Tasmania – Nov 5-12, 2023
Ferry to Tasmania. Spirit of Tasmania. Departs from Geelong @23:30, 11 hours, arrives Devonport at 09:30. Adult $211, vehicle $302 = $513. Reclining seat free. All the staterooms were booked and very expensive. It didn’t recline very much and I eventually put out my sleeping mat and bag (actually not allowed to sleep on the floor). No public showers on board. There are very limited outside viewing areas (only on cecks 9 and 10) none looking forward. Note your uncapped butane gas canisters are confiscated (keep the caps).
Day 47 Nov 5
AUSTRALIA – TASMANIA NORTH and NORTHWEST (Launceston)
I arrived at 09:30, bought some groceries (no fruit or vegetables are allowed on the ferry) and went to the lighthouse to have breakfast and have a nap.
DEVONPORT
Mersey Bluff Lighthouse. A lovely stone LH painted white with a vertical red stripe sitting on the edge of the buff. Nice picnic tables. Note area closed 21:30-07:30.
ON I slept in the parking area of the museum. There was a lovely covered picnic table.
Mileage: 80 km 6204
Day 48 Mon Nov 6
Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre, Beaconsfield. Beaconsfield is a former gold mining town near the Tamar River, 40 kilometres north of Launceston. In 1877 the cap of a payable gold reef was discovered and became known as the fabulous Tasmanian Reef. In October 1877 the Dally brothers sold their claim on the Tasmania Reef to William D Grubb & William Hart for 15,000 pounds, and 1/10 share in any company formed. At the peak of the gold rush, 700 men were employed in the gold mine and 26 tonne of gold was recovered. Underground mining began in 1879 with the sinking and development of three main shafts to access the reef: the Hart Shaft, the Main Shaft and the Grubb Shaft. Beaconsfield became the richest gold town in Tasmania. In 1881 there were 53 companies working the field. These were all absorbed by the owners of the Tasmania mine.
In 1903 an English company bought the Tasmanian Gold Mining and Quartz Crushing company and formed the Tasmanian Gold Mining Company Ltd. As water had become such a huge problem at Beaconsfield, a substantial injection of capital was required to purchase and operate suitable dewatering equipment. The Company extracted gold from two shafts adjacent to each other, Grubb and Hart Shafts. In 1904 engine houses were built at these shafts and a central boiler house. These buildings now house the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre.
The gold mine closed in 1914 due to regular flooding of the shafts. By 1914, the mine was worked to a depth of 450 metres and produced 800,000 ounces of gold.
During the 1970s exploration drilling confirmed that the reef continued at least another 200 metres below the old workings. By 1991 the old Hart Shaft collar had been re-established and water pumped out to 160 metres deep. A permanent stage pumping station 181 m below ground had been lowering the water in the shaft since August 1995. The permanent winder and head frame were completed in January 1996 and the shaft finished in late 1996. An ore treatment plant was built during the 1999/2000. In the financial year 2004/05, 240 685 tonnes of ore was produced from which 3890 kilograms of gold was extracted. The Beaconsfield gold mining operations finally ended with the closure of the mine in June 2012.
The Grubb Shaft at 457 m deep required a pumping capacity (as it is constantly filled with water) of 8 million gallons/24 hours. See three large brick buildings over the two shafts and pumps built with over one million bricks. $21, reduced $16
Batman Bridge. Crosses the Tamar River. It has a cable stay on the west end and 4 steel girder supports on the east end.
LAUNCESTON
Tasmania Zoo. I drove the 20 km out here hoping to see primarily Tasmania critters, but this zoo has few of those and a lot of exotic animals. One can interact with many of them for a hefty price – feed the giraffe for $35 or pet a cheetah for $150. $39, no reduction. I didn’t go in. $35.50
Alexandra Suspension Bridge. Built in 1904, it is a short cable suspension bridge over the bottom of Cataract Gorge. It is only one metre wide. The creek is damned to form a lake below. This is a major tourist spot with lots of people sitting on the grass, swimming in the swimming pool, or taking the cable car ($15, $25 return – Australians will pay for anything) that goes horizontally over the reservoir.
