The first thing we did when we arrived in Tasmanian was go and see the monkeys. Well first we checked into our airbnb and had a well deserved sleep... then monkeys.
If you ask any of the Launceston locals why there are monkeys just outside of the CBD they’ll answer with the useful “why wouldn’t there be monkeys. ” A typical Australian answer. According to the Internet: the monkeys arrived as part of a macaques - wallaby exchange with the city’s twin in Ikeda, Japan… a fact that still seems pretty bizarre to me. Their enclosure in city park closely mimics their natural habitat back in Japan. In fact, the macaques were chosen as they would adapt quickest to the climate, it not being dissimilar to what they were used to. As there seemingly has been monkeys in city park forever (it was home to a troop of rhesus monkeys before the 1979 arrival of macaques) the local attitude towards them is pretty unassuming. They are just there, no fanfare or real signage; just a small marker on google maps labelled Japanese Macaque exhibit. We probably wouldn’t have found it had we not been staying next to the park - I’m glad we did, although it was harder to go and do boring admin when there were monkeys to befriend.
So apart from monkeys, Launceston is home to a plethora of well maintained mid--19th century buildings: it’s clear to see why it has UNESCO status. To be honest, as our local town we probably take it for granted - most of the time when we visit we’re there to head to the shops, or to Service Tas (think DVLA) or something else mundane. The first couple of days we spent there were no exception, we certainly saw a lot of the town as we marched to and fro car shopping, but I wouldn’t say we took it in. Before we had time to properly explore it was time to leave and start work.
After a week of work we decided that it was time to be tourists, so we went out to find a Tasmanian devil, as you do. Unluckily for us, they’re not easily seen in the wild where we live, there was however, a wonderful animal sanctuary not too long of a drive away.
Trowunna wildlife sanctuary is a conservation based sanctuary that focuses on native wildlife. Each habitat contains local flora specifically suited to it’s Tasmanian inhabitant. Not only do they have enclosures for Tasmanian devils, wombats, quolls and echidnas; they also have a wetland designed to attract native amphibians and a sclerophyll forest (a evergreen forest designed to deal with the heat) that is home to their free ranging macropods. Trowunna also rehabilitates injured and orphaned native animals, releasing those who retain enough wild instinct to survive on their own.
We arrived just in time for the free 11 o’clock tour, a 45 minute tour where we met and learned about baby devils, attended a Tassie devil feed time (half a old wallaby carcass, anyone?) and encountered a very chilled out wombat. Our guide was funny and informative, and managed to keep everyone's attention, although that could have been the baby devils he was holding. From our tour the most surprising fact we learned was that a Tasmanian devils bite force is the same as a crocodiles, that’s a lot of power in such a small body. The saddest fact we learned is that the population is on a severe decline, due to an epidemic of devil facial tumour disease. DFTD is an aggressive transmittable cancer which is almost always fatal - the population of wild devils has reduced by a scary 80% since it was first spotted in 1986, currently there is no cure but a vaccine is in progress.
After the tour we were free to wander, so we went to befriend some wallabies. For $3 we picked up a packet of “kangaroo food”, a bag of small pellets they all seemed to love. I have to admit, no matter how small, all marcopods (kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons) seem pretty intimidating when they’re hopping towards you full pelt. None of them crashed, but they certainly invaded our personal space in the attempt to get the most snacks.
On our next couple of days off we decided to head away, this time to the north coast and a wonderful glamping spot called The Cove. Situated just west of Devonport, The Cove is beautifully isolated on a cliff overlooking the wild sea below. Not only were the views spectacular, the communal facilities were the best I’ve ever come across. As dusk fell on our first night, the demonic sounds of little blue penguins echoed through the air as we sat on the deck outside our pod. We weren’t lucky enough to spot any penguins this time but we did come across some pademelons that were grazing outside our door. The second night we were much luckier and we spotted a penguin running in front of our pod, before disappearing into the shrubbery along the cliff - they’re surprisingly quick movers on land.
Whist in the area we popped into Devonport, where we collected some supplies, had a wander
around and ate a passable fish and chips by the city's iconic striped lighthouse. We also had a day out to visit the town of Penguin.
Penguin suffers from what I can only describe as over branding. What could be a cute seaside spot with subtle penguin motifs, falls far over the line into tacky in my opinion. Penguin shaped bins and penguin shaped signs, a giant 3.5m penguin in front of a beautiful beach, plastic penguins just about everywhere I could see. We get it alright, the town's name is Penguin. At night, apparently (we just couldn’t make it that long) the beach fills with (real) little blue penguins coming in to nest, which is why I suppose the town got named in the first place. Maybe we just arrived at the wrong time, it was a bank holiday when we visited, so the town was also deserted and not giving out the most welcoming of vibes.
Over the next couple of weeks, we decided to stay more local. First we explored Cataract gorge, a 5km stretch of forest reserve surrounding a 65-million year old gorge, just a stones throw from Launceston's centre. We decided to drive to first basin, a recreation hub with a free outdoor swimming pool, and the start of four different gorge adjacent hikes. We decided on a hike that would take us over one of the sides of the gorge, along a dusty track that climbed up and down the hillside following along the river. Later in the season we would see people more adventurous than us going off track and climbing down the precarious rock face to the river far below. Unfortunately for us, the other (seemingly less steep) side of the track following along the river in the opposite direction was closed off due to a landslide: So once we reached the bridge we had to backtrack the same route, frustrating!
One of my favourite walks in the area was to Liffey Falls, a 6km walk following a meandering path through a stunning verdant rainforest. On the way to the track we thought we'd got lost, the road slowly narrowed, changing from tarmac to an unsealed road that we slowly juddered along. Eventually, after deciding that googlemaps might have us on the right route, we made it to the carpark and began our hike. It was all worth it in the end, when we rounded the final corner and the falls came into view. They weren't the biggest falls we'd visited, but i always find waterfalls more special when we've had to work for them a little.
Another stunning place we discovered was Hollybank forest, a reserve just 20 minutes east of Launceston. The walk we went on was a short 2km loop, following an well trodden path. Halfway through we found a tantalisingly unmarked route leading down to a secluded natural pool - where Ben, of course, got straight in. The walk didn't seem to be very popular, it was a beautiful day when we visited and we only saw one other person. With the bird song floating through the air and beautifully dappled shade to enjoy, I found Hollybank to be a peaceful place to get a little nature fix.
After thoroughly exploring our local area it was time to think again about heading off further afield. After some furious googling and much badgering of our Tasmanian colleagues we settled on a plan and now we just needed some time off to execute it.
Trip date : Oct - Jan 2024
Wonderful chapter folks! I learned a lot from your erudite nature writing xx