Family far away

Wednesday '12th February

At 9pm we pick up Jakob, Sabeth, and Leila (siblings and cousin), but mainly in our arms. On the way back from the airport, we stop in Kingston to have pizza from Dominos. Then we go to Franklin in the mountains. Sabeth and Leila get to sleep in our bed and Jakob gets a tent. Flo and I get to sleep at a friend's tipi, right next to Jakob.

Thursday '13th February

We have a nice breakfast together and later go shopping and do laundry in Huonville. In the evening, we play Pictionary, a drawing game. We have a lot of fun and laugh a lot.

Friday '14th February

We go back to Hobart. We open a bank account for Leila and buy her a SIM card. Then we pick up our little camper van and drive back to Franklin. We pack all our stuff and try to fit it in our camper. In the afternoon, we finally leave! We drive south to Cockle Creek. Here, a year ago, the South Coast Track brought us back to civilization. We set up our camp and it starts raining in the evening.

Saturday '15th February

In the morning, it's cloudy and looks like rain. We walk a short distance to the southernmost viewpoint in Australia. If you're lucky, you can see whales from here. We had fun at the whale statue. Then we drive inland to visit the Mystery Creek Cave. In the afternoon, the sun comes out and we walk through a green forest full of life to the cave. The Mystery Creek Cave is a cave that we can climb into without a guide. We equip ourselves with lights and explore the first meters of the cave together. Then we turn off the lights and after a short time, we can see thousands of little glow worms hanging from the ceiling in total darkness. When the lights are back on, we see silvery water droplets sparkling on the rocks. It is beautiful, and we explore the corners and discover small and larger cave dwellers with long legs or antennae. In the evening, we meet up with our uncle and his wife, Mima and Bettina, who are on a world trip. The seven of us continue to the next campsite where we sit comfortably by the fire in the evening.

Sunday '16th February

After a cold night, we go to our first national park to climb Hartz Mountain. The sun warms us up but the wind is cold. We walk across a flat plain, past lakes, and finally climb to the summit of Hartz Mountain. The view is amazing, and we can hardly see anything from the bushfires that ravaged this area last year. In the late afternoon, we head back. From the car, we see black-charred trees that have already started to bring forth new life. New green leaves grow on black tree stumps, breathing new life into the forest. We stop again to shop and then drive late in the evening to Kettering so that we can take the ferry to Bruny Island in the morning. We sleep in a car park in the camper van with five of us. It's very tight, but at least it's warm.

Monday '17th February

In the morning, we take the ferry to Bruny Island. We head south and stop at the long beach that connects North and South Bruny. We climb some steps and enjoy the view. After a short while on the beach, we head to Adventure Bay. There we eat the most colorful and delicious sandwiches, salads, and fish and chips in a restaurant. In the afternoon, we take a short coastal walk. First, we have to climb a dry and brown forest up the hill. Here we discover an echidna (Tasmanian spiny anteater) and watch it for about ten minutes because it walks so cute. Then we continue climbing, and suddenly the path leads us to a cliff. Rocky cliffs mark the coast, and the waves crash against them far below us. We have a fantastic view and can see North Bruny and Tasmania behind it. The way down is steep and the ground is covered with brown needles from the dried-out trees. We find a blue-tongued lizard that pretends to be dead at first but then sticks out its blue tongue. We sleep at the campsite that connects the north and south island. Jakob and Mima go out in the evening and search for penguins (after a long walk, they report finding a small penguin). The rest of us fall exhausted into bed.

Tuesday '18th February

In the morning, we stop at a small chocolate shop where we treat ourselves to some delicious treats and take funny photos. Then we go in search of white albino wallabies, which can only be found on Bruny Island. We drive a very bad dirt road into the forest and even walk on foot. After Jakob and Flo almost step on a snake, we decide that it's probably smarter to give up. Once again, we leave Bruny without having seen the famous albino wallabies. We spend the night with a beautiful view and a campfire in the north of Hobart.

