November 4th, 2024
Tasmania is an island state of Australia It is located 240 km / 150 mi to the south of the mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania and the surrounding islands. It is Australia’s smallest and least populous state. The state capital and largest city, is Hobart.
Tasmania’s main island was inhabited by Aboriginal peoples. It is thought that Aboriginal Tasmanians became separated from the mainland Aboriginal groups about 11,700 years ago, after rising sea levels formed Bass Strait.
Seafarer, explorer and Dutch merchant Abel Tasman was the first European to discover Tasmania in 1642 and confirmed that Australia was an island continent. The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire to prevent claims to the land French. The Aboriginal population is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 7,000 at the time of British settlement, but was almost wiped out within 30 years during a period of conflicts with settlers known as the “Black War” and the spread of diseases. The conflict, which peaked between 1825 and 1831 and led to more than three years of martial law, cost the lives of almost 1,100 Aboriginal people and settlers.
Under British rule, the island was initially part of the Colony of New South Wales; however, it became a separate colony under the name Van Diemen’s Land (named after Anthony van Diemen, Tasman’s superior) in 1825. Approximately 80,000 convicts were sent to Van Diemen’s Land after the United States of America declared independence and no further convicts could be sent across the Atlantic. This practice, known as “transportation”, ceased in 1853. In 1855, the present Constitution of Tasmania was enacted, and the following year the colony formally changed its name to Tasmania. In 1901, it became a state of Australia through the process of the federation of Australia.
While we have not previously written about individuals states in Australia, to us, this is a unique situation. We grew up with The Looney Tunes spinning Tasmanian devil and Tasmania was quite exotic sounding.
We were up at 3:45 am after terrible sleep (not unusual for us the night before a flight!), to catch our Uber to the airport in Melbourne (we had prebooked this). The Uber showed up on time but we ended up at T2 international departures instead of T4 domestic departures so we had a bit of a walk, but we had plenty of time.
The flight went well – it’s just over an hour – and we arrived to cloudy skies and a short slight drizzle as we walked across the tarmac into the terminal where we first our first Tasmanian Devils – albeit metal ones!
We, of course, had no customs to go through and we never even had to show our passports of any sort of ID to check in or after landing. The car rental pick up easy and fast. This time Fran is driving as we rented a little automatic Suzuki Swift.
We already had a plan of how we were going to travel around the island so since it was still quite early, we began the drive to the south east to the Tasman Peninsula for a few sites. Shortly after leaving the airport we stopped for ice for our small folding cooler bag that we’d brought along and a couple of drinks. The cooler bag we brought is just a bit bigger than a standard size bag of ice!
We went directly to the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo.
The innovative concept of the Unzoo was born in 2005 when two innovative zoo design consultants, Jon Coe and Ray Mendez, began exploring the idea of moving zoos away from their traditional design as a series of enclosures displaying animals for human entertainment. Their vision was for something altogether different – an experience that would immerse human visitors in a natural environment, with animals as the dominant feature. An Unzoo would be a reversal of the traditional concept of a zoo. Instead of animals in enclosures for the benefit of humans, an Unzoo would invite visitors into natural habitats in which cages or barriers are removed or concealed and wild, as well as resident animals, are encouraged to interact with the environment. Animals have more dignity, freedom and self-determination, and human visitors experience personal, memorable encounters with wildlife and nature.
In 2007 Jon Coe, who had worked at more than 150 zoos around the world, came up with an “unzoo” master plan for the Hamilton family on Tasman Peninsula in South East Tasmania and the first intentional Unzoo project was under way. Now Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is a global leader in shaping the future for the zoos of the world.
The weather began to clear as we drove south and the skies were completely clear by the end of our visit and it warmed up considerably but still spring like coolish weather.
The first display here was about the extinct Thylacine tiger.
