tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57348540650432859192024-03-19T05:42:07.497-07:00Focused on Nature BlogAlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-31937312225918803002021-01-01T09:58:00.001-08:002021-01-01T09:58:54.261-08:00Favorites of 2020<p>Thank goodness this f'in year is over!!!</p><p>I am sure that I am not the only one out there saying that since it has been a trying year for just about everyone. </p><p>The best thing to happen to us all year (maybe the only good thing) was the fact that we were able to take a trip to Australia in February and March before everything was shut down. Our timing on the trip was perfect since we didn't have to cut it short and there were less tourists around. Plus, we got out of Australia a couple days before they locked it down.</p><p>Sadly, I barely even picked up a camera the rest of the year. So, all my favorite photos from 2020 are from that trip down under. </p><p>We started our trip in Victoria where we explored the fantastic Dandenong Ranges. The lush forests here were fantastic with all the tall trees and singing birds. It was our introduction to Australia and the experience was great:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rfwL8KH/0/7d827537/L/DSC_0059_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rfwL8KH/0/7d827537/L/DSC_0059_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>It was also in the Dandenongs where we saw our first macropod. We were just walking along enjoying all the sounds of the forests when we rounded a bend and saw two black wallabies munching on some grass. They didn't seem very bothered by us so I was able to get a few pictures including this favorite:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RzLJFwJ/0/bc4a2d63/L/DSC_5862_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="559" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RzLJFwJ/0/bc4a2d63/L/DSC_5862_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>No trip to Victoria would be complete without driving along the Great Ocean Road. While we didn't have the best weather for this drive, the scenery was still pretty spectacular especially at the 12 Apostles:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NB492XQ/0/3f47c591/L/DSC_0088_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="512" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NB492XQ/0/3f47c591/L/DSC_0088_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course, the main reason for our long weekend stopover in Victoria was the chance to see koala in the wild. We weren't disappointed since our total tally was an amazing 37 koalas seen. It's not often such an iconic animal lives up to its fame but we were totally enamored by the koala. My favorite koala photo was taken far up Grey River Rd at Kennett River and just happened to be the last koala we saw on the trip:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q93nV7q/0/c2af416e/L/DSC_6829_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="462" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q93nV7q/0/c2af416e/L/DSC_6829_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>After Victoria, our next stop was Bruny Island in Tasmania where we hoped to find more great Australian wildlife. A lot of Australian wildlife is best seen at night. So, we spent hours every night of the trip hiking, driving, and spotlighting looking for anything that moved. This picture was taken on Bruny Island during our very first night drive. </p><p>While most of the 30+ quolls we saw on this night drive were very skittish, this one eastern quoll got close enough to us for a decent picture. It was great to see this dark morph quoll so close:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bpX87z3/0/31040400/L/DSC_7285_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="800" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bpX87z3/0/31040400/L/DSC_7285_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>For the most part, we had great weather the whole trip. However, there was one day on Bruny Island where it rained most of the day. Luckily, that didn't keep all the wildlife hidden since I spotted this new holland honey-eater patrolling the garden of our cottage seemingly not bothered by the rain:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PLjPCkC/0/27625811/L/DSC_7469_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="800" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PLjPCkC/0/27625811/L/DSC_7469_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>One of the target animals for the trip was the short-beaked echidna. We actually saw our first one not long after getting off the plane in Tasmania but our favorite encounter was near Mount Field National Park where we were able to spend lots of quality time with this lovely echidna:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CZ7pRx3/0/04701f13/L/DSC_7792_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="604" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CZ7pRx3/0/04701f13/L/DSC_7792_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Another target animal for us was the wombat. THE place to see them is at Cradle Mountain and once again we were not disappointed. We saw more wombats and their square poo then we could count including mothers with juveniles. But, our favorite photo was of this full grown one just sauntering along:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gwkwmJz/0/5e48c27c/L/DSC_8440_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="800" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gwkwmJz/0/5e48c27c/L/DSC_8440_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course, no trip to Australia would be complete without seeing an actual kangaroo. In Tasmania, that means going to Narawntapu National Park where they are everywhere. We found it interesting that these roos always saw us before we saw them no matter how far away they were. On one particular hike, everywhere we looked up popped another kangaroo or wallaby to check us out including this alert eastern grey kangaroo:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NNR6SXV/0/19cab685/L/DSC_8748_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="471" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NNR6SXV/0/19cab685/L/DSC_8748_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Despite all the iconic wildlife we saw on this trip including koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, wombats, platypus, quolls, etc, one of our favorite animals was the ubiquitous brush-tailed possum known locally as a "brushy". We saw lots of them every night no matter where we were in Tasmania. We saw dark ones, light ones, and even an albino one. Not only are these pretty darn good looking possums, but many of them seemed to have an "I don't give a crap" attitude and went about their business despite us watching them. It was really an endearing quality so I have to include a picture of one of these guys as the last favorite of the year:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hGnG6Bg/0/791e8f2c/L/DSC_9023_edited-1-L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="800" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hGnG6Bg/0/791e8f2c/L/DSC_9023_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Here's hoping that 2021 brings a better year for all!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-72535841185712188362020-03-18T15:10:00.000-07:002020-04-25T09:43:13.765-07:00Victoria Day 1 - Travel and The Dandenong RangesWhat's the best way to forget an exhausting and somewhat disappointing trip? Well, you plan another one of course. At least, that was what I kept telling myself as the motivation for more travel eluded me. But, if truth be told, the planning for this first trip to Australia started months before our previous trip to Madagascar so we were pretty much locked into going.<br />
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The timing and location of our trip to Australia revolved entirely around using airline miles. The airlines make it soooo hard to actually use your miles. It took me weeks of daily checks to finally find some viable flights. And, of course, we could only use miles for one ticket so we had to pay for the 2nd one which wasn't cheap since we were flying business class on Quantas for the international leg. All other legs were booked separately which was a bit of a nightmare when it came to luggage and other logistics but we managed it all just fine. Once we booked the international air travel, everything else had to fit in around that.<br />
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Anyway, things started to fall in place nicely and we ended up with the following itinerary:<br />
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Day 1: Arrive Melbourne, travel to the Dandenong Ranges - Clarendon Cottages<br />
Day 2: Dandenong Ranges to the Otways - Bimbi Park Cabins<br />
Day 3: Great Ocean Road - Bimbi Park Cabins<br />
Day 4: Great Ocean Road to Melbourne - Melbourne Airport Motel<br />
Day 5: Fly MEL to Hobart. Bruny Island - Inala Cottage<br />
Day 6: Bruny Island - Inala Cottage<br />
Day 7: Bruny Island - Inala Cottage<br />
Day 8: Bruny Island to Hobart, Mt Field NP - Hamlet Downs<br />
Day 9: Mt Field NP - Hamlet Downs<br />
Day 10: Mt Field to Cradle Mountain - Peppers CM Lodge<br />
Day 11: Cradle Mountain area - Peppers CM Lodge<br />
Day 12: Cradle Mountain area - Peppers CM Lodge<br />
Day 13: Cradle Mountain to Port Sorell - Roosters Rest<br />
Day 14: Narawntapu NP, Warrawee Forest Reserve - Roosters Rest<br />
Day 15: Deloraine area - Derby Forest Cabins<br />
Day 16: Quoll Patrol tour - Derby Forest Cabins<br />
Day 17: Bay of Fires, Freycinet NP - Freycinet Lodge<br />
Day 18: Maria Island - Mason's Cottages<br />
Day 19: Tasman Peninsula - Mason's Cottages<br />
Day 20: Fly home<br />
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In hindsight, this schedule ended up working out really well. If I had to do it all over again I might remove the two nights in Derby and add a night at the Dandenongs in Victoria and another at Freycinet. But, that's only because the arranged tour we had in Derby wasn't what we expected. More on that later.</div>
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One of the goals of this trip was to take things easier than we normally do and we accomplished that goal. I think we only set an alarm a couple times the whole trip! It was nice not having to keep to a rigid schedule and get up butt early everyday.</div>
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The leisurely pace of the trip started on day 1 since our first flight didn't leave until 3PM in the afternoon. So, we could sleep in, "relax pack" (what a concept), and saunter to the airport when we were ready. All told, the door to door time from our house to landing in Melbourne was around 24 hours which isn't bad at all and far less than some of our past trips.<br />
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I do have to say that traveling through the San Francisco airport was a bit spooky on Feb 26th. Due to the coronavirus scare, all travel from Asia was shut down so the airport was really empty. Of course, we would find out later on our return visit that "empty" is very relative.</div>
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Anyway, we arrived in Melbourne at 6:30AM and had a whole day ahead of us so it was good that we got some sleep on the long flight (thanks Quantas!). </div>
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When we first planned this trip, we contacted our Aussie friends Tim and Andrea to see if they wanted to join us for any of it. They accepted the invite and ended up joining us for two separate long weekends. The first was the initial 4 days in Victoria and then they also came down to Tasmania later in the trip.</div>
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Since their flight was arriving pretty quickly after ours, we hustled through immigration and customs and then I bought an Optus SIM card for my phone since they had a kiosk at the airport. We then ventured over to the Hertz counter where we met up with Tim and Andrea.</div>
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For the first time ever, we would be renting a car on one of our international trips and, of course, we had to do it in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road. So, to ease into this transition, Tim drove the whole first weekend so that I could get used to the idea and ask all sorts of questions about weird road signs. For instance, I was surprised to learn that a sign next to the curb saying "1P" didn't mean that only one person could pee at a time on the sidewalk. It had something to do with 1 hour parking...who knew?</div>
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Anyway, with the luggage safely tucked away and Tim behind the wheel, we set off from Melbourne towards Yarra Bend Park which would be our first stop. Based on research I had done, there was a large colony of grey-headed flying foxes here.</div>
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Finding the park wasn't too difficult and finding the foxes was down right easy. Once we got out of the car, we could hear them chattering away and it didn't take long to walk down to the river and see thousands of them hanging from the trees all around.</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Mshwd36/A"><img alt="Huge Grey-headed Flying Fox Colony" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Mshwd36/0/c41c6635/L/IMG_20200228_100146240_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-F8LT3L4/A"><img alt="Grey-headed Flying Foxes" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-F8LT3L4/0/631b4d64/L/DSC_5765_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We also got our first indication that we should watch where we walk due to snakes:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-J68CMWj/A"><img alt="Watch where you walk" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-J68CMWj/0/21a0fab3/L/DSC_5830_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The flying foxes themselves were bigger than I thought they would be and very cute especially for bats. We also saw some interesting behavior.<br />
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Time for a nap:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cCWBL4k/A"><img alt="Just Hanging Around..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cCWBL4k/0/94301eb9/L/DSC_5809_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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You are never too old to nurse:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7gd9HP5/A"><img alt="Nursing Grey-headed Flying Fox" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7gd9HP5/0/87f2ceb3/L/DSC_5789_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Because he can:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qCszDwK/A"><img alt="Grey-headed Flying Fox" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qCszDwK/0/3db9ab24/L/DSC_5798_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Maybe the lion shouldn't be called "The King of the Jungle" after all...:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-t7DhV8F/A"><img alt="Ahem..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-t7DhV8F/0/2d9721ce/L/DSC_5849_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Yeah, that's right, it's only day 1 and the animal genitalia pictures are already flowing. But, in my defense, I didn't zero in on the one to two bats "displaying" themselves. Many of them were very "relaxed" in the late afternoon sun so it was hard NOT to get a photo with a penis in it.<br />
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If you haven't already, feel free to flip your monitor upside down to look at these bat photos.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-85bNkr3/A"><img alt="Grey-headed Flying Fox Close-up" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-85bNkr3/0/b57fb344/L/DSC_5824_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Besides the flying foxes, we also had some new birds at the park but the bats were certainly the star of the show around there. After an hour or two we continued on towards the Dandenong Ranges. We stopped for a nice lunch (Eggs Benedict, yum) and then headed over to Clarendon Cottages where we would be spending the night.<br />
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The grounds around the cottages were very nice. A little too nice for Karen because instead of paying attention to the stairs as she walked she was searching the trees for critters. This resulted in her missing a step and wiping out. Her back and ankle took the brunt of the fall. Luckily, her back was just bruised and her ankle (while painful to walk on) ended up being OK and only slowed her down a bit for the first few days.<br />
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For those keeping score at home when it comes to trip wipe outs it's Karen - 2 and Alan - 1.<br />
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The cottage we had for the night was really nice.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZmMD5KG/A"><img alt="Clarendon Cottages" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZmMD5KG/0/a37f595d/L/DSC_0054_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GkJ7C3p/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GkJ7C3p/0/0b8a4bf0/L/DSC_0052_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After checking in, we headed out into the forest for a hike. The scenery was really pretty:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gTNgMGk/A"><img alt="Dandedong Forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gTNgMGk/0/338bde26/L/DSC_0058_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4jwNZjZ/A"><img alt="More Dandenong Forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4jwNZjZ/0/35087139/L/DSC_0060_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And some of the trees were huge:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rfwL8KH/A"><img alt="Walking Among Giants" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rfwL8KH/0/7d827537/L/DSC_0059_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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During the hike, we saw our very first macropods. This was super exciting for us.<br />
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Black Wallaby (AKA "Swampy"):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RzLJFwJ/A"><img alt="Black Wallaby (" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RzLJFwJ/0/bc4a2d63/L/DSC_5862_edited-1-L.jpg" swampy="" /></a><br />
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We also got some great looks at one of the many colorful birds that call Australia home.<br />
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Crimson Rosella:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TTX4qsm/A"><img alt="Crimson Rosella" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TTX4qsm/0/2e0fa1c0/L/DSC_5950_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SbBQQPG/A"><img alt="Crimson Rosella" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SbBQQPG/0/f9077636/L/DSC_6003_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Juvenile:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-b5dVB3L/A"><img alt="Juvenile Crimson Rosella" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-b5dVB3L/0/1caff85f/L/DSC_6474_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LqTHC45/A"><img alt="Another Juvenile Crimson Rosella" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LqTHC45/0/d0c1116b/L/DSC_6053_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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One of the great things about a first trip to Australia is that not only is it a new country for us but also a new continent. So, just about everything that moved would be a new species for us. In fact, we saw only a few non-lifers the whole trip.<br />
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One of our favorite lifer birds had to be the laughing kookaburra. It has a call that ranks right at the top of bird calls for me and it was nice that we found one right off that bat:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-g3qDZ75/A"><img alt="Laughing Kookaburra" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-g3qDZ75/0/61eef48d/L/DSC_6011_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After a nice dinner at a local pub (The Kilkenny beer was a winner), we headed out for a combination night drive and walk. We know that many of Australia's interesting critters come out at night, so we were really looking forward to the night activities on this trip. Unfortunately, we completely struck out on this night. We saw absolutely nothing walking around the forest. Although, at one point we were surprised by a female jogger running alone with only a head lamp (Well, she was clothed too). The trail wasn't paved and you certainly wouldn't catch me running on it at night...let alone by myself.<br />
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When we returned to Clarendon Cottages I scanned some of the nearby trees and finally saw some eye shine. It was a brush-tailed possum which we would later learn is just called a "Brushy" by the locals.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XVFtWwk/A"><img alt="Brush-tailed Possum (" brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XVFtWwk/0/4c4da14d/L/DSC_0071_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Then, I got another hit in a nearby tree. This time it was a ring-tailed possum (Interestingly enough, the Aussies don't call this a "Ringie").<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KHCkhs5/A"><img alt="Ring-tailed Possum" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KHCkhs5/0/ae3707f2/L/DSC_6024_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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So, while the hike in the forest was a bust, it was great that the grounds of the cottages were not. So, we were able to end our first day on a high note.<br />
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As I got changed for bed, I noticed a trickle of blood running down my shin. That's when I realized that I got "leeched" at some point during the day. We certainly didn't see any leeches but somehow one found me. Luckily, two trips to Borneo have pretty much desensitized us to leeches so I just slapped a band-aid on it and went to bed.<br />
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Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-20318455789401810692020-03-17T14:10:00.000-07:002020-04-26T07:04:06.298-07:00Australia Day 2 - Exploring VictoriaWe actually slept until 7AM today since the jet lag caught up to us a little bit. But, overall it was the most rested we had ever felt after long travel days at the beginning of a trip, which was nice.<br />
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Our cottage had a continental breakfast in the kitchen which we enjoyed before heading out for a quick final walk in the Dandenongs. The goal of our walk was to find a superb lyrebird. If you don't know why the lyrebird is special, just search YouTube for "lyrebird call" and prepare to be amazed.<br />
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Andrea decided to rest a bit so just the 3 of us ventured back out into the forest. If this sign was any indication, we were in the right spot:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r6mq988/A"><img alt="Realm of the Lyrebird" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r6mq988/0/2adb38a0/L/DSC_0068_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The forest was pretty thick in places and we did hear lots of different sounds that could have been a lyrebird. After all, they can imitate anything. Then, we heard some rustling in the bushes so we stopped. After a few seconds, Tim spotted some movement and up popped a lyrebird onto a log.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it was blocked by lots of branches and constantly on the move so I didn't get much better than a proof shot:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QzTXcGP/A"><img alt="Superb Lyrebird" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QzTXcGP/0/7f30ef35/L/DSC_6033_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
But, our first mission of the trip was a success!<br />
<br />
Next we headed southwest out of the Dandenong Ranges towards the Great Ocean Road. This route took us through Melbourne so we got a chance to soak up some city life along the way. It looked like a pretty nice place as cities go.<br />
<br />
Before reaching the coast, we made a planned stop at You Yangs Regional Park. This park was supposed to be a good place for echidna and finding one of those was another mission this trip.<br />
<br />
You Yangs is a much dryer forest than the Dandenong Ranges but is still very pretty.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jLwwrGv/A"><img alt="You Yangs Eucalyptus Forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jLwwrGv/0/effbb9e0/L/DSC_0083_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8XFh9dr/A"><img alt="You Yangs Regional Park" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8XFh9dr/0/d5123b1e/L/DSC_0086_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gjXNXX5/A"><img alt="You Yangs Trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gjXNXX5/0/de2d62c2/L/DSC_0082_edited-2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We hiked the "Big Rock" trail that led us right to, unsurprisingly, a big granite rock. While we didn't spot an echidna on this hike, we did find our first reptile.<br />
<br />
Jacky Lizard:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rBz9Tr7/A"><img alt="Jacky Lizard" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rBz9Tr7/0/d9dfc490/L/DSC_6089_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Back in the car, it wasn't long before we reached the Great Ocean Road. I must say that sometimes roads don't have the most appropriate name but the Great Ocean Road certainly lives up to its name in my book. The scenery along this road is spectacular.<br />
<br />
Our first stop along the road was at Kennett River. Grey River Rd in Kennett River is known to be a koala hot spot so we naturally had to check it out. Not 5 minutes after parking and leaving the car, we found our first koala:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j828PbW/A"><img alt="Our 1st Koala, hiding..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j828PbW/0/cb808929/L/DSC_6120_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Of course, it was doing what koalas do best which is sleeping and hiding and there were quite a few tourists under it. So, we decided to walk a bit further up the road to see if we could find any more and to get away from the people. We did find more including one that was actually being active.<br />
<br />
Big reach...<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wLFbjVB/A"><img a="" alt="" bit="" farther...="" just="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wLFbjVB/0/a433b079/L/DSC_6253_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Got it!<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pF5ct7R/A"><img alt="" got="" it="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pF5ct7R/0/aa56a6ca/L/DSC_6258_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Adorable<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MRSfwfW/A"><img alt="Adorable..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MRSfwfW/0/a1bd8dba/L/DSC_6239_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Here is another one doing the 3rd thing that Koalas like to do in our brief experience:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KDnBhVC/A"><img alt="" do="" ear="" have="" i="" in="" my="" something="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KDnBhVC/0/f0651557/L/DSC_6311_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Scratching:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NT976gt/A"><img alt="" did="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NT976gt/0/845a60cd/L/DSC_6345_edited-1-L.jpg" sure="" yup="" /></a><br />
<br />
Here is the view that the koalas had, not too bad:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xfjdRCF/A"><img alt="View from Grey River Rd (The Koala Highway)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xfjdRCF/0/c3f5909e/L/IMG_20200229_175726472_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
As we were walking up the road, Tim warned us about the sub species of koala called the dropbear. For anyone that doesn't know about the dropbear, check out this video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwmoiUrC02g" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
I had kind of heard about this before so Tim didn't take the story as far as the folks in the video did but I still decided not to walk right underneath any of the koalas. 😀<br />
<br />
This one was just waking up:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-v5vHCJr/A"><img alt="Look who just woke up." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-v5vHCJr/0/80ca444c/L/DSC_6373_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Back at the parking lot, Andrea found a beautiful superb fairy-wren that was doing a bit of displaying:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QbMjrVD/A"><img alt="Superb Fairywren" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QbMjrVD/0/8c3efb46/L/DSC_6198_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We ended up seeing 8 different koalas which was really exciting and seeing some being active was even better. Another mission accomplished. We were 2 for 3 today which wasn't bad.<br />
<br />
Next, we headed off to Cape Otway to find our sleeping arrangements for the night at Bimbi Park. On the way, we encountered our first kangaroos just after the sun set. Eastern grey kangaroos to be precise:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MKhqM7F/A"><img alt="Eastern Grey Kangaroo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MKhqM7F/0/097a04ac/L/DSC_6403_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HF7fFcg/A"><img alt="Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Joey" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HF7fFcg/0/3c579d56/L/DSC_6380_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
That last one was the only joey in a pouch we saw the whole trip for any marsupial. But, we were traveling in late summer so we didn't expect to see any. Therefore, this was a bonus. There was also a koala in a small tree watching the roos with us.<br />
<br />
We found Bimbi Park which has a cornucopia of sleeping options. They have everything from tent camping, to RV spaces, to cabins with running water. Of course, we opted for the latter.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-H9VZpWn/A"><img alt="Great Place to Stay at The Otways" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-H9VZpWn/0/b8aa6cfe/L/DSC_6476_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-33MM8Pn/A"><img alt="Our " cabin="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-33MM8Pn/0/801346db/L/IMG_20200302_095320467_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-x7dwJQ3/A"><img alt="All the comforts of home" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-x7dwJQ3/0/38202253/L/IMG_20200302_095238067_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The cabin wasn't fancy but had everything we needed. In fact, the cereal summed up our feelings about the place... it was "Just Right".<br />
<br />
Since we only brought breakfast fixings with us, we headed out to Apollo Bay for dinner where we had one of the few average meals of the trip at George's Pizza (sorry George). But, there was a koala in the trees across the street which was cool. That made 10 for the day.<br />
<br />
Back at Bimbi, we took a night walk around the grounds and along the road. Right away we found a "brushy" out for a stroll:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JcXS8m2/A"><img a="" alt="" brushy="" for="" out="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JcXS8m2/0/3dd5e7b0/L/DSC_6422_edited-1-L.jpg" stroll="" /></a><br />
<br />
We also spotted 4 more koalas (14 total now), 3 more brush-tailed possums, a grey roo, and a scorpion. But, the highlight of the night was when we spotted a sugar glider. It didn't stick around very long but I managed to get a proof photo before it glided away out of sight.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hkvGGvf/A"><img alt="Sugar Glider" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hkvGGvf/0/aedec635/L/DSC_6435_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
So, contrary to last night, tonight's night walk was very eventful and was a great way to end a very successful second day down under. In fact, the only "downer" for the day was that at some point, I realized the band aid from last night was no longer attached. It must have fallen off while I was sleeping. Sorry Clarendon Cottages for the surprise when you go to change the sheets...Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-51621485994172891612020-03-16T15:59:00.000-07:002020-04-27T15:46:47.682-07:00Australia Day 3 - Still Exploring VictoriaWe actually set an alarm today so that we could go on a relatively early walk on the roads and trails around Bimbi before setting off on the Great Ocean Road (GOR) again.<br />
