Permanence and impermanence
And how great it feels to be in’Tassie,’ a place I’ve wanted to go to for years! Tasmania is that little island off the SE tip of Australia, for those of you who didn’t know (No, it’s not Tanzania which is in Africa – look at your maps folks!). It’s Australia’s'Natural State,’ full of clean air, clean water, organic farming, and national parks. Easy to see why I’d want to go. It’s also a big stopping point on the way to Antarctica, which in and of itself is very cool.
I left the Sunshine Coast 4 days ago, flying from Brisbane to Hobart, arriving here on the afternoon of March 3rd. With no guidebook and no plan (as usual!), I still made my way quite easily from the airport to the YHA in town and got set up for the night. From there I tried to contact a fellow cyclist whom I met last year in Airlie Beach. Her name is Tracey and she lives in Hobart and she generously invited me to move from the hostel over to her place to stay for a few days. I gladly accepted! What a treat to stay in a home and not at a hostel, and to spend time with ?locals? as well!
On my first full day in Hobart, I did what any hiking enthusiast would do and that was hike to the top of Mt Wellington, which is a beautiful 1200m peak that sits right next to the city. (The population of Hobart by the way is 200,000, half of the entire population of Tasmania.) It was a perfectly graded trail and took only 3 hours to reach the top. But Holy Winds on the summit! Very reminiscent of the crazy weather in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I hung on for dear life while taking my photograph on the summit! Decided to take the same trail down and not do the ridge walk due to high winds!
On the way down I was lucky enough to see 2 of Tasmania?s 3 snakes ? the copperhead (brown) and the white-lipped whip snake (green). (The other one is the tiger snake which is black in color). All 3 are poisonous so you don?t want to be messing around with them! The 2 I saw were sunning themselves on the trail and happily slithered away into the bush when they heard me coming. Cool!!
After my brush with nature, I was back into the downtown of Hobart in a 20-minute bus ride flash. I then packed up my stuff and walked the 15 minutes up to Tracey?s place. It was good to see a familiar face, even though we only met for one night in Airlie Beach! Having cycled up the same stretch of coast creates an instant friendship bond I think.
So I?ve been staying here for the last few days. Her roommate works in one of the parks so I?ve been staying in his room. We?ve had 2 days of rainy weather, and I used that time to organize and repair all my gear ? namely my stove which had 3 things needing fixing, my trekking poles which were completely corroded probably from the salty beach hikes in New Zealand, and various other small bits and pieces.
Yesterday afternoon I walked over to the Royal Botanical Gardens and checked out the various gardens and old stone buildings. Found a neat description from the Japanese Garden:
Stones are used to create feelings of security, permanence, and age. Evergreen trees represent constancy, while deciduous trees highlight changing seasons. The cycles of nature are embodied in the waterwheel. Waterfalls represent freedom and movement, while ponds symbolize tranquility.
Interesting to stop and think about that, especially if you are spending time hiking in the woods, hey?
The views of Hobart
A perfect day to go up Mt Wellington
The Royal Botanical Gardens
Add comment March 7th, 2004