We left Melbourne on the Spirit of Tasmania overnight ferry to Devonport, Tasmania. The recliner seats were actually quite comfortable and we all managed to sleep.
Phillip and Eva, our friends from Sydney, took their car across on the same ferry we took. We joined up with them for the first night of camping in Tasmania.
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Their 20 year old vehicle has never
been washed and is growing an
interesting assortment of lichen. This proved a bit of a delay when they were questioned about bringing living biological items across to Tasmania! The had no fresh fruits or vegetables, but what about the car?
The initial plan was to camp at Meander, but the road was washed out... Plan B, camp at Mole Creek and visit some of the attractions there.
The trip to a gorge was followed by a visit to a Tasmania devil wildlife park the next morning.
Eleven o'clock, we bid our farewells to the Crisps at the wildlife park and proceeded on our way to Stanley and "the Nut" in the Northwest corner of Tasmania. Along the way we stopped to take a photo of an opium poppy field. Tasmania is the only state in which it is legal to grow opium poppies for pharmaceutical purposes.
There are a number of versions of how the geological formation of the Nut got it's name, but I like the one that they were trying to blast part of the rock and it would not blow up, and hence was a "a tough nut to crack".
From Stanley we went across to the Northeast corner, going around Devonport and through Launceston to the Bay of Fires and stayed north of St. Helen's.
In the campgrounds we saw first hand an example of a "swag"... a self-contained sleeping arrangement. The next day was an enjoyable drive along more coastal and forestry areas to Freycinet National Park where we did a number of walks. Despite the rainy weather, it was a very scenic area.
After packing up the wet, sandy camp, the last day in Tasmania was spent driving to Hobart, stopping at a park, drying a few things out and eating the groceries that would not be allowed on the flight to Melbourne. We walked around the botanical gardens in Hobart, topped up the rental car with fuel and made our way to the airport.
It was a good thing that we had given ourselves lots of time. All three of us had overweight bags... blame it on the wet things and the extra camping supplies that we have been accumulating. To make a short story of it, we each had to open up our check in bags and transfer various amounts to other bags, re-weigh, transfer some more, create another carry-on bag and we eventually got our boarding passes and baggage claims.
We got though security and there was an airport announcement for Rebecca Michaels to return to the check-in desk. I got there and was told that on the x-ray it looked like I had ammunition in my bag. Had I been hunting? The day before was the Connecticut school shooting and I guess they were being extra cautious. I was taken into a back room and it wasn't my bag! It was Karen's. Because we were travelling as a "family" and because of the re-doing and grouping of the luggage, all the suitcases were under my name.
Back I go through security with two police officers. I introduce Karen and they take her to examine her bag. Scott and I wait and wait and wait! What could be taking so long?
Karen came back told of her experience. She had had to take everything out of her bag and they still were unable to find the "bullets". They x-rayed the empty suitcase and could not see them, nor could they see them in the removed contents. After more rummaging, the Bowness pens that Karen had brought along for giveaways, were discovered in her shoe bag! She gave each of the officers a pen, but before being allowed to accept them they re-x-rayed!
We thought it interesting that the pens had passed scanning in Canada, Los Angeles, and several Australian airports, before being questioned in Tasmania.
