Tasmania to Tokyo – Hobart – Day 8 can be found here.
Another day dawns, and another destination draws to an end. We’d thought that a minimum of three nights in each location would be enough, and it is – barely. Four nights would have been better. Longer would be better still. But nothing is limitless, least of all our travel time.
At least we’re not flying anywhere today, so we’re able to give the luggage scales a break. Our bags just need to fit in the car – given the size of Stay Puft the Rental Van, we expect no issues.
We need to get on the road early this morning, so we opt for breakfast at the hotel. We initially recoiled at the notion of paying AUD$45 per adult, but that figure becomes more reasonable when one considers that kids are included and that it covers both drinks and the meal. A regular cafe breakfast with coffee can easily run more than AUD$30 per person, so AUD$135 for a hotel breakfast isn’t beyond the pale.
Also worth noting that hotel breakfasts tend to offer a mystical substance known as “fruit”, which is woefully underrepresented among our xhildren’s current food groups – which seem to be french fries, pasta, meat and dessert.
The Tasman does a pretty good breakfast:
Photo Credit: Peppina Restauarant on Instagram
As at Pier One Sydney Harbour, they do eggs to order. And they have a huge bowl of fresh local strawberries. Very tasty.
It’s then time to have the car brought around and settle the bill. No surprises here this time around – if anything, it looks like they comped us a coffee and a breakfast. We mention this, but they seem unconcerned.
Off to Bongorong Wildlife Sanctuary – it’s roughly 30 minutes out of Hobart and on our way to Freycinet Lodge.
@MrsWaldo has rightly suggested that we stop by in the evening if possible, given that many of Tasmania’s animals are nocturnal. That’s not an option this time unfortunately, but we do still get the chance to feed some kangaroos – and that’s pretty special.
We also get the chance to spot the blotched blue-tongued lizard:
And to hear the keeper’s talk on the tasmanian devils:
She tries to feed this one an egg, but he’s not having any of it. The keeper tries again – the devil is “chuffing” at her, which usually means that he is interested in whatever she has to offer – but he lunges for her instead and only a quick jump sideways prevents him from taking a bite out of her calf! Guess he’d rather have a nap than the egg.
The keeper does note that Tasmanian devils are currently under threat due to a transmissible cancer. Scientists are working on a vaccine – and early results are promising – but in the meantime breeding programs are be critical. This particular devil is six years old and has retired out from a breeding program.
We also briefly spot an echidna (not pictured) and some bunnies:
And Lucy, the goose with the broken wing:
But as expected, many of the animals are fast asleep. Nor are there any creatures being treated in their animal hospital:
Photo Credit: Bongorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Ah, well. We got to feed the kangaroos, which was the main purpose of our visit. Also – very glad to see that they have a special fenced-off area where the ‘roos can go when they want a break from the people. But mostly they are quite content to come over and have a nibble, along with a gentle pat on the neck.
One last glance at their beautiful view:
And then we’re back on the road, with a brief stopover in Sorell for some Subway sandwiches and a few groceries. We’ll have an early departure for Cradle Mountain in a few days time, so we’re planning to make some sandwiches for the road. My wife also picks up some wine, so we can avoid paying the mark-up at the hotel bar.
We have a longer drive ahead of us, but the scenery is pleasant and the tarmac is smooth – a welcome improvement over our travels in Namibia.
Though the lanes are exceptionally narrow, particularly in our ultra-wide van.
Eventually, the road opens up again:
And we still manage to arrive at Freycinet Lodge at 2:30 pm, shortly after check-in.
The lodge is one of the few accommodations located inside Freycinet National Park, the other being Saffire – starting at USD$1,500 per person per night. Their price does include tours, meals, and alcohol but it’s still many times more than what we’re paying here.
We’ve rented a mountain view family suite.
It’s modern and tastefully decorated, though we wish they had done a bit better job of screening between the suite and the nearby beach parking lot.
Particularly since there’s an outdoor tub:
But there is a fully-stocked complimentary mini-bar – which gets restocked daily – and that earns them some major bonus points.
(They also provide a single bottle of complimentary wine – though that is not restocked. But the beer and cider is!)
We’re in and settled earlier than expected, so we head off on a brief walk to nearby Honeymoon Bay. The weather is warm, and the views are absolutely stunning:
We’d debated heading elsewhere for snorkelling tomorrow, but then we spot some snorkellers in the water of Honeymoon Bay. Some brief research indicates that this is a decent spot for beginner-level snorkellers – so we’ll likely just walk over here tomorrow and save ourselves a drive.
Off for dinner! We have a “kids dine and stay free” package, so the kids’ meals are included.
The bread comes with Tasmanian spices (on the right), which is a nice touch:
The adults each order the seafood linguine at AUD$48 per person:
It’s tasty, but not worth the price in my opinion. The benefits of having a captive audience, I suppose.
Though it is a comfortable lodge:
And the views from the patio are exceptional:
Our son has the chicken nuggets:
While our daughter has the pasta:
And they each get the mud cake (brownie) for dessert:
It also turns out they have laundry here, and it’s free! And available 24 hours!
There’s about 15 minutes left on one of the washers, so I reply to a few messages before it’s my turn at the washer.
I always wrestle with what to do with unattended laundry – usually I’d put it in a basket, but there are no baskets to be had. The only options are moving it to the table or the dryer. I opt for dryer – though I don’t start it, as there’s no way to know whether they have items that need to be hung to dry.
The woman whose laundry I moved shows up a few minutes later, and is apologetic for not having been there to move her own clothes – I likewise apologize for moving her items, but she’s very understanding.
As an aside – my wife believes that men are held to a different standard when it comes to communal laundry, and that the woman would have been upset if her laundry had been moved by another woman (as opposed it being moved by a man). Thoughts from the community? Do you think women are held to a different standard when it comes to communal laundry? Was I right to have moved the other load, or should I have waited an extra 5 minutes out of politeness?
Back to the room for a quiet drink on our patio. Most of the cars from the parking lot have left at this point, so privacy is less of a concern than we initially expected.
But it’s not long before the mosquitoes start to come out – and soon it’s time for bed.
Another busy day tomorrow – off to snorkel in Honeymoon Bay, and then we’re headed to Bicheno to try to spot the little penguins.
Continue reading Tasmania to Tokyo – Freycinent National Park – Day 10.