Penny Royal Mill. A lovely white stone windmill with five stories and four vanes on a rotating cap. It can’t be entered. It was not on Google Maps but is behind the King Bridge Bar.
National Automobile Museum of Tasmania. Has 150 cars and motorcycles. The prime ones are muscle cars and British-manufactured cars. I have seen all of them before so not very interesting. $18, reduced $15
Star Theatre. In the NM Architectural Delights series, is an art deco theatre that still shows movies.
Launceston Tramway Museum, Invermay. The tramlines started in 1911 and grew to 29 trams on five lines, closing in the 60s. Has 10 trams in two long sheds. $12, reduced $10
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. Exhibits on wetlands, dinosaurs (there were none in Tasmania but apparently, many replicas were made here and shipped to other museums), natural history (stuffed birds, mammals, shells, rocks, insects, the Tasmanian tiger extinct since 1936), a 1923 Alfa Romeo, transport, and a shipwreck. Free
James Boag Brewery. Established in 1881 and run by four generations of the Boag family, this has a bar and s small museum on two floors. See the history, photos, cooperage, many products, posters, and an ad campaign with some risqué photos. Free
Holyman House. In the NM Architectural Delights series, this 4-story art deco building was built in 1935 as offices for the Holyman family’s shipping and airline business. The upper floors have still retained the original look. Many offices now occupy the upper floors. Sitting on a corner downtown, the corner is rounded and has a “building” motif.
Franklin House. In the NM House and Biographical Museums series, it was built in 1838 on 10 acres by an ex-convict Britton Jones (who was an innkeeper and brewer) using convict labour. It was sold in 1848 to William Hawkes, a teacher who established Mr. Hawkes Academy and added two buildings as classrooms. The school closed in 1866 and was subsequently owned by four families until 1960 when the National Trust purchased it. The two-story house has period furniture, clocks, china, and art. The extensive gardens with several old trees and fountains are lovely. It is called the Franklin House as it is in the colonial Franklin Village. $12, reduced $10
I then started the 200 km drive to the Eddystone Lighthouse.
Mount Barrow Road. A NM Scenic Road that leads from Launceston to Gladstone. The one-way road to the summit is totally unpaved, pretty narrow, and defiant. It’s called C404 (Mount Barrow Road). Starting at the paved A3, it’s 16.1 km (10 miles) long to the summit. The first 10km of the route has a well-maintained gravel surface and runs through a combination of undulating farmland and forestry areas. The boundary of Mount Barrow State Reserve is reached at the 10km mark, where parking and picnic areas are provided. The road beyond the parking area is officially closed to vehicles other than 4WD but worth the drive. It comprises a tortuous, steep collection of switchbacks – rivalling nearby Jacobs Ladder – but also provides spectacular views of the valleys to the north and west. The road to the summit is very steep, hitting a 16% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. The elevation gain is 1027 meters. The average gradient is 6.37%.
Eddystone Point Lighthouse. Break O’Day. Built in 1889, it is a towering 35 m high light (42 m of structure). Made of rough-side-out granite, every stone is of a different size. It tapers slightly at the base and then goes straight up. The light can be seen for 26 nautical miles. In the far northeast, it is reached by a good gravel road for the last 35 km (from Gladstone). It is a 12 km drive from the main road. Drive past three nice stone houses to the light that sits on the south side of the Eddystone Peninsula. I parked at the large lot at the bottom – it has parking for 10 boat trailers with a boat ramp. There was a lovely protected picnic table next to the boat ramp where I had dinner. I walked the five minutes out to Gulch Point, the tip of the peninsula. Larc Beach is on the way – not a beach but all rock.
The Furneaux Islands Group is visible in the distance to the north – Clarke, Barcen and Flinders Islands.
ON Eddystone Point
Mileage: 263 km
Day 49 Tue Nov 7
The boat ramp was busy starting at 6 a.m. They were all going crabbing.
After the 12 km of gravel from Eddystone, the road continued as gravel for another 45+ km.
Bay of Fires. Binalong is the beach and town in the bay that has access, finally on the pavement. There is a long white sand beach in the bay. The big boulders have a lot of orange lichen, hence the name Bay of Fires. There were a lot of pelicans on the rocks and water. I had breakfast and finally had data.
