Our Trip to Australia, Part Seven - Tasmanian Wilderness and Melbourne

January 19, 2019

Our Trip to Australia, Part Seven - Tasmanian Wilderness and Melbourne

A visit to Australia should definitely include a stop in Melbourne, the coastal capital of the southeastern state of Victoria.

The last two days of our journey “Down Under” were spent seeing some of the sights of Melbourne with a population of more than 4.8 million. Melbourne is the second most populated state in Australia after Sydney, and is Victoria’s business, administrative, cultural and recreational hub of the state. But first, we enjoyed a plane ride over Tasmania’s southwest with Par Avion to view the grandeur and spirit of the remote and harsh coasts and waterways of the rugged and beautiful region.

Enjoy these last photos of our trip.

: On our last full day in Tasmania, we decided to take a tour of the beautiful southwest wilderness. Our tour was hosted by Par Avion: Tasmania by Air. Here is our aircraft, a Britten Norman Islander twin engine plane. Par Avion runs regular sight seeing flights over the area including Southwest National Park.

: Departing from Hobart’s Cambridge Aerodrome, the tour flies over the Derwent River, Bruny Island and follows the stunning coastline through the Southwest National Park, to the South East Cape, the most southern point of Australia.

: From above, we saw extensive fish and oyster farms in the waters around the coast.

: These round fish nets are for salmon.

: The squares are used for oysters or mussels.

: As we neared the landing strip, we could see the white lines on the hillside – these are the hiking paths, and the only way to go any where in the wilderness – no horses and no vehicles. Getting around is all by foot.

: Here is the Melaleuca Airport landing strip. This stop is part of the Par Avion tour. This airport has direct access to the South Coast Track to Cockle Creek or the Port Davey Track to Scotts Peak.

: After landing, we all boarded a cruise boat and headed out to explore the waterways of The Port Davey Marine Reserve, Waterfall Bay and the Breaksea Islands.

: Here are two of Par Avion’s crew, waiting for us at our boat.

: We stopped at the Melaleuca Museum where we saw this sign. Button grass, Dactyloctenium radulans, is a native species found throughout Australia. It is a common summer weed species. This proverb refers to the “Port Daveyites” – the explorers, miners, whalers and track-cutters who came through Port Davey, in this rugged southwest corner.

: We learned about the Mooreland and all the different rocks and vegetation that make up the landscape.

: This is part of the Needwonnee Walk, a tribute to the rich indigenous history of the area. It is a half-mile long boardwalk that weaves its way through the forest and buttongrass plains beside Melaleuca Lagoon. The walk is named after the Needwonnee tribe whose homelands extended from Port Davey to New River Lagoon, including the Melaleuca area.

: Here I am standing on the wooden boardwalk trail. We were always very careful to protect ourselves from the sun. Remember, the ozone layer over Australia is thinned, so there are a lot more UV rays reaching the earth.

: The area was so clean – we saw some artifacts, but no wildlife.

: We didn’t see any birds at all – where are they?

: Melaleuca is actually the last natural breeding refuge for the Orange-Bellied Parrot. In the past, these birds were much more widespread, but now it is listed as endangered under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act of 1995. It is also listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999, and and it is one of the most endangered birds species in all of Australia.

: Returning to the skies, we headed inland over The Arthur Range, one of Tasmania’s most spectacular mountain ranges.

: We saw the high elevation of mountains tops – many with ancient Huon Pines, which only grow in the wet, temperate rainforests of southwest Tasmania.

: And flew over the cleanest white beaches and waters.

: Our plane tour was a great way to see some of these beautiful views – the colors of the water are amazing.

: The entire Par Avion Experience took about six-hours, and was worth every minute. I recommend the tour if ever you are in the area. https://www.paravion.com.au/

: And on to Melbourne – if you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen some of my photos from Melbourne’s Luna Park, an historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St. Kilda. Luna Park is owned by my friends, well-known entrepreneurs, the Fox Family. https://lunapark.com.au/

: Here’s Truman and our friend, Pamela, waiting in line for one of the rides – it was very crowded and very warm. Be sure to go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see photos of the children on the carousel.

: The day was so hot, we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim. Here is Jude poolside – my grandchildren love swimming so much.

: The kids had a wonderful time in the pool and made several new friends.

: That night, we went to Nobu Melbourne, in the Crown Hotel, where we stayed. We sat at the bar overlooking stunning river views. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and I have been friends for many years – I love all of Nobu’s restaurants. And this one is just as superb. The head chef, Sean Tan, and his talented team, made us an amazing dinner. https://www.noburestaurants.com/melbourne/home/

: Look at this red plate filled with all the sushi. We ate every piece – everything was so fresh and delicious.

: The next day, the Fox family sent us their helicopter for a bird’s eye tour of Melbourne. The helicopter landed right on the Melbourne High School lawn, from which Mr. Fox had been expelled for lack of interest. He is now one of the leading business men of Australia and has since made amends with the school. In fact, he has visited on numerous formal occasions.

: The helicopter took us all around the area.

: We viewed several residential neighborhoods on the way to Portsea, a town in the outer southeast of Melbourne, on the opposite side of Port Phillip Bay.

: Portsea Back Beach is a big attraction in Portsea, due to its great surfing conditions and long stretch of sand.

: On the way to Portsea, we saw these black shadows – they are giant sharks.

: Portsea is a popular summer-home community. Visitors love boating and swimming in the area waters. Here are Jude and Truman running to the beach.

: Next, we took a ride on a lovely picnic boat with one of the Fox Family sons. The children are wearing long sleeves with high collars and hats to protect them from the strong UV rays.

: We set out to find sea lions and dolphins. I love this photo of Jude and Truman.

: And here we are at Chinaman’s Hat – an octagonal structure serving as a shipping channel marker and haul-out for local brown fur seals. It is located in the South Channel of Port Phillip. These Australian fur seals are protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975.

: We were able to get a little closer, but visitors to the site are warned to keep their distance, since the seals can at times behave aggressively towards people who approach too close. Scroll down for a quick video I took at Chinaman’s Hat.

: Here I am with Mrs. Fox, my best friend in Australia.

: We took a walking tour of her gardens – I love her pergola.

: The pergola is full of passion fruits – if you look closely, you can see them growing on the vines.

: Unfortunately, it was a very brief visit, and then it was time to leave.

: We flew back to the city and prepared for our long trip home. It was a fantastic trip. I hope you enjoyed this series of blogs – I love sharing my photos with you. Let me know what you liked best in the comments section.