Monday 9 January 2012

Tasmania - Day 19 - Hanging around at Pickled Frog and missing the plane

Stupid me, I booked the bus to the airport based on a departure time of the flight = arrival time in Sydney. I didn't think much of it until it was too late...
I stressed out all the way to the airport, knowing also I had not much more money, definitely not enough to pay another flight. I was not even sure to be able to pay the late fee.
Well, I was a bit lucky in my forgetfulness : I just could pay the late fee, and there was another flight today. So there, I'm waiting. I spent the day waiting actually, at the backpacker. I was not keen to visit anything. I am a bit sick of nature and Tasmania at the moment, I'm a city girl after all. My usual ecosystem is full of humans, streets, dance classes, parties, lights, shops, painted walls, dust...
I had my share of natural wonders for a while.
I'm a bit in a cranky mood.

Tasmania - Day 18 - Cygnet to Hobart and returning the van

Yep, last night in the van just over. Yesterday I spent the evening drinking wine with some French backpackers in Cygnet till midnight or so. They went to bed early since they had to get up at 6 am for strawberry picking. Killian was too happy to have electricity for his laptop and watched movie after movie, with me around, in the campground kitchen.

Today is really hot. I spent the morning cleaning the van.

Tasmania - Day 17 - Lake Burbury, Tarraleah, New Norfolk, Hobart, Cygnet

Tasmania - Day 16 - First day of 2012 in Strahan, overnight Lake Burbury

Ha well... All the Jacks yesterday didn't help me feel very energetic today. I felt a bit hangover and tired having slept late.
I had a bread, salmon and avocado breakfast, but still, feeling a bit low, cursing why did I have to get drunk?
I spent most of the day sleeping in the van in Macquarie Heads campground. Killian was fishing with some other kids on the jetty so he didn't complain too much.
Finally by 3 pm, I decided to move my bum off the bed and cook myself a lunch, slowly.
Then, as the weather was hot, I went for a walk up Ocean Beach, and for a swim too. Water is shallow first, no waves, then suddenly goes deep. The seawater has the colour of the tea, and so is black when deep. This made it scary, like if you were going to enter a world that would swallow you. I was a bit too scared to really have a long swim, but I stayed in the water quite a bit. Water was so warm! Incredible, not even feeling cold at first.
Tiny crabs come and chew at your toes.
It felt beautiful and peaceful, looking at the sky, the water and the sun, thinking I'm there, the first day of the year...
Soon after, I walked back to the camp were I found Killian at the jetty, still playing with the fishing rods and other kids.
I packed up, and around 6 or 7 pm, I moved away from Strahan.
We lost some time getting some food at a fish and chips, the slowest ever, near Strahan waterside.
I thought I would not drive long, but at least take and hour or two off the return drive.
Finally, I stopped past Queenstown, at Burbury's lake.

Tasmania - Day 15 NYE - O'Neills Creek, Marooka caves, Chudleigh to Strahan

After the fairy penguins feed yesterday I headed straight back to O'Neills creek. It was night, sky was full of stars up to the horizon, so I wanted to land in a known place. Indeed wildlife is out at that time, met a life wallaby and some other smaller species on the road.

When I woke up, I found plenty of 

Tasmania - Day 14 - Marrawa, Arthur river, Lillico beach pinguins, O'Neills creek

30/12

Tasmania - Day 13 - Stanley,

29/12