On from Hobart

After spending a day in Hobart tasting a variety of the culinary delights that a city has to offer, we headed back to our cozy abode. Doug had arrived home from work and generously offered to take us on a tour of Mt. Wellington... since we lacked the energy to climb or bike the mountain on our day off, we welcomed a drive up the mountain. We had a beautiful view of the city from about half way up the winding forest road, but the top proved to be full of clouds. We still enjoyed our evening stroll. Afterwards, we headed home to make some fresh fruit smoothies and were soon off to bed.

The next morning we packed our bikes up and headed back on the road. After about 10km, we made our way out of the bustling metropolis and back into the country. Ahhh... sheep and forests and fields once more. We were again travelling uncharted territory off of the guidebooks route. We knew we had one climb for the day, but we mistakenly assumed that the rest of the day would be flat. You'd think after riding five days in Tassie, we would know that there is no such thing as a flat road.

We ended up having a couple of climbs that day... one up Bust-a-Gut hill and then we travelled down the steep slopes of Break-your-Neck hill. Luckily no guts were busted and our necks are still in one piece. We spent most of the day on inland roads winding our way through the country, but as late afternoon approached, the hills parted from our winding road, the scent of the sea flowed past us, and the meandering stream to our side opened up as it flowed into the beautiful blue ocean. It was great to be cycling along the coast again! A short ride later (and after a stop at the roadside fruit stand (yum), we arrived to Triabuna where we pitched our tent for the night.

Yesterday, we left our bikes and our gear behind and took a ferry across to Maria Island: A national park full of history and beautiful scenery. The day was sunny and warm... perfect for exploring the island. First we walked over green fields to an area with fossilized cliffs that fell down into the aqua blue waters below. These cliffs ran to the edge of a small mountain topped with rough, steep sloping boulders. The cliffs held pictures of creatures from the past and the beauty of rugged ocean terrain.

After enjoying the cliffs, Mally and I strolled further along the rolling green hills past several geese... not like the Canadian geese that I am accustomed to, but fat, grey geese with large feet and greeny colored beaks. The newness of these geese brought a certain apeal to them, but they did leave there well-known and annoying poopy mark all across the island. We soon walked into a forested area full of wildlife. We saw all sorts of birds, lizards, and hoppy creatures (mostly pademelons I think). The path led us to a small resevoir surrounded by trees with a picnic table overlooking the water and facing a glimpse of the mountain beyond. We decided that this was a perfect lunch spot. We ate our peanut butter sandwiches as we watched birds flutter over the resevoir and make sweeping dips into the water below.

After relaxing a bit, we continued on our walk back to a small historical town near where we arrived on our ferry. This town had been through several phases in its life... from a penal colony to a wine-growing mecca to an industrial area for harvesting limestone. Now it only serves to provide visitors with a glimpse of the past.

We took a break from walking to read a bit in this old town and then headed on our way to the Painted Cliffs... the highlight of our journey to Maria Island. We walked barefoot along white sand beaches overlooking the swirling blue waters of the ocean to a point where cliffs fell straight into the waters below. The cliffs were striped in a myriad of reds, oranges, and yellows that created a glorious sight. We walked out along the cliffs and took pictures galore... taking in and admiring the wonderful work of nature.

We then headed back to catch our ferry. While waiting for our boat to take us home, we ran into our friend Doug who had come out for the long weekend to climb Maria mountain. We chatted a bit and then parted ways once again to head back to the mainland. Mally and I wandered back to camp where we cooked dinner and chatted with a few Australian couples and another cycle tourist from the states (Dave from Colorado). We enjoyed another wonderful day with nature and an evening with a friendly bunch of people.