<br />
Right off the bat we found a koala but it appeared that it failed to set an alarm:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8gZFq27/A"><img alt="Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8gZFq27/0/1dfc7601/L/DSC_6502_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The next one we found was wide awake though and we got a really nice view of it...<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2tW9JCz/A"><img alt="" cheek="" do="" have="" i="" my="" on="" something="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2tW9JCz/0/6c191f5a/L/DSC_6526_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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As it scratched every inch of its body:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gDrzQgz/A"><img alt="" got="" it="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gDrzQgz/0/eb3d36ad/L/DSC_6536_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We ended up seeing 4 koalas and since we went a different direction than the night before we counted all of them as new which made 14 total for the trip so far.<br />
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After the walk, we climbed into the car and ventured down the GOR again to check out some scenery. Along the way, we met some other creatures out "cruising":<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WcRfnGp/A"><img alt="Lazy gulls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WcRfnGp/0/770278f6/L/DSC_0098_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I took that last picture in the parking area for The 12 Apostles which is a must see area along the GOR. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty overcast which didn't make for great pictures but we made the best of it and the scenery was still pretty dramatic.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fjdMnmg/A"><img alt="The 12 Apostles" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fjdMnmg/0/2f62fc8c/L/DSC_0087_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NB492XQ/A"><img alt="A different perspective" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NB492XQ/0/3f47c591/L/DSC_0088_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Looking the other direction:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zG25n8q/A"><img alt="More Apostles" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zG25n8q/0/a9af6670/L/DSC_0090_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Despite signs like these, The 12 Apostles stop was VERY popular:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KSWFqgC/A"><img alt="We were looking everywhere..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KSWFqgC/0/25cebfc9/L/DSC_0096_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cQdKVj4/A"><img alt="But NOT down there..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cQdKVj4/0/c83c1962/L/DSC_0105_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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If they had a sign up that said "No Selfies Allowed" most of the people we saw wouldn't have known what to do with themselves. That's a human behavior that I just don't understand...<br />
<br />
We made some additional stops along the GOR to see more of the beautiful coastline.<br />
<br />
The Razorback:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4b5t5wG/A"><img alt="The Razorback" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4b5t5wG/0/38b05544/L/DSC_0104_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Loch Ard Gorge:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kqfDJkz/A"><img alt="Loch Ard Gorge" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kqfDJkz/0/5a374fc9/L/DSC_0106_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We made it along the GOR as far as Port Campbell. We planned to have a late lunch there and spent way too much time debating between the empty restaurant with the better menu or the popular restaurant with the more limited menu. The latter had .2 better rating on Google so we choose it because we needed a tie breaker. But, that ended up being a mistake. I think we all felt that our lunch was the worst of the trip at the "popular" place. To cleanse our palates, we got ice cream afterwards and that made it all better.<br />
<br />
We made it back to Bimbi in the late afternoon and took a short walk around the grounds which really paid off since in some light rain we found one of the rarer cockatoos.<br />
<br />
Gang Gang Cockatoo:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SLP48Q6/A"><img alt="Male Gang Gang Cockatoo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SLP48Q6/0/7ddc1c61/L/DSC_6597_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Female:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XRPTKPR/A"><img alt="Female Gang Gang Cockatoo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XRPTKPR/0/063d4d52/L/DSC_6632_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We also had a great look at a cooperative kookaburra:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-25Qz26R/A"><img alt="Laughing Kookaburra" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-25Qz26R/0/c26f0892/L/DSC_6662_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had dinner in Apollo Bay again and returned with plans to do another night walk. The walk started out nicely with this brushy:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mTFkzX3/A"><img alt="Another " brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mTFkzX3/0/ada4ac50/L/DSC_6665_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
But, soon after that the rain started to fall and we rushed back to our respective cabins and called it a night which was smart since the rain didn't stop for a while after that.<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-16838847868054744122020-03-15T15:00:00.000-07:002020-04-30T06:26:25.733-07:00Australia Day 4 - Last Day in VictoriaWe had wind and rain much of the night but it had let up by the time we met around 8AM for a final walk around the Bimbi grounds. This time, we walked down the main road which was a new area for us. It didn't take long to find a wet koala:<br />
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<div>
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-m6Fn9Rc/A"><img alt="After a night of rain..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-m6Fn9Rc/0/4c012e72/L/DSC_6684_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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We also found a few more new birds.</div>
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Red Wattlebird:</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5dkHcrK/A"><img alt="Red Wattlebird" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5dkHcrK/0/0943501d/L/DSC_6721_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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White-eared Honeyeater:</div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q4d7Nxb/A"><img alt="White-eared Honeyeater" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q4d7Nxb/0/70a081d9/L/DSC_6732_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
We found a bunch more koalas on this walk:</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dW4V5w3/A"><img alt="Still adorable..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dW4V5w3/0/240105c4/L/DSC_6745_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FzkNv9L/A"><img alt="Koala close-up" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FzkNv9L/0/74dbf21b/L/DSC_6765_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HSm58Z6/A"><img alt="They can sleep anywhere" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HSm58Z6/0/d4a16f29/L/DSC_6782_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Some still hadn't woken up.</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Nr9fNQ7/A"><img alt="Balancing act" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Nr9fNQ7/0/4ce0b13d/L/DSC_6785_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-D6F8RxT/A"><img alt="Another Koala" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-D6F8RxT/0/0c9d65d5/L/DSC_6792_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
After the walk, we still had some time before we had to check out so we decided to do some road cruising looking for echidna. However, after an hour or so with no luck we headed back to Bimbi to pack up.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We checked out of Bimbi Park and headed to Apollo Bay for one last meal there. It was here that I tried my first scallop pie and...</div>
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I LOVED it! The US just hasn't adopted the whole meat pie thing but I loved all of the ones we had on the trip.</div>
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After lunch, we stopped for ice cream again but this time it was Tiny Dots. It's something we had never heard of but was quite good. I guess it originated in the US but since we don't get out much the craze must have passed us by.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
After lunch, we made a stop at Kennett River to look for more koala because you can NEVER see too many koala. We drove up Grey River Rd this time and went farther up that we had walked previously. Tim parked the car and we walked up the road looking for more koala. As I was walking up ahead of everyone else I heard some chewing which I thought was from something on the ground. It look me a minute or two to pinpoint the origin of the sound which turned out to be a koala on a pretty bare tree. It was eating at first then started to climb. It was the most photogenic koala of the trip.</div>
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<div>
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nZTrkk7/A"><img alt="" climbing="" it="" s="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nZTrkk7/0/6df91ba9/L/DSC_6811_edited-1-L.jpg" time="" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zvwt2nJ/A"><img alt="" doing="" i="" it="" m="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zvwt2nJ/0/cda97df9/L/DSC_6825_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q93nV7q/A"><img alt="" done="" i="" m="" moving="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q93nV7q/0/c2af416e/L/DSC_6829_edited-1-L.jpg" yeah="" /></a></div>
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That was the last of 7 more koalas we saw on this walk which added up to 37 total koalas seen. We were pretty careful to count only ones we saw in new areas so as not to have any repeat sightings. But, even if we are off by a few that is still an impressive number.</div>
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Our last stop was back at You Yangs Regional Park. Since we were passing by why not stop again and look for echidna here, right? So, that is what we did. However, we struck out on echidna there again. But, we did see our last "swampy" of the trip:</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zrNkzpN/A"><img alt="Last " src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zrNkzpN/0/7c13465d/L/DSC_6852_edited-1-L.jpg" swampy="" /></a></div>
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We also got good looks at some Galahs:</div>
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VWZkM9k/A"><img alt="Galah" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VWZkM9k/0/71e9ed47/L/DSC_6862_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a></div>
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With that, Tim drove us back to the airport where they needed to catch a flight home and we needed to check into our airport hotel for the night. We got to the motel around 6:30PM and said some temporary goodbyes since we would meet up again soon.</div>
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We really enjoyed our 4 days in Victoria. There is some great wildlife and scenery there and I think we saw a lot in the little time that we spent there. It was definitely a great way to start the trip.<br />
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Plus, it was great traveling with Tim and Andrea again. We enjoyed their company a lot and Tim was in top form for this portion of the trip. Since I have some extra writing room for today, here are a few "Tim-isms" I thought I would share:<br />
<br />
- First off, he casually mentioned early on that the word "echidna" meant "bad fart" in the aboriginal language. We should have known better but we had a whole conversation around this and he did convince us.<br />
<br />
- Later, he said that the word "kangaroo" meant "wet fart" and that's when we realized that he was messing with us the whole time. If he hadn't pushed his luck, we might have repeated the meaning of "echidna" to others during the trip so in hindsight I guess we were lucky he pushed the envelope.<br />
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- We spent a lot of time looking for echidna and as an incentive Tim said that the first one to find one gets a big hug. Later, after we hadn't found one, he "sweetened" the reward by saying the first one to find two gets a big hug...from behind.<br />
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- Tim would also whisper some street signs that we regularly saw along the roads. So, every now and then I would hear "soft edges" or "concealed entrances" whispered to my right. It was funny every time I heard it.<br />
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- If Tim had a mantra it would be "keep your eyes peeled". He constantly said this as we drove around and would check on each of us occasionally to be sure our eyes were actually peeled.</div>
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Ah, good times 😁</div>
Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-74179837039203494772020-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:002020-05-02T06:14:23.713-07:00Tasmania Day 5 - Bruny IslandWe actually had a pretty early morning wake up today since our airport transfer left at 7AM. Our flight from Melbourne to Hobart on Jetstar was uneventful. We had read horror stories about Jetstar and strict carry on weight limits so I had purchased extra baggage weight with our tickets. But, they didn't even weigh our bags so that was money not well spent as it turns out.<br />
<br />
We were met at Hobart airport by Karen who was our guide from Inala and would be with us for our 4 days on Bruny Island. We decided to go with a guided trip on Bruny because we felt we would get a lot more out of the rest of our time on Tasmania if we learned from an expert in the beginning. Plus, this saved us from having to deal with the ferry hassle to and from Bruny Island and gave me even more time to get used to driving on the left.<br />
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As it turned out, this was a great choice because we hit it off with Karen immediately. Besides her awesome first name, we shared the same passions and ethics. So, it was a great match. For the sake of this report though I will have to refer to her as "Inala Karen" so as not to get her confused with the "old ball and chain".<br />
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Ow!...darn my editor has sharp elbows...<br />
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Anyway, the original plan was to drive to Mount Wellington to do some birding but we didn't get that far before we all yelled "echidna!" at the same time. Inala Karen stopped the car and we hustled out to spend some time with this amazing little animal. We spent hours looking for one in Victoria and here we found one less than an hour after landing in Tasmania.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hggXZc9/A"><img alt="Echidna!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hggXZc9/0/2369ba51/L/DSC_6871_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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They are primarily eaters of ants and this one would dig its face in the dirt to hunt around for some every now and then which made it a bit dirty.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cNGRHMV/A"><img alt="A Short-beaked Echidna to be precise" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cNGRHMV/0/a8e58606/L/DSC_6873_edited-2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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You can see why they are great diggers:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2HNR9pQ/A"><img alt="Digging up ants" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2HNR9pQ/0/edcdccb8/L/DSC_6911_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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As some people know, the echidna is one of only two egg-laying mammals (the platypus is the other). On this trip we learned that the echidna on Tasmania looks different than the echidna on the mainland since the ones in Tasmania grow more fur to protect them from the cold. So, while they both have about the same number of quills, the one on Tasmania appears to have less when in fact it's just their extra hair covering the quills. Those quills are fantastic by the way...<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xwkr4Mw/A"><img alt="One of only two egg laying mammals" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xwkr4Mw/0/e7f9dfd7/L/DSC_6885_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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This echidna was really focused on finding food and couldn't be bothered by us at all. But, every now and then it would look up.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NDXxHR5/A"><img alt="Awwwww..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NDXxHR5/0/85b80339/L/DSC_6897_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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What a great welcome to Tasmania that was!<br />
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We ended up passing on Mount Wellington because the normal parking lots were all closed due to road construction. So, Inala Karen took us to a nearby park instead to look for some birds. We found a bunch.<br />
<br />
Black Swans:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-c7ZNPbb/A"><img alt="Black Swans" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-c7ZNPbb/0/a9272e10/L/DSC_6917_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Silver Gull:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-R8GPx9N/A"><img alt="Silver Gull" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-R8GPx9N/0/547f354d/L/DSC_6964_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Pacific Black Duck:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jsJNnvC/A"><img alt="Pacific Black Duck" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jsJNnvC/0/829c5f87/L/DSC_6970_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Kelp Gulls:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kfc2Jn3/A"><img alt="Kelp Gull Feeding Time" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kfc2Jn3/0/778f1a45/L/DSC_6981_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Tasmanian native hen which is endemic:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-68WmMFN/A"><img alt="Tasmanian Native Hen" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-68WmMFN/0/e8e6a8f0/L/DSC_6983_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We stopped at a Banjo's Bakery to grab some lunch to go and got introduced to a few more great Australian eats. First off were "toasties" which are just toasted sandwiches but are really good. Second was smashed avocado on the sandwich. This is something we never do at home but loved it so much that we have already done it more than once since returning.<br />
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Inala Karen insisted we get some dessert too so we got some hot-crossed buns (which were delicious) and she even slipped in a peppermint treat the Karen had been eyeing.<br />
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We drove to Drew Point where we enjoyed our lunch and did a bit more birding but only one picture is really worth sharing.<br />
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Australian pelican which has the longest bill of any bird in the world:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-98pvvMP/A"><img alt="Australian Pelican" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-98pvvMP/0/9f093f86/L/DSC_7057_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The ferry ride to Bruny Island is only 15 minutes but the drive from our landing point to the Inala grounds where we were spending 3 nights would be about 90 minutes. Along the way we stopped for some scenery and a lot of wildlife...<br />
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The Neck is the area between north and south Bruny Island and is worth a stop. This is also the place to see fairy penguins and shearwaters at night:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8gnCqzT/A"><img alt="" bruny="" island="" neck="" on="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8gnCqzT/0/18cb5ae1/L/DSC_0120_edited-1-L.jpg" the="" /></a><br />
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Not far after getting to south Bruny, we had another echidna sighting.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-sfLXH8F/A"><img alt="Another Echidna" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-sfLXH8F/0/948f676c/L/DSC_7094_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Once again, this one was just wandering along the side of the road. We later learned that this is the best place to spot echidna since ants seem to nest more in the looser soil along the sides of roads which then attract the echidnas.<br />
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Our next sight was a true Bruny Island special. It is only here that they have the albino version of the red-necked wallaby (AKA bennett's wallaby). Locally, they are just known as a white wallaby and we got very lucky to spot one in a field not too far off the road.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3x6t9rD/A"><img alt="A White Wallaby (Albino Red-necked Wallaby)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3x6t9rD/0/e3e0a671/L/DSC_7100_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We were welcomed at Inala by lots of wildlife. All these pictures were taken right around our cottage there.<br />
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Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Crk6JkT/A"><img alt="Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Crk6JkT/0/244cb31a/L/DSC_7164_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mPLpS5p/A"><img alt="Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Close-up" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mPLpS5p/0/a7b38ef3/L/DSC_7180_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Tasmanian Scrubwren (another endemic):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FHNcHcS/A"><img alt="Tasmanian Scrubwren (Tasmania endemic)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FHNcHcS/0/bf9b9c10/L/DSC_7197_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Red-bellied Pademelon. No, that is not a earring:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hBCQTnp/A"><img alt="Red-bellied Pademelon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hBCQTnp/0/7c2a036c/L/DSC_7170_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3tbhqxF/A"><img alt="Another Pademelon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3tbhqxF/0/e963a542/L/DSC_7216_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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These guys are really cute!<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cnxtp2g/A"><img alt="A Close-up" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cnxtp2g/0/a61ddc9a/L/DSC_7221_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Scarlet Robin:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-czgqbJs/A"><img alt="Scarlet Robin" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-czgqbJs/0/68b54821/L/DSC_7262_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Bruny Island has few options when it comes to food. Your choices are the Bruny Hotel or...the Bruny Hotel. So, after a pretty quick debate, we headed to the Bruny Hotel. Now, there are two things you should know about this place.<br />
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One, we had 3 meals here and they were all VERY good.<br />
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Two, they are extremely unorganized and under-staffed so you WILL have a LONG wait for your food.<br />
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Tonight, it took about an hour to get our food and Inala Karen was pretty sure they forgot to put in our order until she went up 30 minutes to ask about our meals. But, since we weren't going anywhere until dark, the wait really didn't eat into any wildlife watching time.<br />
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After dinner, we ended up doing a night drive the full length of Bruny Island and back from 8:30PM to 12:30AM. It was the most action packed night drive we have ever had. Of course, since it was a night drive, I don't have a lot of pictures to share but I will share everything that we saw which included:<br />
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- Our 3rd echidna of the day/trip. It was also only the 3rd time Inala Karen had ever seen an echidna at night since they are typically diurnal.<br />
- 1 tawny frogmouth and 6 non-native european hares<br />
- "Stella" the named white wallaby<br />
- We stopped at The Neck to look for fairy penguins and finally found one near a burrow<br />
- 30+ brushies. I mean we had to stop counting there were so many everywhere.<br />
- 30+ eastern quolls. They too were everywhere. We saw plenty of both light and dark morphs<br />
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The highlights of the drive were a close encounter with an eastern quoll that actually posed for a grainy picture:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bpX87z3/A"><img alt="Eastern Quoll (dark morph)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bpX87z3/0/31040400/L/DSC_7285_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And, another Bruny Island special... a "golden possum" which is just an albino brushie.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DXxgLJC/A"><img alt="A Golden Possum (Albino " brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DXxgLJC/0/ef56bdc5/L/DSC_7331_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The only negative of this drive, and Bruny Island in general, is that there is so much wildlife around road kills are prevalent. Inala Karen would drive very slowly but the same can't be said for the few cars that we encountered. Road kill is a huge problem because not only does it kill one animal but if the carcass stays on the road, secondary kills can happen when scavengers come to eat the carcass.<br />
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So, Inala Karen (and I am sure other guides on the island) stop and move roadkill to reduce the chances of secondary kills. We ended up stopping 6 times on this drive to move roadkill which is pretty sad. But, as morbid a task as that is Inala Karen probably saved some animal lives that night by moving those carcasses.<br />
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Over all, we had a fantastic first day in Tasmania. In fact, it might be hard to top this one.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-84546385635639636882020-03-13T07:12:00.000-07:002020-05-05T06:24:56.610-07:00Australia Day 6 - More Bruny IslandAfter the semi late night, we slept in today and didn't meet Inala Karen until 9:30AM. What a relaxing vacation this was turning out to be. The reason for this later start was that Inala Karen had been paying attention to the weather forecast and saw that we were due for some bad weather tomorrow which is when we were supposed to take a boat trip. She ended up rescheduling the trip to today since the weather was going to be quite nice.<br />
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The boat trip was with Bruny Island Cruises and didn't leave until 11AM hence our ability to sleep in. Even though this trip would be along the coastline, it can get pretty rough. But, Inala Karen has taken this trip many times before and knew that the best place to sit on the boat to minimize the rocking was right behind the Captain. So, she quickly grabbed those seats for us.<br />
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You need to wear a huge red parka on the cruise to not only protect you from the cold but also from getting wet since the boat traveled fast and sea spray was a given. That made photography hard but I did manage to take a few pictures from the trip.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jZPcKKR/A"><img alt="One of the Friars South of Bruny Island" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jZPcKKR/0/5e4acd3f/L/DSC_0137_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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This one shows off the type of boat we were in as well as those stylish parkas.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VDzKwGS/A"><img alt="A " calm="" day="" on="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VDzKwGS/0/0373bb4b/L/DSC_0152_edited-1-L.jpg" the="" water="" /></a><br />
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Those pictures are from The Friars which are some small rocky islands at the southern tip of Bruny Island. The seas were "calm" today apparently which enabled us to travel out to them to see colonies of both Australian and New Zealand fur seals. But, the boat was rocking so much it was really hard to take pictures so I gave up after a few tries.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wV3jJnS/A"><img alt="Fur Seal Colony" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wV3jJnS/0/dc498612/L/DSC_0143_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6WmdRTw/A"><img alt="Australian Fur Seals" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6WmdRTw/0/2402ec54/L/DSC_0155_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We also made stops to see a blow hole (No, there weren't any politicians out there) and huge sea cliffs. Overall, the trip was fine. Not necessarily a must do but we did get two lifer mammals out of it, a few birds like the shy albatross, and some common dolphins playing in the boat wakes.<br />
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Bruny Island Cruises runs a very "tight ship". The cruise was well run and so was the lunch afterwards which we enjoyed in their restaurant. Since we ordered our food before the cruise, it was pretty much waiting for us when we got back. Too bad their restaurant wasn't open for dinner. 😀<br />
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After lunch we made a stop in some temperate rain forest to look for the pink robin. This was my target bird for the trip. In fact, it was the reason that I started to look into a trip to Tasmania in the first place. Unfortunately, the forest was really quiet and we didn't see much of anything but the walk was really nice.<br />
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We had better luck at our next stop along the coast.<br />
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Pied Oystercatcher:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6rLQ2SQ/A"><img alt="Australian Pied Oystercatcher" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6rLQ2SQ/0/519c518d/L/DSC_7368_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Greater Crested Tern:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q95hDFc/A"><img alt="Greater Crested Tern" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q95hDFc/0/6500ddd3/L/DSC_7386_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Green Rosella (endemic):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-98pKF6T/A"><img alt="Green Rosella (Tasmania Endemic)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-98pKF6T/0/ce66c5dc/L/DSC_7414_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here is a shot of a bennett's wallaby that appeared to be doing a bit of gardening. It looks like it just planted that little shrub doesn't it?:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-76PTqzn/A"><img alt="Red-necked Wallaby " chill-axing="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-76PTqzn/0/a9b9e4f8/L/DSC_7420_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Dinner was once again at the Hotel Bruny. To try to ensure less of a wait, Inala Karen talked to the staff before we ordered to be sure that they got our order in tonight. Well, that didn't work since it was almost an hour before we got our food. However, once again our food was really good. Boy eating at the Hotel Bruny is truly a doubled-edged sword.<br />
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The night drive tonight was from 8:30 PM to midnight and was just as good as last night. We lost count of brushies after 25 and quolls after 12. Both were out in force again. Karen sat in the back seat and was a spotting machine since she was able to see eye shine first and Inala Karen appreciated the assist since there were so many animals on the road again. Fortunately, we only had to stop twice to clear recent roadkill off of the road.<br />