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TASMANIA SOUTH (Hobart)
Wineglass Bay. Nine-Mile Beach extends across the entire north end of the bay. It is a huge sweep of yellow sand with some pebbles. Most of the beach access is privately owned. Park at a small pull-off in Dolphin Sands and walk 4 minutes to the beach.
Red Bridge, Campbell Town. Built in 1838 by convict labour. Crosses the Elizabeth River. It is a wonderful bridge with 39 m long training walls on each side and made of 1.5 million red bricks and sandstone. It has 3 piers and arches, is 35 m long and 8.5 m wide. 200 convicts working in 5 bricklaying teams plus one stone mason. Stones in the centre are inscribed Hobart Town 76 Miles, Launceston 41 Miles. It was reinforced in 2000 with steel supports for the arches.
Ross Bridge, Ross. Off the highway, this crosses an unnamed river. Built in 1836, it is all of wonderfully dressed sandstone with three arches on 4 piers. The stone over the arches is well decorated. Stones in the middle say Hobart Town LXIX Miles and Launceston XLVII Miles. The date is written in Roman numerals. The only other inscription is Superintendent Capt Turner.
Richmond Bridge, Richmond. Built of yellow hand-hewn sandstone by convicts in 1825 (Richmond dates to 1821), it is the oldest bridge in Australia. Crossing the Coal River, it provided access to Port Arthur. It has 6 arches (four large and two small), it has a wavy outline due to the settling of the piers. It is on Wellington Street which soon turns into the highway to Port Arthur.
Tasman Peninsula. The peninsula that Port Arthur is on.
PORT ARTHUR
Historical Penal Colony (Port Arthur Historical Site). The Dark Side. It was built to house the recalcitrant criminals and repeat offenders operating from 1850-1868. On 100 acres, it was a complete community – prison, military and free settlers with significant industrial output. The museum has hundreds of pull-out vignettes – most were young and there for relatively minor offences. Convicts with no skills or for punishment worked in gruelling gangs, many breaking up stones.
See the museum or attend one of the many informative talks at various sites. I went to the penitentiary talk – it was very interesting. The penitentiary was initially a flour mill powered by a treadmill with a rotating crew of 48 men but was turned into the jail with two floors of the worst-behaved convicts, a kitchen and library (13,000 books), and a dormitory on the fourth floor for better-behaved convicts. Many learned to read or learn one of 40 trades from shoe making to building ships (200 were made here, the largest 259 tons). Puer Point held a children’s jail with 3500 from 9-15 eventually staying here.
Part of the standard price is a boat tour of the harbour where you get a general view of the layout and pass Puer Point and the Island of the Dead (cemetery – half convicts, half free people).
Standard tour $47, reduced 38. Other tours are Convict Walking, Escapes, Commandment, and Island of the Dead, each with an add-on fee.
A restaurant here was the site of the worst serial killing in Australia. In April 1996, 35 were killed and several injured. There is a memorial here.
Coal Mines Historic Site, Saltwater River. The Dark Side. Part of the WHS Convict Sites, this is 30 km from the Historical Site. Coal was mined here from 1831-77. The peak year of 1855 saw 600 convicts producing over 11,000 tons of coal. It closed in 1898 because of poor-quality coal. The main attraction is the convict precinct with the ruins of a large stone jail. Also ruins of red brick houses. It is a lovely place for a walk (these are all return times): quarry 1’30”, military precinct 30″ (it was also a military base), inclined plane 1’15”, main shaft 1′, air shaft 3′, Free (there is no staff here at all).
Remarkable Cave
Port Arthur Castle. Where is this? not in Google
Day 50 Nov 8
HOBART (pop 247,068 metro, 55,077 city) is the capital and most populous city of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the southernmost and least-populated Australian state capital city, Hobart is located in Tasmania’s south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world,[8] with much of the city’s waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. It has a mild maritime climate.
Prior to British settlement, the land had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years[12] by Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Hobart is Australia’s second-oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. Whaling quickly emerged as a major industry in the area, and for a time Hobart served as the Southern Ocean’s main whaling port. Penal transportation ended in the 1850s, after which the city experienced periods of growth and decline. The early 20th century saw an economic boom on the back of mining, agriculture and other primary industries, and the loss of men who served in the world wars was counteracted by an influx of immigration. Despite the rise in migration from Asia and other non-English speaking regions, Hobart’s population remains predominantly ethnically Anglo-Celtic and has the highest percentage of Australian-born residents among Australia’s capital cities.