The thylacine, also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The thylacine died out in New Guinea and mainland Australia around 3,600–3,200 years ago, prior to the arrival of Europeans, possibly because of the introduction of the dingo, whose earliest record dates to around the same time, but which never reached Tasmania. Prior to European settlement, around 5,000 remained in the wild on Tasmania. Beginning in the nineteenth century, they were perceived as a threat to the livestock of farmers and bounty hunting was introduced. The last known of its species died in 1936 at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The thylacine is widespread in popular culture and is an icon in Australia.
The thylacine was known as the Tasmanian tiger because of the dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, and it was called the Tasmanian wolf because it resembled a medium- to large-sized canine. Both sexes had a pouch. The females used theirs for rearing young, and the males used theirs as a protective sheath, covering the external reproductive organs. The animal had a stiff tail and could open its jaws to an unusual extent. Its closest living relatives is the Tasmanian Devil, from which it is estimated to have split 42–36 million years ago.
Since 1996, National Threatened Species Day has been commemorated in Australia on 7 September, the date on which the last known thylacine died in 1936. Universities, museums and other institutions across the world research the animal. Its entire genome sequence has been mapped, and there are efforts to clone and bring it back to life.
This visit was so cool! We arrived about 9:40 and at 10 there was going to be the first devil feeding. We took a short walk around first and spotted a couple of Cape Barren Geese:
The Cape Barren goose, sometimes also known as the pig goose, is a species of goose endemic to southern Australia. It is a distinctive large, grey bird that is mostly terrestrial only occasionally swimming. They are large birds, typically measuring 75–100 cm / 30–39” long and weighing between 3.7–5.2 kg /8.2–11.5 lbs. The plumage is mostly pale grey with a slight brown tint. The head is somewhat small in proportion to the body and mostly grey in colour, save for a pale whitish patch on the forehead and crown. The bill is short, triangular in shape and black in colour with a prominent pale yellow-green cere covering more than half the length of the bill. The tail feathers are black, and the legs are pink with black feet.
Males can produce a rapid, high-pitched honking call, often during takeoff or in flight. Both sexes make low, pig-like grunting sounds and hisses when alarmed. Goslings produce whistling distress calls.
Cape Barren geese are monogamous and typically mate for life. After mating, the pair will perform a ‘triumph ceremony’ in which they raise and lower their heads while facing each other and calling loudly. Pairs establish territories in autumn and breeding occurs in winter.
Cape Barren geese are capable of drinking salt and brackish water, which allows them to remain on offshore islands year-round.
We got to the feeding area early and lo and behold there was a Tasmanian devil – we’re sure he knew it was close to feeding time!
The large area that these two devils here in this pen live in, is surrounded by a rock wall about a metre in height – devils are not good climbers. There are actually two other “dens” with feedings taking place at all of them at different times throughout the day. After a few minutes we spotted another but she didn’t show herself as much at all till the food arrived. The ranger arrived at ten with the food and threw a few chunks of wallaby into the pen.
She gave a super informative talk that lasted about 20 minutes and the devils put on a good show for us. It was wonderful they were so close to us. These two were sisters.
(this blurb below is long as it’s so interesting but feel free to skip it!)
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine. It is characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding.
Although devils are usually solitary, they sometimes eat and defecate together in a communal location. They can be active during the middle of the day without overheating but mostly hunt at night.
Devils are fully grown at two years of age, and few devils live longer than five years in the wild. The Tasmanian devil has the most powerful bite relative to body size of any living mammalian carnivore. For comparison, a human bite is exerted at about ¾ of its body weight. Whereas a devil bites at 15-20 times its body weight. The jaw can open to 75–80 degrees, allowing the devil to generate the large amount of power to tear meat and crush bones – sufficient force to allow it to bite through thick metal wire. The devil has long claws that allow it to dig burrows and seek subterranean food easily and grip prey or mates strongly.
