Australia part 2

 Some more from my time in Tasmania:

Leaving the beaches and dramatic coastline of the Tasman Peninsula I headed north west through the centre of the island. Stopped here at this little shop and post office.

Very dry but good for getting the harvests in. There is a lot of irrigation here. Some is clearly from underground pipes and also from overhead machines. Farmers have their own reservoirs. Talked to the lighthouse guide on. Bruny Island (who is a local farmer) and he said it had been a fairly typical year. Saw plenty of sheep and cattle on the drive and a lot of hay. Soft fruit and tatties too.

The open road. Stopped near here at a couple of historic sites. Would have been a very busy place at one time. Lots of families, strong community with shops and services. Now very quiet, big farms, fewer people.

Great Lake. There are a lot of hydro electric schemes here and associated dams.

Tasmanian hen (rail), not as daring as the NZ weka but I did spot a family of them hanging around the campground.

Farmers enjoy their bale art here too! I drove to Smithton, a small town near the coast in the top MW corner of Tasmania. From there took a couple of day trips - this one to the coast near Arthur River:

The next day I drove down into the Tarkine area of ancient callidendrous (beautiful tree) rainforest, myrtle beech and tree ferns:

Leaf

This is the Trowhutta Arch and sinkhole, 20m deep, technically known as a cenote. 

More farmer art

Central highlands

I then headed south to Queenstown, a slightly down on its uppers ex-mining town now with some trendy galleries.

From above Queenstown, early morning

Iron Blow Coppermine

Mining landscape

From Queenstown I drove eastward to the beauty of the Lake St Clair in a National Park:

Sorley at Shadow Lake

Boardwalk

The next day I headed back south east and took the ferry across to Bruny Island. The Neck joins the 2 sections:

Adventure Bay where I stayed at the Captain Cook campsite. He did indeed visit to reprovision here with Bligh as his sailing master. Bligh would also return to get supplies as master on a later voyage.

Outside someone's house

And across the road memorial to a local minister

Cape Bruny Lightstation

Similar problems with marine litter

View from lighthouse. The longest serving keeper was here for 37 years!

Mailboxes at the end of a side road on Bruny Island

After a night in Hobart I took the bus north Devenport where I could see the ferries passing out the hostel window. Took the Spirit of Tasmania II across to Melbourne. A 10 hour journey, very calm on this occasion. Much bigger than the Northlink ferries and also built in Finland.