Wednesday 19th February

We set off on the long journey to Port Arthur. Port Arthur is located on a peninsula and is one of the historic places in Tasmania's white history. Port Arthur is a former prison. On the way, we stop at several places to see the waves crashing against the coast. Shortly after arriving, Flo is not feeling well. He has severe chest pains and after a short consideration, we decide to take him to the hospital. So we split up. Jakob, Leila, and Sabeth drive back to the nearest campsite for the night. Mima and Bettina then take Flo and me back to Hobart to the hospital. At the hospital, Flo is connected to a machine that monitors his heart and blood pressure. We sit together for hours until late at night when the doctor finally comes and sends us home - his heart is completely normal. Confused but happy, we set off on the journey back. The drive is long, and a wallaby jumps in front of the car every few minutes, but Mima brings us back safely to the others.

Thursday '20th February

The night was too short, but in the morning, we are rewarded with a shower. Then we continue to Maria Island. Unfortunately, we had already booked the ferry in advance, so we couldn't take a day off. We take a 20-minute passenger ferry to the small beautiful island in western Tasmania. It's raining when we arrive, and I'm already worried that the day will be ruined. We take shelter and later make our way to Darlington, the small village on Maria Island. There we pick up our bikes. First, we have to pass a small bike test, and then we can start. We ride or walk up a steep hill and then climb down the coast without our bikes. Thousands and thousands of shells have been immortalized here as fossils in the rocks. We admire the giant waves and a wombat that continues to eat completely unfazed by us. After that, we eat our packed lunch in Darlington and take a short digestive break before making our way to the Painted Cliffs. The low tide allows us to climb around the rocks and admire the wonders of nature along the coast. The different layers of stone create colorful and distinct patterns along the coast. Mother Nature has given us a beautiful painting! We spend several hours here, lounging in the sun, with the sea in front of us and the beautiful colors behind us. We enjoy each other's company. We end this successful day with pizza.

Friday '21th February

In the morning, we wake up refreshed in Freycinet National Park. Breakfast is slow, and we listen to Tatatuk together and sing along loudly. The sun is shining, and we head into the park. From a distance, we can already see the three mighty mountains that characterize and charm Freycinet. Together we climb Mount Amos. At first, we walk through a dry forest, and soon the trail leads us onto rocks. Small orange arrows show us the steep ascent. We often have to use our hands for help. It's fun, and as always, we are rewarded with an impressive view at the top. Below us lies Wineglass Bay, and we have a good view of all of Freycinet. Behind the peninsula, we can see Tasmania. We enjoy the sun on the summit for a while before starting the descent. Coming down turns out to be more difficult than expected. Nevertheless, we all make it down safely, with both feet and arms.

 

Saturday '22th February

For our standards, we set off relatively early to Wineglass Bay. 1000 steps lead through a shady forest down to a beach with beautiful, fine white sand surrounded by turquoise, clear water. We spend a few hours at the beach with a beautiful view. Jakob and Flo enjoy the cold water, and the rest of us frolic in the shade of the trees. In the afternoon, we start the ascent again. Almost a year ago, I climbed these far too many steps, and I remember desperate breaks when I was close to setting up my tent and living next to the steps forever. This time I simply climbed the steps... and in retrospect, what I felt last time seemed very exaggerated. Our eager step counters also found out that there are only 800 and something steps, not a thousand, so much trouble for nothing. Then we continue to St. Helens, where we have rented a place at a caravan park for two whole nights. We spend the first evening grilling and ending it by the big fire pit.

Sunday '23th February

Our day is very cozy. In the morning, we don't have to pack everything up again; we can leave everything behind and sleep in. After a short shower, Jakob, Sabeth, and I head into town. We have a lot of fun together and discuss highly important sibling matters. In the evening, we have homemade pizza from the wood-fired oven provided by the campsite.

Monday '24th February

After our short holiday within our holiday, we hit the road again. In the morning, we go to the Bay of Fires, allegedly the most beautiful beaches in the world. Clear blue water crashes on white, fine sand or rocky cliffs with orange pigments. The play of colors is impressive and leaves me once again in awe. We walk a little loop before continuing to the Lavender Farm in the northeast. When we arrive, we can only imagine how beautiful and fragrant it must have been here. Behind a shop that sells only lavender products, the lavender field stretches out. Long rows draw circles over the hilly landscape, with a huge tree in the middle. Even without all the lavender, the vastness and the curved shapes have a relaxing effect on me. After enjoying delicious lavender ice cream, we make our way to a free camp.