Tasmanian devils can take prey up to the size of a small kangaroo, but in practice they are opportunistic and eat carrion more often than they hunt live prey. Although the devil favours wombats because of their high fat content, it will eat all small native mammals such as wallabies, pademelons, domestic mammals (including sheep and rabbits), birds (including penguins), fish, fruit, vegetable matter, insects, tadpoles, frogs and reptiles. Their diet is widely varied and depends on the food available.
Occurring in March, mating takes places in sheltered locations during both day and night. Males fight over females in the breeding season, and female devils will mate with the dominant male. Females can ovulate up to three times in a 21-day period, and copulation can take five days; one instance of a couple being in the mating den for eight days has been recorded. Devils are not monogamous, and females will mate with several males if not guarded after mating; males also reproduce with several females during a season. Females have been shown to be selective in an attempt to ensure the best genetic offspring, for example, fighting off the advances of smaller males. Males often keep their mates in custody in the den, or take them along if they need to drink, lest they engage in infidelity.
Females give birth to 20 to 30 live young after a three week gestation. The newborn are pink, lack fur, have indistinct facial features, and weigh around 0.20 gr / 0.0071 oz at birth. As there are only four nipples in her pouch, competition is fierce, and few newborns survive. The young grow rapidly, and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days, weighing roughly 200 g / 7.1 oz. The young become independent after around nine months.
Tasmanian devil young are variously called “pups”, “joeys”, or “imps”. Once inside the pouch, they each remain attached to a nipple for the next 100 days. The female Tasmanian devil’s pouch, like that of the wombat, opens to the rear, so it is physically difficult for the female to interact with young inside the pouch. Once the young have made contact with the nipple, it expands, resulting in the over-sized nipple being firmly clamped inside the newborn and ensuring that the newborn does not fall out of the pouch. On average, more females survive than males, and up to 60% of young do not survive to maturity. Milk replacements are often used for devils that have been bred in captivity, for orphaned devils or young who are born to diseased mothers. The mother will often eat the young that have not attached to her nipples.
After being ejected from the pouch, the devils stay outside the pouch, but they remain in the den for around another three months, first venturing outside the den between October and December before becoming independent in January. During this transitional phase out of the pouch, the young devils are relatively safe as they are generally accompanied. When the mother is hunting they can stay inside a shelter or come along, often riding on their mother’s back. During this time they continue to drink their mother’s milk. Female devils are occupied with raising their young for all but approximately six weeks of the year.
In 1941, devils became officially protected. Since the late 1990s, the devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has drastically reduced the population and now threatens the survival of the species, which in 2008 was declared to be endangered. Starting in 2013, Tasmanian devils are again being sent to zoos around the world as part of the Australian government’s Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Devil facial tumour disease causes tumours to form in and around the mouth, interfering with feeding and eventually leading to death by starvation. The disease is an example of transmissible cancer, which means that it is contagious and passed from one animal to another. This tumour is able to pass between hosts without inducing a response from the host’s immune system. Dominant devils who engage in more biting behaviour are more exposed to the disease.
The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and many organizations, groups and products associated with the state use the animal in their logo.
As you can see, Fran took LOTS of photos and video.
Check out more here.
Enroute to the kangaroo pen, the ranger took us by the pademelon corner. There were a few of them sitting there and did not appear bothered by our presence although we did not approach them.
Pademelons are small marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. They are some of the smallest members of the macropod family (kangaroos are the largest members). Pademelons are distinguished by their small size and their short, thick, and sparsely-haired tails. Like most other marsupials, they carry their young in a pouch.
Tasmanian Pademelon is the sole species found in Tasmania although it was formerly found throughout southeastern Australia. This pademelon has developed heavier and bushier fur than its northern relatives. The Tasmanian pademelon is a herbivore feeding on a wide variety of plants, from herbs, green shoots and grass, to some nectar-bearing flowers.
