Thursday 9^th February, 2012

I was quite tired when the ship cruise started. From Strahan we went to the Hells Gates. There is the entry from the sea to Macquarie Harbour. In that area I could see many light houses. Then the trip went along fish farms. In the open water the fishes are breed in cages. Then we went up Gordon River. This is the biggest river in Tasmania. We passed a very beautiful landscape and could see very old trees. Our first stop was at Heritage Landing. There was a board walk of 30 minutes. Interestingly there grow young trees out of fallen old ones. The trees seam to take as long to decompose as they need to grow. Our trip continues to Sarah Island. These island was cleared and a prison constructed on it. The ruins are still there. After 60 minutes the ship went back to Strahan. After a break I made a walk along the banks of Macquarie Harbour. On the way I saw a sign pointing to the Hogarth Fall. As it was raining last night the waterfall was wonderful.

Wednesday 8^th February, 2012

Now starts my journey around Tasmania. In the morning at the car rental office they told me that they currently do not have a car in the category I booked. I could choose between a bigger one (a minivan) or a smaller one. I originally wanted to rent a smaller one, but they said that the smaller ones are all with manual gearshift and I wanted an automatic one. But this information turned out to be wrong, so I got a smaller car with automatic gearshift. After buying food for a week I started toward the west coast. Of my drive toward Strahan I can only say: Tasmania has a lot of water and hills which change over to mountains. The road is like a pass road in Switzerland and I felt like I am arriving at the end of the world. Most of the 320km I drove today as in different National Parks. In Hobart I bought a pass for them as here I have to pay for every day in an National Park. The first real stop I made at Lake St. Clair. I made a short walk, but I nearly could not see upon the lake. When driving further, I saw several echindas. They were walking fast. One of them just crossed the road in front of me and fetched the camera, but until I was ready it was already on the other side and curled up. Next stop was Nelson Fall. A short walk led to it. After I continued with a few picture stops until Strahan. That is the only harbour at the west coast.

Sunday 29^th January, 2012

I sit on the veranda of our hostel and enjoy the cool breeze from the sea. But one after the other.

As we yesterday went to bed quite early, we today stood up also a bit earlier. After we got all our stuff packed, we went again hiking. We drove until the car park of the Mackenzie Falls. A bit before and at the car park we saw again cangaroos. But those were smaller as the other ones we saw before. First we walked to the nearby Broken Fall, then to the Mackenzie Fall. To our surprise it had a lot of water, at least for local circumstances. It is very beautiful. First we went many steps to the base of the fall, after we went up again to another lookout at the top. From there we could see the complete waterfall and it was very nice. Konrad wanted to do another mountain hike, but we were not allowed to drive on gravel road with the rented car. As a replacement we visited another fall. So we hiked to the Beehive Fall. On the way we saw a wild beehive, parrots and also a cockatoo. We continued by car and stopped in Ararat. We just arrived as at least 200 motorcycles passed in a kind of parade. After lunch we went on towards the sea. We passed Geelong and came then to Queenscliff. There we were looking for the Youth Hostel. In the tourist information they said it is the house just beside. From the outside it looks like an old hotel. After booking a room we went to the beach and explored a bit the town. The evening ended with a nice dinner. As we did not know from which animal an eye fillet is taken, the friendly waiter explained that it is something like a steak. Then it must be beef. The fillet was made with mushrooms in the center and wrapped in bacon. As it was Sunday we granted us the culinary delight.

Saturday 28^th January, 2012

In the early morning we started with litres of water, food and my walking sticks. We drove to the Wonderland Carpark. There we started the hike to the Pinnacles. There were many lizards taking a sunbath. Our way led through a small gorge with the name Grand Canyon, then passed the Bridal Veil Fall. Only we saw neither a bridal veil nor a waterfall. Higher up we passed the Silent Street, where you only should hear your own steps. I agree with the travel guide: you hear only yourself and no animal sounds. At the top we had a beautiful view over Halls Gap, the surrounding mountain range and into the plain. There were many other people on that track. But the shoes of some of them were shocking: flip-flops are definitively not the right choice for a rocky hike. When going back we chose another route, but somehow with Konrad as guide we short-cut it through a gap in the rocks to the original track. Back at the carpark we took another track to a waterfall. I think except of us nobody was interested in that fall, because we were alone on that track. Finally we found a nice fall, but unfortunately with very little water. But no wonder, it is summer and then water is rare in Australia. Sometimes we also heard and saw parrots on that track. Next stop was Boroka Lookout. Here you see over Halls Gap and its surrounding from another side. As it now was about noon, we continued to the Reed Lookout. From here you see to the west into the Victoria Vally. The temperature was nice 32° C and we still had some energy left, so we walked to the Balconies. This is the most famous motif for taking pictures in the Grampians National Park. It is forbidden to stand on these rock noses as they could break, but there are always some who cannot resist, just to get the ultimate picture. We could resist, but had to wait until I could make a picture which was free of people. With tired legs we made a stroll through Halls Gap to finish the afternoon. The town is very long, but the main part is very small. It is similar to Davos, but much smaller. Also here they are living mainly from tourism.

Friday 27^th January, 2012

When preparing breakfast we realized that the lactose free milk of Petra in reality is cream. After the breakfast we continued the Great Ocean Road. We visited the natural rock bridges Arch, London Bridge and Grotto. We made a few photo stops until Warrnambool and enjoyed the last views to the coast. In Warrnambool we bought SIM cards for the mobile phone and Internet. Then we crossed the country towards the Grampians National Park. It was interesting how dry the country is and there is still livestock. We knew that the National Park is not far as suddenly two forest covered peaks appeared. Inside the park we had first to drive about 50 km straight, sometimes up and sometimes down. Then we made an stop for the Silverband Falls. We had to walk for a kilometer to the fall. A flood two years ago left remarkable marks, there was much wood lying around the river bed. Suddenly I saw a kangaroo drinking water. It was not shy and I could take my first kangaroo picture. During my last stay in Australia I never saw one so close. The fall itself was very nice and the walk was worth it. On the way back the kangaroo was still near the river. Now we drove to Halls Gap, where we stayed over night. From our window we could observe parrots. We closed the evening with a small walk. A hint from the hostel staff led us to a nearby sports ground were many kangaroos were grazing. They did not show fear from humans and we could take pictures from very close.