WALLPAPERS

I've been mucking around with a few images of late and thought I'd upload these. Feel free to use them for wallpaper purposes only, if you wish! (Click the images to see in full size)

EVENING BLUES

Here's a couple of quick shots I managed to get last night at sunset here in Hobart. I had hoped the clouds would clear but as you can see they didn't, but I guess they don't detract too much!

WINTER SUNSET

Waking up this morning, I realised we were in for a glorious day and decided that we would make the trek 45 mins out of Hobart to South Arm and Opossum Bay to catch, what we were hoping, would be a terrific sunset.

As you can see, we were not disappointed. I have to give credit to Tasmania, it really puts on some amazing sunsets and I don't think we could ever get sick of such a glorious display from mother nature.


Enjoy!

ICY WINTER

Bushwalking on Mount Wellington a few weeks back provided me with these wonderful images of how cold it had been for the past few days. I haven't ever really seen anything like this before but it was breathtaking. Standing amongst the 'frozen forest' all I could hear was the ice melting and hitting the ground.

Andrew and I completed a nice short walk called the Sphynx Rock track, which took about 45 minutes, and provided us with a breathtaking view of Hobart.

CATARACT GORGE - LAUNCESTON

The Cataract Gorge Reserve is one of Launceston and northern Tasmania's premier tourist attractions.

The chairlift crossing the Gorge is the longest single span chairlift in the world, with the longest span being 308 m (924 ft). The chairlift, built in 1972, has a total span of 457 m.

It broke down in 2001, and several sightseers were stranded 30 metres above the Gorge for several hours, but since then it has been thoroughly overhauled and is still in use today.

The First Basin on the southern side features a swimming pool, and an open area surrounded by bushland. A gravel walking track leads to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge, a swinging pedestrian bridge built in 1895.

The shady northern side named the Cliff Grounds, is a Victorian garden where wilderness is complemented with ferns and exotic plants.

MOUNT FIELD NATIONAL PARK

Mount Field is a national park an hour (64 km) northwest of Hobart. The landscape ranges from eucalyptus forest to alpine moorland, rising to 1,434 metres (4,705ft) at the summit of Mount Field West.

Mount Field was founded in 1916, making it, along with Freycinet National Park, Tasmania's oldest national parks. The last known wild thylacine was captured in the region in 1933.

There is camping, powered and unpowered sites, as well as the Lake Dobson cabins.

Beside the Visitor center there are Picnic and barbeque facilities as well as a playground and public toilets.

Mt Field is one of the most popular national parks in Tasmania as there is a vast variety of things to see and do.


* Russell Falls (10 min - EASY)


One of the most popular scenic attraction in Tasmania, Russell Falls is an easy 10 minute stroll down concrete and boardwalks.

* Tall Trees Walk (30 min - EASY)


* There are many other walks including to Mt Fields and around the tarn shelf.

Many of these begin from Lake Dobson. From the car park, you can do an easy half hour walk around the lake. For the more enthusiastic, walks can be done to the alpine ski fields and beyond.

A great view of Seal Lake can be had about 10mins from the lodge area. The walk to the lookout from the car park takes around 2-3 hours as there is a steep climb to the top

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Russell Falls

Lake Dobson cabins


Eagle Tarn

Fungi on Lyrebird Track walk


Wombat Moor


Spiderweb - Lyrebird Track walk

AURORA AUSTRALIS

The Aurora Australis is an icebreaker under the command of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). Designed as a multi-purpose research and resupply ship, it was built by P&O Polar and launched in September 1989. The Aurora Australis is chartered by the AAD over the southern summer, and spends most winters in port in Hobart, Tasmania, as the AAD headquarters is in Kingston, Tasmania, near Hobart. P&O sometimes charter the ship for other work during winter. The ship has a hangar and helideck, so can carry helicopters, normally either three Squirrels or two Sikorsky S-76s.