Once a part of the diet of the thylacine, the Tasmanian pademelon is still preyed upon by other predators of the island, including Tasmanian devils, quolls, and eagles, as well as dogs and feral cats. Even so, they are abundant to the point of being culled occasionally (along with other wallabies) to reduce competition for grass with the farmed animals. Hunting of the Tasmanian pademelon is allowed, its pelt having some economic value and its meat being palatable
Gestation lasts 30 days. The young rapidly move to the pouch after birth, where they attach to one of the four teats. They grow relatively slowly compared with other marsupials and are fully furred by around 160 days, at which point they first begin to poke their head out of the pouch. The first full emergence from the pouch can occur from this time up until around 190 days of age, although they continue to suckle for another three months, after which the mother becomes aggressive towards them. The mother often gives birth to a second joey while still nursing an older one that has already left the pouch, and typically gives birth to 1.3 young per year. Joeys are sexually mature at 17 months for males or 13 months for females. Lifespan in the wild is unknown, but has been estimated to be between 5 and 6 years.
Next it was over to the kangaroo “pen” which is quite large and accessible to small animals to enter and depart. The kangaroos here are Forester roos only found on this island. They are close relatives to the eastern greys on the mainland with the main difference being their thicker, softer fur – better for the Tasmanian climate! The ones here in the Unzoo are very tame, very lazy and love to be pet and fed. The ranger had a bucket of feed and we could feed as many as we liked and she told us the best place to pet them was their back and that they loved to be scratch in their lower front neck area; never pet their hands as this is means: go away! This was a fun time as we felt the animals were not stressed with our presence at all and loved the neck scratch.
By now it had warmed to about 19C / 68F and it was most pleasant – way warmer than we expected for November in Tasmania.
We also saw green Rosella birds :
The green rosella or Tasmanian rosella is a species of parrot native to Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands. The green rosella’s underparts, neck and head are yellow, with a red band above the beak and violet-blue cheeks. The back is mostly black and green, and its long tail blue and green. The sexes have similar plumage, except the female has duller yellow plumage and more prominent red markings, as well as a smaller beak. Juvenile and immature birds have predominantly green plumage. Found in a wide range of habitats with some form of tree cover, the green rosella is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, berries, nuts and fruit, as well as flowers, but may also eat insect larvae and insects.
Here is the link to roo and pademelon pics;
and this is the link to the everything else.
Next it was on to Historic Port Arthur for a couple of hours.
Port Arthur is a town whose site forms part of the Australian Convict Sites, a World Heritage property consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australian coastal strips.
Port Arthur was named after George Arthur, the lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land. The settlement is best known for being a penal colony and started as a timber-getting camp, producing logs for government projects. From 1833 until 1877, it was the destination for those deemed the most hardened of transported convicts ― so-called “secondary offenders” ― who had persistently re-offended during their time in Australia. The recalcitrant offenders were sent to Port Arthur, which had some of the strictest security measures in the British penal system but was, nevertheless, also based on the idea that prisoners could be reformed while still being punished.
Port Arthur was an example of the “Separate Prison Typology”. The prison was completed in 1853, and extended in 1855. The Separate Prison System also signaled a shift from physical punishment to psychological punishment. The hard corporal punishment, such as whippings, used in other penal stations, was thought to only serve to harden criminals, and did nothing to turn them from their immoral ways. For example, food was used to reward well-behaved prisoners and as punishment for troublemakers. As a reward, a prisoner could receive larger amounts of food or even luxury items such as tea, sugar, and tobacco. As punishment, the prisoners would receive the bare minimum of bread and water. Under this system of punishment, the “Silent System” was implemented in the building. Here, prisoners were hooded and made to stay silent; this was supposed to allow time for the prisoner to reflect upon the actions which had brought him there. Many of the prisoners in the Separate Prison developed mental illness from the lack of light and sound. This was an unintended outcome, although the asylum was built next to the Separate Prison. In many ways, Port Arthur was the model for the penal reform movement, despite the shipping, housing, and use of convicts as slave labour being as harsh, or worse, than other institutions around the nation.
Port Arthur was also the destination for juvenile convicts, receiving many boys, some as young as nine. The boys were separated from the main convict population and kept on Point Puer. Like the adults, the boys were used in hard labour such as stone cutting and construction.
