On the way down from Bay of Fires there were lots of pretty seaside towns to stop at or drive through or stay at. So picturesque with the smell of salty sea hanging in the air, noisy seabirds circling around, and wild waves crashing around the numerous lobster boats and fishing trawlers.
We stopped at a little Fish n Chip shop at Bicheno that had been converted from a fishing depot right on the ocean which was the perfect atmosphere to eat yummy fresh fish and chips.
Maria Island is an island off the southeast coast of Tasmania. It was once a convict settlement and then the site of a cement factory and later became and remains a wildlife sanctuary. It’s distance from the mainland makes it a safehaven for native species from predators and disease. For this reason it also became the site of a repopulation and breeding program for the endangered Tassie Devil. No vehicles are allowed and it has lovely walks and bike trails all over the island. Accommodation is camping or staying in old convict buildings made into dormitories.
We opted for camping and found ourselves a lovely little campsite under the sheoaks and near a little dry creek.
The wildlife on Maria Island has to be seen to be believed. Everywhere you turn there are wombats (common and Flinders), Bennett’s wallabies, Forrester kangaroos, Cape Barren geese, Tasmanian native hens etc. The scenery was also spectacular with beautiful gum forests and crystal blue waters and pristine beaches. The walks go to various other spots where you can see vast expanses of ocean from rugged clifftops, look at cliffs full of fossil shells, check out ruined buildings from the convict era and look at the ‘painted cliffs’ that look like some amazing modern art exhibition.
I was still struggling with the plantar fasciitis but didn’t want to miss out on too many walks- I kept going but it was getting pretty sore. Ron suggested getting a bike which I was reluctant to do as I’m not a confident bike rider. I finally gave in and was glad I did as we were able to cover a lot more miles in a painfree fashion and was easier than I thought. It was actually great fun. Having said that I think if you’ve had no mountainbike experience at all and are not agile or adaptable you should probably be cautious about planning to do it all by bike (which they make sound simple in the brochures) as there are lots of hills, rocky paths and sand bogs and very steep slopes where even one experienced mountainbiker athletic looking dude said -” scared the billio out” of him and he pushed his bike down it.
You do have to look out for some not so friendly wildlife too – we saw a venomous tiger snake sit under the water basin that people use and then casually slide into the roof space above the men’s shower.
We’d come pretty prepared expecting a bit of a wilderness experience and were told we even need to bring our own water but when we got on the ferry we got told that just that week they’d installed some new facilities and there was a water tap, a camp kitchen with gas and even hot showers! Quite luxurious and we felt a bit silly as we got on with our bladders of water and dehydrated hiking meals whilst in-the-know locals got on board with their eskies full of food to cook in the kitchen.
Anyway all was not lost as our homemade dehydrated meals sparked some interesting conversations with other campers who were interested in how we’d made them and wanted tips for their hiking trips. It also gave us a good story. When we got there we saw metal bins around the campsite which were to be used for storing food in to keep the critters out. We found a half empty one and figured we’d put our little bag of dehydrated food mix in it.
The next day we went to get it out and the bin had disappeared. A family who’d packed up saw us looking around and we asked if they knew what happened to the bin with our food. They started laughing because it turned out they’d handed it in to the rangers office because they thought our meals with dehydrated greens in them were drugs!
It’s worth checking out the coffee palace building in the convict area as it has some interesting historical displays in it.
Going for a bike ride at sunrise and sunset yields some amazing views and I’d highly recommend making the most of your time there and exploring at all different times of the day.
A night walk or ride is also well worthwhile. We decided to go nightspotting to look for nocturnal animals. We were particularly keen to spot a Tassie Devil in the wild. They are known to be quite elusive. We saw lots of possums and wombats but were thrilled to come across two Devils in the bush who took quite an aggressive nervous stance towards us and then took off. We were so chuffed about our discovery but the wind was taken a bit out of our sails when coming back to the kitchen area I saw three Devil cubs scurrying around the kitchen trying to get into the food and coming up very close to the people. One came within a metre of my leg and actually gave me a fright. Of course Ron was in the shower and missed the whole show and I didn’t have a camera. Sadly the tourists, who are told on signs everywhere to stay away from the wild Devils, were literally chasing them around sticking their phones in their faces.
We later spoke to a ranger who said that the Tassie Devil rescue/breeding program will actually be halted if tourists keep familiarising these wild animals with human presence. Please keep this in mind if visiting.
