This morning we were up early and heading to the Motorhome rental facility to turn in our little home for the month. None too soon, it was starting to feel claustrophobic! A shuttle ride to the airport and a short wait to board our flight to Melbourne. We spent the 1.5 hours layover at the Melbourne airport walking around before our 4.5 hour flight to Perth. Our seat on the second flight had no window! So we got no view of the land, or water, we were flying over, or the approach to Perth, so this mark-up Google maps  view will have to do!

We were so surprised when Joey and his kids showed up at the baggage claim to welcome us! I forgot to take pictures!

Our last full day in Tasmania we spent cleaning up the camper and re-packing our luggage for flying tomorrow. Then we headed to see Connie and Brendan and have a great lunch at their place. Connie offered up the freshest oysters, from the Boomer Bay Oyster Company, just down the road! I brought along a Mexican flavored shrimp salad with fresh avocado and cilantro, or coriander as they call it here. I even found a real jalapeno pepper for it! We were so busy enjoying the ocean bounty that I forgot to take pictures! We finally said our goodbyes after a group picture.

What a fun couple! We had a great time with them at the start of our Tasmanian adventure and a great time with them for our finale! Thank you Connie & Brendan!

Today is a travel day. We will travel from the remote south-west back to civilization near Hobart (only about 1.5 hours)! We need to start preparations for turning in the camper, repacking for airline travel and our next destination! On the way we stopped at a park and had our first sighting of galahs! Otherwise known as the rose-breasted cockatoo or pink and grey cockatoo, it is originally from mainland Australia, but was introduced to Tasmania in the mid 19th century and more recently to New Zealand.

They didn’t let me get too close! I’m surprised that they aren’t popular in the pet trade.

We had a leisurely sunny morning, waiting for the temperature to rise before starting off on our hike around the 3 Falls Trail in the National Park. After an informative conversation with the campground host we decided to hike the route backwards in order to descend the hundreds of steps, rather than to ascend them! We started off hiking uphill anyway, into the eucalyptus forest.

A huge tree with a hollow trunk, Robert inside to give perspective!

We then descended the 239 steps into the cooler, shady forest of tree ferns.

along the creek bank the eucalyptus was shedding it’s bark, draped across the underbrush.

The first waterfall, Lady Barron Falls, in a sunny clearing.

After a 30 minute more hike we reached the “Tall Trees” trail and walked through an open forest of tall eucalyptus, reaching 235 feet tall! We reached the second waterfall in another half hour.

Horseshoe Falls is probably more impressive with more water, maybe in spring rather than fall! Many more tourists here, it’s a shorter walk from the Visitors Center.

A short walk further and we reached the top of the third falls, Russell Falls, as it flows over the edge, with a view out across the forested valley.

After hiking down the 200 steps to the base of Russell Falls, you can’t even see the top where we saw the water begin it’s fall to the base.

The hike back to the Visitors Center passed under this arch of two tree ferns seeming to grow together at the peak!

We completed the almost 5 mile loop hike in 3 hours and had a good rest! After dinner we returned to the last spot, under the tree fern arch, in the dark, passing our first live possums we’ve seen as they crossed our path. We relied on the moonlight as we reached the spot and then looked for the tiny blue glow of lights from the glowworms that live in the embankment behind the railing! They looked like tiny twinkling fairy lights among the vegetation!

…or ‘Into the Heart of South-West Tasmania’. After a cold, damp night, the coldest we’ve experienced so far, we woke to fog over the lake and a very autumn scene.

The bottom land that was filled with sunshine, cockatoos and a kookaburra yesterday, was quiet and cold this morning! It really is Fall here now!

We had breakfast and packed up to head into the interior on the Gordon River road, built by the Hydro-electric Commission of Tasmania with funding from the Australian Government to service the construction of the Gordon and the Serpentine dams, leading to the flooding of Lake Pedder. We stopped at the Mt. Field National Park to secure a powered campsite for 2 nights, to insure we had electricity for our little electric heater! Then we commenced up the road.

The high point on the road, 2135 ft., with 6.2 ft. of rain fall!

Mountain views at some points, with mountain meadows. As we penetrated into the interior, ascending passes and descending into wooded valleys, the weather cooled and the skies clouded.

We reached Lake Pedder near the end of the road to see a rainbow forming in the misty skies over the lake.

This area was a hotspot for environmentalists in the late 1960’s when it was proposed as the site for hydroelectric dams.

The original glacial Lake Pedder was eventually inundated with the impounded water from the dams that were built.

There is still a campaign to drain the lake and restore Lake Pedder to it’s original state.

We continued to the end of the road at the Gordon Dam.

The land here is incredible! Folded on itself and draped with thick vegetation. No wonder it is still so isolated!

The dam is holding back Lake Gordon.

The ribbon of the Gordon River flowing at the bottom of an incredibly deep canyon on the other side of the dam!

We were amazed that we were free to walk across the dam, with no guards, dam employees or even signage except one simple sign on the concrete wall;

I wonder who is an “authorised and licensed personnel” for climbing on a dam wall?

We returned down the road with a stop at Strathgordon, a village to house the workers building the dams in the late 60’s and 70’s. It is now the Pedder Wilderness Lodge .

This ancient 2200 year old (at felling) pine trunk is on display at Strathgordon. Interesting that is is termed “salvaged” from inundation by the dam construction. I would term it “sacrificed” for human power consumption.

And finally, a beautifully lighted mountain view on our way down to our campsite at the National Park.