Adventures of NaDave: NaDave Aussie: 22-26 (Tasmania) part 2

Day 24 (Sat)

We awoke to another beautiful view & and had a warm shower to start the day. We then drove downtown for the Salamanca Market. It is listed as a "must-do" on all the lists, and it certainly was! There were over 300 booths & we spent over 4 hrs there. It was a great way to take in some local flavor.

From there we headed to critically acclaimed MONA (Museum of New Art) for wine tasting & a tour. The wine tasting was incredible...and the museum not so much. But thats all part of the experience!

Next we drove up to Mt Wellington to get a great view of the city. After that, we got on the road, to cut some hrs off the drive to Cradle Mtn. We stayed overnight at a free campground...we made a small campfire, drank some wine, and the view of the stars was incredible. Another great day!

Morning View

MONA wine tasting

View from Mt. Wellington

Day 25 (Sun)

We awoke to steady rain, which meant a wet tent. We packed up quickly, and got on the road. Today was a major driving day. Maybe 8 hrs total. We got to Cradle Mtn around 1pm, and were welcomed with a forecast for snow on our hike around Dove Lake. Well the forecast was right, and we had a wintry mix! It never got miserable on the hike, but we laughed at ourselves several times. We were gonna do the hike no matter what!

We finished the hike wet & cold, headed back to the visitor center, then headed off to Launceston (the other major city in Tassie). We had our sites set on a celebratory fresh seafood sampler dinner (after days of peanut butter & bread)...and we did it up right! Oysters, scallops, prawns, fish, shrimp..mmmm!

There was also an Australia Day Festival right by where we ate, and there were fireworks at dusk! Very cool to see another country celebrate its independence day (remember, Tasmania is a state of Australia). We then drove an hr down the road to a free campground, and headed right to bed to rest up for our final day.

Dove Lake @ Cradle Mountain

Dinner in Launceston

Day 26 (Mon)

We were up early again, and got on the road for the East coast of Tassie. It was a clear blue sky day...and we started with a beer sampling at a local brewery at 9am! We then headed towards for Bicheno, for a quick stop at a cafe overlooking the waterfront, and then headed towards Freycinet National Park.

The main attraction at Freycinet (and maybe for all of Tassie) is Wineglass Bay...and it did not disappoint! We hiked up to a view point...then hiked down to the beach. The beach was something out of a Corona commercial. Nadine & I packed swimsuits, and hopped in. It was cold! But we stunk so badly that is was well worth it. The beach was very 'raw'...we even a saw dead penguin.

We looked at our watch, and it was time to head back. From Freycinet, we headed to a local oyster farm for delicious oysters. They were amazing and cheap (just how we like it!). Nadine then had her eyes set on two neighboring wineries with free tastings that closed around 530p. The wine was a perfect way to end our final day in Tassie. We romantically shared the last of our trail mix, and then headed to the airport to fly out. We landed back inMelbourne at 10p.