Launceston and Surrounding Areas

This is the final installment of our mad adventure in Tasmania. Launceston was the final stop where we stayed for three nights before flying back to Perth.









Downtown Launceston.

Us after a morning of shopping and exploring.











We went to Platypus House.












There were also three very tame echidnas there called Eddy, Edwina and Edna.






The gardens at the lavender farm.
























One of the few bushes looking good in the winter.







Dunc went on the chair lift. I don't like heights!









View from the chair lift.










We visited Devils' Heaven, a Tassie Devil wildlife park. Here's a peacock.














There were heaps of birds.























A friendly wombat.









Tasmanian Devil.










Feeding time.















The devil enjoying a carcass.













Apparently the ones bred in captivity enjoy cuddles.











Liffey Falls. Dunc took these photos. I was too tired to walk there so I stayed behind.

Overall reflections of Tassie:

• Tasmania has been criticised for being 'behind the times' but I think that's part of its charm. It's common to go for a drive in the countryside and see heaps of little towns with old churches and old schools that have now closed down.
• From talking to a few locals, I gathered that Tasmanians are a bit annoyed at always being the 'forgotten state'. They want their own AFL team and seem to be proud of their state. When some people heard we were from WA, they said we must know how they feel because we're the forgotten state too.
• You can go anywhere in Australia and still find someone who pokes fun at the Dorkers. At the Tassie Devil park, a burly bearded guy (who looked like a bikie) looked at my Eagles' jacket and said, "you must be from WA." He said he was a South Australian and said he wasn't too happy with how the Crows and the Power were going (although he didn't say which one he barracked for). Then he turned the conversation to the Dorkers and laughed, saying "What have the Dockers achieved in their history? Nothing. Haha. They're the biggest joke....." I joined him in his laughter :).

It was a lovely holiday and if you haven't been to Tasmania, I highly recommend it.