I've been slack I must admit and not been in the mood of writing the blog
during the past weeks ... April here it comes ... enjoy!
Autumn colours on Tassie
First weekend and week of April was a busy one, as I tend to make myself busy ... birthday party on the beach, attended an outdoors shop sale and won a day pack from Mont ( a very nice and super comfy day pack of 35 litres), saw the Swedish comedian Carl-Einar Häckner's performance and had a good laugh, had some delicious pea soup with pancakes and punsch at the Swedish Church on Thursday 7th and took off from Melbourne on Friday the 8th of April for a MUMC-trip (Melbourne University Mountaineering Club) to Mt Bogong. We went up the Eskadale Spur to the summit of Mt Bogong and slept on the summit in heavy rain and wind conditions. I was happy that the tent was safe and dry and I managed to sleep quite many hours after the fitness challenging hike up to the summit. On Sunday we strolled down the Staircase among the clouds and didn't see the beautiful views from the summit, which is the highest peak in Victoria, 1986m.
On the way down from Mt Bogong
Second week started in pain since my legs apparently weren't in such good condition as I thought they would be, the down hill stroll from Bogong killed my legs for 3 days :). Went to Melbourne International Comedy Festival and saw Nick Cody, a funny local Aussie guy from Melb, climbed at the city gym and had a nice quite weekend in the city with Mick (watched the Swedish movie "Involuntary = De Ofrivilliga" - a really good one for being a Swedish movie, I highly recommend the movie.
Third week was the Easter week and me and Mick took off to Tassie/Tasmania for a week on Wednesday 20th after work. Landed in Launceston and picked up the car, which unfortunately wasn't a manual to Mick's disappointment. Had a night in Hadspen in a cute cabin and started the big island driving the next day.
First day on Tassie was rainy and chilly and just the way I was imagining it to be ... spent the day at 4 wineries (Providence, Leaning Church, Brook Eden and Pipers Brook Vineyard)sipping/tasting wine and bought some bottles of wine and sparkling to send back to Melb. Second day on Tassie was sunny and very welcoming for a day's hike in the Freycinet National Park on the east side. Did the Freycinet circuit walk, 11 km, with a lunch stop on Wineglass Bay beach where a hungry and tame wallaby was approaching me while I was eating.
Looking ready for the day hike around Wineglass Bay in Freycinet NP
Waterglass Bay beach
The wallaby :)
Third day on Tassie, still sunny weather, drove from Swansea to the Tasman National Park, quick look in Port Arthur, Hobart and finished in Port Huon where we had one night in the best cabin with the most gorgeous view over the river the next morning. Forth day, still sunny, did an air walk in Tahune, drove through Hobart with the destination Strahan on the west side of Tassie. Stopped to see Russels Falls on the way ...
Fifth day, sunny day, did a walk in Strahan to Hogarths Falls with the goal to see at least one platty/platypus, but we didn't see a single one, I was looking and looking, stood in the middle of the creek and called for them, but still no platty :(. Drove to Cradle Mountain and stopped by Henty Dunes(amazing big sand dunes between 30 and 40 meters high) north of Strahan, by the Indian Ocean. Had a cultural stop in Zeehan at the museum where we strolled around for a long time, drove after lunch to Rosebery and did the quickest walk ever (return walk 2 hours instead of 3 hours as stated on the walking sign) to see the Montezuma Falls (one of the highest waterfalls on Tassie with a drop of 104m) ... pretty amazing I must admit and the walk in was so worth to see the fall. Finished the long day with a delicious dinner at the Lodge in Cradle
Mountain.
Sixth day, still sunny with gorgeous blue sky, did a long day's hiking around Dove Lake, up to Marion's lookout, up to the summit of Mt Cradle (scrambling and sliding on the rocks up and down) and walked back to the car around the lake via the Face track to the Twisted Lakes and Hanson's Peak. What a day - amazing good day with more than 14km hiking, steep and flat, mostly steep, many good photos from this memorable day.
Two happy scramblers on top of Mt Cradle looking down on the valley, see the big blocks of rocks? - Mick has jumping down like a monkey while I was sliding down my ass where the rocks were too big to jump or walk on
Dove Lake in Cradle Mountain National Park - gorgeous day
Last day on Tassie, still sunny and we drove back to Launceston, past Staverton's big maze where we were kids all over again, stopped at 2 wineries and filled the last 2 missing bottles in the case, dinner in Launceston and drive to the airport to drop off the car and fly back to Melb on Wednesday (27th) evening. Tassie was amazing and I wish I could live there, the most beautiful place I've seen in Australia this far, they even have snow in the winter time and all the nature and many good hikes there ... well, Tassie is just one hour away from Melb and not a world away! Will probably go back and do the Overland track later this year.
On the almost last day of April (dagen förre Siste April = the day before the Last of April, this day is a big day in Lund, where I´m from since all the students are out partying and drinking during the day and celebrating that spring is coming, in my case down under celebrating that winter is coming) ... went to the Swedish Church on the 29th and had "Siste April" there with splendid good food, drinks and singing of course!