On an entirely different historic note, on April 28th, 1996, the Port Arthur historic site was the location of a massacre. Martin Bryant murdered 35 people and wounded 23 more before being captured by the Special Operations Group. The killing spree led to a national restriction on high capacity semiautomatic shotguns and rifles which the citizens of the country did NOT protest against. The 28-year-old perpetrator was subsequently convicted and is currently serving 35 life sentences plus 1,035 years without parole in the psychiatric wing in Hobart, Tasmania.
With the entrance ticket you take a harbour cruise where we saw Death Island (the town’s cemetery) and the location of the boys prison.
After disembarking, we visited the main penitentiary where we listened to a ranger talk about sentencing and the prison Doug participated playing the role of judge.
From there were went to the Separate Prison (like solitary confinement)
and the non denominational church of which only the outside walls still remain.
After a walk through the gardens, we’d had enough and returned to the car.
Click here to see more photos of this historic site.
Since we were passing the Unzoo on the way back and our ticket was good all day, we stopped in again to see the park. There was a kangaroo feeding coming up and then a devil feeding which we went to see.
The afternoon devil feeding:
We visited one of the pens where there is an “access” to look closer to a devil. Fran crawled in.
inside the actual outdoor den was a devil crushing his meal:
This place was definitely the highlight of our day!
We continued north to Eaglehawk Neck where we saw the natural sights in the national park (we bought a week’s vehicle pass for $93 AUD). First was the Tasman Arch,
The Devils Kitchen blowhole from two view points:
at the lookout at the end of the trail:
A little further up the road was a blow hole but the tide was too low as there wasn’t much action.
Up the path past the blow hole was a view of Fossil Bay which was gorgeous:
And a little further north, the tessellated pavement.
In geology, a tessellated pavement is a relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into polygons by fractures, frequently systematic joints, within the rock. This type of rock pavement bears this name because it is fractured into polygonal blocks that resemble tiles of a mosaic floor, or tessellations.
As our day started rather early, by this time we were tired and Doug found a loft in the small city of Sorell in a barracks for the night for $119 AUD ($78 USD) had bedroom, sitting area/kitchen with basics and bathroom. This was in the town of Sorell and upon arriving in town, Doug got a pizza for dinner while Fran went to get some groceries at the Woollies nearby.
We were in bed by 9pm and both slept well dipped to high single digits.
This is the link to more photos of the national park area.
Tuesday morning was a morning of clear skies which we started with exercise and tea. Today we continued up the east coast of the island with a few stops:
First stop was the tiny village of Buckland with its Anglican church: St. John the Baptist. It was built by convicts in 1846.
Then we drove through Orford stopping at Raspins Beach Conservation Area:
Another convict built site was “Spiky Bridge” built in 18…… – no longer used for vehicles but there’s a pullout with information boards.
We pulled over a bit later at Cressy Beach to get photos of the view across the bay:
We then rounded the bay on the north to get to the Cape Tourville lighthouse for views of the coast line and an couple of rocky outcroppings with fur seals.
This was a short 600 m walk in the sunshine. On the way back we stopped at a view point on the town of Coles Bay beach in Wineglass Bay which was quite beautiful.
Further north was the town of Bicheno with a blow hole. High tide was about 40 minutes before we got there and we were able to view the hole in action.
the coast is lovely with rocky formations and the sun glistening off the Tasman Sea. Before leaving town was stopped at an IGA for some groceries.
We needed a bathroom break and we stopped a bit out of town at Waubs Harbour which was quite pretty as well.
Doug had booked us a cabin in a holiday park for the night as we figured 200 km / 130 mi was enough for one day and enroute Fran spotted a white sandy beach with turquoise water out of the corner of her eyes as we crossed the Denison River. We pulled over at the next pullout and took the short walk to the beach.
