cracking the nut

Moo-Nut-Re-Ker aka the nut

You've probably heard Australia is on fire. The good news is it isn't everywhere (Australia is the same size at the Continental US.) But the worst fires are in the mountains of New South Wales, where I was supposed to spend Christmas.

So I sweet-talked Virgin Australia into switching my ticket and got Budget to extend my $15/day rental car deal. And at Ann's recommendation, headed to the northwest corner, the one part of Tasmania I'd missed, to Stanley.

Saying goodbye to Ann and Rory and the pups

The hillsides are covered with pale pink poppies. They are cultivated for opoids(!), not wildflowers.

A hint of what's to come, in the beachside town of Penguin.

Stanley is an adorable outpost, the original town of Van Diemen's land. It's in the Northwest corner, 9-12 hours by modern ship from Melbourne. Supposedly it has the cleanest air in the world. Today it's full of heritage cottages you can stay in at the foot of the Nut.

I almost bailed on the penguins—11 fairy blue penguins walked right past me the other night, on the rocks at Bicheno. But there was nothing else to do last night. There's a sweet boardwalk with red lights and instructions not to scare them or use flash.

The first thing I saw was a bunny. Then I heard a cry: some early birds, taking their spots.

A few more penguins kept us entertained until it got fully dark.

And then we waited. A Chinese family. A German family. A couple of Aussie couples. Finally, we saw movement as they waddled in from the sea.

Penguins are social, so they make a little progress and then wait for the rest of their group before proceeding. There are red lights set up along the path.

A couple of Martians with stragglers behind them

This is closer to what they actually looked like. It was a clear night by the beach, with a great view of Orion (upside down) above us. Venus was the brightest object in the sky, along with a lot of stars I've never heard of.

In the morning, I headed up the nut. It's about 500 feet high but as steep as 45º in places. 

There's a chairlift, which didn't reassure me. I took a deep breath and rode to the top by myself, clinging to the sides. It was a smooth, pleasant ride. There was also no way I was going to ride down it.

The nut is a 13 million year old lava plug. 

There are views in every direction.

There are also flies, and butterflies.

Below is Fisherman's Wharf, where containers of Tasmanian scallops are loaded and shipped off. You can see the reefs off the piers.

And then it was time to head down the steep, steep path. 

I clung to the rails and my hiking pole. It's steeper than it looks.

Matthew Flinders described the nut as a Christmas cake, which seems apt. It rises in the distance like Mont St Michel.

On the way east, back toward Launceston and the airport, I stopped at a Makers Workshop. In San Francisco this would mean robots and tech toys. In Burnie they had paper making and crafts like woodworking.

I took a stroll on the boardwalk in search of Burnie's octopus fountain.  There was a cruise ship in town, the Queen Elizabeth, and Burnie was full of volunteers in blue jackets to make them feel welcome.

Octavia would be proud.

The special was local oysters topped with something like a mojito. The only thing better than Tassie scallop pie is Tassie oysters with dry cider.

My last stop was Fernglade Reserve along the Emu River.

Fernglade is famous for platypuses!

The emus are long gone. The emus it was named after went extinct a long time ago. I did see these noisy birds and a pademelon.

I walked along the Emu, trying to imagine where a platypus would hide. Maybe in those reeds that look like scallions, or near the dam.

The reserve was full of bright, colorful information billboards. About animals like echnidna and blue-tongue lizards I sadly did not see.

I got in my car to leave when I noticed a family taking photos, and they pointed out a few platypuses on the opposite side of the river. "They're hard to see," she said, "because of the reflection." As I looked, something dove under the surface of the water. I watched the ripples placidly, content with a platypus habitat.

Can you see any? Ann says they're very shy. Plus it was a little early.

An hour and a half later, I made it to Launceston, my last stop in Tasmania. I've been here two whole weeks. The hotels downtown were overpriced, and reception had closed at one by the time I got there at 7:45. So I found a deal online and headed to the Country Club, my home for the next two days. I have a bathtub with jets. Matt, the valet who helped me empty my car, asked if I'd ever been to Miami and was amazed when I nodded. "I'll be on duty the next few days," he reassured me.

There's a pool and a sauna, and a lake with ducks. And the front desk has duck food to feed them. Matt says there are animals by the tennis courts and golf course. I may never leave.

Happy/merry from the other side!