Backtrack to Tasmania

From Dec 21st to 31st, Jeremy and I went on an amazing trip to Tasmania.  We rented a car and did a loop, even making it as far as the west coast.  Next time I'd like to spend more time in the Hobart area and check out south of Hobart, and also see the north coast - but we did pretty well in the time we had! 

Stop 1 - Launceston

 We flew into Launceston and had one night there before we picked up our rental car.  Since we were getting in pretty late, I opted for the more economical booking at ended up with this teeny tiny bunk bedded room at the Batman Fawkner Inn.  It DID have its own bathroom though (with a non-closing door).  I think at this point Jeremy might have felt some regret/worry that he let me book and plan this whole trip!

 This little bar was connected to our hotel so we went and had a look before bed.  NOTE THE FIRE IN THE FIREPLACE - MIDDLE OF SUMMER IN LAUNCESTON!

 The requisite 'selfie' - this is what I look like after finishing work at EQ forever, and then getting on a flight that same afternoon.

Stop 2 - Swansea

We picked up the car and stopped for breakfast in Launceston and then headed out to Swansea, on the east coast of Tasmania.  Our accommodation was a bit better this time - a villa with a beautiful view out to the Freycinet peninsula.

 We decided to walk this little (unpronounceable) track right near our villa.

 The reason we stayed in Swansea was really so that we could check out the famous Wineglass Bay.  Proper footwear would have been a very smart thing for me to have, but since I'm me and was clearly not thinking while packing, I only had flip flops and one pair of sandals.  We hiked up to the Wineglass Bay lookout and then down to Wineglass Bay where we had a lovely picnic.

 Ran into this little guy who was quite tame - but we listened to the zillion signs posted everywhere and did NOT feed him!

 Wineglass Bay

 We decided to do an 11 km hike through the mountains.  I would not recommend doing this in flip flops.  The hike was fantastic, but ruined my left foot for the duration of the trip.  Oopsie.

 On our hike, we came across this deserted beach. 

 When the hike was over, we hopped in the car and stopped to see Honeymoon Bay, which was also quite beautiful.

 Crystal clear waters of Honeymoon Bay.

After two nights in Swansea, we were off again, this time to Hobart to meet up with some of my favourite people: Jules, Bruce and Billy T!  On the way, we stopped at this secret beach.  We had to turn the car around and search for it, as there were no signs but Jeremy really wanted to see it...and we found it down a dirt track.  Unfortunately there was a dead sheep lying on the sand (possibly the pile you can see in the picture).  Anyway, we got out chance to see another beautiful and deserted beach, and then continued on to Hobart!