We arrived early in Tasmania, but before doing any excursions, we had to all disembark and go through customs. Fortunately that didn’t take too long, and there were some vendors set up so we could shop to kill time.

Our tour today was much better then we anticipated based on the description. We first traveled through Hobart to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, then to the city of Richmond before returning to the ship. Our guide was amazing this time, and probably the best one we’ve had so far.

Tasmania is the smallest Australia state with a population of 517,000. Our short visit made us want to come back to enjoy and explore moire of the state. Some interesting facts:

• Cleanest and purest sir in the world
• 80 golf courses
• 250 vineyards
• Tourism is the biggest industry, and most of the new construction is for tourists
• Contains mountains, rain forests,
• There are 300 islands around Tasmania, and one sits on the Derwent River, and 3000 lakes
• Has the third largest trees in the world eucalyptus regnans
• Known for its wilderness and bush walks, 40-50% of the state is wilderness
• Its about the size of West Virginia or Ireland
• There is a lot of farming – stone fruits, berries, poppies (Tasmania produces 40% of the worlds prescription opioids), pyrethrum daisies (used in insecticides)

Hobart

The capital of Tasmania was founded as a penal colony for 300 inmates. There are 200,000 people who live in this lovely city with the worlds second largest natural harbor. The mild climate, has well preserved architecture. It’s surprisingly dry and mount Wellington is at its back door. When we arrived the Sky was very hazy, we thought it might rain, but no, it was from the bush fires on the mountain. They appear to be under control, but some neighborhoods were in jeopardy.

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

The best part of this excursion was the sanctuary established in 1981. After a scenic drive through the countryside, we arrived at the sanctuary. The owner boarded our bus to provide a brief overview. The sanctuary takes in injured, orphaned, rescued animals, specifically kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, koalas, wombats, birds, emus, and more. Last year they helped 1000 animals, but this year with the drought and dry weather, they helped 2000. What the description didn’t mention is that there are many kangaroos roaming free. They are not in cages, and are everywhere. They are gentle, friendly and we could feed, walk around and among them, and rub their neck under their chin. We were told not to rub their back or head, that’s a sign of aggression. It was shocking to see many of them just lying around. We all fed and pet them, and I took many photos. There were many different sizes from small to quite large. We even saw a baby sleeping in his mother’s pouch. A few hopped around and drank water, two almost got into a fight over some shade. The wombat was digging a hole for her shelter, the Tasmanian devils were either sleeping or pacing. It was sad to see them wanting to be out and free.

Richmond

Our next stop was the town of Richmond. It was adorable, quaint and looks like it hasn’t changed in years. There are many sand stone structures, and homes with beautiful English gardens. We drove over the oldest bridge in Australia built by convicts in 1823. We saw the oldest Catholic Church being continuously used, stopped in a bakery for some banberry slices, popped in the sweets and treats shop for some yummies. There were antique stores, timber shop, tea houses, jewelry stores, etc. It was nice to meander through town at a slow pace.

When driving back to the ship, between Richmond and Cambridge there was a vineyard every kilometer. Tonight MyLisa and I have dinner at the chefs table. Tomorrow were at sea again on our way to Melbourne.

Photos are located here.