During our time in Australia, we’ve made the most of my extra vacation time and planned trips to most of the big cities and popular destinations throughout the country. One of the places that has always been near the top of the list but kept getting pushed aside (mainly due to it being so close to Melbourne, and a place we could go anytime) was Tasmania. This year we finally decided to make a trip to Tassie for a little babymoon and to spend a bit of time in the mountains, something I’ve been craving ever since we moved away from Washington.
hanging out at a rest stop en route to Cradle Mountain
For the first part of our trip we stayed in a nice cabin at the Cradle Mountain Lodge, which is just outside Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. When we arrived to check in at the lodge we were greeted by a friendly wombat roaming around, and on our walk from the cabin to the lodge for dinner we saw lots of Pademelons (little wallabies) and Currawongs (a Tasmanian bird similar to a crow but with bright yellow eyes and white tail feathers). It was really nice to see so many Currawongs and brought back fond memories as we used to be visited by a Currawong that would land on our apartment balcony and keep Candice company while she was pregnant with Arden. During our time at Cradle Mountain we were so spoiled by wildlife that after seeing a few animals, Arden kept saying “see another one”, like this was just an ordinary everyday experience.
wombat-spotting!
pademelon-sighting
I should mention that Cradle Mountain is known for its extremely unpredictable weather, so it was a gamble going in mid-spring when the weather could often be really rainy or even snowing. Fortunately, we had one absolutely perfect sunny day, and we spent the day walking around Dove Lake, located at the foot of Cradle Mountain. The walk is pretty mild and only has one decent uphill stretch, but when you’re carrying a 3-year old most of the time (or are over halfway pregnant all of the time!) it gets pretty exhausting. We were so thankful to get a really nice day and to be able to enjoy all the great views of Cradle Mountain (which if you haven’t guessed already, looks like a cradle).
Cradle Mountain
The next day we went on a few short walks near the lodge and were able to see two really nice waterfalls (Pencil Pine Falls and Knyvet Falls). The walk through the forest to get to the falls was really lush, with moss hanging from the trees, and reminded me a bit of the Hoh Rainforest in Washington.
Pencil Pine falls
After our walks it was meant to get pretty rainy, so we decided to go see the Tasmanian Devils at a sanctuary located nearby (Devils at Cradle). This was probably the highlight of the trip for Arden as she loved the Devils and now has a plush Devil and a Devil t-shirt. The Devils were really cute, except for the terrifying barking sound they make.
Arden cuddling her beloved Tasmanian Devil plushie on the flight home
After a short few days at Cradle Mountain, we drove back down to Hobart for the rest of our stay (leaving just before they got a bunch of snow again). We spent the first evening wandering around the waterfront before spending the next day at Salamanca Market and Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. The market was fun, but it was hard to enjoy as it was super windy and raining off and on. The botanic gardens were really nice and one of the better gardens we’ve visited in Australia. It was a bit of a walk from the city, but well worth the visit.
the journey back to Hobart was very risky
Salamanca Markets
Botanic Garden
Our last full day in Hobart we took the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The ferry is pretty awesome as it’s a big catamaran with sheep that you can sit on (which Arden loved). It also gave us some great views of the city from the water. The museum itself was really cool. To steal the thought from my friends, when you start the tour it really does feel like you’re entering a bond villain’s lair. I won’t say any more than that as I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t been yet.
The exhibits themselves were varied and largely fascinating. I’m not sure if this happens every day, or if this was a special experience (as we were there for the opening of a few new exhibits), but there was live music for some of the exhibits and it really enhanced the experience. In one instance it was a bit much for me after a little while, but it sure added to the ambiance and feel of the area. Some of the highlights from MONA included these exhibits focused around colour, one of which was a long hallway with intense colour that would periodically change from blue to red (and possibly other colours too). There was also this fun exhibit where you could sit and climb on the art. It was like a kids play area but looked like it was made out of old space suits and had lots of colourful glass tubes on the ceiling.
the view from MONA
live music in front of an exhibit
We had a great little trip to Tassie and hope we get the chance to visit again. There are so many other great national parks I’d still love to visit, but it might be a while until we’re up for another road trip now that we’ll be a family of four. Maybe in a couple years...