Today, Hobart is the financial and administrative hub of Tasmania, serving as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations and acting as a tourist destination, with 924,000 during 2022–23. Well-known drawcards include its convict-era architecture, Salamanca Market, and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the Southern Hemisphere’s largest private museum.
Tasman Bridge carries the Tasman Highway over the River Derwent. Including approaches, the bridge has a total length of 1,396 metres (4,580 ft) and it provides the main traffic route from the Hobart city centre (on the western shore) to the eastern shore. The bridge has a separate pedestrian footway on each side.
The bridge opened in 1964. On 5 January 1975, the Tasman Bridge was struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, It caused two pylons and three sections of concrete decking, totalling 127 metres (417 ft), to fall from the bridge and sink the ship. Seven of the ship’s crew were killed, and five motorists died when four cars drove over the collapsed sections before the traffic was stopped. The relatively short drive across the Tasman Bridge to the city suddenly became a 50-kilometre (31 mi) journey via the estuary’s next bridge at Bridgewater. The Tasman Bridge repair took two years and cost approximately $44 million. The bridge reopened on 8 October 1977.
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Garden. Originating in 1821, this is a lovely mature garden with some big sequoia, ponderosa pine, cork oak, Norfolk pine, great rockwork, and many great beds. Free
Bridge of Remembrance. Wow, what a pedestrian bridge. Going over the Tasman highway, it is long and the shiny silver metallic part on the south twists 180° to form the insides on the north end. Connects the Cenotaph Domain in a large park (and the aquatic centre) to a park containing a huge stone cenotaph (almost an obelisk) with Lest We Forget 1915-1917 and 1939-1945 and a list of several other wars Australians have been involved in.
Hope and Anchor Tavern. Started in 1807, it is the oldest licensed pub in Australia. Has a restaurant and bar with lots of wood and marine memorabilia,
The Waterfront. Urban Legends. At least four piers with restaurants, one with a hotel, a marina, and a row of joined stone buildings.
ON Next to a park opposite the Salamanca Market.
Mileage: 300 km
Day 51 Thur Nov 9
I continued my drive/walk about to see the rest of Hobart.
HOBART (cont)
The Brunswick Hotel. Built in 1836, it burned down in 2021.
Hadley’s Orient Hotel. Dating from 1836, it has been renovated to replicate its original as much as possible. There was a lovely gallery off the lobby with spectacular silver as flowers and plants.
Cathedral Church of St David. A lovely Anglican church – great wood ceiling with wood arches, a beautiful large stained glass window at the back, and a carved wood altar screen separating the choir. There are few of the typical plaques on the walls.
Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum. Sir Douglas Mawson led the first real scientific expedition to Cape Denison in Antarctica in 1911-14. They stayed in this preconstructed “hut”, a beautiful all-wood structure 7.3 square metres with bunks and a central pole with dining seats around it, laundry, and a darkroom. Skylights provided natural light and a veranda on three sides provided storage and room for the sled dogs. There was room for 18 men. $15, reduced $12.
St. Mary’s Cathedral. Built in 1886 (for the third time), it has recently had a major renovation. A nice wood ceiling. The Ways of the Cross were nice coloured basreliefs.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Galleries on natural history (very good) and aboriginal ethnography, an art gallery or mostly colonial art (not great), art glass, and a large exhibit on Antarctic expeditions. Free
Narryna, the Merchant Heritage Museum. Narryna is an 1830s merchant’s house and collection that tells the story of early colonial life in Hobart. The fine Georgian townhouse was built by seafarer, Captain Andrew Haig who built warehouses facing Salamanca Place in 1834. Over the years it housed large families and was a boarding house, hospital, and museum. Has a lot of gaudy period furniture and Charles Dickens memorabilia. plus an exhibition of women’s fashion from 1770 to 1930. $10, reduced $8
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site. The Dark Side. The story of the displacement, mistreatment, and forced migration of convict women and girls, and their contribution to colonization throughout the history of colonial Australia to the present day. From 1828 to 1856 approximately 7,000 convict women spent time here with about 1000 at any one time.