The Sand was white and it squeaked when you walked on it! It was absolutely gorgeous – wish we could take this place back to North America and put up a house on the shoreline.
Our accommodation was just on the edge of the town of Scamander. We had a small cabin with a full kitchen, bathroom, Wi-Fi, a queen bed and a room with 3 bunks. It had a small outdoor deck and “a view of the sea” if you looked just right through the trees! It cost $99 AUD ($65 USD) for the night.
After having a late brunch, we went to check out the beach. It was quite something too:
Today the temps reached 20C / 70F and the sun was lovely and warm.
After a very quiet night, we left the cabin before 8 and began what we thought was a longer day of driving. We were trying to get to the Bay of Fires beach. First we stopped in Binalong Bay by accident but a nice accident it was as we pulled in to a small parking area and walked out to the beach – another fabulous white sand beach with aquamarine coloured water!
We continued along the coast following the map entering the Bay of Fire Conservation park but we got to a point where the road we wanted was gated off! We could not find another way through so we turned around. Darn!
We then headed inland westward across a lot of agricultural land and some forests with a great diversity of trees from fern trees, to coniferous to deciduous. It was super windy and hilly but very green.
Here’s the link to more photos of this drive north along the coast.
We arrived in Beauty Point around 12:40 after stopping at a pullout and making a quick lunch. We had tickets booked to visit the “Platypus House” where they also house echidnas.
This was a 50 minute tour, with about equal time in each “house”. They have one male platypus in one large tank and three females in three other tanks and one of the females can access the male’s tank, for the public to see. Both the platypus and the echidna are monotremes which means they are mammals but they lay eggs! First it was to see the strange creature that is the platypus. It has a duck-like bill, beaver-like tail, otter-like body, and webbed feet.
The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful neuro venom. While both male and female platypuses are born with back ankle spurs, only the males’ deliver venom. It is powerful enough to kill smaller animals such as dogs, and though it is not lethal to humans, it can inflict weeks or months of agony. Each male has its own unique venom therefore an antidote cannot be created.
In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body judged it a fake made of several animals sewn together! The body and the broad, flat tail of the platypus are covered with dense, brown, bio fluorescent fur that traps a layer of insulating air to keep the animal warm. The fur is waterproof, and textured like that of a mole. The platypus’s tail stores fat reserves, an adaptation also found in the Tasmanian devil. Webbing is more significant on the front feet, which in land walking are folded up ink knuckle-walking to protect the webbing. The elongated snout and lower jaw are covered in soft skin, forming the bill. The nostrils are located on the snout’s dorsal surface, while the eyes and ears are just behind the snout in a groove which closes underwater. Platypuses can give a low growl when disturbed, and a range of vocalizations have been reported in captivity.
Monotremes are the only mammals (apart from the Guiana dolphin) known to have a sense of electroreception, and the platypus’s electroreception is the most sensitive of any monotreme. Feeding by neither sight nor smell, the platypus closes its eyes, ears, and nose when it dives and it can stay underwater for a full two minutes.
The male will have up to 20 mates but the female only one. He will protect his “harem” with his life. Young platypus are called “puggles”. Newly hatched platypuses are vulnerable, blind, and hairless, and are fed by the mother’s milk, that provides all the requirements for growth and development. The platypus’s mammary glands lack teats, with milk released through pores in the skin. The milk pools in grooves on the mother’s abdomen, allowing the young to lap it up. After they hatch, the offspring are milk-fed for three to four months.
Their main predator is the crocodile. A group of platypus is called a “paddle”.
We visited the male named Jupiter first and at one point his girlfriend, Dawn, came for a visit.
These creatures are active about 12 hours a day and DO NOT stop moving during that time so no posing for photos!
We then went into another room with three tanks to see the three females and they got fed while we watched. It was easier to see these because we were looking into the tanks through glass rather than down into the tank of the Jupiter.
As this post is getting rather large, we’re going to cut it here and continue with the same day in the next post which continues at this same place but we’ll be in the Echidna Garden!
