A 3 hour bus ride to Sydney, one night at Sydney Central YHA, as much Chinese food as I could buy for $10, and then a flight to Tasmania. Visiting the lost island of Australia for the first time, I was due to touch down in Launceston mid-afternoon to mark off my 7th state of the land Down Under. The only state not part of the mainland, Tasmania lost its landbridge many thousands of years ago, in a similar way to how Britiain is now disconnected from Europe. This ensured the survival of many indigenous animals that have been purposely or accidentally hunted to extinction on the mainland, as well as incredible natural areas.
Launceston is no exception. It’s a very pleasant place, it feels as though a stereotypical 50′s American town that has gradually grown over many years. The second largest city in Tasmania, the atmosphere is relaxed, the people are friendly, and the scenery is beautiful. On the advice of a most friendly hostel receptionist (and even the hostel itself was a 80′s decor classic house) I wandered to the shops for some supplies before heading back to the most impressive Cataract Gorge – a valley of impressive scale and history.
At the head of it there is a suspension bridge, a swimming pool and a huge grassed area that would be perfect for picnics. A cafe, twisting paths, peacocks and great viewpoints all await you after a tiring walk up one side of the valley, before the “zig-zag track” leads you back down the otherside. I can tell you it certainly zig-zagged. Intriguingly, there was a privately owned house high on stilts midway along the valley. I can only imagine how many millions of dollars you need to live there.
With a little bit of sunlight left, I decided to make my way to the city centre, just for a look around. The compact town means you’re never too far away, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got there. The main street mall was lined with what appeared to be rally cars, and as I wandered around more and more cars appeared. I eventually discovered that this was “Targafest”, a one night celebration for the ongoing Targa Rally – a 5 day rally around the isle of Tasmania in the style of the Mille di Miglia. Good fortune doesn’t come close to describing how I ended up there on that one night. I hadn’t even initially planned to go into town, but here I was 10 minutes before the start of the 3 hour festival!
The car attracting the most interest was an Audi R8, a spectacle of carbon fibre and aluminium parked by the main stage. The first band played their selection of 80′s hits as I wandered up and down each street admiring the 200 or so rally cars from all ages, and in all quality. The racing partners were with their cars in most cases, happy to share their stories.
The second artist was Heloise Sowerby, who played some beautiful acoustic tracks to close out the night. It seems Launceston loves its motorsport!
The next day I explored a little more of the town, which was fast ranking as one of my favourite in Australia, a cause not hurt by the display in the local park;
Monkeys! I must’ve been watching them for about half an hour, running round, grooming each other, playing games. I’d love to see something similar in John Whitehead Park.
The next morning I was beginning my Tassie roadtrip, an automatic Hyundai Getz the car assigned to me. Now, I’ve never driven an automatic before, and I feel I should share my feelings on them. They’re terrifying! They’re not quite as fun to drive as a manual, it’s much more of a fight to overtake anything (or drive up hills at a steady speed), and they don’t seem to understand corners. When you corner – you don’t change gears because it gives you a blast of torque that you don’t want or need, and is utterly terrifying. The first time it did this to me, I suddenly found the car leaping round the corner, so I instantly lifted, resulting in more unexpected gear changes and jumping revs. Either it was out to get me, or automatics are the stupidest ideas ever.
My first adventure was to see a sign for Ralphs Falls, and I spontaneously decided that they sounded nice enough to visit. I wasn’t disappointed (although the road was muddy and tricky) by the view. Check it out. It also had the bonus of going through a small village where there was a simply incredible monument. Back in the 40′s, they had planted “Anzac Avenue”, a row of oak trees to commemorate those who had lost their lives. About 15 years ago, the trees were declared unsafe, but rather than chop them down they were carved into something to remember those who had given their lives in war.
Stunning. My hostel for that night was in Swansea. An incredibly nice hostel, awesomely cooked fresh fish and chips, and delicious Boags beer to top it off. A lovely end to the first day.
And finally, here is the track I had to walk to Ralphs Falls in the slightly miserable weather.
Unsurprisingly, I got wet feet.
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4 comments
dad says:
April 28, 2011 at 9:57 pm (UTC 10 )
This sounds like you saved one of the best places to visit until last, the photo’s & feelgood factor of Launceston seem terrific. It sounds like the type of place i could live, apart from monkeys which bite & nick food. I think you have judged automatic cars i bit harsh after only one car driven, well done for having a go but they really are very easy to drive once you get round the fact you only have 2 pedals to deal with. You could learn to use some of those other gears in the automatic gearbox which can provide you with a bit more than kangaroo fuel.
Anzac Avenue, now there is a good example of why university education is not necessary, you don’t see many degree educated people creating such things of beauty.
I’m going to John Whitehead Park tonite, if i see a monkey it will be on a barbecue soon after we meet.
Finally I hope you got your 10 dollars worth of chinese food, I think they would have given me the 10 dollors back & said leave.
Finally, finally, are you going to Easter Island, that also looks great.
boromadloon says:
April 28, 2011 at 11:09 pm (UTC 10 )
I did slam my foot into the brake a few times thinking it was the clutch. I kinda worked out the other gears as well, I had D, 2 and L, which seemed to cope with decreasing revs. Dave Gorman did a book where he explained them a little bit because he had similar feelings towards automatics.
My Chinese food wasn’t a buffet sadly, a $8 takeaway, and a visit for some emperor puffs.
And I’m unlikely to go to Easter Island, it’s way, way out near South America. Maybe one day.
mam says:
April 28, 2011 at 10:59 pm (UTC 10 )
How beautiful is Tasmania? And how good was your timing? Wow. I’ve loved reading this blog and feel very relaxed now (even though I’m at work in the middle of an audit).
Your experience of the automatic has made me laugh out loud and hasn’t done much for my chances of trying to drive one.
Not too sure about wild monkeys either. I think I prefer kangaroos. Maybe they are preferable to spiders.
The Anzac Avenue memorial looks spectacular and your photo’s are excellent, by the way. It was a good investment to buy your new camera.
How many states are there in Australia and will you have visited them all before you return to the UK?
boromadloon says:
April 28, 2011 at 11:11 pm (UTC 10 )
There are 8 states in Australia, and when I return, I will have had a beer in all of them. Excellent!