Tasmania
Drift from island to island and sample the divine local produce along an unparalleled stretch of the Apple Isle
The turquoise water looks so inviting that it’s easy to forget where we are.
As our vessel the Explorer drops us at Coles Bay, my body is itching to dive into the picture-perfect water. Fortunately my brain has been paying attention and knows that while the water may look tropical on this island, swimming is best left to those made of sterner stuff than me.
This is Tasmania, and while we’re about to see one of the most beautiful beaches in the world at Wineglass Bay we’re here to enjoy a hike through Freycinet National Park, not to splash around.
It’s our first day out on a week-long expedition cruise around the southeast coast of Tasmania and while none of us, not even the captain, knows where the week will take us, we do know it’s off to a fine start.
We had joined our ship, the 35m catamaran Coral Expeditions I, in Hobart the night before and started to get to know each other over freshly shucked oysters and a Bruny Island sparkling wine before sitting down to a seafood buffet dinner — the first of a series of memorable meals starring local Tasmanian produce.
After landing at Coles Bay we were divided into two groups, the Short Walkers and the Long Walkers and set off on our adventures with the Hazards’ pink granite peaks as a backdrop.
While this first walk up the 600 or so bush steps to Wineglass Bay lookout does get the blood pumping, I later discover that the Long Walkers usually move at a gentle pace. So much so that this fast walker has to have a stern word to herself to resist the urge to power walk all the time. After all, why would I want to rush? Over the course of the week we gently stretch our legs on Maria Island, Bruny Island, and along the Waterfall Bay Coastal Walk where we take in dramatic rock formations including Devils Kitchen and the Tasman Arch. We walk around Port Arthur on a behind the scenes tour before free time to explore, and go on a sculpture walk around the Art Farm Birchs Bay.
We pick and taste native pepperberries at Diemen Pepper and feel their peppery punch, and try Sheep Whey Vodka at Grandvewe Cheeses, where Diane Rae has us all laughing with tales from her business, including the inspiration for calling their semi-hard mature cheese variety the ‘Old Man’.
And having never even sailed a boat before, I’m surprised to find myself dreaming of moving to Tasmania so I can build my own Huon pine boat after being won over by both the wood and the craftsmanship at the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin.
As we explore some of Tasmania’s national parks and islands we always have one eye out for wildlife. Along the way macropods are the most easily spotted marsupials with kangaroos, wallabies and pademelons appearing more than once, but our walks also introduce us to wombats with their young, and we even have a fleeting glimpse of a baby quoll. When we’re out on the water, dolphins play in our bow waves and fur seals are spotted swimming or sunning themselves on rocks.
When I travel I sometimes suspect I have twitcher tendencies, and my ears prick up when I hear Bruny Island has all 12 of the bird species only found in Tasmania. Not actually being a twitcher I couldn’t pick any of them out of a line up, but I do recognise other birds big and small, from soaring white-bellied sea eagles to tiny Superb Fairy-wrens.
Then there’s the bird with the biggest wingspan of all. The weather is rough and our ship is rocking and rolling as we come around the towering dolerite sea cliffs and sea stacks at Cape Hauy. As cutlery crashes I look across the dining room and see nothing but sky out the window one moment and nothing but water the next. It’s an unsettling scene, but by simply turning around and looking out the window beside me I can see the horizon at all times and keep my inner ear in the loop about what’s going on. And then I spot it. A Wandering Albatross turning the wild weather into a thing of beauty as it works its dynamic soaring magic alongside us.
The wind is howling and the waves are choppy but the Wandering Albatross is hypnotic and serene. I could watch that single bird for hours but then we reach a point in our journey where I have to tear my gaze away.
Our ship is making its way through the 200m-wide pass between Tasman Island and the cliffs of the mainland and everywhere I look we’re surrounded by soaring rock faces.
I may have been to Tasmania before, but I’ve never seen it like this.
I appreciated the need for a flexible itinerary to respond to those unpredictable Tasmanian conditions. This is expedition cruising, after all, and part of the adventure.
And Tasmania calls to those with a love for adventure.