Tasmania

We arrived in Hobart Tasmania Australia this morning.

History warning:

When looking at a map it is obvious that this was a peninsula of Australia.  There is even history that speaks of the land sinking between Tasmania and Australia. Later travel across the area was impossible except by a long boat trip.

Over 11,000 years ago, the aboriginal people moved freely back and forth across the land. Soon after that the sea level rose or the land sank. (Wait, There were climate changes before we had anything to do with it?  Don't get me started.) 

Now there is over 100 miles of open sea between the two land masses. The two groups of human and all the animals were isolated from each other for thousands of years.  This allowed for the survival of some animal species and changes to others. An example is the Tasmanian Devil which is extinct in Australia but still exists in the wild on Tasmania.  The Tasmanian Tiger, which looks like a large striped dog, was thought to be extinct as of 80 years ago but there are reports that some may have survived in the thick jungles and mountains of the island.

The British came to the island just after 1800 and, wait for it, made a penal colony.  Of course, disease and war had killed off almost all of the Aboriginal people who were living there.

For size comparison, South Carolina, is about the same size in land mass but with 1/10th the population.  Almost half the population of Tasmania lives in the capital city of Hobart.

We boarded the bus and took a ride through town to the excursion.

Our excursion is to the Wildlife Sanctuary.  They rescue animals.  Usually from car accidents but sometimes other reasons.  They have Devils, Wombats, Kangaroos, snakes, lizards, and quite a few birds.

First, wombats are small cute little animals but they are ferocious.  You don’t ever try to pet a devil or especially a wombat.  Both are not very friendly but a wombat will take a finger off if you try.  Seems they have a far worst attitude than even a devil.  Interestingly, they can't really jump so even this short wall keeps them contained.  

The Tasmanian Devil was interesting.  Small but faster than a Wombat.  They look kind of cute at first glance. 

The Devils are primarily scavengers.  When they find a larger dead animal, they will scream for others to gather.  They will then pull from opposite sides to tear off meat to swallow.  So the primary reason for their name is the sound they make and the way they eat sounds disturbing.

I got to pet a Kangaroo.  It was very soft and completely relaxed. I am glad because those claws look dangerous.  They are Forester Kangaroos. All are here because of injuries, mostly from automobile strikes.

The sanctuary has many other animals.  Several are related to the Kangaroo.

There were several birds. 

A few snakes.  All the snakes in Tasmania and Australia are very, very venomous.

Back to the ship, Betty went on back to rest.  Shawna and I walked into town and visited a restaurant for a nice lunch overlooking the harbor.

We visited the museum of the first long term exploration of Antarctica by an Australian team.  They constructed a replica of base for us to explore.

In 1911, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) led by geologist and explorer Sir Douglas Mawson headed out to build a research station on Antarctica

Once a site was selected a hut was built as housing for the researchers. It was 24 x 24 feet. The hut was prefab constructed in Australia, dismantled, carried on the ship to Antarctica, unloaded, and then reconstructed.​

The Mawson research station, though greatly improved and expanded, is still in operation.

Here are some pages of detail on the food and provisions of the exploration.

The replica of Mawson's Hut was built in 2013 and is accurate to the original.  It includes many original items from the expedition. 

Next some shopping and after that a visit to a local distillery.  We had a nice tasting but the bottles were very expensive.

This is the home port of several of the Antarctic Explorer ships. The Nuyina and Polarstern were in port when we arrived. They are both icebreaker ships specifically designed for the harsh conditions of the Antarctica waters.  Really cool ships. Ha. Ha.

Back to the ship for dinner and later a show with a very good singer.  Seems Disney wanted him for a stage show of Aladdin but he was already contracted for a cruise ship.