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We had two major highlights on this drive besides all the brushies and quolls. The first was when a dark animal with a white-tipped tail ran across the road right through our headlights. We got great looks and I blurted out ring-tailed possum as it crossed since I thought the white-tipped tail was a dead give away. Later on however, Inala Karen started having second thoughts about that ID. As we discussed its movement and location more, Inala Karen realized that it wasn't a ring-tailed possum and instead was a water rat. It too has a white-tipped tail and the animal we saw did scurry across the road like a big rat and didn't move like a possum. So, we were positive in that ID change and that was the only water rat we saw the whole trip so we got lucky.<br />
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The second highlight was an animal that Inala Karen really searched out for us and that is the long-nosed potoroo. It's another small nocturnal marsupial. Inala Karen's record is 5 in one night but we would have been happy with one sighting. We went down some extra side roads tonight that were good habitat. Well, not only did we find one, we set a new record for Inala Karen because we ended up seeing 6 of them including one along the side of the road that cooperated for a picture.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KfrNBfG/A"><img alt="Long-nosed Potoroo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KfrNBfG/0/69c27b93/L/DSC_7442_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We also saw two of them mating which is a pretty rare sight. Inala Karen had the line of the night though when she made the comment that they were doing it wrong since the road where we saw them was actually named Missionary Road.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-76020900222805308852020-03-12T11:26:00.000-07:002020-05-08T04:59:32.420-07:00Tasmania Day 7 - Last Day on Bruny IslandWell, today ended up being a very wet day. The rain started around 6AM and really didn't let up much for the whole day. So, it was a really good thing that Inala Karen moved our boat trip to yesterday.<br />
<br />
Inala Karen came by our cottage in the morning and we spent time inside going through our wildlife lists and our plans for the remainder of the trip. She provided some great tips on places to go for certain animals so it was time well spent.<br />
<br />
We had ordered a pack lunch from the Hotel Bruny so we all decided to head out for a bit since we needed to pick up lunch anyway. Inala Karen took us to Cloudy Bay (which lived up to its name) and a few other places in route to the Hotel Bruny. We did see another white wallaby and had a lifer sooty oystercatcher but otherwise the trip out was uneventful in the poor weather.<br />
<br />
After returning to our cottage we agreed to meet at 3PM and try again. So, Karen and I just ate our packed lunches in our cottage listening to the rain. The weather that blew in was a remnant of a tropical storm apparently and a lot of rain had come down. In fact, the water levels on the Inala property were rising very quickly and their river had overflowed into the fields. But the rain ended up letting up in the afternoon so there didn't appear to be any damage from the flooding.<br />
<br />
We had hoped to spend the morning walking around the Inala property but obviously couldn't do that given the rain. So, our only "regret" the whole trip was not being able to do that. The grounds have more endemic birds and other wildlife that we missed out on.<br />
<br />
I used the time after lunch to update my notes from the trip and write down some observations about the trip. One of the first things that we realized after arriving was that the Aussie's aren't big fans of long words or even some short words. So, they will shorten just about every word possible and add an "ie" after it to make it sound more casual and fun. Here are some examples:<br />
<br />
A common brush-tail possum is a "brushie" as I have already mentioned<br />
A grilled sandwich is a "toastie"<br />
Tasmania is actually just "Tassie"<br />
Sunglasses are, of course, "sunnies"<br />
Candy is just called "lollies"<br />
Breakfast is "breakies"<br />
<br />
I came up with a few of my own hoping to fit in:<br />
<br />
A camera would be a "clickie"<br />
A lotion bottle first opened after a flight would be a "squirtie"<br />
A hire car rented by Americans would be a "wreckie"<br />
<br />
Anyway, Inala Karen picked us up at 3PM. The plan was to drive out to the lighthouse since we had yet to see it and then grab some take out pizza from "you know where". We would then drive to a location where Inala Karen has seen daytime quolls before. We would eat our pizza dinner and stakeout the quoll site to see if we got lucky.<br />
<br />
The rain was pretty light when we reached the lighthouse so we were able to get out and walk around a little bit to stretch our legs. There we some rabbits and wallabies around as well as a few birds.<br />
<br />
New Holland Honeyeater:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PLjPCkC/A"><img alt="New Holand Honeyeater in the Rain" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PLjPCkC/0/27625811/L/DSC_7469_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Beautiful Firetail:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VP8sDdN/A"><img alt="Beautiful Firetail in the Rain" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-VP8sDdN/0/1ea0495b/L/DSC_7480_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We even made a quick stop at the local bakery so I could take a picture. You see, this isn't an ordinary bakery. It's just a couple disconnected fridges (to keep out the wildlife) on the side of the road where a local man sells fresh bread. It is run on the honor system but the man does take electronic payments which is nice. Inala Karen said the bread is really good.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Sxt3Kt2/A"><img alt="Honor System Bakery" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Sxt3Kt2/0/032e84cb/L/IMG_20200305_184447528_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
As was the case with all their food, the pizza from Hotel Bruny was pretty darn good and we really didn't have to wait that long to pick it up amazingly. We sat eating it with the windows rolled down as we did our quoll stakeout. The only flaw in this plan was the "windows rolled down" part because as dusk approached this allowed quite a few "mozzies" to fly in the car. After a healthy few rounds of "whack a mozzie" we took care of most of them. This ended up being the own time we had issues with bugs the entire trip.<br />
<br />
The timing was good on the end of "whack a mozzie" because not long after that was done we saw some movement. It turned out to be a potoroo eating however. Then, a bit later, more movement and up popped an eastern quoll. It was pretty curious of us and came a bit closer making for a decent picture.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LBwmKpC/A"><img alt="Eastern Quoll (light morph)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LBwmKpC/0/bb4c9b0d/L/DSC_7512_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
It hung around for a only a short while before darting off. At about the same time, the rain started back up again so we headed home and did a night drive on the way. We ended up see 10 more eastern quolls on the drive back including one that was on a carcass off to the side of the road:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-S8dVX62/A"><img alt="Eastern Quoll Scavenging" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-S8dVX62/0/a02a5cc9/L/DSC_7528_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We even spotted another potoroo as well but other than that it was a pretty quiet drive back to the cottage when compared to the past two nights due to the weather. We arrived home at around 10 PM and decided to walk around the grounds a bit since the rain had stopped but we didn't end up seeing anything.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-17518089073593822162020-03-11T15:02:00.000-07:002020-05-10T06:43:29.071-07:00Tasmania Day 8 - Mt Field NPWe woke up early today hoping to catch a break with the weather that would allow us to walk the grounds a little bit, but no such luck. Since we had to catch the 9AM ferry Inala Karen picked us up before 7:30AM for the drive north.<br />
<br />
The ferry ride and drive to Hobart airport went by very quickly. At the airport we said our goodbyes to Inala Karen. Boy we sure had a good time with her. Not only is she a really good guide but we also got along very well. Our whole trip to Bruny Island with Inala went very well and we highly recommend using them and even staying at one of their cottages.<br />
<br />
We got dropped off at the airport because that is where we would pick up our rental car for the rest of the trip. We rented from EuropCar and had a good experience with them but it was expensive when you add in the extra $200+ we spent on insurance. Since we didn't know how well our cell phone coverage would be with the Optus SIM card I purchased, we paid for a GPS unit with the car. Since my cell phone coverage ended up being pretty bad, the GPS unit was money well spent.<br />
<br />
Since I would be driving on the left in a right hand drive car for the first time, I took extra time to get to know the car before pulling out of our parking spot. The car they gave us was a Mitsubishi Outlander and it worked out well. However, it did take some getting used to with the blinkers on the right of the steering wheel and the wipers on the left. I am sure there are a quite a few Tassie drivers out there still wondering why that silver Outlander kept turning on its wipers before making a turn...<br />
<br />
Anyway, I was a bit nervous about driving on the left and did two things before the trip that I hoped would make me more comfortable.<br />
<br />
The first was playing a driving game that actually took place in Australia where you drive on the left in right hand wheel cars. When you change the view to inside, it was really realistic and allowed me to drive through some roundabouts and do some turning virtually which actually did help from a visualization standpoint.<br />
<br />
The second was that I used Google street view to "walk through" our initial drive from the airport to our first stop at a grocery store to our lodging for the night.<br />
<br />
Both of these ended up helping out a lot and it wasn't long on that first drive until I felt pretty comfortable although I did make sure I concentrated behind the wheel at all times during the entire trip.<br />
<br />
In fact, the only thing I struggled with a bit (besides the wipers instead of the blinkers) was hugging the center line on my right. At times, I was a bit too close to the left side of the lane but a blood curdling scream from Karen would usually cause me to slowly correct that.<br />
<br />
We had about an hour drive to our first stop which was a Woolworths grocery store in New Norfolk where we picked up some supplies. After that, it was another half hour or so through the pretty Tassie country side until we reached Hamlet Downs just outside of Mt Field National Park where we would be staying for two nights.<br />
<br />
We had a nice big place at Hamlet Downs but we did share walls with the owners and other guests so it wasn't perfectly secluded but it worked out fine.<br />
<br />
Here is the living area:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-k3m3zjr/A"><img alt="Hamlet Downs living area" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-k3m3zjr/0/912cff95/L/DSC_0175_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And here is the bedroom:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6wsBcJC/A"><img alt="Hamlet Downs bedroom" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6wsBcJC/0/f999339b/L/DSC_0176_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After settling in for a little bit, we headed out to explore Mt Field NP.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nJg6bP7/A"><img alt="The sign is self explanatory..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nJg6bP7/0/0d985d31/L/IMG_20200306_144342453_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We ended up hiking the waterfall loop trail. But, Inala Karen had given us some advice to do it in reverse so that we would be going down most of the stairs instead of up them. That was a great piece of advice as it turned out. Going in reverse meant starting off at the trail head for Lady Barron Falls.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gk69PqJ/A"><img alt="Nice loop hike" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gk69PqJ/0/28029ac5/L/IMG_20200306_145300480_HDR-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Mt Field is known for big trees and I must say that the forest along the loop trail was very impressive.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CRG7hGX/A"><img alt="Mt Field NP Forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CRG7hGX/0/79bcc390/L/DSC_0177_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-65X8w9D/A"><img alt="Eucalyptus Grove" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-65X8w9D/0/e442c70f/L/DSC_0178_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here are those stairs that we went down, instead of up:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PPPmhVP/A"><img alt="Easier going down" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PPPmhVP/0/c78f88ef/L/DSC_0179_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
The forest got thicker and greener at the bottom.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Hp5PxKB/A"><img alt="A river runs through it" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Hp5PxKB/0/056aa16a/L/DSC_0192_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gWwxVGD/A"><img alt="Bright green forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gWwxVGD/0/22a370f5/L/DSC_0195_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qdDfw7X/A"><img alt="Serenity" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qdDfw7X/0/41787dfe/L/DSC_0213_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The fern trees were huge:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2FSSC6n/A"><img alt="Huge fern trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2FSSC6n/0/3c5ab4de/L/DSC_0199_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TXSdt7t/A"><img alt="Giants to be" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TXSdt7t/0/913b95b4/L/DSC_0219_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The view of Lady Barron Falls wasn't great so I am not including that picture, but Horsetail Falls which was next was very pretty. I managed to hold the camera steady enough to slow down the shutter speed a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LwBPzk4/A"><img alt="Horseshoe Falls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LwBPzk4/0/b4ec4df4/L/DSC_0227_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Looking back at stairs we came down...and not up thanks to Inala Karen.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QTTWxcb/A"><img alt="Lots and lots of stairs" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QTTWxcb/0/23ba13eb/L/DSC_0230_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The final waterfall on the loop trail was Russell Falls which is absolutely spectacular. The recent rain meant there was some good flow but not too much. Outside of Yosemite, these are the most spectacular falls I have ever seen.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2MKQ3PG/A"><img alt="Obscured Russell Falls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2MKQ3PG/0/8c9185f2/L/DSC_0234_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZRxqvjs/A"><img alt="Russell Falls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZRxqvjs/0/e0b9bbb6/L/DSC_0240_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The trail finished with a nice paved section back to the visitor center that was lined by more huge fern trees.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JcBNCp8/A"><img alt="The trail" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JcBNCp8/0/9446be48/L/DSC_0245_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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While we didn't see much wildlife on this walk, it was a fantastic 2 hour hike.<br />
<br />
Originally, we had thought that we might go back to New Norfolk for dinner and pick up a pizza that would make great night two leftovers. But, since we just had pizza, we changed the plan. We wanted to do some night hikes in the park so a sit down restaurant was pretty much out. Instead we opted to go to New Norfolk for Chinese food at a highly rated (according to Google) restaurant called...wait for it...Ding Dings. Well, if their food was half as good as their name, we would be satisfied.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it really wasn't. It was just so-so and we ordered enough so that we could take leftovers with us for the next night. So, we would get to eat this again. How nice...<br />
<br />
We did about a 2 hour night hike around the visitor center in Mt Field NP. I had read that this was a good spot for nocturnal mammals and that we had a chance at seeing an eastern barred bandicoot here.<br />
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Including the drive back to Hamlet Downs, we saw 25+ brushies but most were during our walk.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gmfBHrv/A"><img alt="Curious " brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gmfBHrv/0/80b29799/L/DSC_7650_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5dDrLsg/A"><img alt="Brush-tailed Possums" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5dDrLsg/0/4a6b2f30/L/DSC_7672_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We also saw 2 eastern quolls and zillions of pademelons. But, the highlight was when we saw a different type of eye shine. Once we got a flashlight on the animal we could tell that it was something new. However, it was quite lively and would zip around the field, stop and nibble on something, and then zip off again. So, it was next to impossible to positively identify it. Finally, it held still long enough to not only confirm that it was an eastern barred bandicoot, but I also managed to get a proof picture.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pzckDGV/A"><img alt="Brief glimpse of a Bandicoot" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pzckDGV/0/ee694034/L/DSC_7628_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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To end the night, we walked back to Russell Falls to check out the glow worms that are visible at night there. While it wasn't as good as seeing them in a cave, they were pretty cool to see and worth the short hike.<br />
<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-35728982544207374372020-03-10T10:05:00.000-07:002020-05-13T05:54:43.475-07:00Tasmania Day 9 - Mt Field NPWe slept in until 7 AM today which was great. Hamlet Downs provides a continental breakfast and it was a really nice one with cereal, yogurt, breads, and homemade rhubarb.<br />
<br />
After the tasty breakfast we decided to walk the grounds a bit since they have multiple ponds and there was a chance at platypus. While we didn't see any platypus we did see some birds and I finally got a silvereye to sit still for a picture.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bG266Nt/A"><img alt="Silvereye" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bG266Nt/0/f6abd7e6/L/DSC_7710_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After the walk, the plan was to see some really big trees at the Styx Tree reserve. But, just as we got close it started to rain and the roads weren't the greatest and I didn't want to risk getting stuck or worse so we turned around and just drove some of the paved roads in the area looking for wildlife.<br />
<br />
This led us back to the Mt Field visitor center where we got out to stretch our legs. We did see a different kind of possum there:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QMBHx6z/A"><img alt="Mt Field visitor center carving" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QMBHx6z/0/c1a120a8/L/IMG_20200307_122256282_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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For lunch we stopped at the nearby Possum Shed. It's in a great setting along the river and they even have a resident platypus apparently but we didn't see it. The meal was really good and we enjoyed sitting outside since the skies had cleared up a bit.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nDbJm9H/A"><img alt="Great lunch by the river" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nDbJm9H/0/c4aa4b4f/L/IMG_20200307_134157543_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After lunch, we decided to drive to the dam and see if there was any wildlife along the way. We didn't have to wait long because about a half hour into our drive we spotted an echidna along the road. This one was really cooperative so we had a nice prolonged photo shoot.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JbRVdcc/A"><img alt="Can't get enough echidna" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JbRVdcc/0/78c0c418/L/DSC_7718_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Digging for ants:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NmXmNms/A"><img alt="Trying to hide" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NmXmNms/0/6dbd3725/L/DSC_7714_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CZ7pRx3/A"><img alt="Digging" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CZ7pRx3/0/04701f13/L/DSC_7792_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
On a whim, we stopped at some trail heads to check out the trails so that we could stretch our legs. The first trail was the Creepy Crawley trail but we turned around quickly when we heard a family with a screaming baby ahead of us. So, we decided that "We're not gonna take it" and instead we moved on to the Twisted Sister trail because, well... "I wanna Rock".<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfFBH8c/A"><img alt="I Wanna Rock!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfFBH8c/0/569941c3/L/IMG_20200307_152448095_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It was another nice walk through a lush forest.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MPTC9QR/A"><img alt="Another lush forest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MPTC9QR/0/1f8ff2e9/L/DSC_0252_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FvhtXbB/A"><img alt="Mossy..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FvhtXbB/0/78b221a5/L/DSC_0254_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The different shades of green along the trail were amazing:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2DqZdbJ/A"><img alt="And bright green" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2DqZdbJ/0/cf7471ac/L/DSC_0256_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And then the trees got pretty big and it felt like we were walking among giants.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KtSGPbc/A"><img alt="Land of the Giants" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KtSGPbc/0/a0e476de/L/DSC_0217_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7MnszMP/A"><img alt="A Giant" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7MnszMP/0/463c9a09/L/IMG_20200307_154033495_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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On the way back to Mt Field, we saw another echidna but we decided not to stop (can you imagine?). Instead, we stopped at the National Park Hotel and had a drink at their bar which was a nice relaxing stop.<br />
<br />
After a glorious dinner of leftover below average reheated Chinese food, we decided to go back to Mt Field for our night walk to see if we could get better looks at the bandicoot. As usual, the brushies were out in force. This one could barely get out of the trash can and was obviously well fed:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q5PK4SW/A"><img alt="Bad " brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q5PK4SW/0/4c98287f/L/DSC_7827_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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A short while later we saw the familiar zipping outline of a long-nosed bandicoot in the field but tonight it held still long enough for a much better picture. What a cutey:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nR6KmD8/A"><img alt="Eastern Barred Bandicoot" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nR6KmD8/0/572b03dd/L/DSC_7841_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Since we accomplished the bandicoot mission so quickly we decided to hike up the Lady Barron trail a bit to see if any other nocturnal critters were out but they weren't. We did see another bandicoot as we left the park however.<br />
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Back at our place a bit early, we decided to do a night walk on the grounds there. As we headed out, we could see someone out spotlighting already and it took a while to figure out that they were at the property next door. Could there be other wildlife enthusiasts out looking for wildlife? Well, when the loud gunshot rang out we realized they were the opposite of a wildlife enthusiast. Unfortunately, we learned that shooting wildlife was not uncommon in Tassie and that's exactly what that neighbor seemed to be doing. We hustled farther away from his property and continued a distracted night walk. The only animal of note we saw was a nice up close view of a tawny frogmouth:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NrxXDDW/A"><img alt="Tawny Frogmouth" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NrxXDDW/0/d73c40b2/L/DSC_7851_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Since the neighbor had a dog out too that was barking at us we decided to just call it a night. It had been a pretty good day despite the disturbing ending.<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-2824936627172068852020-03-09T13:50:00.000-07:002020-05-14T09:29:04.244-07:00Tasmania Day 10 - Lake St. Clair and Cradle MountainWe slept in again today and enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast. Some fresh blackberries had been added to the treats from the day before so breakfast was really good again. Hamlet Downs was a great place to stay and, despite the events of the night before, we would recommend it for anyone visiting Mt Field NP.<br />
<br />
At around 9:30 AM we left and started our drive to our next destination which was Cradle Mountain NP. But, we would be stopping at Lake St. Clair NP on the way to get some hiking in.<br />
<br />
We took a quick stretch break at Meadowbank Lake since it was looking picturesque.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MQnQtww/A"><img alt="Meadowbank Lake" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MQnQtww/0/1b20f2a5/L/DSC_0257_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
But, we didn't even think about getting in because of signs like this:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TrNhFnt/A"><img alt="Maybe a quicksand warning?" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TrNhFnt/0/52af68ed/L/DSC_7869_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Maybe that's a quicksand warning?<br />
<br />
Previously, I had mentioned that we rented a GPS unit with the car. Not only did it help us get from place to place but it also provided some entertainment. You see, the voice was female with a nice Aussie accent. So naturally we named it Sheila.<br />
<br />
I had a few problems with Sheila. First off, she was bossy and would yell at me with a loud double beep whenever I went over the speed limit. After a few rounds of this, the "ding ding" really started to sound like "Too Fast!". The problem was rarely me though. Her internal speed limit didn't always match the actual speed limit. So, she would yell at me even though I was going under the actual speed limit. "Too Fast!"<br />
<br />
God forbid that I would drift a bit left in the lane while going over the "internal" speed limit because then I would get it from both sides with Karen telling me I was too close and Sheila beeping "Too Fast!" at me. It was NOT a dream threesome at all.<br />
<br />
There were a few points in the trip where Sheila just got too bossy and I turned her off. When I would turn her back on later she would seem to be extra nice. Did she realize that I turned her off and if so was she passive aggressively planning revenge? I sure hoped not.<br />
<br />
Anyway, once at Lake St. Clair, we decided to hike the 65km Overland Track:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j8WcDJF/A"><img alt="Just a quick 65 km hike" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j8WcDJF/0/528e66e7/L/IMG_20200308_114738366_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6VzcbTg/A"><img alt="We did about 5km..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-6VzcbTg/0/9986ed6f/L/IMG_20200308_120642483_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We almost made it too. We were only 60km short. But, the hike was nice and took us to a platypus viewing area that was, of course, devoid of platypus. They were proving to be very elusive so far but we had some "guaranteed" locations coming up in future days so we weren't worried.<br />
<br />
On the way out of Lake St. Clair a little voice in our heads told us to "keep our eyes peeled" when we passed signs like these, which we did to no avail:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RwcJr4q/A"><img alt="Wombat Crossing!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RwcJr4q/0/73b14d95/L/IMG_20200308_132043554_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Sg2T6gm/A"><img alt="Echidna Crossing!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Sg2T6gm/0/0f7eee46/L/IMG_20200308_132054874_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We had a delicious toastie lunch at the fantastically named "The Hungry Wombat Cafe" just outside of Lake St. Clair.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XW8tCcs/A"><img alt="Great toasties here" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-XW8tCcs/0/949c3c4d/L/IMG_20200308_132549059_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The drive from Lake St. Clair to Cradle Mountain was about 3 hours so we broke up that time with a spontaneous stop at Nelson Falls.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-G9J52t7/A"><img alt="Quick stop to stretch our legs" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-G9J52t7/0/76435815/L/DSC_0264_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The forest along the trail was amazing just like all the other forests we had seen in Tasmania.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BPvnPKs/A"><img alt="Forest around Nelson Falls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BPvnPKs/0/a9451ce7/L/DSC_0268_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-9hZ7wdd/A"><img alt="A peaceful stroll" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-9hZ7wdd/0/4f775a69/L/DSC_0269_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Nelson Falls itself was very nice as well.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PfPQq3N/A"><img alt="Nelson Falls" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PfPQq3N/0/89df7f17/L/DSC_0275_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Getting closer to our destination, we made one last stop at a lookout point where you can see Cradle Mountain in the distance:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-77dwVLm/A"><img alt="View of Cradle Mountain National Park" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-77dwVLm/0/912ad6f9/L/DSC_0285_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We arrived at Cradle Mountain around 5:30 PM and checked into our room at Pepper's Cradle Mountain Lodge.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xhB8vMH/A"><img alt="We have arrived" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xhB8vMH/0/127b2945/L/DSC00682_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-88tMSwS/A"><img alt="Home for 3 nights" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-88tMSwS/0/dedaa2c9/L/DSC_8243_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rPqZVHj/A"><img alt="The main lodge" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rPqZVHj/0/e5c68cd7/L/IMG_20200309_124626493_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I had splurged for an upgraded cabin here and it was VERY nice.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-s5Pv2pM/A"><img alt="Our cabin and semi dirty rental" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-s5Pv2pM/0/41e3e47f/L/IMG_20200309_123924777_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
By the way, if you think the rental car looked dirty at this point, you should have seen it when we were done. We would get filthy just looking at it by the end of the trip.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HCN7mgz/A"><img alt="Nice room" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HCN7mgz/0/733b304f/L/IMG_20200308_175732125_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I don't make it a point to take pictures of toilets but I had to make an exception at Pepper's:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rcb5LrN/A"><img alt="Well said" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rcb5LrN/0/d6e9f364/L/IMG_20200308_193256078_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