Tuesday '25th February

After a shared breakfast, we say goodbye to Bettina and Mima. Then we continue, with only one car, to Narawantapu National Park. We take an exciting shortcut through the forest. Luckily, we arrive safely with all four wheels back on a paved road that leads us directly into the national park. We go on a beautiful walk, and at the beginning, we see a small snake that quickly moves out of the way of our steps. The trail first takes us along the beach and then up a small hill from where we have a beautiful view; and finally back down over a steppe to the starting point. A year ago, there was a large lake, but this year we only see a small puddle. Despite the drought, a herd of kangaroos still lives here, and I am glad to finally show them to the others. We can get relatively close to the majestic animals. Many of them are lying on the grass and don't seem to be bothered by us. We are lucky with the weather; it sometimes looks like the rain will catch up with us, but it stays dry. Sometimes the sun even shines, promising sunburn if we don't apply sunscreen quickly.

Wednesday '26th February

In the morning, we pack up the tent in the rain. Wet but happy, we head to Trowunna Sanctuary. We spend the whole day with Tasmanian animals that have found a home here, some for longer and some for shorter periods of time. The staff at Trowunna are dedicated to rehabilitating injured animals and, if possible, releasing them back into the wild. Since the 1990s, they have also been breeding Tasmanian devils to maintain the population. We join a small tour where we learn a lot about wombats and devils. Nevertheless, we have a bit of a hard time with showcasing the animals. We spend the whole day in the garden with kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian spiny anteaters, various squirrels, many birds, and, of course, Tasmanian devils. We also get to watch the devils eat; half a wallaby is thrown into the enclosure, and one by one, the little devils come out of all corners to fight over the best pieces. They bicker with each other but don't fight. After a few hours, there's nothing left of the wallaby, the devils have eaten it all with skin, hair, and bones.

Thursday '27th February

It's a rainy and windy day. The wind throws raindrops against the window of our camper van, and I don't feel like going outside much. We drive to a small town called Stanley, right on the coast in northwestern Tasmania. Even from a distance, we can feel the "Wild Western" vibe as we enter. We walk through the small town for about an hour, visit some shops, and then continue to Lake St Clair. The drive is long, and when we finally arrive, it's very windy and starts raining. We set up our camp in the forest to protect ourselves from the wind. We all feel a bit overwhelmed and fall tired into our beds.

Monday '2th March

It has been raining more or less all night. Right after breakfast, we head back to Hobart. For the last few nights together, we have rented a camping spot to spend some more time together. In the afternoon, the sun comes out, and Jakob, Flo, and I look at some cars. In the evening, we have a barbecue and are happy to have running water and a kitchen again.

Tuesday '3th March

We spend the day in the city center, visit various shops, and buy lots of great things. At lunchtime, we go to a Japanese restaurant, and in the afternoon, we look at sooo many different cars. Unfortunately, none of them seem to be exactly what we want. In the evening, we look at one last car, which almost matches what we are looking for, and half an hour later, we are the proud owners of a Subaru Forester.

Wednesday '4th March

In the morning, we clean our camper van from the outside at the nearby gas station. (Jakob drives, but shhh!) Then we make our way to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). We spend several hours in this curious museum. In the late afternoon, Sabeth and I escape more or less to the fresh air. I have a headache, and the dark atmosphere with its many bright lights and the constant sound cone have gotten to me. So we prefer to eat tiramisu on the terrace and wait until the others have had enough. We spend our last evening in an Italian restaurant that also offers many vegan dishes. Unfortunately, I can't enjoy the evening very much as my stomachache overwhelmed me at times. MONA left us all exhausted and emotionally stirred up, and it's only after dinner that we calm down again.

Thursday '5th March

With a lot of noise, we clean the campervan from the inside in the rain. Things are packed, breakfast is eaten, and showers are taken. Then we take the siblings and Leila to the airport, fill up the van, return it, and go back to the airport with our Subaru. We wait together until the two can check in their luggage. Finally, there's nothing else to do but say goodbye... We hug each other tightly one last time and say "see you soon" without tears, with confidence. With the new car, we drive through the rain to Hobart, where we say goodbye to Leila at a backpacker's and suddenly we're alone in the car, on the way back to Franklin...