Devils and Wombats and Kangaroos

Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia
When we left Hobart the first stop was at Bonorang Wildlife Park a rescue and research facility for Tasmanian wildlife. First we met Lucy, a two year old Wombat. Wombats are closely related to koalas, but where koalas live in trees, wombats live in underground burrows. Their bottoms are composed of very hard cartilage and when they enter the burrows they use it to block the entrance.

Next we were introduced to a Tasmanian Devil . Originally, devils were found throughout Australia, but Tasmania separated from the mainland about 10,000 years ago. The dingo was only introduced to the mainland about 5,000 years ago and caused the extinction of mainland devils. However, the dingos never reached Tasmania so the population there flourished until about 30 years ago when many of the animals became infected with virus that causes facial tumors that interfere with breathing and feeding and are always fatal. Also, many of the nocturnal animals feed on roadside carrion and are struck by motor vehicles. So the population has declined almost 90% and it is rare to see one in the wild.

We stopped to visit a young male Koala, before entering Kangaland where we got to feed the kangaroos. Although the Roos had already had breakfast, they were waiting at the gate for our handouts. They were greedy creatures and one of the bigger males actually took a bite out of my sack of food while I was feeding some of the young ones . They don't like to be petted on the head or back but really enjoy vigorous pats and scratches to their chests. There were a number of joeys, some crawled in and out of their mothers' pouches and you were as likely to see a foot sticking up as you were to see a head.

I could have spent more time with the wildlife but there were more things to do and see as we headed for Cradle Mountain. We made several stops at small convict-built towns. But on the way we passed through the village of Bagdad, then crossed the Jordan River, and passed the turn-off to Jericho. It seems that the surveyor charged with selecting sites and names for future towns travelled with two books, the Bible, and Tales from Arabian Nights, and they provided inspiration for many of the place names. An interesting coincidence is that a detention camp for unaccompanied children from the Middle East and Asia who illegally arrived in Australia by boat was located near Bagdad.

The first stop was at Oatlands, where we saw a convict-built bridge from the 1830s . It is decorated with very ornate carvings and the local magistrate was so impressed with the workmanship that he granted the workmen their freedom. We also stopped in the town of Ross where we had lunch at a local bakery and visited a woolen shop and a woodcraft store. Many of the towns we passed had developed interesting ways of attracting visitors. Campbell Town had turned three ancient, but dying, trees into sculptures. Rail ton is known as Topiary Town, and Sheffield's claim to fame is its murals.

Around 5 we arrived at the Cradle Mountain Lodge where we would spend the night. After a day of mixed sun and showers the heavy rains began just before our pre-dinner walk on a trail known as the Enchanted Walk. About a third of the way through the walk I learned the my OAT jacket was only water resistant and not waterproof. I also discovered that the rain rain down the end of the hood brim, and dripped down my face. Perhaps the walk was enchanted by the Wicked Witch of the West. Despite the weather we were able to see two Wallabys and a Wombat.

After a glass of wine before the fire and a gourmet dinner in the Lodge, we had a night drive through the National Park and were able to see some more wallabies and wombats, an owl and a bushy tailed possum. Sadly, between the rain and the steamed up windows in the vehicle, I didn't get any photos.

Our cabins were cozy and it was wonderful to fall asleep under a warm comfort in front of a gas fireplace.

Comments

Lori
2013-10-19

I would love seeing these animals and hiking - even in the rain!

maryleabyrd
2013-10-19

It was really cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing more animals later in the trip.

2025-02-08

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