After a nice dinner in the restaurant at the lodge, we did a 2 hour night walk on the many trails they have at the lodge. Of course, we saw some brushies.<br />
<br />
Look at the tail on this one:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Qr2GJZF/A"><img alt="" brushy="" light="" morph="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Qr2GJZF/0/ab077706/L/DSC_7895_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
This dark morph brushie also looked really healthy:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qBpPrVk/A"><img alt="" brushy="" dark="" morph="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qBpPrVk/0/1f81ea83/L/DSC_7899_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I am sharing this picture because it shows the little rat like tail that they really have hidden under those piles of long hair:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cWhk3CM/A"><img alt="And another..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cWhk3CM/0/e32456e1/L/DSC_7908_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Since we only saw brushies on our night walk (9 in total) we decided to take a night drive into the park where we saw, you guessed it, more brushies. But, we also saw our first wombat which was on the road right next to the passenger side of the car. It didn't move at all but I didn't want to startle it by getting out and taking a picture since I was very hopeful that we would see plenty during the day.<br />
<br />
The final sighting of the night drive was a dark morph eastern quoll on the road. They aren't seen in the area that often apparently so it was nice that we got to see one.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-43637419684470638832020-03-08T11:02:00.000-07:002020-05-18T07:13:25.994-07:00Tasmania Day 11 - Cradle MountainWe actually set an alarm today since we planned to head out relatively early. We had a 7 AM breakfast in the restaurant which was good with lots of variety. Then we headed to the visitor center where we had to pick up our free (since we already had a National Park pass) shuttle tickets.<br />
<br />
Cradle Mountain runs a shuttle service during the day to get in and out of the park to reduce traffic and because the road is very narrow in parts. We found the shuttle service to be great. We never waited more than 15 minutes for one and all the drivers would provide useful information during the drive.<br />
<br />
The plan today was to go to Dove Lake which is at the end of the line and do some hiking since the area is supposed to be very picturesque. However, when we got there it was overcast and not as pretty as we had hoped. Plus, the downside of the shuttle is that everyone gets to the trails at the same time so there were a lot of other people with the same plan as us.<br />
<br />
Hmm... decisions, decisions...<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8h6Frsp/A"><img alt="Dove Lake hiking options" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8h6Frsp/0/56fd6120/L/DSC_0286_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-h3h9PJ4/A"><img alt="Cradle Mountain view" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-h3h9PJ4/0/b61090cb/L/DSC_0287_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We decided to head to the boat shed first to take some pictures.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZHvpsRS/A"><img alt="The boathouse" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ZHvpsRS/0/875f81be/L/DSC_0290_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The walk around Dove Lake just wasn't going to be very pretty in this weather. So, we changed our plans and decided to go to Ronny Creek to look for wombats. We went back to the shuttle stop and caught the next one back to Ronny Creek.<br />
<br />
At Ronny Creek we found some cooperative native hens:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RKjj8Tz/A"><img alt="Tasmanian National Hen (Endemic)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RKjj8Tz/0/92492962/L/DSC_7919_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We also had another chance to hike the 65km Overland Track:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LdMjRwK/A"><img alt="Another leg of the 65 KM hike - we did another 5K" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LdMjRwK/0/cfe082d0/L/DSC_0299_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Once again, we almost made it. I think we were only 63km short today...<br />
<br />
Anyway, you have to love Australian parks. Overall we found them to have much better infrastructure than US parks. The trails were better, the signs were better, and the facilities (especially the bathrooms) were better. Most parks even had flush toilets which is not something you see in the US very often.<br />
<br />
This sign gave us some hope that wombats might be near. However, I had no plans to feed them tiny red hearts:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wMX2mZB/A"><img alt="We just want to see some..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wMX2mZB/0/866ad348/L/DSC00684_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
That sign was right because not much later we saw our first daytime wombat munching away on some grass:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FLFMpkw/A"><img alt="WOMBAT!!!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FLFMpkw/0/aeeff350/L/DSC_7960_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Then we saw another:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mr5dzXv/A"><img alt="Big Wombat" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mr5dzXv/0/57d6523a/L/DSC_8005_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And another...<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HT8Q8TH/A"><img alt="Grazing time" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HT8Q8TH/0/034c6433/L/DSC_0294_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We sure didn't have to worry about NOT seeing any wombats.<br />
<br />
One of the interesting things about wombats is that they are the only animal that has cube shaped poop. Yup, that's right. So, when one of the wombats sauntered by and pooped near the boardwalk, I had to get a picture to confirm that fact. Notice the nice compoopsition of the photo...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WNdtGmQ/A"><img alt="Wombats leave square poop, really." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WNdtGmQ/0/a2413324/L/DSC00676_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
That wombat was so close that we could hear it chewing loud and clear which was pretty cool. In fact, the only time it paused its eating was to poop. Otherwise, it was just a large furry eating machine. I wonder if I could borrow one to take care of all the weeds in our yard...<br />
<br />
After getting our fill of wombats (not that we could EVER really get our fill), we headed back to Pepper's for lunch. Outside the main lodge is a lake that looks like great platypus habitat but apparently one hasn't been seen there in a long time so we didn't spend much time looking.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-W2fRdDT/A"><img alt="Peppers pond at the lodge" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-W2fRdDT/0/adbee940/L/IMG_20200309_124551608_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
After a great lunch in the restaurant that included seafood chowder, caesar salad, and a chocolate pudding dessert with ice cream that was extra satisfying, we decided to burn off a few calories and walk some of the trails at the lodge.<br />
<br />
Inala Karen had given me a tip that the Enchanted Track at the lodge was a good place for pink robin, so that was our first stop. It's a very pretty trail along a small river with lots of cool trees.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2PLsrN3/A"><img alt="The Enchanted Track" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2PLsrN3/0/63547c6c/L/IMG_20200309_135550750_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We even found a couple wombat burrows:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-drFXRpG/A"><img alt="Wombat burrows" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-drFXRpG/0/b73d493c/L/IMG_20200309_140526747_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, there were no signs of any pink robins. But, at the end of the trail they had a very interesting crosswalk. The way I interpret these signs is that you have to moonwalk across the street there which of course I did.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gcMNH6S/A"><img alt="Only moon walking allowed." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gcMNH6S/0/b7b53455/L/IMG_20200309_142945804_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Our next stop was supposed to be the gift shop they have at Pepper's but we were unavoidably detained by a mother and juvenile wombat munching on grass outside the store.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MtwWVQ2/A"><img alt="Mother and juvenile" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MtwWVQ2/0/c40a0457/L/DSC_8109_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
On the cuteness meter, a young wombat is a perfect 10 in my book.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TN8T5P2/A"><img alt="" me="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TN8T5P2/0/2ea636b4/L/DSC_8158_edited-1-L.jpg" who="" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-V9sjLRM/A"><img alt="Yes you!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-V9sjLRM/0/7cc70b2e/L/DSC_8167_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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At one point, mom just fell asleep while grazing. I guess eating and pooping all day can really take its toll.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-khsCNQv/A"><img alt="Too tired to even eat" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-khsCNQv/0/594fba94/L/DSC_8131_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
When mom did wake up she actually paused and sort of looked up for once:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j4rfr6C/A"><img alt="Pause..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-j4rfr6C/0/a38f85c7/L/DSC_8183_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
But, it turns out it was only to do some major scratching:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gPx4XB2/A"><img alt="And scratch." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gPx4XB2/0/4bb96e39/L/DSC_8187_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And then she gave me a look I will not soon forget:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BP6dTkM/A"><img alt="Whoa...maybe not so cute after all" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BP6dTkM/0/4d6dd393/L/DSC_8129_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
A 3rd wombat showed up as we left and then we saw a 4th one walking to our room. They were pretty much everywhere.<br />
<br />
We walked a few other trails in the afternoon like the King Billy Track and another one to a waterfall but I really didn't come away with any decent pictures. We saw a couple more wombats and some birds as well of course.<br />
<br />
So, what do you do after a successful day watching wombats? Well, if you are us you head to the bar for a cocktail which is exactly what we did. They even had some Aussie rules football on the "tele" so I watched a bit of that and tried to figure it out as we drank.<br />
<br />
We had an early'ish dinner because we had a reservation for a night tour at Devil's @ Cradle which is a conservation facility just down the road from Pepper's. The odds of us seeing a wild devil were slim to none so we decided to go on this night feeding tour to watch the devils eat and better yet hear them.<br />
<br />
The driveway up to Devil's @ Cradle had a nice quoll sign that I ended up photographing later on in the day light:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Mzzvkf7/A"><img alt="Quoll Crossing" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Mzzvkf7/0/c164852c/L/IMG_20200311_101930902_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The tour itself was much better than we expected and highly educational. I didn't take any pictures but did take a video of the juveniles getting fed:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FKKC6Wj0ubQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
And another of some adults getting fed. The adults were a bit more vocal:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YzAzj4t4yUg" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
After the tour was over, we decided to take a drive into the park again to see if we could find anything but we struck out. We even got out at Ronny Creek and walked around for a while until the cold drove us back into the car. We did encounter a couple cars that possibly were racing in the park which was very sad. They zoomed past us twice and luckily didn't leave any roadkill in their wake.<br />
<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-34107958871617362372020-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:002020-05-20T06:01:53.751-07:00Tasmania Day 12 - Cradle MountainI am starting to sound like a broken record but I will say it again... Today we slept in. We actually were resembling the word "lazy" on this trip and we didn't mind it at all.<br />
<br />
We had a leisurely breakfast at the restaurant around 8:30AM. Afterwards, we walked the Enchanted Walk hoping to find a pink robin. But, no luck there. However, we did see our first snake of the trip.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KBM9Bjt/A"><img alt="White-lipped Snake sunning itself" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KBM9Bjt/0/ad42e2a2/L/DSC_8301_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Even though we have seen hundreds of snakes and love them, I am always startled when I first see one especially when it's right where I am about to walk. At first, I couldn't tell what species it was but when it left the boardwalk and I was able to get a view of the head which made it easy to identify as a white-lipped snake.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mSZwSdN/A"><img alt="Moving along out of the way" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mSZwSdN/0/fc03ffde/L/DSC_8333_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Since there are only 3 snake species in Tasmania I had a 33% chance of getting it right. Here is a look at the 3 species. Note that the white-lipped snake is the least venomous of the 3.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3B4c3rf/A"><img alt="2 of the top 15 most venomous snakes in the world" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3B4c3rf/0/f031a1b5/L/IMG_20200311_181225675_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The tiger snake is one of the most venomous snakes in the world and usually makes the top 5 on most lists you find online. The copperhead is usually just outside the top 10 on those same "most venomous" lists. So, the snakes in Tasmania are NOT to be messed with.<br />
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After that excitement, we decided that it was a good time to do laundry and Karen volunteered for that fun chore to begin compensating me for all the trip planning I did which I appreciated. So, I decided to walk around the grounds a bit by myself where I ended up doing the Enchanted Walk again looking for pink robin because, you never know...<br />
<br />
This ended up being a smart decision because not long after starting the walk some movement caught me eye up in a tree. Once that movement hit the sunlight I could see the brilliant pink. It was a pink robin! The bird that started it all when it came to this trip.<br />
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Unfortunately, it played hard to get and did not stick around long so my pictures are just so-so but I am happy that another mission was successful. Thanks for another great tip Inala Karen.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfgTPMG/A"><img alt="Pink Robin" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfgTPMG/0/f54402d1/L/DSC_8344_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QB8VVZC/A"><img alt="Striking color" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QB8VVZC/0/eda8ab81/L/DSC_8347_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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At lunch, Karen ordered the soup of the day which was potato and cauliflower. She expected actual pieces of potato and cauliflower but the soup was a puree and not what she expected. Typically, in the US soup comes with chunks of whatever in it which is what we are used to. But, our Aussie friends confirmed that is not typical there and that would likely be more of a stew. This was the 2nd time on the trip that Karen ordered soup and the 2nd time she got a puree. So after that, whenever we saw soup of the day on a menu, she assumed it was really "broth of the day".<br />
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In the afternoon once all the laundry was done, we went back into the park. Our shuttle driver today was pretty darn entertaining and had a very well timed monologue that went something like this:<br />
<br />
"In Tasmania we have 3 species of snake. There is the tiger snake which is the 5th most venomous snake in the world. Then there is the copperhead which is the 12th most venomous snake in the world and we also have the venomous white-lipped snake. Speaking of snakes, anyone want to get off at the next stop which is Snake Hill?"<br />
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The whole bus was silent at that point and nobody got off at the Snake Hill stop. I thought it was pretty funny though and I bet the driver got a bit of a chuckle out of it too.<br />
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Instead, we got off at Ronny Creek and did some walking on the boardwalks.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hxHhmCw/A"><img alt="Ronny Creek boardwalk" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hxHhmCw/0/33240ae6/L/DSC_0305_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It wasn't long until we saw a wombat doing what wombats do; eating.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8Lk4s4v/A"><img alt="Ronny Creek Wombat" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8Lk4s4v/0/88cd21b2/L/DSC_0300_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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But, amazingly, this one actually stopped eating and went on a bit of a walk. It must have seen some greener pastures somewhere else.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r7FBqxX/A"><img alt="Wombat walking" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r7FBqxX/0/bcd1a38c/L/DSC_8416_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Hilariously, one of the nearby signs had been "altered" to remove the "L" in Wombat Pool which resulted in this sign that made us laugh:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pX7q3dH/A"><img alt="What the sign really said..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pX7q3dH/0/5cde929a/L/DSC_0321_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
However, I didn't think it was very accurate so I made an adjustment to better reflect where to go if you wanted to find wombat poo:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JMCft37/A"><img alt="What the sign should have said" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JMCft37/0/672224d4/L/DSC_0321_edited-2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We ended up walking up towards Waldheim's Cabin to use the restroom up there which gave us a nice view of more of the boardwalks and the buttongrass.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-M3hFjCr/A"><img alt="More boardwalks" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-M3hFjCr/0/033d2f53/L/DSC_0307_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2VnNmMf/A"><img alt="Fields of buttongrass" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2VnNmMf/0/21bfa7ee/L/DSC_0308_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I think because Karen had to pee more than I, she was in the lead walking up the boardwalk which hardly ever happens. Suddenly, I saw movement by her foot. I said "freeze"...and she froze. Right by her shoe was another white-lipped snake. It didn't want anything to do with us and moved off quickly but not before I captured the moment (yes, that is old dried wombat poo on the boardwalk):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Cg9TN7N/A"><img alt="Venomous snake near Karen's foot" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Cg9TN7N/0/a635cfc3/L/DSC_0312_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here is a shot of Waldheim's Cabin:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Tv7cVzQ/A"><img alt="Waldheim Cabin" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Tv7cVzQ/0/4406ed98/L/DSC_0319_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And, here are shots of the wombats we saw around the cabin area. So, the pee break really turned out to be a wise decision:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gwkwmJz/A"><img alt="Awwwww..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gwkwmJz/0/5e48c27c/L/DSC_8440_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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This one really had an itch that just couldn't be scratched. First, it went the lazy route and just rubbed its hindquarters slowly on the tree:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8hndSwB/A"><img alt="" scratching="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8hndSwB/0/6548bc46/L/DSC_8486_edited-1-L.jpg" time...="" /></a><br />
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That must not have worked because then it really got moving and shaking:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NLRZk4Q/A"><img alt="" oh="" s="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NLRZk4Q/0/94161121/L/DSC_8470_edited-1-L.jpg" stuff...="" that="" the="" /></a><br />
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Then it broke down and used its sharp nails to take care of things. First on one side:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-83MH3MB/A"><img alt="" itching...="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-83MH3MB/0/ec6ed79c/L/DSC_8477_edited-1-L.jpg" still="" /></a><br />
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Then on the other:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wTt9SXX/A"><img alt="" it="" right="" s="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wTt9SXX/0/146a03e9/L/DSC_8489_edited-1-L.jpg" that="" there="" /></a><br />
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Finally, it must have hit the right spot because it stopped all the gyrations and sauntered away.<br />
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Back down at Ronny Creek, more wombats were out and close to the boardwalk like this one:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pmH8TWt/A"><img alt="Like a teddy bear" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pmH8TWt/0/62230914/L/DSC_8512_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We ended up seeing 11 wombats in 2 1/2 hours which is pretty darn good.<br />
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Since it was getting close to cocktail hour all civilized people such as ourselves headed back out of the park. As we walked from the shuttle stop back to Pepper's we came across this cute little pademelon:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r2J9h8R/A"><img alt="Pademelon planning something?" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-r2J9h8R/0/5fa1e891/L/DSC_8539_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Happy hour was nice and relaxing which made this observation at dinner even the more enjoyable. From where I was sitting at dinner I could see a couple eating. The back of the man was to me. At one point, I saw him drop his napkin on the floor. He quickly picked it back up. A few seconds later, the napkin fell again but farther away. So, he reached down and grabbed it again. The woman didn't seem to even notice this.<br />
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Then it happened a 3rd time but the napkin was tossed so far away the man had to use his foot to retrieve it which he did. A couple minutes later, the napkin went flying again and I could see the man's shoulders visibly slouch as he let out an exasperating sigh. That is when he turned just enough for me to see the baby on his lap which had a big smile on its face.<br />
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I don't know what I found more amusing, the whole baby napkin tossing or the fact that the woman paid absolutely no attention and made no effort to help. It was as if it was just business as usual for them. Anyway, I explained the whole thing to Karen since she had her back to it and we both got a good laugh.<br />
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After dinner, we did a 2 hour night walk on trails around the lodge. We first did the Killy Billy Track where we saw 5 brushies and 1 ringtail possum. Then we walked through the grounds of the lodge where we saw 3 more brushies and 1 more ringtail.<br />
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Here is one of the ringtails which we were surprised to find high up on a bare tree. When we first saw the eye shine we thought this might be an owl, but it wasn't to be. We actually didn't see any owls on the whole trip.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5KzMmtP/A"><img alt="Ring-tailed Possum" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5KzMmtP/0/c8fadae4/L/DSC_8560_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Finally, we did the Enchanted Walk where we encountered another brushie. But, this one had a bit of attitude. It was walking towards us on the boardwalk and really didn't look like it wanted to move out of the way. So, we walked slowly toward it and when we got about 5 feet away it finally detoured slightly off the boardwalk. It walked around us and the whole time was given us the "old stink eye" as if we had greatly inconvenienced it by making it go around us. This was just one more reason why I found the brushies so endearing. They seemed to have real personality.<br />
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The last sighting of note that night happened at the ranger station at the entrance to the park. I saw eye shine on the pavement that was different. But, before we could get close enough to really see the animal it ran away. It was too big for an eastern quoll so part of me thinks it could have been a spot-tailed quoll but that is likely wishful thinking. When you aren't sure about an ID you should always go with the most common and likely least interesting species. So, we are calling this a feral cat since we will never know for sure.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-23505029882774706282020-03-06T10:13:00.000-08:002020-05-26T06:01:38.964-07:00Tasmania Day 13 - Northern TasmaniaAnother dawn came and went today as we slept in again and enjoyed a leisurely 8:30AM breakie. We had a great 3 nights at Cradle Mountain where we saw everything that we had hoped to see and more. So, we were excited to move on to our next destination today.<br />
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We checked out of Pepper's around 10AM and headed north. I had an option written down to stop at a cave today to see glow worms but since we saw some at Mt Field, we decided to skip that.<br />
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Instead, we made a couple detours heading north that Inala Karen had mentioned which included a drive through Railton to see their topiary. We found it OK thanks to Sheila even though she was her usual bossy self on the way.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-x3mCKcR/A"><img alt="Welcome to Railton" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-x3mCKcR/0/19dc48ab/L/IMG_20200311_114607027_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Unfortunately, some of the more well known topiary like the train was not in great shape but we did find a couple that we thought were pretty cool.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q7TbZmZ/A"><img alt="Horse and Jockey" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q7TbZmZ/0/fb37bf2a/L/IMG_20200311_115152806_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3P3n2xD/A"><img alt="That's bull!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3P3n2xD/0/2b29eb64/L/IMG_20200311_115305949-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We stopped for lunch in Sheffield at a bakery. When we arrived, the place was empty even though there was seating for close to 100 people. I ended up getting another scallop pie (Yum!) and Karen got a toastie (Double yum!). As we sat down to eat, people started filing in both doors. In the space of 10 minutes the place became fully packed. I can't say we have ever seen something like that before and it was hard to figure out. Maybe some event nearby just ended? In any case, my first pie was so good I decided to brave the line and get a beef pie as well which ended up being really good too.<br />
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After the nice lunch fill up we headed to the Tasmanian Arboretum which is a known hot spot for Platypus. But, we were arriving in the heat of the afternoon so who knows. The lady at the ticket counter said they were usually out all day long so that was good to hear. Since it was colder in Tasmania than on the the mainland, the platypus need to eat more and so they are out during the day feeding she said. Hopefully, she would be right.<br />
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The arboretum has huge grounds that were filled with loads of bird life including some black swans.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fPXwtDV/A"><img alt="Black Swan posing" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fPXwtDV/0/03a9c067/L/DSC_8568_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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There are a couple lakes where the platypus live and they even have a hide by one of the lakes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zDG8L8K/A"><img alt="Tasmanian Arboretum Lake" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zDG8L8K/0/bfab4eee/L/DSC_0370_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wfHBHDj/A"><img alt="Platypus hide" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wfHBHDj/0/f8879035/L/DSC_0368_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I think we are getting close.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SZN3Vxz/A"><img alt="This looks better placed" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-SZN3Vxz/0/26ba1f46/L/DSC_0366_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Well, it didn't take long to find a platypus hanging out in the middle of the lake. It would come up for air, float a bit, then dive down. But, it was a bit far out for pictures. So, we continued around the side of the lake until we found another one that was much closer. What a cool looking animal:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kQd8JrK/A"><img alt="Platypus alert!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-kQd8JrK/0/48f87426/L/DSC_0345_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bkKLvvL/A"><img alt="Just floating around" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bkKLvvL/0/e3857053/L/DSC_8613_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Success! Another mission accomplished. Tasmania was being really good to us. We ended up seeing three different individuals and had close looks at two of them.<br />
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Our accommodations for the evening were at Roosters Rest in Port Sorell where they have a couple of cottages. Ours was really nice.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nntJRHk/A"><img alt="Rooster Rest Cottage" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nntJRHk/0/3743ff64/L/IMG_20200311_152757458_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f5RfkDb/A"><img alt="Kitchen" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f5RfkDb/0/b47b2e9c/L/IMG_20200311_152708296_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MMrPCfv/A"><img alt="Living area" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MMrPCfv/0/9429f6fe/L/IMG_20200311_152719794_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The plan for the rest of the day after dropping our stuff off in our cottage was to go to Narawntapu NP and do some hiking and wildlife watching. But, since there is no place to get food anywhere near the park we needed to pick something up to go. So, we decided to go to a place relatively near by called Latrobe Takeaway. It ended up being located in a residential area and at first I thought Sheila was leading us on a wild takeout chase.<br />
