North-western Tasmania.
The penguins are a big theme in northern Tasmania. We get to see the matter when we come to a town of the same name – Penguin.
There are penguins everywhere. A large penguin, the city's landmark, who gets dressed according to the season and events. Penguins on the playground, as barrier posts and in the general cityscape.
The local school - it all doesn't go well for penguins - but the creativity is there.
On the way further in the north-west, we pass a lighthouse with a guided tour. The guide eagerly explains all the technical details and ends by asking if we want to see the lamp lit. Orv... we would like that. We stare into the big lamp - and absolutely nothing happens. Meanwhile, the guide stands and laughs. He has lit a small lamp on the wall.
Yes, yes... you can quickly become a laughingstock. But the view is quite nice and there is a fresh wind blowing at the top.
We spend the night in the town of Stanley, right next to "The Nut". A large tuber you can climb on if you are in good shape and are not afraid of a heart attack.
We think to ourselves that it is probably expensive to be hospitalized, so far away from home. So we choose to take a chairlift up to the top in the best ski holiday style. There is a nice hiking route up there, with both forest and open terrain.
We eagerly scout for wombats, but it is mostly the smaller animals that we discover. In several places, the ground is perforated like a Swiss cheese, but neither footprints nor remains give an idea of who lives down there.
The walk down The Nut is steep as expected.
In Marrawah we find free camping, right down by the beach. It couldn't be better. We immediately go down to the water and Sus jumps into the blue wave. Or should we just say that the toes are just being dipped?
A couple of surfers are out to see if they can catch a wave. They are actually the reason why we applied here in the first place.
After a beautiful sunset, the wallabies come out and graze between all the parked campers. In the morning before sunrise, they are still there. As people start to stand up, the animals retreat.
We have been advised to drive along the Western Explorer Road. A long dirt road winds through the hilly landscape.
Here in Tasmania, the landscapes change rapidly. Now that we are a bit away from the beach, there are smaller mountains, densely covered with forest. The fine dust from the road stands like a cloud behind us. Naturally, it also creates a fine layer of dust in the car. But what does that do – when the reward is beautiful nature.
A small river must be crossed. A small cable ferry has room for 1-2 cars – if you can find the ferryman. We find a sign that, in a very Australian way, tells us how to cross the river.
We are the only ones going on this crossing, so it will also be a nice camera chat with the ferryman.
