Bushwalking on the Overland Track/Hiking on the Overland track

The Spirit of Tasmania ferry takes us from Melbourne to Devonport, Tasmania. From there, we continue by bus to Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair National Park, located in the northwest of Tasmania. This is where our 7-day hike on the Overland Track begins! In the national park, there are no roads, no cars, not even aircraft noise.

It was 7 wonderful, although demanding, days! The flora and fauna are unique and we were lucky to meet very nice people. We were surprised that hardly any foreign tourists come here, we almost exclusively met Australians.

The diverse wildlife was probably the most impressive thing for us. We saw echidnas, which are ant-eating monotremes. They belong together with the platypus to the egg-laying mammals. We actually had the chance to observe platypus in the water, which is probably very unusual, because even the Australians were excited about it. We also saw wombats, a kind of short-legged, very cute veggie bears and possums (gliders?!). Possums live in trees, are nocturnal and like to steal food, so food should never be kept in the tent, as they would destroy it. We encountered wallabies and pademelons most frequently, they belong to the kangaroo family. We also crossed paths with 3 snakes, probably tiger snakes. All snakes here in Tasmania are venomous, but they always quickly moved away. The birdlife is hard to observe, but you constantly hear their exotic melodies.

The nature during the track changes between cold rainforest, alpine terrain, grass and moorland, and eucalyptus forests. The path is often laid with wooden planks over the moorland, so that the ground is not trampled. Otherwise, it is a natural, sometimes quite challenging trail.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience! The only real downside was the cold at night, which we were not prepared for. Originally, we only wanted to camp, but in the end we slept in a few nights in the free rustic huts. One night it was even below freezing, the tent was frozen and we couldn't get a wink of sleep because of the cold. Brrrr! Nobody expected that, not even the Aussies...

Now we are back in civilization, finally showering and drinking coffee again! Today we are renting a car in Hobart and exploring the southeast of Tasmania!

Here's the link to the platypus video:

https:\/\/youtu.be\/sWn8KmLskJ8

After spending 3 days in Melbourne, we took the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Devonport, because the next day the bus was waiting for us to take us to the start of the Overland track route, at Cradle Mountain.

The route lasted seven days, during which we saw many animals and plants, and met many people along the way, mostly Australians, which was good for getting used to the language.

Among the animals we saw were echidnas, which are ant-eating hedgehogs with beaks, wallabies and pademelons, which belong to the kangaroo family, wombats, which are a kind of very cute little bear, platypus, possums, snakes, insects, and many birds.

As you progress along the trail, the landscape changes between cold rainforest, alpine scenery, meadows, and eucalyptus forests.

In conclusion, it has been a wonderful experience, although we didn't expect so much cold at night. Initially, we planned to camp in tents every night, but in the end we used the cabins, which were more comfortable and free to use.

Now back to civilization, we rent a car in Hobart to visit the east of Tasmania for 4 days.

Link to the platypus video:

https://youtu.be/sWn8KmLskJ8