected, as Burnie is located not far away from Devonport and we will visit Emu Valley one day in a daytrip from Launceston / Devonport in our next visit to Tassie.
The day before when I reviewed information brochures about Stanley, I found information that there is a 75min seals cruise, departing from Stanley. In the morning we called to the company to book a tour and after a breakfast we were ready to go to meet seals!
After a Tarkine Forest Adventure visit headed to Marrawah, one of Tasmania’s most isolated settlements, and then to the Green Point Beach and then to the West Point. Further along the road we went to Tarkine Drive to make a stop at Sumac Lookout and then have a walk at Lake Chisholm.
Tarkine Forest Adventure (Dismal Swamp) is a massive Blackwood Forest in a draining sink hole. So once down the bottom there is boardwalk paths meandering their way around the sinkhole floor, it is currently dry on the swamp floor but could be boggy – hence the boardwalk. Dotted around the floor were many sculptures, along with the beautiful forest habitats.
We wake up early in the morning near Stanley. It was sunny and warm, and the day was going to be perfect!
In the morning we had a plan to climb 'The Nut' - 143 metre high massif, rising from Bass Strait, that towers above the picturesque town of Stanley. 'The Nut's top can be reached by either walking track or chairlift.
Can you guess how we got there?
On our way from west coast to the north-coast, we stopped to walk an easy 3h walk to Montezuma Falls, which at 103m are Tasmania's highest. The 3.5km walk, through pleasant park-like rainforest including leatherwood, myrtle, sassafras and giant tree ferns is well worth the time. It is a flat, easy walk, following a track that was the route of the North East Dundas Tramway from Williamsford to Zeehan from 1889-1925.
Personally, I really enjoyed this easy walk. Do not forget to wear solid shoes as lots of water and mud on track from little falls and creek below - it's a rainforest after all!
Zeehan is a town with a big past! Silver and lead were discovered in 1882, which led to the town becoming home to 10 000 people, 27 pubs and its own stock exchange. The Gaiety Theatre, once Australia's largest concert hall was built in 1899, with a seating capacity of 1000! Boom times lasted up until the First World War. Mining continues to play a role in the life of the town, with the Renison Bell Mine nearby, whose fortune waxes and wanes depending on the world price for tin.
We spent more than 3 hours in the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum - one of the best regional museums in Australia. It showcases the history of the West Coast, with displays and information about mining and minerals, rail and shipping.
The Henty Dunes are a series of giant, 30 m high dunes about 14 km from Strahan on the Zeehan Road. You will reach a point where pine plantations are growing on both sides of the road. You can hire some toboggans from Strahan Holiday Park, but make sure that the sand is dry, so you can slide down easily.
We stumbled upon them driving from Strahan to Zeehan and decided to check them out.