Life in the factory was rigid and based on a series of rules and class divisions. Women were placed in 3 distinct classes which separated them based on their exhibition of proper conduct, their crimes, and if they displayed good character during their transport. A woman’s class would determine her entire life, including what work she could obtain and even what she would wear. Hard labour and punishment were a constant way of life for the women. Long days, coupled with harsh penalties, made for a bleak existence with little hope for a better life to follow.
It was located in an area of damp swamp land, and with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate food and clothes, there was a high rate of disease and mortality among its inmates. Many vignettes of the prisoners with contributions from several of their descendants.
It is one of the 11 Australian Convict Sites on the World Heritage List
Cascade Brewery. Started in 1824, this offers expensive tours – history $20, brewery tour $35 (requires closed-toe shoes, one of the reasons why I didn’t go).
Shot Tower, Taroona. (Vestiges of the Past) is a historic sandstone shot tower built with the purpose of producing lead shot. At 58.7 metres high with a diameter of 10 metres (33 ft) was the tallest building within the Australian colonies between 1870 and 1875 and remained the tallest structure in Tasmania until 1960, when it was surpassed by the Mount Wellington broadcast tower. The Shot Tower is recognized as the tallest cylindrical sandstone tower in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Taroona Shot Tower used the “long drop and water” method. Lead ingots laced with arsenic and antimony were hauled to the top of the tower, where they were melted. The liquid was then poured down the centre of the tower through a colander, which separated it into drops. Once in free-fall, these drops formed naturally into spheres. They instantly solidified upon hitting a pool of water at the bottom of the tower.
The Shot Tower at Taroona is the only tower open to the public to climb. 259 steps of the circular staircase are easier than imagined, as the wooden steps were designed to be gentle for the workers carrying heavy sacks of lead.
It is about 15 km west of Hobart. It is an astonishing structure made of rough rock. I didn’t have time or the energy to climb the tower.
A tea room, reminiscent of Mrs. Baynton’s operation, continues to operate in the building at the tower’s base.
Museum of Old And New Art (MONA). Open only Fri to Sunday
Bridgewater Bridge. Crosses the Derwent River, and starts as a long causeway on the west side. The bridge itself has a high metal superstructure as it is an elevating bridge that is raised to let ships through. A brand new elevated bridge is being built next to it, so this old bridge will not be around for long.
Bush Inn, New Market. Built in 1815, it is the oldest continuously operating licensed hotel in Australia. The young guy behind the bar gave me a nice tour. Almost all is original (except for the coffee bar in the entrance, carpet, flooring, and paint). He even took me downstairs to see the old brick walls and the tunnel (since caved in and now bricked over) that led to the asylum. Has an active dining room and a modern huge deck – it was quite busy.
The drive north from Hobart was interesting. Initially huge pasture land full of sheep and no people, one section of the road was empty – I only saw one car in over 50 km.
Steppe Sculptures. Next to the highway, are 14 lovely bronze basreliefs on large boulders – mainly birds and mammals but also one of aborigines and drovers. On the original Steppe homestead, about 1 km farther along the road.
To see Lake St Claire, take Highway B11 from A5 to Derwent Bridge. Google Maps had an odd glitch and couldn’t find a way there by road but gave me walking instructions – 16 days and 11 hours. But it would give directions to Platypus Bay, part of the lake, and Shadow Lake, a walk from the lake. I didn’t go as the descriptions were not exciting.
Eventually, the road climbs into the southeastern corner of the site to a plateau that is almost alpine-like with no trees and rocky summits. There is a section of rugged, heavily eroded cliffs that is quite scenic. Then descend through the forest that slowly increases in height – the Liffey Forest Reserve, listed as part of the WHS.
ON Deloraine. I ate and slept along the main street in a park next to a lovely river.
Mileage: 550 km 7320
Return to Tasmania North.
Day 52 Fri Nov 10
Sheffield. A town with many lovely murals.
Pass two rugged peaks, Mt Roland and Round Mt, both with walking trails.
