Tasmania :: Day 02 Gowrie Park :: Devonport to Mount Rolland

As the blinds were retracted, the sunshine spilled into the cabin. The light didn’t deter the children from their dreams. Little by little, a nudge. A whisper.  A stir.

Suddenly, like joeys on taut springs, they sprung out of bed. It was Christmas day. Santa didn’t find them. They hoped that he read their handwritten notes and left gifts that were on their lists.

We ate breakfast bars. The shower was perfect in temperature and pressure. 

The disembarking process flowed smoother than embarking. Kim researched earlier that there was a supermarket nearby that opened on Christmas day. One of the best buys was Tasmanian garlic.

Sheffield, Town of Murals was still asleep when we arrived. Like drunken sailors, we wandered the streets and stumble onto the murals. One of my favourites was of the naturalist, Gustav Weindorfer. 

As we drove towards Gowrie Park, Mount Rolland dramatically greeted us with its grandeur overlooking grazing pastures. Cute pademelons wandered close to the cabin and whispered a hello. Cabin 2 consisted of a double bed separated by a curtain from the kitchen and dining area. There were two pairs of bunk beds. The water was stained by tannin of the leaves and smelt earthy. The clear rainwater was drinkable but it was advised to be boiled prior to doing so. The kitchen was well equipped but it only had one induction stove and an electric pan.

After we settled in, we went for a walk to Mount Rolland. It was in the afternoon in the peak temperature of the day. We got lost and were absolutely grumpy and uninspired. It got to a point that Kim had to walk back by himself and return with the car. While waiting, the children were digging in the dirt by the roadside with sticks and stones.

We abandoned the walk and drove. The children were asleep straightaway.  We found ourselves at the entrance of King Solomon Cave. It was closed. Kim and I took turns to explore the area so the children could continue sleeping. It was peaceful with the sounds of birds and the air was fresh. It was quite nice to be there without the trove of tourists. The path wasn’t well marked with overgrown ferns and tree ferns. I found a potato orchid. Disappointingly the low light meant I didn’t manage to capture a good photo. I would like to come here again when the cave is open as it boasted glow worms. One of my favourite plants I discovered here was the unbrella liverwort.

When we returned to the cabin, I prepared dinner while Kim and the children played table tennis in the common room. I joined them and played for a while with Kim. It was challenging for the children to play this game as the table was too high. 

After dinner, we drove to the start of the earlier abandoned walk. The landscape was quite dry and so was the ground. The combination of a sign warning of wild dogs, the low light, the oppressive humid air and lack of people made me a little nervous. 

We didn’t get to our destination, but we managed about an hour return. During our walk, we saw Stylidium Trigger plant. This dynamic pollinator clubs the insect with its pollen as it drinks its nectar. The jack jumpers were plentiful here.

At bedtime, Thomas immersed himself with Lonely Planet.