As you may have gathered, I made it safely out of Victoria into Tasmania before the borders slammed shut-by one day!
I feel incredibly lucky to have this freedom for a week or so while my friends are in a snap lock-down.

My nemesis bird has been the Pink Robin. I have seen the flashes of the bold pink before but only fleetingly. I knew they were found at Cradle Mountain and happened to see one on the Cradle Mountain walk. As luck would have it, I didn't have my bird lens. The morning we left I took a punt and went back to the same spot, better prepared. And there was Mr and Mrs Pink, right where we left them the day before. Wasn't easy to capture them sitting still but lovely to spend some time seeing more than just a flash of pink.

For the purists-forgive my indulgence in this whimsical background but it suited my mood and feelings as I watched this enchanting bird play in the forest..

Stay Safe and well.x

Tags:   Cradle Mountain Tasmania animals d500 Pink Robin robin Male Male Pink robin Cradle Mountain boardwalks snakehill Texture Petroica rodinogaster

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Cradle Mountain sits it in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania. A wilderness shaped by ancient glaciers.

It has been on my bucket list to travel to and was our first stop on our (very lucky to get there!) trip to Tasmania.

One of the most striking aspects of the landscape on the way up to the mountain is the haunting dead Eucalypt trees. This was to become a familiar sight.

No-one seems to know the direct cause of this die-back but the theory seems to be global climate change and several years of drought.

We just pulled over the side of the road for me to make this shot. It was abit foggy and raining. Quite typical of the area in summer.

Tags:   Cradle Mountain Tasmania hike dead tree tree Eucalyptus Gum tree moos moss vegetation Alpine Die-back

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This is the start of the Overland Track. It is a 65 Km, 6 day trek beginning at Cradle Mountain and ending at Australia’s deepest lake – Lake St Clair. The first section forms part of the Crater Lake Circuit which the 3 hour walk we did.

Up there with my favourite walks ever. It takes you past waterfalls, lakes and magical forests.

This section begins at Ronnies Creek. Unfortunately, it wasn't always easy to take images without the family in it given I was always lagging behind taking photos!

If you look closely you will see a wombat which are characteristic of this part of the trek. I will upload a closer image of him tomorrow.

The next few uploads will be of the walk to give those who do not know this part of the country a taste of one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Australia.

Tags:   Cradle Mountiain Tasmania Tasmania 2021 Overland Track wombat Ronnies Creek National Park mountains boardwalk

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As promised a close up of the Wombat. I was hoping it would look up from eating and waited as long as I could but it was too busy grazing to notice me.
Wombats are marsupials and native to Australia. We have three species, one of which is endangered. They are about 1 m in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between 20 and 35 kg.

I will give you two interesting facts about wombats

-Wombats produce cube shaped poo that they leave as a marker often on wood or rocks. How and why the poo is that shape has always puzzled scientists. Just recently research has shown that the cube shape is formed within the intestines – not at the point of exit, as previously thought (square shaped sphincter ?!). They found this out by investigation of the muscles inside the intestine and using mathematical modelling. The team discovered big changes in the thickness of muscles inside the intestine, varying between two stiffer regions and two more flexible regions. The changes in muscle thickness, in addition to the drying out of the faecal material in the distal colon, produced the distinctive shape.

-Wombats are most closely related to Koalas. I think when you see the face of a wombat you can see the resemblance.

Tags:   Cradle Mountiain Ronnie Creek Tasmania Tasmania 2021 Vombatidae Vombatus ursinus Wombat

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And Nothing Matters --- Gustav Weindorfer one of the early pioneers of the area.

About half way up to Crater Lake, the landscape changes completely from the open alpine moors of the last upload to an area of dense magical rainforest where the green of mosses carpets the tree trunks and forest floor.

A raised boardwalk guides you along the meandering creek with a series of waterfalls and rock pools along the way to Crater Falls.

It is easy to forget yourself and all your worries and believe in something other as you walk through this spell-binding place.

Tags:   Tasmania Tasmania 2021 Crater Lake Circuite Walk trees rainforest Crater Waterfall hike wildnerness forest moss green Cradle Mountain trek

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