TAHUNE AIRWALK

The 597 metre long Air Walk, situated in the Tahune State Forest, provides visitors with a magnificent view or the environment. Visitors can also view Tasmania's famous Huon Pine and relax in the comfort of the unique centre where they can sample a taste of the Huon Region.The Tahune Forest Reserve was chosen as the Air Walk site due to its unique location at the confluence of the world renowned Huon and Picton Rivers, bounded on both sides by magnificent eucalypt forest.

The area already has an estimated visitor profile as a venue for four wheel driving, rafting, bushwalking and fishing. Its central location also provides a hub from which visitors can experience a range of cultural, heritage and recreational activities in the Huon Valley.Not only has the project met the highest environmental standards, the Visitor Centre also sells gourmet food and retail products supplied by the region's top producers, in turn providing them with the opportunity to increase their profile and establish a reputation for excellence and quality.

The Air Walk structure itself has been made in Tasmania and designed to meet the highest safety standards. The steel framework is supported by 12 towers embedded in the forest floor with a concrete plinth with a further three elastic steel guy cables, specifically designed for the project, attached to each tower. The walk is built to withstand winds up to 180 km.

PORT ARTHUR

Port Arthur is a town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction.Port Arthur is located approximately 60 km south east of the state capital, Hobart, on the Tasman Peninsula. The scenic drive from Hobart, via the Tasman Highway to Sorell and the Arthur Highway to Port Arthur, takes around 90 minutes and covers approximately 100 km. Transport from Hobart to the site is also available via ferry or sea plane. The population of Port Arthur is around 200, with the entire Tasman Peninsula area home to about 1600 people

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HOBART

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, it is Australia's second oldest and twelfth largest city, with a metropolitan population of 206,000. The city is the financial and administrative heart of Tasmania, and also serves as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations.

Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the state's south-east at 42°52′S 147°19′E. The central business district is located on the western shore, adjacent to Sullivan's Cove, with the inner suburbs spread out along the shores of the Derwent and climbing up the hills at the foot of Mount Wellington (1270 metres high).
The Port of Hobart occupies the whole of the original Sullivan's Cove.

The Greater Hobart Metropolitan area consists of three self-governing cities, Hobart, Glenorchy and Clarence, plus the urbanised areas of the Municipalities of Kingborough and Brighton. The suburban areas cover a significant amount of both the western and eastern sides of the river.

Apart from the city, the main commercial centres are Glenorchy (the northern suburbs) and Rosny (the eastern shore). The satellite town Kingston, south of the city, is fast becoming an outlying suburb of Hobart. Other surrounding towns such as Sorell, Margate, Brighton and New Norfolk are popular residential areas for commuters.

Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate, with four distinct seasons. The highest temperature recorded was 40.8°C on 4 January 1976 and the lowest was -2.8°C on 25 June 1972.

BICHENO

Located 176 km south east of Launceston and 182 km north east of Hobart (via the Tasman Highway), Bicheno is a charming seaside resort town noted for its good motels, its excellent fishing facilities, its safe and attractive beaches and its interesting coastal walks which include some superb rocky outcrops and spectacular blowholes.


Bicheno was established as a whaling centre as early as 1803. It was at this time that the sealers and whalers arrived and began using Waubs Boat Harbour (the old name for Bicheno) as a base for their activities on the east coast. The sealers and whalers actually predated the first official settlement of Van Diemen's Land. They lived a primitive and dangerous life and were known to be particularly cruel to the local Aborigines who they enslaved and prostituted.

The use of Bicheno as a coal port was short-lived. The discovery of gold in Victoria saw most of the town's residents depart in 1855 and for nearly a century Bicheno became a sleepy little fishing village.

Fishing has continued to be the lifeblood of the town and although, in recent times, it has become a popular tourist destination, there are still many fishing vessels moored in the town's harbour. The local fishing industry's catch includes substantial quantities of abalone, crayfish, scallops and trevally. Tourists are also able to observe Penguins late in the evening along the beach in Bicheno.

SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

Spirit of Tasmania has been part of the name of four different ships that have served as passenger/vehicle ferries on Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The ships have all been owned and operated by the Tasmanian Government operated TT-Line.

