-- From Longford to Devonport

The road tracklog 
from Longford to Devonport
from 26/04/2010 to 02/05/2010 

Three headlines for this first day of the sixth and last week in Tasmania: The visit of Tasmania Zoo, a walk in Liffey Falls and the honey tasting in The Great Western Tiers. From .Longford I headed northwards to see the animal emblematic of Tasmania, Tasmania Devil. The Zoo exhibits more than 80 varieties of animals in a vast arranged park. I was especially come for the devil. I did not make not disappointed there were several of them with a demonstration at the feeding time. Beforehand I saw for the first time the Little Penguins migrant on the coasts of Tasmania. I strolled all the morning in this park going from cage to cage. Admittedly a zoo is always disappointing by the sight of the captive animals.

Then I was on the move again  for a half an hour walk to admire Liffey Falls whose site is listed at the inheritance world of humanity.

Leatherwood Honey

Leatherwood honey is produced from the flower of the trees Eucryphia lucida and Eucryphia milliganii which are predominately found in the pristine rain forests of the West Coast of Tasmania whose many are listed as World Heritage Areas. The origin of these trees goes back to the time of Gondwanaland when South America, Antarctic, Australia and India formed only a continent million years ago.

In the late afternoon on the way towards the bivouac I stopped at The Honey Farm in Chudleigh to taste some honeys among more than fifty suggested varieties. Eight kilometres far away in Mole Creek I did the second stop at R. Stephens. Thus I appear at least a variety of honey, Leatherwood Honey. The honey in Chudleigh is better refined than that in Mole Creek by being A$3 more expensive a kilo. Finally I arrived at Lake Parangana to spend the night in the coldness at the edge of the lake at approximately 400m high.

The next day I returned to the northern coast of Tasmania, indeed I had taken an appointment on the 28/04 at Atlas Copco in Camdale to fill again nitrogen in the tanks of my truck's shock absorbers. By passing in Sheffield I took pictures of “Murals” speciality of the city. In the Visitor Centre in Burnie I took a free permit to bivouac at Cooee Point where the barometer became more optimistic at 1013 millibars.

As of eight o'clock on Wednesday April 28, I was at Atlas Copco for filling the tanks of the shock absorbers of my truck. I was welcomed by John STANTON, Regional Manager of the company, who entrusted me to Jock. Work was promptly completed, the four tanks were filled with 8 kilos of nitrogen. Back to the reception John told me the work was free of charge. I thanked him cordially. Then I headed to Wynyard to do shopping in the beating rain, consequently I was going to bivouac in LeisureVille Caravan Park in very hypothetical waiting of the improvement of weather. The barometer had sunk again.

The target of the next day  consisted in approaching the Cradle MT National Park of which I wished to walked the trekking trails. An envisaged bivouac was beyond the junction to the park where I was heading to inform me for the following day. The bivouac at the Lake Gairdner is at the edge of the Iris River, name of the water colour, at its junction with the lake. The spot is sublime in spite of a cold and violent wind accompanied by an icy drizzle. Once again I was alone, marvellous.

As of 10 a.m. I was at the edge of the Dove Lake  for a walk around the lake and an extension towards the Wilks Lake. The weather was overcast and a malicious gelling drizzle fell. From time to time a break announced a new gust of wind. The path of Dove Lake Circuit is well arranged with sometimes a boardwalk. I climbed the very steep and very rocky path to Wilks Lake overhanging Dove Lake at 1100 meters of altitude. Back to the carpark I was heated with an very hot coffee. I had traversed the circuit and the extension of Wilks, that is to say 7,25 km GPS, in 2hours10 including forty minutes to return Wilks Lake. In the early afternoon I was heading to bivouac in Gowrie Park where there was a free WiFi connection! I remained there until Sunday morning to have rest after six weeks in Tasmania, to make arrangement and to prepare the loading on Spirit of Tasmania on Sunday evening.

In this last day in Tasmania I strolled to reach Devonport by passing by the marvellous water plan of the Barrington Lake dedicated to rowing. Then it was the thin topiary in Railton, the giant platypus in Latrobe and finally the last covered with red lichen rocks in Port Sorell, at the Rubicon River mouth. I was at the entry of the Spirit of Tasmania's pier at 5 p.m. to load at 6.30 with an effective departure at 7 p.m. The arrival in Melbourne was envisaged the next morning at 6 a.m. This last day was fortunately without rain but with an autumnal sun and an intense cold.

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