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We went inside and took a look at the menu that was posted on the wall and honestly had no idea what most of the stuff was. Here's the menu, try and figure out what all these things are:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MrtZfJw/A"><img alt="We have no idea what we just ordered" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-MrtZfJw/0/a427bb76/L/IMG_20200311_165228780_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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There was one lady working there and when we asked what was good she just said "everything" in a thick Aussie accent. So, then we asked what she would recommend she ended up asking other people waiting who were regulars and then mentioned a few things that we really didn't understand.<br />
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Feeling a bit pressured to order since people were waiting, Karen asked about the chicken fillet that was on the menu. The lady just looked at her and said "the what?". "Chicken fill-lay" Karen responded. The lady shrugged and obviously didn't understand. So, then Karen pointed at the menu and said "the 3rd chicken item from the top. You know, a fill-lay". The lady turned and said "Oh, the chicken fill-it". Then she proceeded to walk to the freezer and pull out a frozen breaded chicken pattie and held it up for us to see. "Chicken fill-it" she exclaimed smiling.<br />
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The lady ended up doing a bit of a custom order for Karen since she put together a chicken fill-it wrap. But, I wanted to try something else so I just order 3 things from the menu hoping they would be decent. Everything appeared to be deep fried so there was little choice when it came to healthy items. After placing our order I said to Karen that "I have no idea what I just ordered". When our order was ready I still had no idea what it was since it was all bagged up when it was handed to us. I guess I would find out soon enough though.<br />
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Narawntapu NP is supposed to be known as the "Serengeti of Tasmania" because there are so many animals there. But, the wombats recently got wiped out by mange I believe so there was no chance of seeing any of them. However, the whole area was supposed to be good for tasmanian devil. The road signs leading to the park seemed to reinforce that idea.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vjvW7nr/A"><img alt="No one slowed down :(" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vjvW7nr/0/2acc93ba/L/IMG_20200311_172309721_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We arrived at the park just after 5 PM so the visitor center was closed. We decided to sit in the car and have our deep fried dinner which turned out to be OK, but nothing special. But, we are not huge deep fried food people so maybe all that fat and calories was wasted on us. When we were done, it was time to try to burn off a tiny portion of dinner.<br />
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As was the case at all Aussie parks we visited, there was great signage so we headed out on one of the trails. There was a lot of wildlife around but it wasn't quite like the Serengeti.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HWLZQ9W/A"><img alt="A very grey, red-necked wallaby" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HWLZQ9W/0/bb879c37/L/DSC_8684_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-sS6MS7h/A"><img alt="Ahem..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-sS6MS7h/0/9dc34eb9/L/DSC_8650_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BsFdnKK/A"><img alt="Green Rosella" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-BsFdnKK/0/0e28ad2f/L/DSC_8705_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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However, we did get some great looks at the eastern grey kangaroo here which was really nice.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JNw9z2x/A"><img alt="Eastern Greys Foraging" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JNw9z2x/0/9a6306d2/L/DSC_8707_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2wxdzfH/A"><img alt="Check out the tail" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2wxdzfH/0/82793b6b/L/DSC_8767_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We decided to hike out to a birding blind to see if that provided any good looks at wildlife. However, when we got there the water had all dried up and there was no wildlife around anywhere.<br />
<br />
When we hit the main trail again we had a choice of heading back to the left towards the visitor center or continuing on to the right.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Qrf6RHK/A"><img alt="Narawntapu Hikes" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Qrf6RHK/0/58b2f701/L/IMG_20200311_182930169_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Both of us were tired so I asked Karen if she wanted to hike all the way to Archers Knob. "I don't know" she said "that's a long way". "What about if we just go to the tip of Archers Knob". "OK, but just the tip of the knob" Karen said. So, that is what we did.<br />
<br />
There were a lot of cool trees along the hike:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LV4kkRk/A"><img alt="Interesting trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LV4kkRk/0/bdee7747/L/IMG_20200311_190234244_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And even a few curious wallabies and roos:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rPWKTMd/A"><img alt="Heads popping up everywhere" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rPWKTMd/0/7364d548/L/DSC_8737_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NNR6SXV/A"><img alt="Eastern Grey Kangaroo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NNR6SXV/0/19cab685/L/DSC_8748_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We doubled back to the visitor center where I took one last picture:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3rfLHLM/A"><img alt="Aren't you too old for that?" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-3rfLHLM/0/73b0cf5c/L/DSC_8774_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
On the way out of the park we headed towards a spot that used to have a colony of bettongs. We pulled off up a dirt road and staked out the area while dusk turned to night. We didn't see any movement so we got out and walked the road looking. Nothing. So, then we got back in the car and drove deeper into the forest and back...but still nothing. It looks like the bettong colony was no more which is too bad since this was the only spot I knew of to try to find them.<br />
<br />
On the way home we decided to do a prolonged night drive by backtracking to Narawntapu. The suggested night speed limit is 45 km an hour which is still fast for trying to find night critters. I found that 35 to km an hour was better so as not to run into anything on the road. Unfortunately, all the locals still drove the posted 80 km per hour so the road to and from the park ended up not being very good for night driving since I was always getting run down and had to constantly pull over. We did manage to see 8 brushies on the drive but nothing new.<br />
<br />
This stretch of road had lots of roadkill so it was a shame to see people driving so fast at night. I guess if I lived there and had to drive this road daily driving slow might get old but I would be devastated if I hit and killed anything especially something rare. Tasmania definitely has a huge roadkill problem from what we saw and the only solution is for people to drive slowly at night but that just doesn't seem to happen.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the highlight of the drive is when we stopped in Narawntapu and just happened to park the car facing the direction of the rising moon. We could see brightness on the horizon and sat there watching the almost full moon slowly come up. It looked huge and I can't say we have actually ever really watched the moon rise before like that. It was a very cool way to end the day.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-22050351944079166662020-03-05T08:30:00.000-08:002020-05-26T06:18:42.086-07:00Tasmania Day 14 - Northern TasmaniaIt goes without saying that we slept in again today and didn't leave Roosters Rest until 9:30 AM. It's a tough life isn't it?<br />
<br />
The plan was to head to Warrawee Forest Reserve to do a little hiking and look for more platypus. However, both Sheila and Google maps couldn't find the place so we drove around a lot until I just decided to head down a road on a hunch and found it no problem. So much for technology.<br />
<br />
Warrawee has great facilities and is a popular mountain biking area but they have a main paved trail that goes about 5 km along a river. It's a really nice track and should be good for a night walk so we planned to return later that night.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vq9cp5b/A"><img alt="Warrawee Forest Reserve" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vq9cp5b/0/36e48d0d/L/IMG_20200312_101113965_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4Zzjgnt/A"><img alt="Platypus river" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4Zzjgnt/0/557594fa/L/DSC_0377_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f2csvHS/A"><img alt="Warrawee Trail" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f2csvHS/0/8b823aeb/L/IMG_20200312_102553719_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Little Pied Cormorant:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dSQqMCB/A"><img alt="Little Pied Cormorant" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dSQqMCB/0/1729da79/L/DSC_8803_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The walk was very relaxing but we didn't see a lot of wildlife. That changed when we returned to the parking lot and Karen found what she thought was one snake. But, as we examined the snake we realized that there were two tails. It was actually two snakes mating. I took a few pictures to try to ID them but since we knew they were venomous no matter what they were we didn't get too close:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TXcwTWX/A"><img alt="Mating Lowland Copperheads" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TXcwTWX/0/49abc9e0/L/DSC_8837_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It wasn't until they uncoupled and I got a shot of the head of one that we were able to positively identify them as lowland copperheads:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-w5wnJgr/A"><img alt="One of the most venomous snakes in Australia" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-w5wnJgr/0/64bc0937/L/DSC_8847_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
What a cool event to witness. It's only the 2nd time we have seen snakes mating.<br />
<br />
As we drove out of the parking lot I cruised slowly along the river and we were able to see two different platypus but they were too far away for pictures.<br />
<br />
We had lunch in Latrobe at Belly's Bar and Grill which was very nice. There was some great people watching in the grill today including a couple that was sipping champagne and appeared to be celebrating something. The woman was dressed up a bit and was in full makeup. The man was wearing flip flops, dirty shorts, and a white tank top. It was quite the juxtaposition. I was secretly hoping that he would hold his pinky out while sipping his champagne but that didn't happen.<br />
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It was during this lunch that I overheard some people talking about the coronavirus and hoarding at grocery stores. We had been without internet for much of the trip and even when we had it I make it a point not to do anything on my phone except check email. Back at Roosters Rest that night though, I did read the news to get caught up on all the craziness in the world. It was depressing and I decided not to say anything to Karen since there was nothing we could do about any of it anyway.<br />
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After lunch, we returned to Warrawee to look for snakes again since we now had a new mission which was to find a tiger snake that would enable us to complete seeing all three species. But, no luck. However, we did notice a sheep carcass in a nearby field and decided that we needed to stake that out tonight to see if anything comes to it. We also scouted a place called Pitcairn Bush Reserve to be sure we found it OK since we also planned a night walk there and didn't want to be searching for it in the dark. Sheila had proven to be less than reliable. I had read online that someone spotted a southern brown bandicoot at Pitcairn which is how it got on my radar.<br />
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With our after dark plans all set, we decided to spend the rest of our daylight hours at Narawntapu NP. When we got there the eastern grey kangaroos had moved on and were in an entirely different field, but we still found them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Jc9bB79/A"><img alt="The " of="" serengeti="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Jc9bB79/0/e93e1ae4/L/DSC_8869_edited-1-L.jpg" tasmania="" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-d7Psb5n/A"><img alt="Eastern Greys" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-d7Psb5n/0/6a8eb187/L/DSC_8951_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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While they looked very graceful as they bound across the grassland:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vjpkpnx/A"><img alt="Boing!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-vjpkpnx/0/a12f2f85/L/DSC_8900_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2b6BB87/A"><img alt="In motion..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2b6BB87/0/ca4131a4/L/DSC_9018_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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They don't look graceful at all when they lie down:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Wgzd78g/A"><img alt="Sitting a bit awkwardly" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Wgzd78g/0/78434225/L/DSC_8973_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It was interesting that they always knew where we were and would easily spot us from great distances.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-c75X6DN/A"><img alt="Watching us" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-c75X6DN/0/f5d1f50c/L/DSC_8976_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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There were some wallabies around as well:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zvNsWVN/A"><img alt="Another head popping up" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zvNsWVN/0/ae3d17e1/L/DSC_8996_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Where's Wallaby?!<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KvxkRMh/A"><img alt="Where's Wallaby?" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KvxkRMh/0/dee1a3d7/L/DSC_9001_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We decided to leave Narawntapu before dark and enjoyed another nice meal at Belly's in Latrobe. My seafood fettuccine was especially good.<br />
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We had a double night walk planned tonight and started it back at Warrawee with a carcass stakeout. A nice dinner followed by a carcass stakeout. I sure know how to treat a lady don't I?<br />
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Nothing came to the carcass so after close to an hour of waiting we decided to head out for a spotlight walk. Warrawee was alive at night.<br />
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Brushie:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hGnG6Bg/A"><img alt="Another " brushy="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hGnG6Bg/0/791e8f2c/L/DSC_9023_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We saw 6 additional brushies and 3 ring-tailed possums along the walk. But, we also encountered a few other critters. I heard some movement in a nearby bush and went to investigate. But, we couldn't figure out what the animal was since it was not behaving like anything we had heard before. It wouldn't run but we would hear a loud thump every now and again. Finally, we got enough of a look to figure out that it was a potoroo and there were two of them. Instead of bolting like a pademelon would, they would just dart a few feet away and thump which I guess was a warning sign.<br />
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Right at the end of the hike, I saw something dart from one tree to another and was able to get some light on it and figure out that it was a sugar glider:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DCxLw36/A"><img alt="Sugar Glider" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DCxLw36/0/69a7c85a/L/DSC_9034_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rqdnTxB/A"><img alt="Sugar Glider" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-rqdnTxB/0/71e852b0/L/DSC_9048_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<i>Hopping on soapbox: </i>While the sugar glider is native to mainland Australia, it is an invasive species on Tasmania and is a notorious bird egg eater so we weren't that excited to see it here. While we love animals, we don't love seeing them where the don't belong and have no issues with efforts to get rid of non-native species. As cat lovers, that is hard to say but feral cats don't belong in Tasmania (or mainland Australia for that matter) and need to be remove since they are killing so many native species there. <i>Hopping off soapbox</i>.<br />
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Next it was off to Pitcairn which is a patch of forest in a residential area. So, it was a bit weird hearing barking dogs and even partying people (this was before the whole social distancing thing started). They even had little markers with maps on them every now and then which was nice.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-47SV6GN/A"><img alt="Pitcairn Bushland Reserve (great night walks)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-47SV6GN/0/de6ad808/L/IMG_20200312_222413734_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We quickly forgot about the noises coming from the houses nearby because Pitcairn was alive with eye shine. It seemed that everywhere we looked there were eyes looking back at us from the trees. It was literally like a scary Halloween painting in there except it wasn't scary at all, it was really cool. We soon lost count after 15 brushies and 10 ringtails.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xjRPrCv/A"><img alt="Ring-tailed Possum" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xjRPrCv/0/fab734e0/L/DSC_9071_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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So, we decided to just concentrate our search to the ground since bandicoots were the real goal of the walk. We wound around the trails for a while but didn't have any luck with bandicoots. We would have stayed longer but we actually needed to get up "early" the next day and didn't want to make it too long of a night.<br />
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However, the day was capped off nicely when Karen spotted an eastern barred bandicoot frolicking on the grass as we drove home. While Latrobe doesn't really get much press we found it to be a great base to explore Narawtapu, Warrawee and Pitcairn. We could have easily spent another day in this area.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-50237594257568408162020-03-04T10:06:00.000-08:002020-05-30T11:14:52.418-07:00Tasmania Day 15 - Scottsdale AreaYes, we had to set that dreaded alarm today since we needed to be out of our place by 7:45 AM. But, the good news is that the reason for the early start was to pick up Tim and Andrea who were flying down for another long weekend with us. It would be nice to have some additional company.<br />
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Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating today as we had on and off rain the whole drive down to Launceston airport. When we picked them up, Tim was kind enough to offer to drive which gave me a break for the weekend and probably some piece of mind for them.<br />
<br />
Of course, I had to introduce Tim to Sheila. They seemed to hit it off right away as Sheila flawlessly navigated us to our first stop which was the RV park in Deloraine to look for platypus. Tim and Andrea had success here the year before and got great looks from above since there are some bridges over the river there.<br />
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The rain had let up a little as we parked and walked down to the river. Soon enough we spotted a platypus in the river. Our timing was perfect because this platypus was slowly going downstream and would be under one of the bridges soon. So, we hustled on top of the bridge and despite the light rain watched the platypus as it drifted beneath us. It really was a great angle.<br />
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After the 1st platypus moved away downstream we spotted a 2nd one that did the exact same thing. I got some pictures as it went under the bridge this time since the rain was even lighter at this point.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KCT5hPD/A"><img alt="Another Platypus" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KCT5hPD/0/977e7d44/L/DSC_9083_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-B3QwXNG/A"><img alt="Top down view" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-B3QwXNG/0/62546cfd/L/DSC_9091_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It was not great conditions for good photos however.<br />
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After a really nice eggs benedict and toastie lunch at The Deloraine Deli, we headed east. A place I had noted as an option for a quick stop was the Tamara Island Wetlands. So, Tim plugged the information into Sheila and once again she got us there without any incidents. Tim did experience her double beeping "too fast" warning a few times but it seemed subtler to me almost like a "love you" instead. Now, I don't want to say that Sheila liked Tim better than me but I was starting to get that feeling...<br />
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Anyway, when we arrived it was still raining. However, Tim braved the elements to go out and take a look to see if anything was around. Not much was but Tim did confirm that the area lived up to its name of "wet-lands". From here we continued east towards Scottsdale.<br />
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Of course, the conversation turned to the coronavirus today since Tim and Andrea were much more in tune with what was going on than we were. This was especially true for Karen who got to hear about everything for the first time. But, since it was all out of our control at this point, we didn't worry about it too much.<br />
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Since our next accommodations didn't offer a breakfast, we decided to stop in Scottsdale for some groceries to make our own breakfasts for a couple days. When we got to the Woolworth's in Scottsdale many of the shelves were picked clean of the same items that had been hoarded elsewhere in the world. So, Tasmania was obviously not going to be exempt from this. We did manage to find breakfast supplies with no difficulty however.<br />
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Since we were in Scottsdale, Tim thought it would be good to try some local beer. So, we stopped at a liquor store (you can't buy alcohol in grocery stores there) for some beer. After a lot of conversation with the owner we picked a local brew which we were looking forward to trying later that day.<br />
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We had almost reached Derby when we spotted an echidna on the side of the road. But, it was still raining and when we approached the echidna it pretty much hunkered down. Since we thought we might be disturbing it a little we moved on. But, it was nice to at least see one together since the four of us looked pretty hard in Victoria and had come up empty.<br />
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We arrived at the very nice Derby Cabins which are located in the woods outside of Derby. Since the weather was still iffy when we arrived I ended up taking my B-roll shots the next day.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JqkHVCL/A"><img alt="Our next stop" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-JqkHVCL/0/147fd95b/L/DSC_0381_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jQtHw8Z/A"><img alt="The cabins" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jQtHw8Z/0/128f20eb/L/DSC_0382_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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They have 3 identical cabins all of which are very nice and comfortable.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ht5kgBr/A"><img alt="Kitchen" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-ht5kgBr/0/ce7eda4f/L/IMG_20200313_163305924_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Cg8wGrJ/A"><img alt="Bedroom" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Cg8wGrJ/0/348e016d/L/IMG_20200313_163344557_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After settling in, we met at the gazebo near our cabins which is a really nice place to socialize.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-frQwHNf/A"><img alt="The Gazebo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-frQwHNf/0/8a3784b1/L/DSC_0380_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Tim and I tried a couple of the beers and the verdict was...blah. They were nothing special and Tim thought they were "flat" so we didn't even drink them all. In fact, I think we left them in the gazebo when we checked out.<br />
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The rain had let up by dinner time and we headed into Derby and ate at The Hub which is a nice pizza place. We all must have been pretty hungry because not only did we devour our individual pizzas (well, Karen didn't quite finish hers) but we also ordered and shared a huge dessert apple calzone. I think I still might be a little full from that meal...<br />
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After it got dark we decided to do a night drive and walk on the roads near the cabins. We saw 10 brushies and the usual pademelons and wallabies but nothing else. Overall, the night walk summed up the day pretty fittingly since they both were relatively quiet on the wildlife front.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-85979817057174974662020-03-03T11:21:00.000-08:002020-06-06T07:05:18.726-07:00Tasmania Day 16 - The Quoll PatrolWe had another lazy morning since we didn't plan to meet until 9AM. After breakfast, I walked around the cabins a bit but didn't see any interesting wildlife of note.<br />
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At 9AM, we decided to cruise the roads looking for echidna or anything else that popped up. We did that for a couple of hours but also saw nothing of note. Derby, while great for mountain biking apparently, was not very good for wildlife so far.<br />
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We had a nice toastie lunch at a cafe in Derby. As we were leaving, we all piled into the car and noticed a elderly gentlemen with an even more elderly looking dog next to us. The poor little dog was skinny and shaking as it stood there obediently. That's when Andrea made the comment that "You can tell that he's old because of the white hair on its face". Well, I turned around to prominently display my salt and pepper facial hair, which is getting saltier by the year, and said "Oh really?". Then we all started laughing. You can't do anything about getting older except laugh at it, right?<br />
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After that we headed to the Ledgerwood Tree Carvings. It was here that we would meet our Pepperbush guide at 1PM to head out on the tour that we booked. The tour was called The Quoll Patrol and I hoped it would be a good opportunity to see some wildlife.<br />
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The tree carvings themselves were pretty interesting.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dXnrTQv/A"><img alt="Tree Carving Plaque" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dXnrTQv/0/340c0dae/L/DSC_0383_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wvKRZFX/A"><img alt="Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wvKRZFX/0/f8fd56e9/L/DSC_0384_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dB6XQ42/A"><img alt="Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dB6XQ42/0/64dbfba4/L/DSC_0385_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pHzpN38/A"><img alt="Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-pHzpN38/0/d2aea7a7/L/DSC_0388_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We were met early by the owner of Pepperbush who would be taking us to their Scottsdale office to hook up with Ben who would be our guide. On the way there, we stopped at a pond to look for platypus and quickly found one:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5c2JHQp/A"><img alt="Our last platypus" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5c2JHQp/0/f8c7c25d/L/DSC_9111_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
It sounds like Pepperbush has access to lots of both public and private ponds in the area so they guarantee platypus if you book a tour with them. While it was nice to see what would turn out to be the last platypus of the trip, we were hoping to see some new wildlife today.<br />
<br />
We met Ben around 1PM and piled into his vehicle for what turned out to be a 4 hour drive to the Pepperbush cabin in the woods. On the way, we did make a couple stops. The first was at Ben Lomond NP which was very scenic but the clouds were obscuring the best views from the top.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QtvmXws/A"><img alt="Ben Lomond NP" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-QtvmXws/0/ecd315f5/L/DSC_0389_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
It was actually really cold at the top so it made sense that there was a ski lift up there. They can apparently get quite a bit of snow. We were surprised to spy a wombat at the top of the mountain but it didn't stick around at all. There was a wallaby with a thick winter coat that did however.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-P4gkGWq/A"><img alt="High elevation wallaby" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-P4gkGWq/0/14ef2d1a/L/DSC_9149_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4WPkNMP/A"><img alt="It's checking me out" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4WPkNMP/0/8f754101/L/DSC_9157_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The second and third stops we made on this drive were when we spotted echidnas. We actually ended up spotting two of them in different locations but only the 2nd one posed for good pictures.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dxtFQ6X/A"><img alt="Our last echidna" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-dxtFQ6X/0/8a0b5971/L/DSC_9176_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HJ8drpG/A"><img alt="A flower in its quills" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HJ8drpG/0/309a2702/L/DSC_9184_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The moment was ruined a bit when Ben walked over behind the echidna and picked it up. We quickly voiced protests and he put it back down. Between the long drive and this I was starting to get a bad feeling about this tour.<br />
<br />
Just before we reached the Pepperbush cabin, Ben let us out so we can walk a bit on the road while he went ahead to prepare the cabin for our arrival. The cabin sits on land owned by a timber company but Pepperbush leases it from them for their tours. No hunting is allowed on this land which means that there was lots of wildlife here.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f8rsJ3N/A"><img alt="Wallaby Road" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-f8rsJ3N/0/f6892674/L/DSC_9195_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HKwnS4v/A"><img alt="Wombat chilling" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HKwnS4v/0/a6eb58fb/L/DSC_9211_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfMV55V/A"><img alt="Back-lit Wallaby" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-bfMV55V/0/3038c42e/L/DSC_9220_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-47xgTx2/A"><img alt="Wallabies everywhere" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-47xgTx2/0/02601aa7/L/DSC_9225_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
