DAILY UPDATE #09 – AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 2018

Tasmania

Good evening from Tasmania!  We had a short morning flight from Melbourne to Hobart where we got to do many things in less than 12 hours being in Hobart, Tasmania.  Here’s a short summary of what we got up to:

most amazing wildlife encounter

The single biggest thing on Amber’s to do list while in Australia was, in her words “I want to pet a Koala, Wombat, and a Kangaroo.”  We did all that and more in ONE EVENING.  We headed to a wildlife sanctuary located outside of Hobart and went on an evening tour.  Our guide, Bob, did an exceptional job informing us about everything.  From how the animals ended up in the sanctuary, to the animal’s background and unique abilities or attributes, to how some animals in Tasmania have adapted to its climate versus “mainland” Australia.  For Amber’s tips on how to feed or pet particular ones was easily shared.  It was amazing.  I’ll add now that out of all the animals, even though petting a Koala makes your hand smell like eucalyptus, Sugar Gliders had the softest fur.

Mount Wellington

Great fall weather in Australia continues, and crossed the Bass Strait.  We arrived to clear skies and a warm day.  With the clear weather the first thing we did was go up Mount Wellington, that is over 1200m above sea level and is a short drive from Hobart.  The drive reaffirmed Amber’s dislike of roads that lack guardrails between vehicles and a sharp drop down the mountain-side.  The views were incredible.  I will ask the obvious to friends who had an extended trip to Australia last year — WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND TO DRIVE AN RV UP IT? It’s not a wide two lane road at the base of the climb.  I’m glad we didn’t have to share the road with any large vehicles in either direction.

Finally, we’ve got more driving planned tomorrow.  The good side for Amber is that Tasmania is a much smaller island than Australia so we won’t be doing any extremely long drives tomorrow.