Beautiful Tasmania

Depending on your age, let’s be honest the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says Tasmania is Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes and “Taz” the Tasmanian devil. 🙂

Fair enough!

Each morning here in Tasmania I’ve been woken by the sounds of birds outside my window with their beautiful calls and songs. Through the blinds the brilliant sunshine begins to filter in as I begin my day. If I don’t have anything pressing then I like to write for 30 minutes just to get my creative juices flowing. It’s an awesome way to begin the day, and no better time than when you’re on the road exploring and with time on your hands!

Yesterday I decided to go for an early morning walk instead of writing, and grabbing my camera headed out the door of the Bed & Breakfast in search of some early morning shots.

Almost immediately my senses were bombarded with the aromatic scents of wild rose, jasmine, honeysuckle and a hundred other flowing plants. Initially I thought it was just at my immediate location, but as I walked around my neighbourhood it was plainly apparent that I was in paradise and that all of Launceston was bathed in these beautiful scents!

No seriously…what I’ve found to be true is that my personal experience with Tasmania has been that not only is the pace of life slow and enjoyable, but almost every aspect of life on this relatively secluded island more beautiful than anywhere on earth.

One could accuse me of being biased…and they’d be right!

In the last few years, each visit to Australia has highlighted the sheer beauty of this incredible land. All through my childhood and formative years I took this all for granted (yes, sometimes youth is wasted on the young – I’m a perfect example of that) and I wasn’t able to see past the mental and emotional barriers I’d imposed on myself.

In those days anywhere was better than Australia.

I guess I had a burning desire to explore and felt that in many ways, as my son Zach would say “the tyranny of distance” was my barrier to a huge and exciting world just waiting for me…and I couldn’t wait to escape.

With a month on my hands and a somewhat open itinerary this trip is just what the doctor ordered for me to completely relax – if that’s even a thing with me 🙂

That being said I’m going to give it my best shot!

Tasmania has been a fabulous start to my adventure. I was visiting my brother and wife, as I mentioned in last week’s blog haven’t been well.

It was lovely to see them and spend time, but always far too short. The last time I was in Tasmania was with Zach and Sam back in 2016 for their March break school holidays.

This visit I was traveling with my sister Glenda and brother-in-law Max, and had booked us into a nice little Bed and Breakfast in Launceston.

I would definitely recommend the Windarra on High as a place to stay when in Launceston. This Victorian residence is set up the hill and not too distant from the town centre, within easy walking distance. To be fair, you may need to be part mountain goat as it’s relatively steep, but well worth it for the views and location.

Our host, Alison was awesome! Friendly, knowledgable and interested in her guests, with some great insider information on where to go, what to see and where to eat. I’d almost forgotten how nice it is to stay in a B&B as I usually look for accomodation that tends to be more boutique hotels than chains or bed and breakfasts.

It was a great reminder that this is a fabulous option when traveling.

One of the days we took a day trip to Bridport on Tasmania’s north coast.

Wow! It was a fabulous hour long drive through beautiful rolling hills and eucalyptus forests. Such fertile farming country!

Craig and Helen (nephew and his wife) have a “shack” down by the beach in Bridport. Well, all I can say is that it’s a well appointed “shack”. 🙂

Lunch was at the Bridport cafe on the main street. Delicious and plentiful…in fact almost too much food. I couldn’t finish my Burrito Bowl – I know…a travesty…right?!

After lunch, and in desperate need of a walk we sojourned to the nearby beach for a walk. Unbelievably it was completely deserted. Almost impossible to imagine that this 20 plus mile long beach was empty. Not a soul to be seen in any direction!

Perfect! We walked to the ruins of the old jetty that was built in the 1890’s but abandoned in the mid 1930’s and over the years destroyed by the winds and waves and the perfect place to stop and take photos. 🙂

It was a classic Australian spring day – just another blue sky day with a temperature of 21C (70F), all coupled with pristine white sandy beaches and no waves.

Could this be paradise? Quite possibly. If you come to Australia you really must consider Tasmania as part of your itinerary. Tasmania is truly a throwback to a tranquil and simpler time, with such beauty that it will blow your mind. I loved that there were no tourists anywhere I went in Tassie…nice!

Next week I’m back to Melbourne, so until then!

Ciao