J18.21-22 Alum Cliffs, Cradle Mountain & Swansea

This post is part of a series called Journey 18 ● PolArt 2015

Another long day on the road, though I’ll blame a sleep-in, quick automotive repair and some logistical errands that needed attention before I could hit the tarmac for the next adventure.
Here’s some highlights from today’s adventure:

A hearty Eggs-Benny from Le Cafe on St George Square
Headed to Alum Cliffs State Reserve where a lookout gives you a birdseye view of the valley and sheer scale of the surrounding cliffs. Just a short walk from the car park, it’s a worthwhile stop.
As it was mid arvo already, it was time to press-on towards one of Tasmania’s most famous icons, Cradle Mountain National Park, which offers an adventure for all types of people, but naturally I took up the challenge of the steepest-grade path, while making sure it was also taking the least time to complete, so I headed to Marion’s Lookout at an elevation of over 1200m. Only recommended for those who are fit and agile, the views from the top are breathtaking all around and worth the effort. Allow at least 2 hours return and ensure you register your walk as conditions can be calm one moment and extremely dangerous the next. This also means being suitably prepared for the worst and as a precaution I took a UHF CB radio along, as there’s no reception until you reach the peak, though the most hazardous parts are on the ascent/descent.
Worth noting, the tarmac from Union Bridge Road to Cradle Mountain Road is great fun for those in a capable AWD car with many tight hairpin bends – though not so fun after dusk once the Wallabies pose a real threat to drivers, where I had many close calls and ultimately had to slow down to avoid any impacts. Safety first, always!
Setting off from Cradle Mountain NP after 20:00hrs meant it was going to be Mi Goreng and some other bits for dinner, again! But as I mentioned above, it’s important to drive cautiously given the large number of animals that can become an obstacle on the road, not to mention the roadkill that also presents a great risk to vehicle damage. Spectacular sights today despite only visiting two places and tomorrow I set off to the east coast where I’ll be based in Swansea.

Launceston to Swansea.

Today was a pretty relaxing, lazy day – finally!
Bit of a sleep in, a delicious ‘Bunsky’ at Samuel Pepy’s, a bit of aimless driving around Launceston, a desperately needed high-pressure car wash which felt nice on this 34-degree day and then slowly made my way to Swansea, but not without a brief cuppa at Devil Bakehouse in Perth, Tasmania. Apparently I was the 6th West-Aussie from Perth to drop in today! This makes it the 3rd Perth in the world I’ve been to and I guess I’ve set myself a challenge to visit all the places named Perth… hope I win the lotto to fund this challenge.
Few hours of chatting to friends from PolArt and a very filling woodfired pizza lovingly prepared at the bustling Bark Mill Tavern. Really needed to walk the edge off that pizza, but it was too gusty on the beach, will have to go for a stroll tomorrow along that pretty east-Tassie shoreline.