Tasmania

After coming off the overnight ferry from Melbourne, we headed directly to Cradle Mountain National Park to start the 5 day Overland Track hike.  Luckily the freezing rain gave way for the first few hours of the hike, but that was quickly overcome by high winds and whipping hail.  Unpredictable weather is the only certain thing about the Overland Track and given that we had started with a bushwalker's warning in place, it was only a matter of time before the sun disappeared.  

We woke up to fresh snow on day 2 and more grey skies that would persist until the last day of the hike.

Paddy melon and her joey

Last day - sun is back out....

The only sunrise of the 5 mornings - last day

Hike number 2 was a much less rugged affair down on the Tasman Peninsula.  We covered 65km over 4 days.  The Three Capes Track has been open less than a year and has stunning views along the tallest (300+ meters) cliffs in the southern hemisphere.  We had several echidna sightings along the way, as well as whales.

Tasman island - no more land between than island and Antarctica

After a combined total of 125km hiked and 9 days out in the bush, we finally got to enjoy some of the excellent food in Tasmania - starting with fresh oysters, before jumping over to Freycinet Bay and the Bay of Fires.  Then it was back onto the Spirit of Tasmania for a bumpy ride across the straight followed by a flight back to Manila.