A week in Tasmania Part 1: Hobart
A week in Tassie Part 2: Coles Bay & Freycinet

Dear Chibi,

It was time for our final stretch to Launceston (and final blog entry for this trip)!

The drive was another 2 hours. We made a brief stop at Campbell Town which was in the middle of Launceston & Freycinet (And because Hubby was so obsessed with the name Campbell Town ;D)

Campbell Town

Taken next to the ‘Red Bridge‘ which is the oldest bridge on the National Highway (and built by convicts). These wooden sculptures were originally trees and carved with a chainsaw! This one depicts a British Soldier overseeing a convict working on Red Bridge.

The Elizabeth River, with cute little ducklings :3

Launceston

We were first greeted by these Japanese macaques 8D Hello little fella!

These guys can be found at the Launceston City Park. It seemed a bit random at first, but Launceston and Ikeda City in Japan are sister cities and the council were gifted with an exhibit. Pretty neat.

Cataract Gorge Reserve

Just a short walk from the Launceston city center is this nifty reserve, with plenty of wildlife and some nice walking and hiking trails. We spent about half a day here.

What an incredible ginormous tree!

Suspension bridge

And that was the end of our first day! Launceston city center felt pretty similar to Hobart CBD, but with less things. Again, everything closes pretty early around here!

Cradle Mountain

Ah..Cradle Mountain, how much we’ve heard about you :D This is by far the highlight of Launceston and a must see :)

Having lunch at the cafe before waiting for our shuttle bus! You would normally be able to drive down to the various spots yourself, but on a busy day vehicle access was limited for safety reasons. (We end up driving there ourselves later on in the evening ;D)

There were several trails to choose from, varying in length and difficulty. We did the most popular trail; the ‘Dove Lake Circuit walk’ which was 6km and took about 2-3 hours to complete. It takes you right around Dove Lake and beneath the towering spires of Cradle Mountain *_*

Dove Lake Circuit

The start of the walk!

How picturesque :D

It was a fairly easy walk, but I kept getting tired XD I needed Hubby to “tow” me away… ;D
The weather constantly changed from hot, to cold, to windy, to cloudy, to a bit of rain. It was kind of crazy ^^”

Woo! We’re more than half way!

Boatshed built in 1940 by the first Ranger at Cradle Mountain. Looks kinda creepy, but that backdrop makes it look unreal :D

..Annnndd we’re back to the start! I’m glad its a circuit so we don’t have to walk back the same path.

We also managed to fit in the ‘Enchanted Walk’- which took about 20 minutes.

Phew! What a tiring day! We decided to have dinner at the Cradle Mountain Tavern Bar & Bistro, and drove back to Dove Lake afterward to take a few more photos after dark. Hubby is a dedicated photographer :)

I think we had hot chips/fries at least once everyday during our 7 days in Tassie ;D

2 little wombats

Ah…so beautiful :3

The drive back to Launceston was actually really tough! It was pitch black when we left, and there were no street lights at all. The roads were narrow and there were SO MANY ANIMALS ON THE ROAD! O___O It’s the first time I’ve seen this many wildlife; kangaroos were jumping onto the road left and right, it was pretty intense! There were also lots of dead ones on the road : ( Luckily Hubby drove extra safe with high beam on and didn’t hit anything~ I felt so stressed out and I was only the passenger XD Best to avoid driving after sunset ^^”

Amid the chaos, we managed to find a quiet spot on the side of the road to admire the beautiful stars :3 It would be our final night in Tasmania.

Villarett Gardens

On our last day in Tassie, we decided to take it easy and visit some of the attractions we had driven past the day before.

We had lunch at Villarett Gardens, and boy am I glad we did! The food tasted sooooo amazing!! The staff was also super friendly :) What a great experience.

OH HOW CRISPY *_*

This door makes me feel like a giant 8D

After lunch, we checked out their massive garden (there’s usually a $5 fee but we ate at the restaurant so it was waived)

Hi hub : )

Chibi tree!

Van Diemens Land Creamery

We drove to the Raspberry Farm, but noticed this ice-cream factory right next door :O Who could say no to ice-cream?!

The place looked a little empty (like most places around here) but boy was it amazing!

YUMMMMMMM. We got the Boysenberry & Pistachio flavor.

Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm

So, back on track 8D After having ice-cream we visited Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for some more desserts!

Hubby pulling his ‘goat’ face 8D

Oh so good….Such a great way to end the trip :D Tassie, you have treated us well.

Definitely a must-visit :D