On our final day together in Tasmania, Tam and I started with a few hikes before we headed back to Hobart. These were short hikes in and around Freycinet National Park. First up was Sleepy Bay, a short little hike to a pretty, secluded bay.
Category Archives: Tasmania
Tassie with Tam, Part 2
The next morning Tam and I got a tasty breakfast from a small cafe and hit the road. We had a bit of driving to do to get to our destination for the day/night: Freycinet National Park.
Tassie with Tam, Part 1
So going back in time nearly a year from right now, I’m still at the photos from Tasmania. As a quick recap, I’d been down in Tasmania working to extend my visa in Australia. I’d been down there for about two months when Tam came to visit and travel around Tasmania with me.
We met up in Hobart, with Tam’s flight arriving fairly early in the morning and me taking a bus in from Nubeena. After a big hug and kiss, we got in our rental car and went to our first destination, Mt. Wellington.
Mt. Wellington towers up behind Hobart, but is most remarkable in the fact that it is so shear. The mountain goes from Hobart, right at sea level, to over 1200m high in little time at all. The drive up is very winding and narrow, and the views from the top sensational.
Parson’s Bay Retreat
Finally, time to showcase where I lived and worked for 3 months in Tasmania! I found myself at Parson’s Bay Retreat and Tasman Ecovillage, in the tiny town of Nubeena. We were about 100km/1.5 hours out of Hobart and near the historic site of Port Arthur. But being fall/winter, it was a very quiet place to be. The Retreat consisted of a motel, cafe and Ecovillage. I spent a lot of my downtime here, in reception and the Cafe:
Hiking the Tasman Peninsula
With 3 months in a remote location, I made the most of my free time by going on some hikes. Thankfully, the Tasman Peninsula boasts some great hiking tracks, many of which were easily accessible. I’ll showcase two, the Shipsterns Bluff hike and Cape Hauy.
The first hike I did with the group of friends I worked with at Parson’s Bay Retreat was to Shipsterns Bluff, overlooking some great sea cliffs in the area. The hike was relatively short, mostly in the forest, but did end up at some stunning cliffs. Far down below was Cape Raoul on one side.
The Tasman Peninsula
I had packed up my things, returned to Hobart, and just one day later found myself on the Tasman Peninsula, South-West of Hobart (instead of South-East, where I was previously). I had found my new home for the next 3 months, working for an Eco-Village and motel. I’d do 6 hours of work a day, for 6 days a week, giving me one free day a week to explore the peninsula. And exploring I’d do!
The Tasman Peninsula has some great coastal scenery. One day a few helpers and I borrowed a car and took a drive around to some of the highlights. Starting with the coast and some sea cliffs.
To Tasmania!
Tasmania really does feel like a forgotten corner of Australia. It isn’t part of the mainland and the climate, people and feel in general is completely different. It was here that I’d be spending the next 3 months working to get a 2nd year Visa.
False Start
It’s been a while since I did any meaningful updates, but that should change shortly as I’ve left Sydney for the time being and am down in Tasmania for the next 3 months. I’ll chronicle my time in Sydney (finally), but I’ll just write a post on what I’m up to right this moment. I’m working to extend my Working Holiday Visa for another year, as I want to spend more time in Sydney with my girlfriend Tam (whom will feature in my Sydney posts, once I get around to them!). In many countries, you would simply apply online or in person and be granted an extension. But not in Australia. To qualify for a second year extension, you must do 3 months ‘qualified’ work in a rural area before the government will allow you to stay. With that in mind, I chose a vineyard down in Tasmania to help out at for 90 days, owned by a Hungarian family. I lasted 3 days.