Part 3: Launceston & Western Tasmania
Sunday morning we were up and checked-out of the airport hotel by 7am. After walking across the sky-bridge to the Check-in Counters, we checked our bags, got breakfast at McDonald’s, and then window shopped until boarding time. It was an hour flight from Melbourne south to Launceston, Tasmania. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania, (Hobart is the largest), and it was the first Australian city to have underground sewers and to be illuminated by hydro-electric power. Launceston is also known for its vibrant food culture and has been made a UNESCO city of gastronomy, one of only 49 in the world. From the airport, we caught a taxi to Peppers Silo Hotel, where we would meet our Backroads group to begin bicycling the next morning. Peppers Silo is a hotel made out of old grain silos and is very unique. We dropped our bags there and walked to Cataract Gorge, a National Reserve site. The site has been a Reserve since the 1800’s, and is characterized by a “hanging walkway” along its side that was built in the 1890’s and which is still used today. The walk starts in King’s Park across King’s Bridge and then down the path along the gorge. We saw numerous birds, massive Sequoyah trees (planted in 1894), and a number of peacocks. After sightseeing, we returned to the waterfront near the hotel to eat lunch at “The Rupert & Hound.” We then walked into the downtown area looking for some pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast, and for a bottle of wine for the evening. On return to our hotel we checked into our rooms and then played cards in the lobby. We had a light snack at the bar before calling it a day.
On Monday morning, we met our Backroads group, turned over our luggage, and loaded up into their vans for a short trip to The Truffle Farm – Australia’s First Black Truffle Farm. There the family run business showed us how they “pollinate” spores on fledgling tree roots and wait over 10-years to speculatively gather truffles with the help of their truffle-sniffing dogs. We sampled a variety of truffle products before getting fit for our bicycles and heading off for an 18-mile ride across the pastoral countryside.
At the end of the 18-miles, we stopped at Sherlock Farms where we had lunch at a local farm run by Bob &Sally Sherlock. We dined family style on quinoa salad, tofu salad, edamame salad, topped with fresh beef from their ranch.
After lunch, we shuttled to Cradle Mountain Lodge located on the border of Cradle Mountain National Park. Along the way we saw echidnas foraging along the side of the road. On arrival at the Lodge, we saw pademelons, wallabies, and wombats. Our accommodation was in a private cabin a good walk out in the bush. Once we settled in and unpacked our luggage, we walked back to the lodge for dinner, seeing a wallaby with a Joey in her pouch and a platypus swimming in the pond along the way. In the lodge, we had a private dinner with wine and hors d’oeuvres of salmon ceviche, pork belly, and tortellini. The main course of lamb and beef, with desserts of lemon sorbet , chocolate raspberry compote, and vanilla almond ice cream with short breads. After dinner, we returned to our room to prepare for tomorrow’s hike.
The next morning, we were up at the lodge for a quick breakfast at 7am so that we could leave for Cradle Mountain National Park for a day of hiking. It was 37F degrees this morning and somewhat windy. The park is biodiverse with ancient rainforest, alpine heaths, and grasslands. We drove to the Ronny Circle parking lot before dividing into groups that would take the shorter, easier route or the longer, challenging route. We decided to do the challenging route, and after crossing the road, we started our hike on part of the Overland Track Trail (a 65 kilometer long trail) until we reached the Scout Hut, and then we joined the Horse Track Trail which would take us around Crater Lake. We climbed up 1621 ft in altitude over wet boggy land and large granite boulders until we reached the Kitchen Hut. Here we broke for snacks and hot chocolate. We then walked on to Marion’s Lookout before rejoining the Overland Track via a path of steep downhill boulders while holding onto a chain rope. We continued on until we reached Crater Lake lookout then moved onto the Wombat Pool Track. Finally, the hike took us toward Lila Lake and the Park’s boathouse, ending at the shuttle bus stop. We rode the park shuttle bus to the Park’s Interpretive Center which was very near the Park’s entrance and our hotel. We strolled back to the hotel.
Exhausted we hit the showers before joining friends in the lodge lobby for celebratory drinks and game of cards. At 6pm we had reservations in the Highland Restaurant for a 2-course dinner. Roc had smoked salmon and lamb rump roast and Julie had Tasmanian oysters and duck confit. Desert was vanilla ice cream with mango sauce and meringue. We watched the platypus frolic in the lake from our dining table. Then, it was back to our cabin to pack for our morning check-out.
Breakfast the next morning was followed by a 1-mile hike to King Billie overlook to see The King Billie – a 1000+ year old pine tree. The morning was cool but the hike was warming and the wombats were out and about. We checked out of the lodge and drove 1.5-hours to Queenstown. The town of Queenstown is an old gold and copper mining town. Unfortunately, after no longer economic, the old mining companies left the town decimated and polluted with a sulfuric acid creek running through the middle. However, the surrounding mountains are now a popular mountain biking area which accounts for the meager income that supports the town beyond government assistance. We had a private lunch at the historic Paragon Theater while watching a movie about the theater’s history. After lunch, we changed into biking gear, drove 30 minutes to Burberry Lake Campground, and began our bike ride on the Lile Highway riding 25 miles while climbing 1/2 mile in altitude. When we arrived at the Lake St. Clair Ranger’s Headquarters, we took a short shuttle to a thoroughly unique hotel at Pumphouse Point. Our room was in the original planned hydroelectric dam’s pumphouse at the end of a long pier that extended out into Lake St. Clair. The pumphouse was deserted when the project to divert water and generate hydroelectric power was cancelled. We checked in, showered and changed, and then joined the other guests for a complementary cocktail hour and a convivial meal.
Thursday morning we were up early for breakfast, after which we received a loaf of bread to use with the larder of food that was in our room to prepare ourselves a lunch to take with us while we hike the Lake St, Clair National Park. We drove back to the Park’s Headquarters and walked to the Ferry terminal and took the ferry across the lake to Echo Point. Here we rejoin the Overland Track Trail and hiked through the forest alongside the lake for the next 11 kilometers. The ground is wet, soft, and mossy, and is covered with large tree roots and the occasional babbling brook. The footing is challenging as we ford creeks, climb over logs and branches, and avoid the mud. Three-quarters way through the hike we stopped and made our way to the lake’s edge to eat our packed lunches, utilizing the larger trees and rocks as benches and tables. When we finished the hike back at the headquarters/Visitors center, we celebrated with drinks and a beer.
Once back at the hotel, we decided to take a hike along the nearby beach looking for signs of platypus and any available beach glass. After collecting a bit of beach glass, we hiked over to the local weir bridge, and looked for wildlife. However, all we found was a sign warning of deadly snakes! Back at our hotel rooms, we took showers and prepared for dinner. Cocktails were again at 6pm and the night was a sloe gin special. Dinner was parsnip soup or pumpkin burratina (baby burrata), followed by lamb or chicken, and finished with a faux rock chocolate coffee desert. That night, we walked back to our room down the pier to see a stunning sunset.
