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TASMANIA (TAS) 17 March - 23 March
An Island State of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of around 526,000 Just over forty percent of the population resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart..
Tasmania's area is 68,401 km2 (26,410 sq mi), of which the main island covers 64,519 km2 (24,911 sq mi). It is promoted as a natural state, and protected areas of Tasmania cover about 42% of its land area, which includes national parks and World Heritage Sites.Tasmania was the founding place of the first environmental political party in the world.
Devonport 17 March & 23 March
Devonport is a city in northern Tasmania, Australia. It is situated at the mouth of the Mersey River. Devonport had an population of around 23,000
During the 1850s the twin settlements of Formby and Torquay were established on opposite banks at the mouth of the Mersey River. Torquay on the eastern shore was the larger community with police, post, magistrate, at least three hotels, shipyards and stores. A river ferry service connected the two communities. Between 1870 and 1880 the shipping industry grew and work was undertaken to deepen the mouth of the river. When the mouth of the river could support a shipping industry the first regular steamer services commenced, operating directly between the Mersey and Melbourne.
Cradle Mountain 18 March
Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. At 1,545 metres above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountain in Tasmania. Dove Lake lies below this mountain. The walk around the rim of the lake is about 6 Klms and it took us about 2 1/2 hours walk around the lake. There were wonderful views of fauna local to the region. I was on the path of a black snake which stalled on the track then went into the bushes..
Strahan 19 - 20 March
Strahan, is a small town and former port on the west coast of Tasmania. It is now a significant locality for tourism in the region. Strahan Harbour and Risby Cove form part of the north-east end of Long Bay on the northern end of Macquarie Harbour. Gordon river cruises are conducted at Strahan.
We booked a cruise on the Gordon River about 6 hours of cruising with pristine forests on either side of the river..
We also had a stop off at Sarah Island - Sarah Island was established in the remote reaches of Macquarie Harbour in 1821. Sarah Island was established in the remote reaches of Macquarie Harbour in 1821.
The island was used as a penal settlement where convicts laboured under the harshest conditions in the rainforest, felling Huon pines for boat building.
Of all the possible sites to choose, Macquarie Harbour would have been the most windswept and barren but it was also the most secure. Any convict trying to escape Sarah Island had not only to get across the harbour but to hack their way through the impenetrable rainforests of the west coast.
Hobart 20 - 22 March
The capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. With a population of approximately 225,000 (over 40% of Tasmania's population), it is the least populated Australian state capital city, and second smallest if territories are taken into account (after Darwin, Northern Territory). Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Hobart, formerly known as Hobart Town, Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. Prior to British settlement, the Hobart area had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years, by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or South-East tribe. The descendants of these Aboriginal Tasmanians often refer to themselves as 'Palawa'.
Launceston 22 - 23 March
Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and is home to many historic buildings. Like many Australian places, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom - in this case, Launceston, Cornwall. Launceston has also been home to several firsts such as the first use of anaesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Australian city to have underground sewers and the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity. The city has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Local government is split between the City of Launceston and the Meander Valley and West Tamar Councils.
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