Save the Tasmanian Devils !

Spot the difference !?

3 month old orphan devil

Spot the devil in this pic !

Sarcophilus harrisii or The Tasmanian Devil are apparently one of the most feared animals in the world due to their bad temper and grumpy nature they are unpredictable and can spin into a rage for no obvious reason. Some describe them as 'repulsively endearing' but I think they are amazing little creatures and rather cute animals which I why when I got to meet them I was so disturbed to hear about their plight. They have just in the past week been placed on the endangered species list due to a nasty cancer spread from devil to devil by biting each other, this is the first know instance of cancer spreading in this way and could prove fatal to the devils there are currently no 'save the devil' foundations or 'sponsor a devil' schemes but i will let you know. Apparently the Tasmanian ministry has recently appointed an officer with the specific role of monitoring and tackling the cancer situation (unfortunately i did not see it advertised!)

Some amazing devil facts I have collected over the past few weeks reading...

A devil will have 20 babies per litter no bigger than the head of a match stick in size.
A devils ears will go bright red when it is angry
A fully grown Tasmanian Devil has jaws 9 times stronger than a pit bull terrier and comparable to those of a croc.
Devils eat only meat and will eat all of their prey even the bones.
A devil can open its jaws to a 90 degree angle.
If a devil has a fat tail it means its very healthy as that's where they store all their fat ! also why they have a funny walk !
They do spin and growl like the Warner brothers 'taz' WB have copyrighted the image of the Tasmanian devil.
The Tasmanian devil can eat over 40% its own body weight in 30 minutes.

Tasmania, Under Down Under

A nosy emu

Vines and Vines and Vines !

Fantastic Oysters with garlic and chilli !

Heather and Shona sitting on a random rock

Getting up close and personal with a sheep

Hobart 'city' from above

Launceston

Harbour views in Hobart

The delightful Puddleduck Vineyard

How could a place called Tasmania with a national icon of a devil and with place names like Paradise,Dismal Swamp, Snug, Eggs and bacon Bay, Squeaking point, Nowhere else and milkshake hills be anything but fantastic !?

Tasmania has always been one of those places I have never quite got to on all the trips I have made over this side of the planet, this time I was determined to fit some time in to see Tasmania and so did just that! Shona travel pal of Western Australia decided to meet me there and so the adventure began.

We spent a few days looking around the sleepy yet happening 'city' of Hobart, steeped in history and heritage compared the the rest of Australia the city famous for port Arther and its convict importing past and the Hobart to Sydney boat race. It has a vibrant art scene with private dealers and quirky converted warehouses serving as galleries for aspiring post modern artists. The harbour area hosts a happy mixture modern bars restaurants and more traditional 'pubs' a favourite of ours was the 'Drunken Admiral' a very popular restaurant with an old world feel serving only seafood we had a wonderful meal here. At the weekend the areas near the bars and cafes known as Salamanca becomes a massive market of Tasmanian produce from carvings, paintings and weaving to cheap devil memorabilia its all there. Shona and I enjoyed a wander round followed by a rest under a tree with the paper in the nearby park.

Moving on we caught the local bus to Launceston the other town of Tasmania about 3 hours North of Hobart.launceston does not have the same immediate charm as Hobart but has some nice walks near to the town and the scenery between the two towns is well worth the trip.

We toured the South West coal valley wine region which hosts some wonderful boutique vineyards such as Puddleducks and Poole wines all very nice.

The pace of life in Tasmania is much more laid back, slower and forgiving things seem to happen in their own time weather it waiting to be served to checking into a hotel everything is slower and sleepier. One thing I am sure of Tasmania is another world and not at all like mainland Australia in its landscapes character or people. I will defiantly be back be it to pick fruit for a few months or a permanent move to live !

Tips for Tasmania...don't go without hiring a car it will seriously impede travel (i managed to leave without my licence !) the buses are few and far between and don't go to the places you want to visit...visit the small vineyards they are far superior to the larger ones offer free tastings as opposed to charging and are passionate about the land they work on and wine they produce...be prepared to never want to leave this beautiful place !

Noosa

Brenda, me and Deanne in the garden

The lobsters yum !

Dinner in the hills

Larry bashes the shell fish good and proper

Paddys 1st birthday cake

It was fantastic to catch up with Brenda and Deanne again. We all met in India on a rather hot fraught day. Deanne and Brenda had been travelling for a few weeks together in India they invited me (weary tramp like character at the time) to join them for dinner that night in Madurai. Since then Deanne and partner Larry had returned to native Australia and Brenda had continued her journey. Mine and Brenda's paths crossed again in Chaing Mai Thailand where we spend a couple of days pondering the temples. So after all that excitement it was fantastic to finally meet Deanne and catch up on travel tales and phots on her own turf at home in Noosa, Queensland a few days before Brenda was to return back to the UK.

