Little England and the East Coast

From the rugged west to the lush, green north it is quite surprising how close the various regions of Tasmania are...and also how different. We left Cradle Mountain and within an hour or so, after negotiating some steep gorges and rugged mountains, we found ourselves in lush, green rolling hills with patchwork paddocks and fat, healthy sheep dotting the landscape. It is almost like a scene from an English calendar.

We went through small, well kept towns like Sheffield (famous for it murals) and Railton and Deloraine on our way to Launceston. We were told that it was mandatory to visit the chocolate factory, the cheese factory and the raspberry farm ( to taste chocolate covered raspberries)...........and  that is just what we did. And when we arrived in Launceston they were having a food and beverage fair in the centre of town......just metres from our luxury apartment. Our stomachs were aching....but what a tasty day!

We spent a quiet Sunday visiting the famous Cataract Gorge with its gardens, chair lift and peacocks...that put on quite a spectacular show for the visitors without much encouragement at all!

The Gorge from the chair lift.

What a show off.

And as we continued across the north through the green hills of Scottsdale to the East Coast the the views continued to make us think we were in England or Ireland somewhere. The lavender in the lavender farm on the way was not in bloom but it it was impressive nonetheless. The structure, colours and shapes made it a striking vista.

We stopped for lunch in a quaint little cafe / antique / bric a brac shop in St Helens as we hit the east coast. The food was great and the shop....well very interesting.....and quirky!

St Helens is known for the "Bay of Fires" on the coast where an orange lichen grows on the rocks. It is quite common along the coast but concentrated in this area against crystal clear water and blindingly white sand. Worth a visit.

We arrived in Bicheno in time to arrange a a "Fairy Penguin" tour in the evening after dinner....and then found or "digs" ....up on a hill, overlooking the ocean. Quit a view.

The Fairy Penguin tour was really very well conducted and informative. We were bussed in a small mini bus to a special place on the beach set up to observe the penguins come ashore to their burrows. 

They come and go at night to avoid predators and after 50ks of swimming and catching fish during the day they  return and regurgitate their catch for the chicks. But only after scurrying across the beach and climbing up the slope....quite a task for such a little creature with no knees!

Our guide was really knowledgeable and kept us safe from "projectile pooing"...which happens apparently when people upset them. Maurits and I kept our distance.!

We observed them in a number of locations coming up the slope (each penguin alway uses the same track up the beach) and going home to feed the chicks....and what a racket they make when dinner is being "served".....very slimy!. We were shown the process in an observation box and when the guide lifted the lid, Maurits' face started doing contortion somersaults! I must say...the stench was quite overpowering.

We weren't able to take our own photos but this one off the web is pretty close to what we saw.

The Fairy Penguins are very cute, .....and fascinating to watch ....... but oh so smelly !!!