As we approached the cabin, there were a couple huge cape barren geese there.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TtXJgxg/A"><img alt="Cape Barren Goose" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-TtXJgxg/0/afbc5999/L/DSC_9246_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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There also was a large group of eastern grey kangaroos. I had read about this group before the trip and knew that they were rehabilitated and released in this area. I had also read that they do get some food to supplement their wild diet. So, I wasn't surprised when I saw them all gathered around the front of the cabin eating. These were basically habituated kangaroos and they were quite tame.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jQtMGgM/A"><img alt="Eastern Grey Kangaroo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-jQtMGgM/0/58f84e6b/L/DSC_9262_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-s9mRqKC/A"><img alt="At attention" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-s9mRqKC/0/75d1c888/L/DSC_9267_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Will David beat Goliath?<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fgXPj87/A"><img alt="David vs. Goliath" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fgXPj87/0/c42ed242/L/DSC_9285_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Nope:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GFKkTtS/A"><img alt="And David wins..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GFKkTtS/0/89366c89/L/DSC_9281_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
One of the roos was particularly friendly and Ben mentioned that he liked to have his upper chest rubbed. At first I wasn't really interested in doing this but the roo kept coming up to us and really wanted a scratch. So, I eventually relented and started to scratch him. As soon as I did, he threw his head back in ecstasy. He really enjoyed the scratch and we all got a kick out of his reaction. Fittingly, we called him Pat after this.<br />
<br />
We also witnessed a great example of Newton's 3rd Law of Motion which is basically that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Well, the opposite reaction from scratching Pat and him throwing his head back is that he would then poop. Scratching chest resulting in pooping roo. It happened just about every time. Pat certainly was entertaining. I think he was a bit of a diva too because he ended up sticking around longer than the other kangaroos and even did a little sunbathing. Nice nails...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gRBqQw4/A"><img alt="Just chillin'" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gRBqQw4/0/4755980c/L/DSC_9291_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
While we don't like harassing or being too close to wildlife, it was nice having this tame kangaroo walking among us so that we could get really good looks at him. One thing that stood out was his huge middle toes. I certainly wouldn't want to get kicked in anger by a kangaroo.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NgJxtsR/A"><img alt="That foot can do damage" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-NgJxtsR/0/00d1df77/L/DSC00694_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Once all of us had given him a scratch Pat seemed satisfied and ended up hopping away to a nearby field where the other kangaroos had gone.<br />
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While the petting zoo was going on, Ben talked about the evening and that's when it became apparent that we weren't going anywhere to look for wildlife. Worse still, he had already laid out food for the nocturnal animals and ended up laying out more of the dinner that we didn't finish.<br />
<br />
The 4 course dinner was quite good and included wallaby meatballs, (no, we didn't eat any meatballs with any actual wallabies around) salmon, and a nice dessert. But, as I mentioned, there was some food that we didn't finish that Ben put out on nearby fallen trees. Once it started to get dark, he also put up lights which turned the fallen trees into a stage. For the rest of the evening, we sat in silence as some brushies and quolls came onstage to the bait.<br />
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Yes, this is a picture of a brushie eating salmon which certainly is not part of its wild diet:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WfTshsd/A"><img alt="Possum eating salmon?" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WfTshsd/0/c120ba86/L/DSC_9303_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I only ended up taking a couple pictures because to me this was not a wild experience and more like a zoo feeding. We did have both light and dark morph quolls come. They were not as tame as the brushie and did a lot of circling around before coming to take the bait. They also avoided being in the light as much as possible.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FgPdXT2/A"><img alt="Eastern Quoll" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-FgPdXT2/0/9527cd50/L/DSC_9370_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We eventually packed up and Ben drove slowly in the fields around the cabin as he headed back to the road. There was wildlife everywhere. Wallabies, wombats, pademelons and more. The property was certainly packed with macropods. It's just a shame that we didn't have any opportunity to spotlight around the area.<br />
<br />
On the way back to our car in Ledgerwood, Ben drove incredible fast. He was probably just going the daytime speed limit but that is way too fast at night. We barely missed a handful of animals on the road thanks to him swerving although I am pretty sure we did hit one brushie.<br />
<br />
Now, the one positive from this fast driving is that we all got a look at a wild tasmanian devil crossing the road that we wouldn't have seen if we weren't at that location at that moment in time. As it was, we only had a few seconds of viewing before the devil had crossed and was gone. But, there was no mistaking what it was.<br />
<br />
Looking back, we have mixed feelings about this tour. On the plus side, we did enjoy the cabin property and all the wildlife they had there. In addition, we did enjoy hanging out and interacting with Pat and of course we did have a nice meal and a fleeting glimpse of a wild tasmanian devil.<br />
<br />
But, (and that's a HUGE but) we were not expecting a 4 hour drive to the cabin, our guide harassing an echidna by picking it up, baiting of the nocturnal wildlife, and an obstacle course race home afterwards. This is especially disappointing because this tour costs $500 a piece and there was no mention in their literature about them baiting mammals. If there was, we certainly wouldn't have booked this tour since that is a practice that we are very much against. So, while some people may be fine with all of this, it definitely wasn't for us and ended up being the only major disappointment the whole trip.<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-88324762465660032102020-03-02T12:39:00.000-08:002020-06-10T06:02:16.881-07:00Tasmania Day 17 - The East CoastToday would be a day of driving. We had to go from Derby all the way to Freycinet with a few stops in between. When we planned the itinerary we knew that we planned a lot today and probably weren't going to spend enough time at any one location. But, looking back I think we did OK and don't think we really missed a lot. Although, I am sure there are really nice areas that we didn't even know to go see.<br />
<br />
In any case, the first stop along our drive was at the Bay of Fires. This really is a pretty area and even though we only made a couple stops I think we saw a lot.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KtntZ47/A"><img alt="Bay of Fires" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-KtntZ47/0/dfb21838/L/DSC_0393_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-crV8SDj/A"><img alt="Bay of Fires Scenery" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-crV8SDj/0/03c1fee3/L/DSC_0394_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cWC6M2h/A"><img alt="More Bay of Fires" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-cWC6M2h/0/4366dfd0/L/DSC_0395_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gGb5L7S/A"><img alt="The Bay" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gGb5L7S/0/c1a9f6f9/L/DSC_0401_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4P8RSxP/A"><img alt="OK, last one" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-4P8RSxP/0/8dcba5bf/L/DSC_0402_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Contrary to what you might think, the Bay of Fires didn't get that name from the bright orange lichen on the rocks. Instead, it was named by a ship caption in the late 1700's after all the fires of aboriginal people on the beaches. Go figure.<br />
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We had another really nice lunch at a restaurant in the area. I forget the name of this place but I enjoyed their marketing out front.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5wssTmw/A"><img alt="Luckily, we didn't takeaway any gas" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-5wssTmw/0/f453d9b6/L/IMG_20200315_132751617_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Luckily none of us had any "takeaway gas" that I know of...<br />
<br />
Even though we had driven a long way and had obeyed Tim by keeping our eyes peeled, we didn't see any echidna along the road. But, it was at some point after lunch while we were driving that Sheila made a weird noise and a message popped up on her screen that said something like "Tim dear, you have been driving for a long time and you must be tired. Should I look for a place to pull over so you can rest?".<br />
<br />
Well, maybe I exaggerated a little bit but a message actually did pop up about us driving for a long time and did we want to rest. I had MUCH longer driving days than this and Sheila NEVER cared about MY well being. So, now I knew for sure that she liked Tim better than me. Jealous? Yup, I was a bit.<br />
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We arrived at Freycinet around 4PM and after checking in at the lodge we made a bee-line for the lookout walk to get some exercise and enjoy the view.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gXFQS8M/A"><img alt="Time to hike to the lookout" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-gXFQS8M/0/92593f0c/L/DSC_0410_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
But, there were lots of stairs between us and that view.<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q4t6ZSr/A"><img alt="Going up...and up..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Q4t6ZSr/0/aa44c03b/L/DSC_0416_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Once we got up there, the view was nice but it was also crowded so we didn't stick around too long. <br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xMJcBmK/A"><img alt="View from the lookout" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-xMJcBmK/0/045fdb9f/L/DSC_0417_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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After returning to the lodge, we met for dinner as the sun was going down and I took one last picture for the day to remember the scene:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zkv5CZq/A"><img alt="Freycinet sunset" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-zkv5CZq/0/af3aa5e9/L/IMG_20200315_183235153_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Once it got dark we did both a night drive and a night walk in the area. We had heard that there was a possibility of seeing pygmy possum along the coast but no one at the lodge had any idea of where to look. So, we just headed out on our own but we saw nothing but a few brushies. We were home well before 10PM which was pretty early.<br />
<br />
But there was some excitement today, because as I was putting on my sweats to go to bed a used band-aid popped out. It's the one from the beginning of the trip that I used on my leech bite that I thought I left way back at Clarendon Cottages. So, we didn't leave them with a souvenir after all which is nice. And yes, I know what this little find says about the frequency of me washing those sweats on vacation...Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-28044662838629036152020-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:002020-06-21T06:59:22.947-07:00Tasmania Day 18 - Maria IslandWe had to get up a bit earlier than normal today. But, since "normal" had been sleeping in most of the time, we didn't mind. The early start was due to the fact that we needed to catch the 10:30AM ferry to Maria Island and the ferry dock was about 1.5 hours away. Originally, we had actually planned to take the 9:30AM ferry but changed our minds the day before to avoid what would have been a really big rush to get there since our lodge didn't serve breakfast until 7AM.<br />
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So, instead we leisurely enjoyed the Freycinet Lodge buffet breakfast and then headed south at about 8:15 AM.<br />
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The ferry leaves from the town of Triabunna. However, since there is no food or drink on the island we needed to make a stop before getting on the ferry to pick up supplies for lunch. We grabbed sandwiches at a store in Triabunna. I elected to have my toasted of course but Karen must not have been fully awake yet since she didn't. She regretted that decision later on when it was time to eat them.<br />
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I thought about getting some dessert at the store too but the choices all looked so good that I couldn't decide. I believe that Andrea samples one or two of these so I wonder which was her favorite:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hTP3fXm/A"><img alt="Decisions... decisions..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hTP3fXm/0/9e1541e3/L/IMG_20200316_100533471_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Despite the badly composed photo, here is a shot of the ferry arriving:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DZ65T2T/A"><img alt="Ferry to Maria Island" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DZ65T2T/0/fb9a1a05/L/IMG_20200316_102701318_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The ferry ride itself is about 30 min and was quite comfortable. The crossing can get rough I guess but it was very calm for both our trips. We disembarked and read some of the signage about the island:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WpDwbdQ/A"><img alt="Maria Island NP" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-WpDwbdQ/0/86fef67e/L/IMG_20200316_134315411_HDR-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Right after the signs, the official Maria Island welcoming committee said hello. The committee consisted of a mother and juvenile wombat:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-9ScBpBP/A"><img alt="Get ready for more wombats!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-9ScBpBP/0/4cbf0908/L/DSC_9395_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mSfpqpf/A"><img alt="Mama and baby" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-mSfpqpf/0/07604667/L/DSC_9399_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Of course, they were inundated by everyone getting off the ferry. After all the commotion and idiotic selfies, people moved on and we were able to enjoy the wombats with only a couple other people.<br />
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Junior was following very closely behind mamma but both were very used to people and weren't bothered by our presence at all.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-X5FP9fM/A"><img alt="Just a little nudge" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-X5FP9fM/0/ec5be783/L/DSC_9411_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Time to stop and smell the flowers:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LzmkkVn/A"><img alt="Smelling the flowers" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-LzmkkVn/0/0d5476e7/L/DSC_9470_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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But, only for a second as there is lots of grass to eat:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hsrC7Ds/A"><img alt="Lots of eating..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-hsrC7Ds/0/4e92f81c/L/DSC_9475_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8zszcXh/A"><img alt="Still eating..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8zszcXh/0/8cc8bebe/L/DSC_9480_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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These wombats had very light colored fur which was due to them being out in the sun so much.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-trZ8Qzw/A"><img alt="Quick break and then..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-trZ8Qzw/0/15aca9fd/L/DSC_9501_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Andrea and I spent a while jockeying for good shots and we both were hoping to get at least one of the wombats with the water in the background. This is the best that I could do:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DgBL3DB/A"><img alt="Back to eating." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-DgBL3DB/0/c34d098d/L/DSC_9527_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And to conclude the photo shoot, here are a couple of wombutts:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8ZmHxNs/A"><img alt="Wombutts!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8ZmHxNs/0/311074e1/L/DSC_9531_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We spent so long with those two wombats that we figured we didn't have time to do any major hiking loops. Plus, Tim was concerned about getting "poo sock". You see, he left his driving shoes on for this trip instead of changing into his hiking shoes. The problem was that his driving shoes had a whole in the sole. This led to the concern about "poo sock" and a very unique walking style to combat that concern.<br />
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But, after lunch we did walk up to the Fossil Cliffs. On the way, we found this guy sleeping in the shade:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GwMnDHj/A"><img alt="Siesta time" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-GwMnDHj/0/b594b5dd/L/DSC_9562_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It woke up and groggily sauntered off across the trail:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-g6C3crQ/A"><img alt="wakie wakie" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-g6C3crQ/0/274499b1/L/DSC_9566_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Besides wombats, Maria Island is also known for its cape barren geese and an introduced disease free population of tasmanian devils. We saw some geese and did wander around the buildings hoping to spot one of the devils that purportedly lived there but came up empty.<br />
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On the 2 PM ferry ride back to Triabunna we heard that others did spot a devil right out in the open. So, it is possible to see them during the day on Maria Island.<br />
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After getting back to our car we drove the final hour or so to the Hobart airport. It was during this drive, I believe, when I saw a sign for a 9 hole golf course and made some comment about it. Without missing a beat Tim makes the following announcement "You know, people have 9 holes". He paused for a bit to let that sink in and then proceeded to count them off. What do you know, he was right and we all got another big laugh out of it. Ah, we will miss that sense of humor!<br />
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Reluctantly we dropped Tim and Andrea off at the airport for their return flight to Sydney. While we didn't see a ton of new wildlife this weekend, we sure had fun with them again. Some day we hope to travel with them again once traveling is possible again that is.<br />
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We continued on to the Tasman Peninsula where we would be spending our last two nights. We were staying at Mason's Cottages which were very nice but I completely forgot to take pictures of the place. Shame on me. We talked with the owners a bit about the local wildlife and mentioned that we were after tiger snake and pygmy possum. They gave us a couple tips and said they would contact a local wildlife expert and ask them as well.<br />
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We had dinner at the Fox and Hounds pub and I finally tried the schnitzel that I had seen carried by me at many other restaurants. Luckily, my schnitzel wasn't as big as others I had seen (Wait...should I be sharing that?) so I had no problems finishing it.<br />
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As I mentioned, the Tasman Peninsula is supposed to be another good place to look for pygmy possum so based on some pre-trip research I had done we headed out for a combination night drive and walk along Salt River Rd. We ended up at the old coal mine location for a walk which was pretty cool and a little spooky at the ruins themselves. We saw over 10 brushies but not much else.<br />
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However, we did see 3 feral cats and a bunch of feral rabbits which is not a good sign for the native wildlife.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-88937040070584586902020-02-29T09:42:00.000-08:002020-06-24T07:08:22.851-07:00Tasmania Day 19 - The Last DayToday was our last full day of the trip. So, we celebrated it by sleeping in again and having a nice leisurely breakfast that we had picked up at a store yesterday.<br />
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Today we would be meeting up with an online friend from Safaritalk.net. When we first mentioned our planned trip to Tasmania, Denise, who lives in Hobart, reached out to us and offered to meet up. We decided to do that on our last day on the Tasman Peninsula because she knew the area really well and could give us a back roads tour.<br />
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The problem was that I had issues arranging where and when to meet thanks to the Optus SIM card for my phone that I bought when we first arrived in Victoria. I knew that card didn't have as good a coverage as Telstra but since Optus had a store at the Melbourne airport it was much more convenient to buy. However, during our trip I found that I had no service more often than I had service. In fact, Tim and Andrea's Telstra based phones seemed to always have coverage. So, next time, I will figure out a way to get a Telstra SIM card.<br />
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In any case, Denise knew where we were staying and had called the office there. So, we had a 9AM meeting time arranged at our cottage. Before she arrived, the owners came over and mentioned that they had talked to their wildlife expert friend and we found out that the coal mine ruins were indeed a decent place to look for pygmy possum so we had chosen correctly the night before.<br />
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Denise arrived soon after and we did introductions before we set off with her to explore the back roads in the area. She took us to off the beaten bath ruins and even a cemetery and talked about some of the history of the area. It was really interesting. Plus, we saw some great scenery, and echidna, and even some new birds.<br />
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There was a large low tide at the time we walked along this bay and it made for some great patterns in the sand:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qnV5NvN/A"><img alt="Low tide" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-qnV5NvN/0/df189b2b/L/IMG_20200317_094034979_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-69Kr74W/A"><img alt="Low tide" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-69Kr74W/0/94621682/L/IMG_20200317_094342928_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I finally got a decent photo of a common bronzewing too:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7t978wX/A"><img alt="Common Bronzewing" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-7t978wX/0/ecb8c0b2/L/DSC_9594_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Sooty Oystercatcher:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Pwb9bRZ/A"><img alt="Sooty Oystercatcher" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-Pwb9bRZ/0/c4568162/L/DSC_9602_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here is a shot of an old pier built by prisoners:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-L7f5VD4/A"><img alt="Old pier built by prisoners" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-L7f5VD4/0/8d552cec/L/IMG_20200317_103140569_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We went back to the historic coal mine site which was nice to do during the daytime so that we could really see the ruins:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2mvdM3d/A"><img alt="Historic coal mine site" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2mvdM3d/0/49efc539/L/IMG_20200317_105130880_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The mines were worked by prisoners and some of the cells were still intact. They were small and dark. What, no Jacuzzi tub?<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RT5R5Rg/A"><img alt="Prisoner cell" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-RT5R5Rg/0/6209cf94/L/IMG_20200317_104907215_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Australian Magpie:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nGtfvwg/A"><img alt="Australian Magpie" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nGtfvwg/0/f093cdab/L/DSC_9618_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Yellow Wattlebird:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PNxBZdF/A"><img alt="Yellow Wattlebird" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-PNxBZdF/0/448e68fc/L/DSC_9639_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Some of the forest area around the coal mine site:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CfFQbT9/A"><img alt="Tasman Peninsula" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-CfFQbT9/0/3fa1f904/L/IMG_20200317_113707561_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Little Wattlebird:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wXpMbX3/A"><img alt="Little Wattlebird" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-wXpMbX3/0/a184ad07/L/DSC_9676_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Then we headed to the coast to check out Remarkable Cave. It was a beautiful day and the coast looked magnificent:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8cBHND3/A"><img alt="More Tasman Coastline" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-8cBHND3/0/6b7f0804/L/DSC_9695-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HKDMCQ5/A"><img alt="Rugged Coastline" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-HKDMCQ5/0/e5daa7ca/L/IMG_20200317_141510808_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nbTPXJf/A"><img alt="Tasman Peninsula Coast" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nbTPXJf/0/dbc11bff/L/IMG_20200317_140445032_HDR_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The cave was named because of the opening of light that is in the shape of the island of Tasmania and while this picture doesn't really do it justice the opening very definitely looks like Tasmania:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2g59VxP/A"><img alt="Remarkable Cave (Opening shaped like Tasmania)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-2g59VxP/0/b8833641/L/IMG_20200317_140626766_edited-1-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had a nice lunch with Denise at the Lavender Farm and chatted about this and that. She is a well seasoned traveler like us so it was fun to trade stories about past adventures and talk about hopeful future ones.<br />
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Denise took us back to our cottage where we said goodbye. We had a very nice time with her and really appreciate her taking a day out of her life to drive down and give us a tour of the area. It was the perfect end day to our trip.<br />
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Since we still had a few hours before dinner, we decided to head out to visit some of the scenic spots on the peninsula that we hadn't visited yet. This included a stop at The Dog Line, to view the statue there which commemorates the vicious dogs that were staked up at a narrow point on the peninsula to stop any prisoners from escaping in that direction.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fTZRGHC/A"><img alt="The Dog Line statue" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-fTZRGHC/0/6dd6e4d2/L/DSC_0435-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Next we visited the Tessellated Pavement which was pretty interesting:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-P96Tv4F/A"><img alt="Tessellated Pavement" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-P96Tv4F/0/7c4ea9de/L/DSC_0437-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And finally, we stopped off at the Tasman Arch which was impressive as well:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nbGm28X/A"><img alt="The Tasman Arch" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Trips/Australia-2020/i-nbGm28X/0/7da140a9/L/DSC_0444-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We decided to head to the Fox and Hounds again for dinner since most of the other restaurants open were a bit too fancy for our tastes. When we got to the Fox and Hounds there was a sign out saying that they only had pizza available. Luckily, that is exactly what we planned to order so it all worked out nicely. Thank goodness that sign didn't say they were out of beer...<br />
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After dinner we did a long combo night drive and walk back along Salt River Rd all the way to the historic coal mine again. Of course we saw a ton of brushies, pademelon and more feral cats and rabbits on the drive. As we pulled into the dirt parking lot for the mine I saw a snake in front of the car. We got out quickly and were able to identify it as a tiger snake before it moved off into the brush. Nice! We had officially completed the "slithering trifecta" by seeing all 3 species of Tasmanian snakes.<br />
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We spent a long time walking around the coal mine site looking for pygmy possum but couldn't find any. Who knows if they are even really there but at least we tried. On the slow drive back to the cottage, we saw some movement on the shoulder. The little critter then ran across the road slowly enough to identify it as a southern brown bandicoot which was our last lifer mammal of the trip and gave us an even 20 species. A Frogmouth greeted us back at the cottage and didn't even bat an eyelash as I drove slowly past it as it sat on the ground near a light looking for insects.<br />
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What a nice way to end the trip. The final snake and a new mammal to boot.<br />
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We had to leave for the airport at 9 AM the next morning so that allowed for one last sleep in and leisurely breakfast. At the airport, I returned Sheila to EuropCar and mentioned that she was a bit "bossy" but I said nothing about her apparent favoritism towards Tim. I didn't want to sound TOO crazy after all.<br />
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The flights home were fine. The lounges, airports and flights themselves were virtually empty since it was now March 18 and the coronavirus impacts were world wide. We were lucky in that our trip wasn't impacted at all and was probably better since there were less tourists around. However, we overhead many other people that had cut their vacations short and were returning home. I was surprised that San Francisco had no special screening at all. We got through immigration quickly and customs was actually closed so they waved us through. This was in the middle of the afternoon during a pandemic. I thought that was weird since we were bracing for a big hassle but we got just the opposite.<br />
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We got back home to Tucson and decided to stop at a grocery store on our way to pick up some supplies. However, we arrived a few minutes before 9 PM and didn't realize they had changed their hours to close at 9 PM now. We also were surprised to see most of the shelves empty. So, we weren't able to get much in the way of supplies to feed ourselves and had to return to 2 separate stores the next day just to get groceries to last a few days. We definitely returned to a different world that likely won't return to "normal" for a long, long time.<br />
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We had a wonderful time in Australia and really appreciated traveling in a country where we could drink the water, not worry about eating uncooked food, drive ourselves, and where the people spoke English (sort of 😀). It was also made better by having Tim and Andrea join us for two separate weekends and for getting a special back roads tour from Denise on our last day. We are not sure when we will be traveling next but going back to Australia is currently at the top of the list.<br />
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From a wildlife perspective, this was a really successful trip since we saw more mammals than expected and had a good tally of birds and a few reptiles as well.<br />
