I was fortunate to have been invited to the Naming Ceremony and Shake-Down cruise of the Douglas Mawson expedition ship, sailing from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania; the “other” Australia. I figured that since I was flying all that way, I should spend a few days discovering Tasmania after I disembarked. That was a great decision.
Over the next four days, I would be exploring the Freycinet Peninsula, Coles Bay, and Maria Island, with my focus being on the wildlife and just having fun photographing nature without thinking about how a shot might be useful in an article. Kinda freeing! Hence, much of this article will be a photographic journey. But first, some context!
My one day in Tasmania with Aurora expeditions consisted of a zodiac exploration in the morning and a hike in the afternoon. The fact that my guide in both instances was the renowned expeditioner and founder of Aurora Expeditions, Greg Mortimer, certainly made both rather special beyond it being Tasmania! I wrote a bit about this already: Aurora Expeditions: An Expedition Company with Passion, Purpose, and Peacefulness.
I hired a guide for the three remaining days, and it was, to be sure, a great investment. I went to remote places that I never would have discovered, and was given context to areas that enriched the overall experience.
My greatest desire was to see a wombat “up close and personal”. When I was in the fifth grade (about 10 years old) I did a report on wombats and, ever since, have had this desire. Fortunately, it was fulfilled! I was told that if you sit down rather than stand over them, they will get closer. Well, I wondered what would happen if I lay down. One got within a couple of feet of me…just grazing away. Clearly, he was interested in me and approached (a cardinal rule when wildlife viewing). I then saw a few more during my day on Maria Island.
Speaking of Maria (pronounced Ma-RYE-a) Island, it is a national park that was once a penal colony. That was, of course, after it was taken from the Indigenous Australians. You arrive by ferry, and there are no motor vehicles. You can stay in former prison housing or camp in specific areas. The wildlife was abundant…especially as we did, you get off the designated trails.
One thing that was reinforced from my time living in Brisbane, Australia, is that there is a real fondness for the criminal and penal colony history of Australia. While Australia is a young country, its youth is emphasized by the vastness of its undeveloped areas, but its darkness by the focus on its penal colonies (and, only now, some acknowledgement of its horrific treatment of the Indigenous Australians). It did bring back memories of my time in West Africa, especially Ghana and Sierra Leone, and how those Indigenous people were enslaved and treated horrifically. Visiting two penal colonies was not anything I had planned, but in hindsight, I am glad I did.
My final contextual comment is that Tasmania’s diversity of beaches and landscapes is remarkable. You literally look to the left to see a spectacular shoreline and then look to your right, and it is, again, spectacular but totally different.
And now some photographs!
And, of course, there were plenty of times when I just “Put the Camera Down” and took in the beauty.
And others when I just took in the local folks and cuisine!
While it was an incredibly short exploration of Eastern Tasmania, it was a great one. And one that I most definitely recommend!
