Top Things to See and Do in Tasmania - A Circumnavigation

As we sailed into the south end of the Murray Channel and into Deal Island's East Cove, we completed our circumnavigation of Tasmania. It took a year, almost to the day, but hey, we're slow sailors. It gave us cause to sit back one evening, while sipping our congratulatory cups of Tasmanian wine, and reflect on the highlights of our time in and around this very special island. We readily admit we missed a lot...like most of the interior (no car) and all the north coast (no time). We would have loved to linger in the Furneaux Island Group and explore Flinders Island (bad weather). Though we try, we just can't do it all. These are our picks of the top things to see and do in Tasmania.  

Strahan

Our first port of call along Tassie's wild west coast the entry through the infamous Hell's Gate into Macquarie Harbour. The tiny town of Strahan was picturesque and a calm respite from the west coast's churning waters. We sailed up the Gordon River, explored the convict ruins at Sarah Island and traipsed around the bush at Kelly's Basin. It was spectacular. You can reach Strahan by car and take tours of the harbor and the river.

Port Davey

Approaching Breaksea Island, knowing we needed to skirt behind it to find the calm waters of the Bathurst Channel took a leap of faith. Rollers crashed and the craggy shore looked uninviting and ominous. But the chart and hundreds of mariners before us assured us there was peace behind those ragged spires...and there was. We hiked to tops of hills and mountains for glorious views and took the dinghy up the Melaleuca River to areas originally inhabited by Aborigines and rarely seen or visited by modern man. Part of Southwest Wilderness National Park, this area is only accessible by boat, on foot or by small plane. It's unbelievably and wonderfully remote.

Bruny Island

A world unto itself, the island offers history, spectacular vistas, beaches and diverse flora and fauna including rare, endangered birds and white wallabies. Reach the island via a tour, your own boat or the car/passenger ferry at Kettering.

Cygnet

This was our favorite little port on the east coast. It's friendly, tiny and a bit Bohemian with a cafe and boutique-lined main street. Drive there or sail there. It's worth the trip.

Hobart Town

An historic, must-see seaport with so much to do and explore. See our Top Things to See and Do in Hobart for specifics.

Port Arthur

Re-live history here while meandering through the remains of this substantial, well-preserved convict site. Take a tour, drive there or sail there.

Maria Island

Another of Tasmania's national parks and historic convict sites. View remnants of the convict colony and the past settlement at Darlington or hike for miles enjoying the natural beauty of the Painted Cliffs, sharing the experience with kangaroos, wombats, wallabies and hundreds of birds. Access via passenger ferry from Triabunna or your own boat, of course.

Deal Island

Magic in the middle of the Bass Strait. Climb the steep hill to the small complex of historic lightkeeper's buildings, visit the tiny museum, hike the path to the lighthouse and climb its spiral stairs to the top viewing platform for unsurpassed views of the Strait. Cape Barren geese, wallabies, butterflies and birds galore keep you company. Part of the Kent Group National Park and accessible only by boat.

People

Get to know the locals. They're warm, friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks to Ian & Wendy, Craig, Marcia & John, Tony & Mary Anne, Reg, Anne & Phil, Gerry, Jack & Jude, Jim & Anne, Bob the octogenarian kayaker, Jackie, Mary & David and Tom, Maree & Floyd. If we've missed some of the many people who showed us kindness and friendship, we humbly apologize. As always, it is the people who enhance our lives and give us a better appreciation of the places we visit.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

National Lox and Bagel Day

Bagels are not as easy to come by in Australia as they are in the US. We can find them, but it's not like Einsteins or Brueggers or a good deli in New York City. Revel in bagelry today. Schmear on the cream cheese. My mouth is watering!

National Read in the Bathtub Day

Hmmm...IF I had a bathtub, I'd consider this.

Deal Island - Kent Group National Park, Tasmania Pt. 2

 

The most outstanding structure on Deal Island is, of course, the lighthouse. Built in 1848, it is the tallest lighthouse in Australia at nearly 1000' (305M) above sea level. In fact, it's the tallest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, it is so high, it was many times occluded by clouds and fog and couldn't be seen by ships … not good if you're a lighthouse. It was manned until 1992, when two new, unmanned lighthouses were built on nearby Northeast Isle and Southwest Island. It looks regal sitting on the bluff as you approach the island, but it's absolutely awesome when you get up close and personal.

Not only can you visit the lighthouse, you can climb the spiral staircase to the top and get a close-up look into the massive fresnel lens.

Stepping out onto the narrow walkway that surrounds the top of the lighthouse takes your breath away with a million dollar, 360 degree view of the Bass Strait.