The first ship, Spirit of Tasmania started sailing in 1993. It sailed three return trips a week between Devonport, Tasmania and Station Pier in Melbourne, Victoria. The crossings were overnight and took approximately 15 hours. In 2002, Spirit of Tasmania was de-commissioned, and sold to the Fjord Line company in Norway

The original Spirit was replaced with two ships Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II, which were purchased from Superfast ferries in Greece - formerly Superfast III and Superfast IV. They travel the same Devonport-Melbourne route, however each ship makes one trip each night, taking only ten hours. In peak periods, the ships also make day crossings. The introduction of these two ship have played a major role in giving the Tasmanian tourism industry a much needed boost. Before the introduction of these two vessels, many potential travellers had difficulty booking on the old "Spirit of Tasmania" due to capacity constraints. These new vessels have removed the bottleneck for tourists trying to reach the state and their unhindered access has resulted in a thriving tourism industry.

Spirit of Tasmania III began service in 2004. It is also a Superfast ferry, formerly called Superfast II. It is a slightly smaller ship than the other two ferries in service. It travels a new route, the Devonport-Sydney route. It makes a one-way trip each day, taking approximately 20 hours.

RICHMOND

Richmond, Tasmania is a town about 25 km north-east of Hobart, in the Coal River region, between the Midlands Highway and Tasman Highway.

Richmond's most famous landmark is the Richmond Bridge, built in 1823, around the time of the town's first settlement. It is Australia's oldest bridge still in use.

The town was initially part of the route between Hobart and Port Arthur until the Sorell Causeway was constructed in 1872.

Present-day Richmond is best known as being preserved as it was as that time. It is a vibrant tourist town, with many of the sandstone structures still standing.

BRUNY ISLAND

Bruny Island is a large island off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, from which it is separated by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Storm Bay is located to the island's northeast. Its traditional Aboriginal name was Alonnah Lunawanna, which survives as the name of two island settlements.

Geologically, Bruny Island is actually comprised of two islands - North Bruny and South Bruny - that are joined by a long, narrow sandy beach. The holiday village of Dennes Point is located in North Bruny, while South Bruny is the site of the towns of Alonnah, Adventure Bay and Lunawanna.

Outside its settlements the island is covered in grazing fields and large tracts of dry eucalyptus forest. Inland forests continue to be logged, but other large sections - mostly along the southeastern coast - are preserved as the South Bruny National Park. While the seaward side of the island features two long beaches - Adventure Bay and Cloudy Bay - it is for the most part extremely rugged, with cliffs of dolerite that tower over 200 metres above sea level, and which are amongst the highest sea cliffs in Australia.

Bruny's channel side is far more sheltered and a favourite fishing and recreational boating area for local and interstate visitors.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse, Bruny Island

MOUNT WELLINGTON

Mount Wellington is the mountain on whose foothills is built much of the city of Hobart. It is frequently snow covered, sometimes even in summer. It is often referred to simply as 'the Mountain' by Hobartians, and it rises to 1,271 metres above sea level.

The lower slopes are thickly forested, but criss-crossed by many walking tracks and a few fire trails. There is also a sealed but narrow road to the summit, about 22km from the city. Halfway up this road is a picnic area called "The Springs", near the site of a chalet/health spa that was destroyed by a bushfire in 1967.

An enclosed lookout near the summit provides spectacular views of the city below and to the east, the Derwent River, and also glimpses of the World Heritage area nearly 100 km to the west.

From Hobart, the most distinctive feature of Mt. Wellington is the cliffs of dolerite columns known as the Organ Pipes.

The mountain significantly influences the city's weather, and intending visitors to the summit are advised to dress warmly against the often icy winds at the summit, which have been recorded at over 135km/hr.

The first weather station was set up on Mount Wellington in 1895 by Clement Lindley Wragge.

A cable car development has been proposed for the mountain on various occasions, but public oppostion has so far prevented any major developments.