TASMANIAN WILDERNESS WHS constitutes one of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world and a cultural landscape for Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
Tasmanian Aboriginal people have lived here for approximately 40,000 years, of which traces can be found in prehistoric cave sites. Its nature is of exceptional beauty, with various distinctive landforms ranging from the alpine to wetland and coastal ecosystems. It includes some of the longest-lived trees in the world and is home to a number of marsupial carnivores.
8 national parks/state reserves inscribed.
Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park.
Get there. 75 km from Devonport on very good condition winding roads.
See Cradle Mountain NP Visitor Centre to park, and buy day tickets – $27.95 includes shuttle buses run every 12-15 minutes stopping at Snake Hill, Ronnie’s Creek and ends at Dove Lake, about 15 minutes.
The parking lot was full on a Friday. There were many backpackers, most going to the Scott-Kilvert Hut on the other side of Cradle Mt and a few starting the Overland Trek.
After 18:30 and before 08:00, it is possible to drive to Dove Lake and park. In hours, must follow a bus out.
Snake Hill is a quiet trail with small waterfalls.
Dove Lake. Formed by glaciers last here 15-20,000 years ago. Several walks with great views of Cradle Mountain. Dove Lake Circuit is 6.2 km long, 2-3 hours, and easy with abundant wildlife: echidna, wombats, platypus and a tiger snake. The highlights are Glacier Rock Ballroom forest was blooming with pink mountain berries and Tasmanian snow gums and a beach.
Cradle Mountain summit trail – 12.8km (6-8hrs return)
Mt Marion 3 hours
Crater Lake trail – 5.7 km circuit.
Tasmania is one of the last temperate wilderness areas in the Southern Hemisphere with pristine habitats for plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, including many threatened species. The glacially formed landscapes are of exceptional beauty and reveal a rich and complex geology – a rich legacy of humanity’s interaction with the land dating back to the Ice Age.
Guided night walk to see Tasmanian devils, many possums, kangaroos, and an endemic Tasmanian pademelon.
To avoid overcrowding, short-term overnight hikers are given specific tracks and accommodation choices
Lake St Clair – At the far south end of the WHS accessed on Highway B11. Ferry to Narcissus Bay at the northern end of the lake. Platypus Bay is a beach at Lake St. Claire. The trail to Shadow Lake has a lot of trees, most eucalyptus, and no birds.
Overland Track between Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair. 84 km, huts that are first come first serve, require a permit and a limited number allowed. Trailhead at Ronnie Creek in Cradle Mt NP. Annual race with the fastest time about 8 hours.
After the WHS, I drove into Devonport, saw the two sites I had missed on my first day here, had a lovely hot shower at the beach, and got the ferry back to the mainland.
Don River Railway. In the yard are many locomotives, some in active use for the still active Don River train trip that runs for 15 minutes to Cole Beach and back for $17, reduced $15. If you don’t take the train ride, all there is to see is a small museum with a wide variety of railway paraphernalia and two renovated passenger cars with lovely leather seats. The large shed holding several cars was lost in a recent fire. $5 (not really worth it).
Bass Strait Marine Centre. A great small museum with a lot of information on the Mersey River, Devonport, and Bass Strait – history, shipwrecks, many photos, marine paraphernalia, and the usual ship models. The best part is the sailing simulator which was a lot of fun, especially for kids. $10, reduced $8. Note that it closes at 3 pm and I arrived only 15 minutes before.
I had a great early dinner at Straight From the Boat (4 pieces of fresh fish and chips for $14).
Ferry Spirit of Tasmania – Devonport to Geelong at 21:30 – 07:30. Passenger $168 + vehicle $272 = $440 ($80 less than coming over to Tasmania. Reclining chair free. I slept on deck 9 in a lounge putting out my air mattress and having a great sleep.
GO TO AUSTRALIA – VICTORIA
DARE
Macquarie Island. Island, WHS. Has a remote, windswept landscape that is the only place on Earth where rocks from the Earth’s mantle are actively exposed above sea level. The active tectonic processes make it an important focus of geological study. The island and associated islets lie about halfway between Australia and Antarctica and are populated by huge numbers of penguins and seals. Over 850,000 Royal Penguins breed here yearly.