Not far from the lighthouse, we saw a tiny grave simply marked “Baby”. Research indicates that the grave belonged to the infant daughter of the Jacksons, assistant lighthouse keepers in the 1890's.

Another marked grave over by Squally Cove is that of Rev. Mr. Baker's 11-year-old daughter, who died c. 1872 near Deal Island on a ship en route from England to New South Wales and was buried here. The grief associated with burying your child in this isolated place and then having to leave is unfathomable to us, but a necessity in the time and place.

We wandered up to Barn Hill to look at the whim, a vertical track used in the early days to haul supplies from the jetty to the Compound above. Bullocks did the heavy work then, but the whim has long since deteriorated to just a remnant of the past. A small ute (pick-up) is used now to lug supplies up and down the road from jetty to Compound. Nearby the whim, the grave of John Thomas Hague, head lighthouse keeper who died here in 1924, is fenced and well-marked.

Walking the well-worn paths on the island, visiting the museum, seeing the lighthouse and the graves, conjures up all sorts of images of the lives that were led here and of the ordeals and hardships faced. We feel privileged to have experienced this place, not once, but twice. The magic never seems to wear off.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Waitangi Day (New Zealand)

Celebrates the signing of the Waitangi Treaty in 1840, making New Zealand part of the British Empire and gauranteeing the Maori their land and the rights of British citizens. Surprising, it didn't all work as agreed. Learn a little more about the Maori culture in New Zealand

Wear Red Day

While you're learning about New Zealand and the Maori people, put on a red shirt or a red sweater or better yet, put on your red dress, baby!

Deal Island - Kent Group National Park, Tasmania

 

I woke up this morning and watched a wallaby hop across a sandy white beach while I sipped my tea. Another two hopped along in his tracks, causing the Caspian terns to screech when they had to move. We were anchored in East Cove off Deal Island in Kent Group National Park, Tasmania's northern most national park. Six other boats had been anchored here last night, but had all departed for the Hobart Wooden Boat Show save one. We'd visited Deal last year right around this time. There's no other word for it … it's magic!

Part of the magic of Deal Island is its location in the middle of the notorious Bass Strait. It is only accessible by boat although helicopters can land on top if there is an emergency. That's rare. The park is manned by volunteer caretakers who spend three month terms here, welcoming guests and generally taking care of the island and its buildings during their watch.

We beached the dinghy and walked halfway up the steep hill to the “Telstra bench”, strategically located in order manage a signal to the mainland through the notch that separates Erith Island and Dover Island across the Channel.

At the top of the steep, switchbacked hill, lies the fenced “Compound”. Most of the island's buildings are located here including the Caretaker's Residence. We tried to avoid upsetting wallabies and Cape Barren geese along the way, but it's nearly impossible. They're everywhere. Marie, Tom and 7-year old, Floyd, were waiting for us and welcomed us warmly.

Though we'd visited before, we checked out the tiny museum once again. It's full of information about the island and memorabilia from lighthouse keepers past. Antique bottles, shards of china, interesting shells collected on the beach, bits of machinery and sepia photos, all found their place in the old lighthouse keepers home.

David was interested in the huge solar panel display … 56 panels at 210 watts each. They rely on solar as their only means of power on the island and it seems to do the trick.

The garden was thriving. Covered with netting and fenced to protect it from the island's other inhabitants, the garden is planted and harvested in turn by each set of caretakers that live on the island, providing freshies during their stay. Lettuce, beets, tomatoes, chard and herbs all seemed to be doing well at the moment.

The animals hold the most allure for me. Flame robins and firetails, welcome swallows and silver eyes flit about. Cape Barren geese roam everywhere. Ducks swim along the shore and mingle with terns, gulls and oystercatchers. We've watched the little blue penguins coming home to their nests at dusk after a long day at sea. Wallabies, like half-pint kangaroos, are everywhere. They lounge under trees, munch on the tussock grass along the path, play on the beach and generally have the run of the island.

They tend to startle you as you're walking and jump out in the path beside you, usually startling themselves as well. They sometimes hide their heads in the tussock grass, but their long tails and bums stick out. I guess they reason that if they can't see us, we probably can't see them.

Tomorrow, the Deal Island Lighthouse and gravestones on the island

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

International Pancake Day

Free pancakes at IHOP today in their 7th International Pancake Day for charity. No IHOP in your neighborhood (or country?), make some up yourself and don't forget the maple syrup or maybe some Nutella?

World Nutella Day

Never tried Nutella? It's a chocolate-hazelnut spread. Good day to try it!