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Tuesday, 2 December, Burnie, Tasmania, AU The day started off a bit frustrating, as leaving the ship for tours was delayed by an hour. We were docked in time, but apparently the crane that installs the gangway and related equipment didn't show up on time. Once we got going, it was all wonderful. We drove through Burnie, Devenport, and other areas of the northern coast of the island, finally turning inland and stopping in Sheffield. The town is famous for murals painted on almost all of the buildings, and those have helped it build its reputation as a tourist destination. We shopped a little, had snacks, and walked around the cute little town. After another 45 minute ride through increasingly mountainous country we arrived at Cradle Mountain National Park. There we switched into smaller buses, as the roads were too narrow for the larger coaches. We stopped at beautiful Dove Lake for pictures, and to enjoy the sleet and snow that fell on us. Summer in Australia officially begins on December 1 (they don't believe in waiting for the solstice three weeks later), so naturally we had sleet and snow. But, as it was high altitude in the middle of the roaring forties, so it wasn't surprising. The clouds cleared just long enough over the peaks of Cradle Mountain so we could see them for a few minutes. We then went to the chalet built by one of the early pioneers, Gustav Weindorfer, a botanist who helped to inspire creation of the park. It was interesting to see the photos of his wife and other women climbing the peaks in long dresses. His wife helped him build the chalet, kept a garden, and was herself a trained botanist that helped with identification of many new species. We then saw a wombat in the wild, which got everybody excited for a few minutes. It finally went on its way, looking for more tasty green things to eat. Shortly after we saw a wallaby with a joey in the pouch, and an echidna that was happily digging for ants and worms and such. The echidna is one of the two egg-laying mammals in the world, and looks sort of like a small porcupine, though the quills aren't sharp. We had a wonderful lunch at the lodge in the park, visited the Visitor Center for a video about the park, and then took the long ride back to the ship. Like most of the tours, we were later than expected, but of course the ship waited for us, since they were tours purchased through the ship. If we'd been on our own tours, we could have been out of luck. Back to itinerary (trip home page)
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