#TravelTasmania // Bay of Fire

While Australia is definitely know for it's stunning coasts and beaches, I didn't think Tasmania would be any competition with the likes of the Gold Coast, Sydney's Eastern 'burbs, Cairns, Byron Bay and so on. But I was wrong. Not only was I wrong, Tasmania had something those other locations didn't; an incredibly serene and peaceful environment to enjoy the blaze of lichen covered rocks along the Bay of Fires. 

It could just be me, but places start to lose their appeal when having to squeeze through dense crowds of people. That was something we fortunately never had to worry about in Tasmania, in fact, it was stark contrast to the year and a half spent living in Sydney. It was a treat to be able to climb around these rocks with few other souls around. 

The brightly colored rocks don't stop in Bingalong Bay. While it is definitely the most accessible, being in the heart of a charming, small town, it was only a warm-up for our next location! We continued driving in search for our next potential stop. And by 'we', I mean Vivi continued driving and I continued pretending to know where we were meant to be going while intuitively looking a map and occasionally pointing.

 I couldn't even really tell you where this next place is, I think we'd had just sort of taken a chance and went down a random, winding road until we hit the coast. There may have been a sign on the main highway informing of a park, but other than that, we knew were were safe with knowing that majority of the east coast was littered with the lichen.

Eventually we made it to the next brightly colored, rocky coastline where it basically felt like were were trespassing. The only sign of civilization besides a small parking lot and packed-down paths was a farm with probably one of the best views ever. Lucky cows for sure.

The rock formations here were HUGE! We made it into our own natural playground as we climbed to see the best views and to see how close we could get to the water. 

After climbing around the rocks, we spotted a path towards the beach that was calling our names. The water in Tasmania is undeniably  the clearest I've ever seen the entire three years I spent living and exploring Australia. As chilly as the water is, I always had a huge desire to jump right in and somehow magically morph myself into a mermaid.

I feel like every photo I took here could be on a postcard. This random location had turned out to be a true treat, with a unique blend of sights on top of the already stunning rocks. But alas, our romantic, long walk on the beach had to come to an end as the rest of Tasmania was calling!

After the Bay of Fires, we said our farewells to the East Coast and made our way inland, making a stop at the most old school petrol station first. After all, we had a long road a head of us where there would be vast nothingness. Fortunately, there we a few pleasant surprises along the way to our next destination, Cradle Mountain. But that's for next time... 

Cheers! 

#Travel Tasmania // Maria Island

It's the small island off the island state of the island country/continent, but I guess it prefers to go by the name, Maria Island. The Australian island state of Tasmania is so overlooked that I'm sure nobody knows this secluded, national park exists. While my travel partner, Vivi, and I only had a day to explore it, we were envious of all the campers unloading from the ferry to experience this natural wonder overnight! 

I knew while reading up on Tasmania in my Lonely Plant guide that Maria Island was a must-do for our trip, though we really didn't know too much the before heading there. I was sold enough knowing there was plenty of wildlife and natural wonders easy to spot on a day-trip. So we arrived in the tiny town of Triabunna, only minutes before a ferry would be leaving. Of course I insisted on not waiting an hour for the next, meaning more crimes against fashion and being severely under packed for a day of walking around in the hot, summer sun. 

Like I mentioned above, Maria island is now a National Park, meaning people are only allowed to camp or day-trip here. Once upon a time though, there was a settlement on the island where the old buildings that remain are either taken over by nature, or have been turned into cabins for overnight-ers. The miles of trails in the park range from large, old roads, perfecting for biking along, to narrow paths lined with foliage. 

We set out on foot to our first destination, the painted cliffs. I only knew them by mention in my guide and on the signs along the way, not really knowing what painted cliffs signified. Walking down the path to the beach I could already see the forms of the cliffs and was excited to climb out to to the end. The whole time my eyes were torn between looking that cliffs or the crystal clear water below full of aquatic life! Fortunately we arrived early enough to the caves where we didn't have to share the experience with too many other folks! 

Of all things, I remembered to at least pack my snorkel mask and tube. Fortunately I did, because the  water looked so inviting! As I stepped a foot in to get an idea of it's temperature, I was discouraged by how extremely cold the water was. It was cocococooooollld! Instead of taking a dip, Vivi and I set out for another hike to the other side of the island! The water visibility was clear enough where we were getting a satisfying enough show even from the surface!

Along the way to the other side of the island, we ran across my most anticipated sight of all; a wombat! The product of what looks like a cat bred with a koala, these slow moving marsupials are usually only active in the wild around dusk. I think this guy was only out briefly before heading back to his humble little wombat hole, but at one point he waddled right past me! I just wanted to scoop him up and bring him back home with me!

There was a long walk through a very sun exposed, open field to our next destination; the abandoned quarry, now known as the fossilized cliffs, that attracted the original settlement. What looks like a large, gravel field with random chunks of rock actually proved to be more interesting upon closer look. If you look carefully in this last photo you'll see some fossilized imprints in the chunks of rock!

As we started making our way back to Darlington, where our ferry would be departing, the sun was strongest and hottest as we walked through the longest trail. It was a gorgeous hike back, but the sun was beating down hard on us at this point. Eventually, we arrived back in Darlington, donning shirts on our head (not pictured for obvious reasons) and about ready just to relax and enjoy the shade.

I sneaked in a quick snorkel sesh during the lazy last hour before our ferry came to carry us away back to the "mainland" of the island state of Tasmania. I have a few photos from my chilling dip in the water, but I'm going to tease you with those a later day!

Until then,

Cheers!