Cradle Mountain, Tassie Devils, Echidnas and Wombats

Fri 19th February

Back in Launceston (again!), this time to prepare for our flight to Melbourne tomorrow. Although this time we are not imposing ourselves on George and Shar, we are staying in a luxurious B&B overlooking the Tamar valley.

Linda and Ross went back to Perth on Wednesday and we went over to Cradle Mountain calling at Trowunna Wildlife Park where they save injured animals, and breed Tasmanian Devils in an attempt to stop the contagious cancer which is beginning to wipe them out. We saw wombats, quolls and echidnas as well as the devils. I can confirm that the fur of a young wombat is much coarser than that of a baby devil, but that the feeding habits of adult devils are not for the faint-hearted. I have a video of a group tearing apart a dead wallaby if you are interested.

Just 1km after leaving the park we came across a wild echidna in the road, we ushered it back onto the verge, then saw another one a few km further on. After a long drive along narrow, steep,winding roads we reached our expensive, but smart, chalet (spa bath and balcony overlooking the bush) at Cradle Mountain in the evening. The whole area is extremely busy in the summer, and this was all that was available when we booked before Christmas.

On Thursday we took the (full) shuttle bus up the valley and did a "moderate" walk, avoiding the "iconic" circuit around Dove Lake which had the potential for being like Padley Gorge on a sunny bank holiday. As with most of Tassie the scenery was stunning, and the walks well-organised, though we had to queue for the return bus - which didn't please some Aussies. In the evening we returned by car and were on our own to watch wombats from a few feet away, and fail to see any platypus.

It was raining as we checked out, so we decided to head straight off to Latrobe "the platypus capital of the world" for another attempt to see one. The Platypus Experience had closed down, to be replaced by tours at dusk (which we couldn't wait for) and "The Australian Axeman Hall of Fame", which was fascinating. It celebrated the sport of competitive chopping, including memorabilia and an astonishing continuous video of the world championships at the Sydney Easter Show. Lots of wood was chopped very quickly by some very strong men, and a few women. One champion started competing at age 14 and finished at 78. Perhaps most impressive was the competition to chop through a 375mm trunk about 4m above the ground using an axe and three planks. You chop a slot for a plank, wedge it in, climb up and repeat twice, then chop half way through the top of the trunk, before climbing down and repeating on the other side. The winner completed this in 1min 48sec!

We had very pleasant walks around the town nature reserve, and the more distant Warrawee reserve where they do the platypus tours. We saw some wildlife, some Aussies capsizing in kayaks or letting their dogs jump in the river, but no platypus - oh well at least we've seen one, and two echidnas, so that's 100% of Aussie montremes.

I'm tired and we have to get up early for our flight tomorrow, so I'll add some pics in Melbourne.