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<b><u>20 native mammal species seen (all lifers):</u></b><br />
Grey-headed Flying Fox<br />
Black Wallaby<br />
Brush-tailed Possum<br />
Ring-tailed Possum<br />
Koala<br />
Eastern Grey Kangaroo<br />
Sugar Glider<br />
Echidna<br />
Water Rat<br />
Red-necked Wallaby<br />
Red-bellied Pademelon<br />
Eastern Quoll<br />
Australian Fur Seal<br />
New Zealand Fur Seal<br />
Long-nosed Potoroo<br />
Eastern Barred Bandicoot<br />
Common Wombat<br />
Platypus<br />
Tasmanian Devil<br />
Southern Brown Bandicoot<br />
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<b><u>7 reptile species seen (all lifers):</u></b><br />
White's Skink<br />
Tasmanian Tree Skink<br />
Jacky Lizard<br />
White-lipped Snake<br />
Lowland Copperhead<br />
Tiger Snake<br />
Metallic Skink<br />
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<b><u>82 lifer bird species seen:</u></b><br />
Australian Wood Duck<br />
Rainbow Lorikeet<br />
Dusky Moorhen<br />
Australian Magpie<br />
Noisy Miner<br />
Eastern Yellow Robin<br />
Golden Whistler<br />
Crimson Rosella<br />
Laughing Kookaburra<br />
Superb Lyrebird<br />
Superb Fairy-wren<br />
Rainbow Bee-eater<br />
Singing Honeyeater<br />
Pied Currawong<br />
Magpie Lark<br />
White-eared Honeyeater<br />
Gang Gang Cockatoo<br />
Yellow-faced Honeyeater<br />
Grey Fantail<br />
Red Wattlebird<br />
Galah<br />
Black Swan<br />
Kelp Gull<br />
Silver Gull<br />
Pacific Black Duck<br />
Native Hen<br />
Chestnut Teal<br />
Australian Pelican<br />
Satin Flycatcher<br />
Brown Falcon<br />
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo<br />
Scarlet Robin<br />
Little Penguin<br />
Tawny Frogmouth<br />
Dusky Woodswallow<br />
Australian Pied Oystercatcher<br />
Masked Lapwing<br />
Pacific Gull<br />
Greater Crested Tern<br />
Hooded Plover<br />
Green Rosella<br />
New Holland Honeyeater<br />
Tree Martin<br />
Beautiful Firetail<br />
Welcome Swallow<br />
Yellow-throated Honeyeater<br />
Yellow Wattlebird<br />
Australian Swamphen<br />
Silvereye<br />
Pink Robin<br />
Australian Shelduck<br />
Tasmanian Scrubwren<br />
Dusky Robin<br />
White-browed Scrubwren<br />
Little Pied Cormorant<br />
Cape Barren Goose<br />
Sooty Oystercatcher<br />
Flame Robin<br />
Black-faced Cormorant<br />
Great Cormorant<br />
Eurasian Coot<br />
Little Wattlebird<br />
Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike<br />
Common Bronzewing<br />
Grey Currawong<br />
Olive Whistler<br />
White-faced Heron<br />
Grey Shrike Thrush<br />
Black-headed Honeyeater<br />
Striated Fieldwren<br />
Shy Albatross<br />
Short-tailed Shearwater<br />
Australian White Ibis<br />
Australasian Gannet<br />
Little Black Cormorant<br />
Little Corella<br />
Striated Pardalote<br />
Brown Thornbill<br />
Tasmanian Thornbill<br />
Forest Raven<br />
Common Blackbird<br />
Australian PipitAlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-19822589712008392962019-12-25T08:48:00.000-08:002019-12-26T17:58:02.419-08:002019 Favorite PhotosFor us, 2019 was all about Africa. After years of putting off a trip to this great continent because "it's too expensive" or "it's too far" we decided to stop making excuses and just book it. We are glad we did.<br />
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In February, we took a trip to Kenya that was outstanding. Seeing elephants, giraffes, lions, and more on TV doesn't even come close to the feeling of seeing them in the wild. We were really impressed with everything about Kenya and this trip has to be one of the best we have ever taken.<br />
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In October, we returned to Africa. This time to the island of Madagascar which had been top of our trip list for a long time. This trip yielded mixed feelings of both wonder and disappointment. We are glad we went but we have no plans to return.<br />
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Because these two trips took so much of our time, we really didn't go anywhere else. Consequently, all our favorite photos for the year are from Africa and are in pretty much in chronological order.<br />
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The cat I wanted to see the most in Africa was the cheetah. We were lucky enough to see quite a few but I would have welcomed more time with these great cats. This one was resting in the shade and I love that you can see the silhouette of our vehicle in its eyes:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Kenya-2019/i-ZrSqdvh/A"><img alt="Cheetah Closeup" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZrSqdvh/0/L/i-ZrSqdvh-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Towards the end of our Kenya trip we stayed at Porini Lion camp which has a well known leopard called Fig. We were hoping to see Fig and her cub at some point during our stay. Our wishes came true during our first afternoon game drive. Fig and her cub appeared walking out of some bushes and our expert driver put us into a great position. As they approached a fallen tree, I hoped one of them would climb on it for pictures possibly. As it so happens, Fig jumped up first and her cub followed and I was able to get one of our favorite shots from the trip:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Kenya-2019/i-KPQrvS5/A"><img alt="Fig and Cub Posing" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-KPQrvS5/0/L/i-KPQrvS5-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We saw many lion cubs during our Kenya trip so it was hard to pick among many favorite shots. But, one morning stands out as we watched the cubs play above us on some rocks. At one point, one of the cubs laid down on the edge of the rocks and stared at us. It didn't take long for the smallest cub to come up and photo bomb its elder sibling and this turned into another of our favorite moments:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Kenya-2019/i-9MRRbQ5/A"><img alt="Cubs Chilling" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9MRRbQ5/0/L/i-9MRRbQ5-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Our last favorite from Kenya is another leopard shot. We were watching Fig and her cub in a tree hoping that Fig would come down to hunt. Eventually she did but we lost sight of her so we drove over to the area of the tree to see if she was still around. Instead, we found her cub still up in the tree half sleeping and half lounging. She was as interested in us as we were in her:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Kenya-2019/i-6zhMWk4/A"><img alt="Cub Stare" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6zhMWk4/0/L/i-6zhMWk4-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Madagascar is a wondrous land filled with extremely rare and endangered wildlife including lemurs and chameleons. We didn't have to wait long to find one of these rare creatures when we encountered this nocturnal ankarana sportive lemur on our first full day. While these lemurs usually sleep during the day we found quite a few hanging around their tree holes watching the world go by which on this day included us:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-k2bdKFR/A"><img alt="" do="" how="" in="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-k2bdKFR/0/L/i-k2bdKFR-L.jpg" you="" /></a><br />
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Speaking of chameleons, we saw a lot on our trip (17 species actually). They ranged dramatically in size from thumbnail to arms length and all of them were fantastic. This panther chameleon stands out because it had such a great range of color but also looked so prehistoric:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-bdZZSzc/A"><img alt="Panther Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bdZZSzc/0/L/i-bdZZSzc-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Another fantastic group of lizards that we saw on this trip were the different leaf-tailed geckos. All were masters of camouflage and just about impossible to find. It took the sharp eyes of our local guide to find this one which was still hard to see from a couple feet away. Just amazing...<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-3BMQg4G/A"><img alt="A side view helps" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-3BMQg4G/0/L/i-3BMQg4G-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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One of the most iconic lemurs in Madagascar is also the one of the largest and loudest. The indri is simply amazing to see and hear in person. We were fortunately enough to see a couple different troops and to hear them calling from right above us. While that memory is etched in our brains I won't forget the encounter we had with another one of them that stared right at me:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-BkHc23B/A"><img alt="Indri Closeup" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BkHc23B/0/L/i-BkHc23B-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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2019 continued the tradition of wildlife mocking me as often as possible. I have more photos of animals pooping, peeing, and sticking their tongues out than I can count. Someday, I might even create a whole book of photos dedicated to those very subjects. In that book, I would include this photo of a rescued diademed lemur who was not amused that we interrupted its meditation session:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-9cWsF43/A"><img alt="When you interrupt a lemur meditating" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9cWsF43/0/L/i-9cWsF43-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The smallest primate in the world is often debated. Some say it's the pygmy marmoset (which we saw in Ecuador), while others say it is the tarsier (which eluded us TWICE in Borneo), while still others will say it is one of the mouse lemur species found in Madagascar. We saw 5 species of mouse lemur and they were all tiny and simply adorable. But, this mouse lemur joins the favorite list not just because it was tiny and cute but also because it was seen on the Masoala peninsula where it has been determined to be a distinct species that has yet to be fully described by science. I vote for Microcebus adorablis:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-d3Nxvt4/A"><img alt="Masoala Mouse Lemur (Undescribed Species)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-d3Nxvt4/0/L/i-d3Nxvt4-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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The final favorite of 2019 is a forest crab which is probably the first crustacean to make one of my favorites list (I am too lazy to actually check). What was unusual about this crab is that when we approached it didn't scurry off into the forest like all the others that we had seen. On closer inspection, we figured out why when we saw that it was slowly pulling up and eating a worm:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-F8L7j8c/A"><img alt="Crab Grabbing Lunch" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-F8L7j8c/0/L/i-F8L7j8c-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
That wraps up another great travel year for us and we hope 2020 brings more exciting adventures.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-45383402122292658862019-10-28T17:23:00.000-07:002019-12-08T08:08:23.382-08:00Madagascar Day 1 - Travel, Tana, and AnkaranaAh, Madagascar. How you've teased me for years with your lemurs and chameleons. But, I knew that one day we would meet and that day has finally come.<br />
<br />
Madagascar has been at the top of my "dream" trips for years but I have always put it off because it was "too expensive" or "too far away" or "too hard to coordinate". However, I read some trip reports from other people that went recently and I found what appeared to be a very reliable tour operator. That, coupled with the fact that we feared every year we waited to visit would mean more extinct species, gave me the kick in the butt I needed to start planning.<br />
<br />
The trip turned out to be a trip of extremes and over all there was an undeniable feeling of disappointment. But, you'll have to read on to to see why.<br />
<br />
It only took a year of planning and countless emails back and forth with our tour operator Cactus Tours to make it all happen. We would be traveling with our friends Bill and Peggy again which was great. We all finally settled on the following itinerary since it would be impossible to see all the prime areas in one 3 week trip:<br />
<br />
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<b>Day <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Activity<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Lodging<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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1<o:p></o:p></div>
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Depart Home for Tana<o:p></o:p></div>
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N/A<o:p></o:p></div>
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2<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paris<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paris Hilton<o:p></o:p></div>
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3<o:p></o:p></div>
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Arrive TNR late evening<o:p></o:p></div>
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Relais Des Plateaux<o:p></o:p></div>
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4<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flight to Diego Suarez<o:p></o:p></div>
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Relais de l’Ankarana<o:p></o:p></div>
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5<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ankarana<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Relais de l’Ankarana<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
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6<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ankarana to Amber Mt<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nature Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
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7<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amber Mountain<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nature Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
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8<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flight to Tana<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tamboho Boutik Hotel<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
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9<o:p></o:p></div>
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Andasibe/Mantadia<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vakona Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
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10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Andasibe/Mantadia<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Vakona Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
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11<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Andasibe/Mantadia<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Vakona Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
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12<o:p></o:p></div>
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Andasibe to Antsirabe<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Maison Tanimanga<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
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13<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ranomafana<o:p></o:p></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thermal Hotel<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
14<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ranomafana<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thermal Hotel<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
15<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ranomafana<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thermal Hotel<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
16<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ranomafana to Isalo<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jardin du Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
17<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Isalo<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jardin du Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
18<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Isalo to Zombitse to Efaty<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dunes d'Ifaty<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
19<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fly to Tana<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Relais Des Plateaux<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
20<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fly to Masoala<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
21<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
22<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 23;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
23<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Masoala Forest Lodge<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 14.35pt; mso-yfti-irow: 24;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 14.35pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
24<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 14.35pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Charter flight to Tana<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 14.35pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Relais Des Plateaux<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 25; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 28.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="38"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
25<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 134.35pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Depart Tana (1:55 AM)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 121.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="162"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The high-lighted map below shows almost all the locations except Ifaty which is on the coast west of Zombitse. We skipped over a few well known sights like Berenty, Kirindy, and Bemaraha due to lack of time. Maybe next time...Ha ha!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfpdgQILkc_RQWrMwi871JCUQoW38xrIL-PBpZIQeMVFgqswpf8IFgYUf3gr7kBkkcUhyphenhyphenFQ0zfgcthQnj2sYG5Gd3cS9LAxi2OxdEfcguy31CCgYjOMZIsb5skT4Bk3WmZIBiKKu2Nph9/s1600/Madagascar+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="575" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfpdgQILkc_RQWrMwi871JCUQoW38xrIL-PBpZIQeMVFgqswpf8IFgYUf3gr7kBkkcUhyphenhyphenFQ0zfgcthQnj2sYG5Gd3cS9LAxi2OxdEfcguy31CCgYjOMZIsb5skT4Bk3WmZIBiKKu2Nph9/s640/Madagascar+Map.jpg" width="562" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Unlike past trips, we didn't have to leave for our first flight until 1:15 PM in the afternoon. So, we didn't have an early wake up call for the first time ever which was really nice. Our initial flights to LA and then on Air France to Paris went just fine and, being a huge romantic, I wasn't going to let our first night in Paris go to waste. So, I decided to spring for a top of the line sounding hotel for our 17 hour layover called hôtel d'aéroport de Paris. Sounds fancy right? Well, Karen didn't buy that either since it was hard to miss the big neon sign saying Airport Hilton when we arrived. Oh well.<br />
<br />
The Hilton actually worked out pretty well aside from the 75 Euro basic dinner...ouch!<br />
<br />
The next morning we caught another Air France flight that went direct to Antananarivo, Madagascar (otherwise known as Tana) and it was nice to actually be pretty well rested before this second long flight.<br />
<br />
In fact, I was so rested that I decided to put my 3 years of high school French to the test. So, as soon as the flight attendant came by and addressed me in French I decided to impress her:<br />
<br />
Flight attendant: Voulez-vous boire quelque chose?<br />
<br />
Me: Je m'appelle Alan. J'ai 17 ans<br />
<br />
Fight attendant looking at me funny: Bonjour Alan, voudrais-tu boire quelque chose?<br />
<br />
Me: Où est la bibliothèque?<br />
<br />
Flight attendant looking perplexed: Pardon?<br />
<br />
Me: J'ai une mère et un père et une soeur.<br />
<br />
Flight attendant obviously not understanding my perfect pronunciation: C'est gentil monsieur, voudriez-vous quelque chose à boire?.<br />
<br />
Me: Je dois aller à la salle de bain<br />
<br />
It was at this point that the flight attendant smiled at me and moved on obviously wowed at my mastery of her language. Weird that she never offered me anything to drink though...<br />
<br />
Our flight landed without incident and it only took us 30 minutes to go through immigration and customs although being at the front of the plane really helped us in that regard. Converting US dollars to Malagasy Ariary was easy at the airport but I did have to avoid a rather shady character who tried to convince me to go with her to convert money since her rates were better. Wisely, I said no thanks and proceeded to the official currency exchange office.<br />
<br />
Now, in my ample research on Madgasacar I read that tipping was optional and our tour operator had confirmed that. Well, no one told the porters at the airport because even though we had some small bags we could have easily carried ourselves they insisted on taking them and then each one insisted on getting a tip and were quite aggressive about it. Unfortunately, that trend continued at almost all our stops but more on that later.<br />
<br />
Our first night's stay was at the Relais Des Plateaux hotel which was only about 15 minutes from the airport but we still didn't get there until 12:30 AM so we were pretty tuckered out. Consequently, when the phone rang at 5:15 AM I was rather startled. Apparently, the hotel thought we were supposed to leave at 5AM and were wondering where we were. I told them they had the wrong room hung up and tried to go back to sleep. Then 15 minutes later there was a knock at the door and it was someone from the hotel saying that it was time to leave. This time I was very firm and said they had the wrong room because our flight didn't leave until 10 AM so the guy left. At that point, we couldn't fall back asleep since we were worried that maybe our ride was here even though we weren't supposed to leave for hours. We originally did have an earlier flight, but that was changed. I guess the hotel didn't get that message.<br />
<br />
Well, we needn't have worried since I ride hadn't arrived but when I mentioned all this at the front desk later and pointed out the person that came to our room the staff was rather indifferent and offered no explanation or apology. Hmm...welcome to Madagascar I guess.<br />
<br />
As I have already mentioned, I did ample research prior to this trip so I knew that we unfortunately we had to waste an entire day anytime we needed to take a domestic flight. This is because Air Madagascar was notorious at changing or cancelling flights at the last minute. But, recently they had re-branded their domestic air business as Tsaradia and were supposed to be getting better.<br />
<br />
We showed up to the airport and had to deal with aggressive porters again who would not leave us alone in the terminal until we tipped them enough money. Just as we were checking in our guide Bruno showed up. He was late due to horrible traffic and we later learned he had to have someone from the office pick him up on a motor bike so they could get through the traffic in time to meet us and make the flight.<br />
<br />
Well, just as he arrived we were having issues checking in because the agent was giving us a hard time about our carry on bag weight. We had read that camera backpacks weren't weighed but that wasn't the case for us. They weighed everything and gave Bill a huge hassle that his carry on was overweight. In fact, they spent so much time hassling him that they forgot about my overweight backpack but unfortunately they made Bill pay $50 for his carry on.<br />
<br />
Once we finally got past this point we all stood around waiting and that is when we realized that our flight was delayed. Our 10 AM direct flight was now scheduled for 11:30 AM and was no longer a direct flight. To top it off the flight didn't end up leaving until after Noon. So, we were stuck for over two more hours standing around in the hot airport terminal. During that time, I came up with a slogan to go with their new name:<br />
<br />
"Tsaradia, new name, same horrible experience".<br />
<br />
We finally landed in Diego Suarez on the northern tip of Madagascar at around 2:15 PM to howling winds that nearly knocked us over on the runway. By 2:45 PM we had piled into two separate 4x4 vehicles for our trip to our lodge near Ankarana National Park. Our route would be along National Road 6 (RN6) which our driver said was nicknamed "National Road Sick" and then he laughed. Uh Oh...<br />
<br />
There was a quick stop in "town" for water and Bruno handed out some sandwiches (bread and cheese or bread and chicken only). I looked at the sandwiches a bit dubiously but I was so hungry that I had one during the drive. Karen passed on hers (since it was too hard to eat bouncing around on the road) and we ended up giving most of our "food" away to people along the road.<br />
<br />
What proceeded next was a 3 1/2 hour drive on one of the worst roads imaginable. Some of the pot holes were so extreme that I swear we lost sight of the sun when we drove into them. We were jostled left and jostled right. In the back of the truck was some sort of buckle that kept hitting one of the metal struts which made a dinging sound like a bell. So, trying to make the best of things, I joked that..."Every time a bell rings, Alan and Karen get a bruise". Too bad that was closer to truth rather than fiction.<br />
<br />
Despite the crazy bumpy drive we did have a chance to check out the scenery a bit but there was very little to see. We pretty much just passed one poor village after the next. Most "houses" were made of sticks but a few had corrugated metal as well. The extreme poverty was eye opening. People were washing clothes and themselves in the few streams we passed and we learned that the Malagasy people didn't need any privacy to go to the bathroom. We saw multiple people just stop and whip it out or squat right on the side of the road. This was certainly not a world we were used to.<br />
<br />
We took one break along the 3 1/2 hour drive to see our first chameleon but otherwise there were no other stops. Not for the bathroom or anything else since we were trying to get to the lodge before dark. Needless to say, it wasn't a very pleasant drive.<br />
<br />
Just after dark we arrived at Relais De L'Ankarana which would be our lodging for the next two nights. It felt REALLY good to not be moving anymore.<br />
<br />
Sine I am feeling guilty that I haven't included any pictures yet, here are some pictures of the lodge that I actually took the following morning:<br />
<br />
Dining Area:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-tTrvSsV/A"><img alt="Dining Area" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-tTrvSsV/0/L/i-tTrvSsV-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The outside of our room:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-wqjZR3r/A"><img alt="Relais de l'Ankarana" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-wqjZR3r/0/L/i-wqjZR3r-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And now the inside:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-5zwjt5r/A"><img alt="Our Room" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5zwjt5r/0/L/i-5zwjt5r-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The room was nothing special but it served its purpose fine. It was really windy and our room door kept opening by itself but I was able to rig up one of the wire hangers we brought to keep it closed during the night thankfully.<br />
<br />
Dinner was actually pretty good and the cold beer was even better. The lodge did have some grounds to investigate but we found nothing except for a night hawk hunting moths attracted to one of the lights.<br />
<br />
So ends a fairly crappy first full day in Madagascar. I wish I could say that this was our one and only fairly crappy day but that is not the case.<br />
<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-16566752611594566922019-10-27T19:17:00.000-07:002019-12-09T18:58:20.941-08:00Madagascar Day 2 - AnkaranaWe woke up today with renewed energy and I was able to make it out early to walk the grounds a little bit. Besides taking shots of the lodge that I shared yesterday I also managed to spot some new birds:<br />
<br />
Crested Drongo:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-N3TWmxf/A"><img alt="Crested Drongo" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-N3TWmxf/0/L/i-N3TWmxf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Sakalava Weaver and nest:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-pL7xTCg/A"><img alt="Sakalava Weaver and Nest" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pL7xTCg/0/L/i-pL7xTCg-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The plan today was to spend most of the day at Ankarana National Park. But, since the park didn't open until 8AM we didn't leave until 7:30AM. It turned out that the park was only 5 minutes away but we got there early so that Bruno could take care of the entrance fees and we could meet our local guide.<br />
<br />
In Madagascar, it is required that you use a local guide whenever you venture into a national park. This was a good thing for the most part because the local guides knew where the wildlife would be. Our guide for Ankarana was Frankie and he turned out to be so-so.<br />
<br />
There was some really cool signage at the entrance to the park.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-W63q2sm/A"><img alt="Ankarana Sign" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-W63q2sm/0/L/i-W63q2sm-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-mTTT3Q9/A"><img alt="Ankarana Entrance" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-mTTT3Q9/0/L/i-mTTT3Q9-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-26GzFw3/A"><img alt="Ankarana Mural" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-26GzFw3/0/L/i-26GzFw3-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Before we headed into the park, Bruno said we would be having lunch at a restaurant right next door to the park entrance and we needed to order ahead of time. I joked that this must be because they need to know what to kill but I think I was more right than I wanted to be...<br />
<br />
Frankie took us aside and showed us the plan for the day. We would hike to the tsingy in the morning and then return after lunch to visit the caves. However, he really didn't give us an indication of the length of the hikes or how difficult they would be. This would result in us being a little unprepared for what was to come.<br />
<br />
Ankarana Map:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-9mND8Cm/A"><img alt="Ankarana Map" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9mND8Cm/0/L/i-9mND8Cm-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The "Circuit TSINGY MEVA" looks pretty innocent on the map doesn't it...? The yellow dashed line leading to it is a road. So, we only walked the blue part. Looks like a loop trail to me, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
Before we got to the tsingy, we walked through a really nice forest and it was here that we found our first lemur.<br />
<br />
Ankarana Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur ankaranensis):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-XnTXdWQ/A"><img alt="Ankarana Sportive Lemur Hiding" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-XnTXdWQ/0/L/i-XnTXdWQ-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Sportive lemurs are nocturnal but for some reason they like to hang out around their tree hole during the day. The guides know where their holes are so it's pretty easy to find them and we ended up seeing three.<br />
<br />
Here's one that showed a bit more of itself:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-CK2s7dD/A"><img alt="It's almost out..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-CK2s7dD/0/L/i-CK2s7dD-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
This one really cooperated with a full view:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-K9nwpQg/A"><img alt="Whoomp, there it is!" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-K9nwpQg/0/L/i-K9nwpQg-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Besides the lemurs we also found some other wildlife.<br />
<br />
White-breasted Mesite:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-XFwMLNc/A"><img alt="White-breasted Mesite" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-XFwMLNc/0/L/i-XFwMLNc-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Madgascar Day Gecko:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-hHkDxJf/A"><img alt="Madagascar Day Gecko" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-hHkDxJf/0/L/i-hHkDxJf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And, we had a final sportive lemur that was just "chillin"...<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-k2bdKFR/A"><img alt="" do="" how="" in="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-k2bdKFR/0/L/i-k2bdKFR-L.jpg" you="" /></a><br />