Deanne drove Brenda and I around the local area through the hills and the lovely art and craft towns of we enjoyed a beautiful lunch (see pic showing view from window) and sublime afternoon tea.

We ate a beautiful dinner fresh lobster caught by Larry and I tried Abalone for the first time a rather curious and sought after shell fish which was very nice although I enjoyed the lobster more especially with the wine ! (check out pic as Larry gets to work on the abalone)

I even learnt how to make a posh chocolate cake from Deanne the master chef for baby Paddy's 1st birthday...check it out !

Thanks to Deanne and Larry for putting me up at their busy resort !

Family time with the Faircloughs

Gemma bakes ginger bread

Heathers 'toxins' !

Ian and Judy on the veranda

Sunset on the veranda

Ailsa wins state competition and gets her name in lights !

Surfers Paradise

National Steve Irwin day at Australia Zoo !

Ailsa and Ian BBQing

Koby

Home at last ...
Well my official Australian home anyway ... After to many days on the road and having half the contents of my backpack stolen from a washing line at a hostel in Broome I was rather glad that most of the the Northern territory's was burning or flooded which meant i was forced to change plans and head earlier than expected to the Fairclough family home in Brisbane. The easiest way to explain my relationship with the Faircloughs is that Ian (the man of the house) is my dads best mate from days of old he emigrated after meeting and later marrying a beautiful white witch(Judy)from Australia, they then went on to have two little girls (now big) Gemma and Ailsa and a little dog called Koby... I always get the warmest of welcomes and am treated instantly as part of the family when I make my obligatory stop in the land of oz its the best tonic ever !

Judy took one look at me and instantly offered to put some washing on followed by an early but much needed Christmas gift of a detox programme involving electricity water and massage which aids the removal of 'toxins' well i had become extremely toxic due to to much wine, beer and bad food and late nights...the toxins are removed through your feet...check out my toxic waste...shortly after the treatment the local area was designated as contaminated land and sealed off ! On a serious note through this really did work I had the best nights sleep ever and felt generally wonderful...god bless the white witch !

So whilst in Queensland I headed to surfers paradise and checked out the surf, stopped by at Steve Irwins place on what was the first national Steve Irwin day, caught up in Noosa with Brenda and Deanne the girls i met at the end of the India trip. The rest of the time I had a relax on the veranda with a nice cuppa tea, went to see Ailsa at school during an evening performance of the best from the extended Engligh class (also formally introduced to her boyfriend Alex !), lunched and spent time philosophising with Gemma about the importance of early years education around the world.

Big thank yous to the Faircloughs for having me and ferrying me about and generally making me smile. PS just in case i get done by trade descriptions or offend ... Judy is not really an official white witch she does however have a no bull natural remedy for almost every ailment !

Eighty Miles of Beach

Lots of beautiful beaches... 80 miles of beach...slept in a swag under the stars again...just perfect ! 80 miles of beach...says it all really ! wine, sunsets and parties...

Arrived in Broome finally to a party town with art galleries a perfect balence. Staying at cable beach backpackers and experience in itself i ask myself again "am i to old for this?" deciding "yes" after a few beers I check into accomodation with some air conditioning and clean sheets ! hurrah !!!!

Broome is a great town with a party atmosphere and a really lively arts sceene I loved it. However with 42 degree heat and no breeze it was time to move on.

spectacular gorge stunt !

We arrived at Karajini national park and took three challenging hikes through the mountain gorges. Up to 12 ft high with no ropes I should have known it was a Heather no go area but fearless i ploughed on....after day 2 and on the last hike... disaster struck ! I fell at least 12 ft from a gorge into the river below landing on my back in bikini ! no ! there is thankfully no photographic evidence ! I stumbled up from the fall laughing manically in shock, I had in fact incurred no injury at all....quite an achievement given my track record !I loved the challenge of the adventurous walks and climbs scrapes bruises and all ! Stopping for a few hours rest i made a piece of installation art on site ...could not help myself... found the natural rock colurs by smashing up rocks and adding water ! can you see what it is yet !?

Nigaloo Reef

Staying in Coral beach an ideal location like summer bay caravan park(home and away !)I explored nigaloo reef heritage site which makes claim as the best coral reef in the world. I enjoyed snorkeling from boats and the beach collecting shells and 'sun baking' could stay here for at least a week !

I saw blue spotted reef rays...turtles...little reef sharks and other pretty fish including nemos cousins.

Pics show bus life. Shona and I enjoy a VB for breakfast...the eske gets filled with ice...Heather on the boat. Yes ! they really do sell roadkill at the shops !