The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

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The Rest of Tassie

It hardly seems possible, but I’ve been exploring Tasmania for nearly six weeks.  After my previous blog post from the South of the island, my perambulations have focused on the North and East as well as the Central Highlands, along with one short excursion towards the West Coast.  While most of the photos assembled here were taken on walks and hikes, alone or with my brother, I would be remiss in not including some of the local critters we saw at The Platypus House and Wings Wildlife Park.  The only time I’ve seen a greater variety of mammals was darting in front of my car at night.

My next post will likely be in a couple of weeks from Eden, along the southern coast of New South Wales.  Not sure whether the Garden is in bloom this time of year.

In the meantime, enjoy The Rest of Tassie,

The Vagabond Hiker

Dawn from the deck of my beach house, Greens Beach, Tasmania
Burgess Cove, Rocky Cape National Park.  Rocky Cape is along the Bass Strait, separating Tasmania from mainland Australia.
Morning view at Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve.  The Tamar flows north from the city of Launceston to Greens Beach and Low Head, where it empties into the Bass Strait. The Wetlands Reserve is only a few minutes from Launie.
Black swan, Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve
The Vagabond Hiker posing at Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve
Pademelon at Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve.  She is about the size of a watermelon.
Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain in the Central Highlands, near the start of the famous Overland Track.
Ballroom Forest along Dove Lake
A view East to Dove Lake from the Face Track
Barn Bluff from the summit of Cradle Mountain.  Cradle Mountain is a popular excursion off of the Overland Track and the 5th highest summit on Tassie (Barn Bluff is the 4th highest).
Moss on a tree stump, Franklin River Nature Trail. This short nature trail was technically our only excursion to the West Coast rain forest.
Tasmanian Arboretum view. While the arboretum is not yet ready for prime time, the landscape is simply stunning.
Baby Wombat Roxy at Wings Wildlife Park. Her mother was unfortunately killed by a car. A visit to Wings (http://wingswildlifepark.com.au/) is highly recommended.
The Koala at Wings Wildlife Park. She eats only about 7 of the 70 eucalyptus leaf species in Tasmania, and rarely the same one twice in one day.
Clifford scratching an alpha male Forester Kangaroo.  The Forester is the only ‘roo found in Tasmania.
Two Devils growling, Wings Wildlife Park. They were waiting for their mid-day Wallaby leg snack.
Lake St Clair and reflected clouds with Mt Ida. This lake is the southern terminus of the Overland Track.
Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) along Lake St Clair
A shelf fungus along Lake St Clair after a rain
Leatherwood flower and leaves along Lake St Clair.  The Leatherwood tree, endemic to Tasmania, provides a very distinctive honey.
The Vagabond Hiker along the Overland Track at Lake St Clair
Hut near Legges Tor summit cone, Ben Lomond National Park.  At 1573 meters, Legges Tor is the 2nd highest peak on Tasmania.  Mount Ossa, the highest, requires a multi-day trek to summit.
Cushion plants on the Ben Lomond plateau
Cruickshanks lookout view, Leven Canyon Reserve
Notley Fern Gorge track.  This riparian rain forest remnant was only a half hour from Greens Beach.
A Fiddlehead at Notley Fern Gorge
Kayaks, Coles Bay, Freycinet Peninsula.  My brother and I went on a 3 hour guided trip with Freycinet Adventures, one of only two kayak guiding companies I found in Tassie.  (Due to highly changeable weather, no one seems to simply rent out kayaks).
World famous Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park on the drier East coast of Tasmania.
Sailboats on Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Peninsula
A Grass Tree in Freycinet National Park
A Grass Tree in Freycinet National Park. A fungus is rotting the roots of many shrubs and grasses in the region.
Wallaby feeding near Hazards Bay, Freycinet National Park
A female Platypus in the Platypus House (http://www.platypushouse.com.au/). The Platypus is one of only three species of monotremes (egg-laying mammals) in the world.  The two other monotremes are short and long-beaked echidnas.  (There are 3 subspecies of the latter.)
Meander Falls, one of the highest falls in Tasmania.  That orange dot is The Vagabond Hiker.  (This photo is NOT a selfie).
A zoom view of The Vagabond Hiker at Meander Falls, also courtesy of Clifford.

 

 

Travels with Clifford

As long-time followers of this blog may know, my youngest brother, Clifford, has both graced many photos and been behind the lens for quite a few more. Beginning with Maui in 1990, Clifford and I explored Belize in 1993, Wales with our dad in 2000, and coastal California and the Southwest US numerous times since 2007. More recently we traveled and hiked together in Tasmania and mainland Australia in 2017, Malta in 2018, Ireland in 2019, and Costa Rica in 2022. Clifford’s innate curiosity, far-reaching knowledge, boundless enthusiasm, and child-like sense of wonder for the natural world enriched my travels in so many ways. Here are some recent fond memories. . .

Posing with stringy bark eucalyptus, Franklin River Nature Trail, Tasmania, Australia, 2017
Scratching an alpha male Forester kangaroo, Tasmania
Smiling from inside a hollow eucalyptus, Notley Gorge, Tasmania
Investigating a termite mound, Bed Boyd National Park, New South Wales, Australia, 2017
Admiring the vista at Kalarranga Lookout, Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017
Enjoying the strata, Kings Canyon, Northern Territory
At a cliff-edge along the south coast of the island of Gozo, Malta, 2018
Kayaking on Dwejra Bay, Gozo
Admiring the cliffs from his kayak, Dwejra Bay
Looking up into the canopy from under a Dragon tree, San Diego Botanical Garden, 2022
Standing with an impressive yucca, San Diego Botanical Garden
Posing with an endangered Elephant tree at Torote Bowl, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, 2022
Under California Fan Palms, Anza-Borrego
At the trailhead of the Domelands Loop, Coyote Mountains Wilderness, California, 2022
Making empanadas with Valerie, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 2022
At Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2023
Smiling with our brother, Mark (c), and me, the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland, 2019

Clifford Blizard

1970-2024

Carpe Diem!

Kent Blizard, the Vagabond Hiker

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