<br />
Soon, the forest ended and the tsingy began. For those that don't know, tsingy are limestone formations that were formed over millions of years by rain water into razor sharp edges as far as the eye can see. In fact tsingy means "place where one can't walk barefoot"...nor would you want to.<br />
<br />
The tsingy at Ankarana pales in comparison to the large tsingy at Bemaraha but since we weren't going there this was our one chance to experience tsingy.<br />
<br />
The hike began with some really cool plants and the beginning of the black tsingy formations:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-wDcwZSq/A"><img alt="Ankarana Tsingy" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-wDcwZSq/0/L/i-wDcwZSq-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-MsTgnjC/A"><img alt="Tsingy Hike" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-MsTgnjC/0/L/i-MsTgnjC-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
And then the plants disappeared and it was as if we were walking on another planet:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-SN9fCq7/A"><img alt="Yup, it's sharp." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-SN9fCq7/0/L/i-SN9fCq7-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
A planet that must have been MUCH closer to the sun because it was out of this world hot! One might even say...extremely hot.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-LzNSKPx/A"><img alt="Tsingy in all directions" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-LzNSKPx/0/L/i-LzNSKPx-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Close to two hours into this very hot hike we reached what Frankie said was the end. "That structure is the end" he said. Of course as we got closer we saw that there were a few more obstacles to cross to get to the end:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-H57QLxr/A"><img alt="Of course I didn't go first..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-H57QLxr/0/L/i-H57QLxr-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
That's when Bruno said that we didn't have to cross if we didn't want to you because it was a dead end and we had to turn around and hike all the way back.<br />
<br />
SAY WHAT! WE HAVE TO HIKE BACK?!<br />
<br />
None of us had brought enough water so the prospect of doing that hike all over again was met with a lot of muttering and a little cursing. OK, I lied...<br />
<br />
It was met with a little muttering and a lot of cursing.<br />
<br />
But, most of us decided to cross the bridges (yes, there were two) since we had already gone that far and didn't want to let a couple flimsy looking wood bridges get in our way.<br />
<br />
Here is a shot of the two bridges we crossed with Karen in the background. She chickened out on crossing the bridges so she kept an eye on Bill's tripod and 600mm lens. Yup, he carried it the whole time without complaint.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-DHQFfmH/A"><img alt="But, I did cross" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DHQFfmH/0/L/i-DHQFfmH-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Here is a sign that wins an "Obvious Award":<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-RS3L6j9/A"><img alt="The world's most obvious sign" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RS3L6j9/0/L/i-RS3L6j9-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Once we crossed back over the bridges and told Karen she missed the best views we had EVER seen, we divvied up our water among the four of us and headed back. The only wildlife we saw on the way back (this could be because my head was down and my feet were dragging) was a couple crowned lemurs one of which was in a rather "exposed" position. Luckily, I had a leaf play censor for me and hide his "tsingy":<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-4QCBTrG/A"><img alt="Leaf Censorship" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4QCBTrG/0/L/i-4QCBTrG-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
All told, it was a 5 hour hike. This sign says it was only about 2 miles to "Point Suspendus" which I assume was the suspension bridges at the end of the hike. But, it sure felt like we walked more than 4 miles round trip.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-fkjp5Jj/A"><img alt="Don't believe it...it's longer..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fkjp5Jj/0/L/i-fkjp5Jj-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Lunch at the restaurant was quite good and was just about the best chicken we had on the trip. Little did we know that we should have really enjoyed that boneless breast meat since that is NOT how chicken was served at most other places.<br />
<br />
Lunch did help us get energized for the afternoon and this time we made sure to ask about the length of the hike and what we should bring. We ended up bringing lots of water and drove into the park towards the afternoon trail head.<br />
<br />
At the trail head parking lot we were met by a very curious crowned lemur:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-XJXDfXW/A"><img alt="Crowned Lemur" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-XJXDfXW/0/L/i-XJXDfXW-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-BSSPxnG/A"><img alt="Hamming it up..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BSSPxnG/0/L/i-BSSPxnG-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Then the guides said that there were more down the trail so we headed off to find about a 1/2 dozen milling around close to some man-made structures. They were very tolerant of us and this one proceeded to clean its tail in front of me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-Lrxjrq6/A"><img alt="Tail Grooming" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Lrxjrq6/0/L/i-Lrxjrq6-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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That's when I spotted the banana peel and we suspected that these lemurs were tolerant of us because someone was slipping them a little banana. That was disappointing so we headed off on our hike towards the caves.<br />
<br />
After a relatively short walk there was a long descent on 150+ tiny cement stairs to the caves.<br />
<br />
Yup, 150. <br />
<br />
It was here at the bottom of those stairs that our guides said that we needed to remove our hats and leave our water. These were sacred caves and the Malagasy don't allow hats or water in the caves. I didn't really understand why but we took some final swigs of water and I was too tired to worry about my lovely "hat hair".<br />
<br />
The cave itself narrowed down pretty quickly but not before we managed to spy a couple different species of bats which was great. Luckily, there were not enough bats to make the cave smell too badly. After we left the first cave, Bruno pointed up to another cave that we were going to venture into. Karen's foot was bothering her (turns out she twisted it a bit on the tsingy) so she wisely stayed at the base of the stairs and didn't venture up the steep climb into the second cave.<br />
<br />
Here is a view of those stairs from the mouth of the second cave:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-6jZcxX5/A"><img alt="Ankarana Cave Approach" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6jZcxX5/0/L/i-6jZcxX5-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The cave mouth was huge:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-WnTH5Lr/A"><img alt="Cave Entrance Looking Out" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-WnTH5Lr/0/L/i-WnTH5Lr-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Then we headed up a shale covered hill to a second cave that started out pretty big but narrowed and shrunk to the point that I couldn't stand up and had to walk bent over. It was about that time I regretted holding two cameras and lugging a backpack. There were a few places inside the caves that I just about couldn't bend down far enough to pass through. But, thank goodness I was dripping with sweat which helped me squeeze through. This little "hike" turned out to be quite a workout.<br />
<br />
If only I had some water...<br />
<br />
We ended up seeing a 3rd bat species in this cave but the guides couldn't identify it so it will be absent from our final mammal count.<br />
<br />
After over an hour, we made it out of the hot cave into the hot air outside, I climbed back down the shale hill to enjoy some...hot water. Ah, vacations...<br />
<br />
Going back up the 150 stairs was easier than coming down but there were audible cheers when we made it to the top and headed back to the vehicles.<br />
<br />
Back at the lodge, I enjoyed a nice cold beer (which ended up being a luxury as I would find out later in the trip) and we had another nice meal at the lodge.<br />
<br />
The extreme winds that picked up that evening were an appropriate ending to a day with extreme heat and extreme fatigue. But, we also started to see some of the extremely cool wildlife that Madagascar has to offer.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-66207002375241948502019-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:002019-12-10T19:22:21.428-08:00Madagascar Day 3 - To Amber MountainWe woke up pretty sore the next morning which was to be expected after the previous days hiking. But, that didn't mean I was looking forward to getting back in the car for a full morning drive which was the plan. Karen's foot had swollen up over night and it was rather painful to walk on it. So, unlike me, she was just fine sitting in a car for a while.<br />
<br />
The drive back on the "RN Sick" towards Diego Suarez was no better than the first time. We heard a lot of bell ringing and did end up with more bruises.<br />
<br />
Originally, our itinerary called for a stop at the red tsingy which is a different kind of tsingy but we all decided to pass on that since we saw enough tsingy yesterday to last a lifetime and it meant going down a side road for about 18 km of even more bumpy driving.<br />
<br />
The drive to our lodge (Nature Lodge) at Amber Mountain was 4 hours and we arrived in time for a later lunch. Their menus were all in French and they were out of a lot of items but we managed to find some decent chicken stir fry to eat.<br />
<br />
The lodge itself is quite picturesque with nice looking grounds:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-dzfxJMw/A"><img alt="The Nature Lodge" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-dzfxJMw/0/L/i-dzfxJMw-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-489gBg7/A"><img alt="Nature Lodge Grounds" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-489gBg7/0/L/i-489gBg7-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Here is a view from the outside dining room taken the following morning:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-9LN2kV3/A"><img alt="View from the breakfast table" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9LN2kV3/0/L/i-9LN2kV3-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
We stayed in cabin #6:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-Vrrbq6b/A"><img alt="Outside view of our room" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Vrrbq6b/0/L/i-Vrrbq6b-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-QmBnKp2/A"><img alt="Our Room" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-QmBnKp2/0/L/i-QmBnKp2-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Notice the two food staples for the trip; water and bananas:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-L7hFT9p/A"><img alt="Uncomfortable Sofa" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-L7hFT9p/0/L/i-L7hFT9p-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-M62KnXf/A"><img alt="The bathroom" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-M62KnXf/0/L/i-M62KnXf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The lodge ending up looking a lot better than it was. It had many quirks and the first one we discovered was that our room key was attached to a huge round metal ball. It was the size of a grapefruit and we had to leave it at the front desk every time we left our room since it certainly wouldn't fit into my pocket.<br />
<br />
Here is a shot of "the old ball and chain":<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-dpCSsfW/A"><img alt="The " and="" ball="" chain="" old="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-dpCSsfW/0/L/i-dpCSsfW-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We had agreed to meet at 3:45 PM to do some birding around the property and later we would go on a night walk. But, I was antsy to stretch my legs right after lunch so I wandered the property by myself looking for critters. Karen stayed back in the room to ice her foot. The lodge was very good about providing ice for us a couple times. Anyway, I found quite a few cool critters.<br />
<br />
Giant Day Gecko (Phelsuma grandis):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-VxkDvwL/A"><img alt="Giant Day Gecko Eating" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VxkDvwL/0/L/i-VxkDvwL-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
I was also proud of myself for finding this Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). It was in a bush and pretty well camouflaged:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-cdWCDZB/A"><img alt="Panther Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cdWCDZB/0/L/i-cdWCDZB-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I spent a while just watching it move since I find them extremely interesting. The eyes swiveled about independently while it swayed back and forth on the branch slowly moving towards me.<br />
<br />
At first, it didn't appear to see me:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-X2LgWj5/A"><img alt="" i="" looking="" m="" not="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-X2LgWj5/0/L/i-X2LgWj5-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Then, it sort of half saw me:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-ChXf5cX/A"><img alt="" i="" looking="" m="" of="" sort="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-ChXf5cX/0/L/i-ChXf5cX-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Finally, we made "eyes" contact:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-c5psxLX/A"><img alt="" are="" bam="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-c5psxLX/0/L/i-c5psxLX-L.jpg" there="" you="" /></a><br />
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Not far away was another chameleon. This one was an Oustelet's Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) and it was pretty well camouflaged so finding it wasn't easy either. Look at those cool "hands":<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-NZCCFn7/A"><img alt="" did="" find="" how="" me="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-NZCCFn7/0/L/i-NZCCFn7-L.jpg" you="" /></a><br />
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Despite the chameleon's coolness factor, the giant day geckos had extraordinary coloring that I couldn't get enough of:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-P9fK2sm/A"><img alt="Giant Day Gecko" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-P9fK2sm/0/L/i-P9fK2sm-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Plus, I figured the more time I spent with them the greater the chance that one of them would stand up and say "15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance."<br />
<br />
Anyone? Geico?<br />
<br />
As I was wandering the grounds, the wind started to pick up again and was howling by the time 3:45 PM rolled around so our bird watching walk was called off. We did have to order our dinner in advance again at that time which is a bit of a pain especially when the lodge was out of half of the menu items. However, we kept our plan for a 6PM night walk which was good.<br />
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At around 6PM we headed out of the lodge gates and towards Amber Mountain National Park for our night walk. Unfortunately, for absolutely no good reason, the Malagasy park system won't let you do night walks in any of the national parks. So, the only option was to do it outside the park on a nearby road. Luckily, we were sheltered from the winds on this road.<br />
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Unfortunately, the road was well populated so we had locals walking around us for most of our hour night walk. But, that didn't stop it from being a very productive walk.<br />
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I immediately found some eye shine which ended up belonging to our first mouse lemur.<br />
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Amber Mountain Mouse Lemur (Microcebus arnholdi):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-6H257tt/A"><img alt="Hiding..." src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6H257tt/0/L/i-6H257tt-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It was extremely fun to watch the little guy leap around in the bushes but it just wouldn't stay still for a really good photo. Seeing these little big eyed creatures almost makes up for striking out on Tarsier in Borneo twice...almost.<br />
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A local guide had joined us for this walk and he soon found a really cool Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus finiavana).<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-8bRzGWf/A"><img alt="Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus finiavana)" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-8bRzGWf/0/L/i-8bRzGWf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We ended up seeing 5 different mouse lemurs (all the same species) but most were just eyes bounding away. However, the last one we saw stayed still for me and I managed to get a decent photo of it:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-DgD34hL/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Mouse Lemur" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DgD34hL/0/L/i-DgD34hL-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We saw lots of chameleons along the road including this sleeping Panther Chameleon:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-4pC8c7m/A"><img alt="Sleeping Panther Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4pC8c7m/0/L/i-4pC8c7m-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Other chameleon species encountered were the Petter's (Furcifer petteri) and many Northern Blue-nosed (Calumma linotum).<br />
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So, while it only lasted about an hour, it was an extremely productive night walk. I can only imagine how much better it might be in the park away from civilization. It absolutely killed me that they didn't allow you into the parks for night walks. What a stupid rule and no one I asked knew why they made it.<br />
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You will notice that I am including the scientific names for all mammals and herps we spotted. That is because there are many species with multiple common names and I went on the trip prepared with a species list by park so that I could talk using scientific names with the guides. This turned out to be key since I discovered that many of the guides got IDs wrong once in a while much to my chagrin. But, I was able to correct/confirm IDs with them using my cheat sheet. They were much better with birds than mammals or herps though.<br />
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While there wasn't much time spent looking for wildlife today, the time that was spent was really fun. Hopefully, Amber Mountain has more critters to reveal for us tomorrow.<br />
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We returned to the lodge for a so-so dinner and my two favorite bottles...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-gmXTDWC/A"><img alt="What a lifesaver" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-gmXTDWC/0/L/i-gmXTDWC-L.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-tQFzpVs/A"><img alt="Drank too many of these" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-tQFzpVs/0/L/i-tQFzpVs-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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In that order...<br />
<br />Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734854065043285919.post-38619356972761638922019-10-25T16:41:00.000-07:002019-12-11T20:01:58.849-08:00Madagascar Day 4 - Amber MountainWell, the wind howled all night shaking our cabin. So, between that and dogs that barked most of the night we did not get out of bed very refreshed in the morning.<br />
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Breakfast was very small and only included a crepe, rolls, and some fruit. We only ate cooked food this entire trip so the fruit went to waste even though we told them not to bring it out. Needless to say we took advantage of the suitcase and a half of food we brought. Yup, you read that right. A suitcase and a half.<br />
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We made it to the park entrance at 8AM and met up with our local guide Manoot again. While Bruno was inside paying, Manoot asked if we wanted to see a mossy gecko. Heck yes!<br />
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So, he leads us over to some branches and asked if we could find it. Can you?<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-kCDNkN4/A"><img alt="Let's play " gecko="" s="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-kCDNkN4/0/L/i-kCDNkN4-L.jpg" where="" /></a><br />
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I was able to find it after a bit of searching. It was on the lower end of the left most vertical branch. Here is a close up.<br />
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Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae)<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-hVVmwcf/A"><img alt="He's hiding in plain sight of course" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-hVVmwcf/0/L/i-hVVmwcf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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And here are a few shots of the entrance to the park.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-cbL4dgR/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain National Park" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cbL4dgR/0/L/i-cbL4dgR-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-2pW6PQf/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain NP Map" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-2pW6PQf/0/L/i-2pW6PQf-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-T9rP6gn/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Entrance" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-T9rP6gn/0/L/i-T9rP6gn-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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As you can see, the forest was pretty thick but we ended up starting out our hike on a dirt road which made things a bit easier to see.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-XLcRZBv/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Hike" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-XLcRZBv/0/L/i-XLcRZBv-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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It didn't take long before we spotted some cool birds like the Pitta-like Ground Roller (the picture was lousy) and some cool reptiles.<br />
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Karen found this Amber Mountain Chameleon (Calumma amber):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-Mgz8VDd/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Mgz8VDd/0/L/i-Mgz8VDd-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Manoot spent some time digging around in the leaf litter and I knew what he was looking for but I was still shocked at how extremely small and cute this was:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-K7stDS4/A"><img alt="Full Grown Montagne d'Ambre Leaf Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-K7stDS4/0/L/i-K7stDS4-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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That is a full grown Montagne d'Ambre Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia tuberculata). How freaking cool is that!<br />
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Later we found another new chameleon the Arthur's Chameleon (Calumma ambreense):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-J6wM4wm/A"><img alt="Arthur's Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-J6wM4wm/0/L/i-J6wM4wm-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Bill saw this little guy crossing the road. Thank goodness he did since it might have gotten stepped on. It was only a few inches long.<br />
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Antakarana Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia antakarana):<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-zkMRThs/A"><img alt="Antakarana Leaf Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-zkMRThs/0/L/i-zkMRThs-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Our guides found another tiny chameleon that they ID'd incorrectly for us. But, thanks to a very cooperative herpetologist I found online after the trip, I found out that this is another Montagne d'Ambre Leaf Chameleon. But, it's cool none the less.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-5jHnc3N/A"><img alt="Another Montagne d'Ambre Leaf Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5jHnc3N/0/L/i-5jHnc3N-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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What a great morning for reptiles!<br />
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Later on in the hike, we found a completely wild crowned lemur that was a little curious of us at first but then took off:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-P56V4dh/A"><img alt="Crowned Lemur" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-P56V4dh/0/L/i-P56V4dh-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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While Madagascar doesn't have a huge amount of bird species (low 100's I think) they do have some VERY cool looking birds.<br />
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Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-rZw8LHd/A"><img alt="Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-rZw8LHd/0/L/i-rZw8LHd-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Female Cuckoo Roller:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-fz3dtRs/A"><img alt="Cuckoo Roller" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fz3dtRs/0/L/i-fz3dtRs-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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An Amber Mountain endemic the Amber Mountain Rock Thrush:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-FpBDb7t/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Rock Thrush" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-FpBDb7t/0/L/i-FpBDb7t-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We spotted a Northern Blue-nosed Chameleon and in the day time and it was obvious how it got its name:<br />
<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-DTxhNrL/A"><img alt="Norther Blue-nosed Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DTxhNrL/0/L/i-DTxhNrL-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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Amber Mountain was quite scenic and towards the end of our hike we passed a pretty waterfall.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-hqf6kPC/A"><img alt="Amber Mountain Waterfall" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-hqf6kPC/0/L/i-hqf6kPC-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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While we were looking at the falls, Karen decided it would be a good time to "check the tires". So, she asks Bruno if it's OK to go in the bush and he says "#1 or #2?". "#1" was the reply but he still had to ask the local guide. I guess you aren't supposed to go in the bush in some if the parks. If true, that's another rule that makes little sense especially since most parks have no restrooms or have no restrooms you would actually want to set foot in.<br />
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Anyway, while Karen was gone, the guides found a really colorful Panther Chameleon:<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-ZrP7j84/A"><img alt="Panther Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZrP7j84/0/L/i-ZrP7j84-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-bdZZSzc/A"><img alt="Panther Chameleon" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bdZZSzc/0/L/i-bdZZSzc-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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We pretty much had the hike to ourselves except for a few locals that passed us on the road. One of which was carrying a large stick across his shoulders from which dangled a half dozen chickens. Since we had all ordered chicken for lunch prior to the hike from a nearby restaurant I joked "there goes lunch" and I was probably right.<br />
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At one point when we hit the main trail we were inundated with cell phone wielding tourists so it was hard to get good angles to take pictures and we pretty much gave up and waited for the groups to move on.<br />
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Other than that, it was a very pleasant hike and we saw some, wait for it... extremely cool wildlife.<br />
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Before leaving the park we went to the picnic area since our guides mentioned that the ring-tailed mongoose can be seen there occasionally. So, we waited around for a while but nothing showed up except people. As we were leaving it started to rain a bit.<br />
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We went back to the restaurant outside the park for lunch. We were seated outside in their very nice garden. Once the food came, so did the entertainment. First it was a dog or two begging for scraps then it was a cat or two or three or five! They all seemed to sense that Bill was the "softy" in the group and he obliged by throwing some of his chicken on the ground.<br />
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I should have done the same since the chicken was just about inedible. This was the first of many experiences with what they call "chicken" in Madagascar. It looks like you are getting a thigh and leg combination but when you actually cut into it you realize this is not the chicken you are used to assuming you are used to chicken with actual meat on it. I called this particular chicken "Griswold Chicken" since it was so dry you had to chew for 5 minutes then use water to wash it down. I ended up eating very little of it but the fries that came with it got devoured. Note: Bill, Peggy, and I had all ordered the same chicken. Karen had ordered the coconut chicken. However, they served her curry chicken by mistake (luckily it was not spicy) and it was super tasty including the chicken which was all breast meat.<br />
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We finished eating around 2PM and I finished chewing sometime after that. We decided not to go back into the park since the weather was a bit iffy and we were not prepared for rain. Back at the lodge the winds were howling again. Karen took the opportunity to ice her foot again. We didn't have a night walk included in the schedule so we just had to hang around the lodge all afternoon and evening which was quite boring.<br />
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I did manage to get a parting photo of my favorite gecko. They are endemic to the northern part of Madagascar so we would not be seeing these big guys again.<br />
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<a href="https://www.focusedonnature.com/Trips/Madagascar-2019/i-VnTRBVD/A"><img alt="Giant Day Gecko" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VnTRBVD/0/L/i-VnTRBVD-L.jpg" /></a><br />
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I had mentioned that the Nature Lodge was a bit quirky. Besides the "old ball and chain" key, French only menus, and the insistence on ordering dinner hours ahead of time, they also wouldn't serve breakfast early. Bruno had to really talk them into serving us at 6:30 AM since they didn't want to serve us before 7AM. I have to think that most people staying there are there to visit the park and see wildlife so why they didn't server earlier or even offer "to go" breakfasts was beyond me.<br />
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They also had "waffle" like towels that were the opposite of soft and really lumpy pillows. To be fair, we found most of the lodges had flat, firm, lumpy pillows so that must be a Madagascar thing. Because of that, and the noisy night life at most lodges, we pretty much only survived on 5 to 6 hours sleep the whole trip.Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14535928017439438716noreply@blogger.com0