Tasmania - Grotto - there was this fantastic pool of water with caves all around and if you climbed over a cliff there was a second pool of water. It seemed like we were explorers and the clearing with the grotto was mysterious.

Tasmania - Tree Ferns - these are really big ferns that are really trees. Our tour leader thought a movie had been shot at this location because it is so exotic.

Tasmania - Temperate Rain Forest - just some more shots of how thick with vegetation it was.

Tasmania - Temperate Rain Forest - Lush, Dark, and Deep - The paintings of Emily Carr come to mind in describing the thrill of being in this lush world. The soil is spongy with moisture, and the tree ferns are so big and tall and healthy the place has a science fiction feeling. You expect Tarzan to come swinging down out of the trees.

Tasmania - Hiking in the Temperate Rain Forest - Unfortunately the only entrance to the rain forest is through a logging road. Every indication is that the logging companies will destroy the old growth forests to plant fast growing trees that are easy to harvest. However, I want to focus on the positive and tell you that all the life was in the natural woods and not the monoculture as so if tourism keeps up at the pace it is the forests may be saved.

Tasmania - Temperate Rain Forest - The Tarkine - you can see what the area looks like from the air and then inside if from the ground. The smells are unbelieveably trancing blending as they do the aroma of sassafras, cedar and moss. The perfume woodsy smell was so fantastic. The earth was soft and spongy and teaming with life and bio-diversity. There are small little blue wrens that stole my heart.

Tasmania - Dismal Swamp - early explorers got lost in this swamp and the heat, humidity and insects just about drove them mad so they gave it the name it has today. There is a giant slide that you go down in a special body bag. The slide looks like a big white caterpillar in the first shot. As part of the experience you get to hike in the swamp on a boardwalk and you marvel at the huge trees still standing [middle shot]. The last image is what I could see of this area from our plane as it banked at a perilous angle.

Tasmania - Stanley - The Nut - surprisingly a major export of Tasmania is the opiate distillates of oriental poppy seed heads for pharmaceuticals. The fields are secured against anyone entering them. The other main producer in the world is interestingly enough Canada. I couldn't resist showing you one of the many beaches with no one on it. The sea is beautiful colours and there were sea shells on the beach.

Tasmania- Stanley - The Nut- The Nut is a large rock outcropping that was formed when a plug developed in an erupting volcanoe eons of time ago and solidified. If you are the hiking type it creates quite the challenge but for those who don't want to put out much effort there is a chair life. From the top you have fantastic views of surrounding islands of which there are hundreds and on a good day mainland Australia. Tasmania and Australia were connected long ago.

Tasmania - Chocolate Factory - I am a real sucker for old houses and ones that have been lovingly restored. A chocolate factory was housed in just such a lovely home and it had equally beautiful gardens. The chocolates were fantastic too. The last shot is the shoreline where the ferry penguins come up from the sea at dark. I didn't have time to see them but I wanted to have a bit of the experience.

Tasmania- Launceston - I actually liked the city of Launceston better than Hobart. The San Franciscoesque hills and the artsy flavour of the cafes and boutiques clothed in a frontier ambiance was really appealing to me [reminds me of the rough and tumble of Canada]. The shot from the air is the Tarkine where I fell in love with the temperate rain forest shots of which are coming up soon!

Hobart - housing prices are still reasonable in this Tasmanian city and it has the most Federation style houses with leaded glass windows anywhere including Melbourne. It also has a rich cultural life. The population of Tasmania is small at 300,000 approximately. It would be a great place to retire as many people have already decided.

Tasmania from the Air - I got a free trip to Hobart when the Virgin Blue airplane we were travelling in made its descent to Launceston and the small plane ahead of us had an accident and flipped over on the runway. Immediately, our landing was aborted and we were diverted to Hobart. Six or seven hours later we were bused back to Launceston where in my case the tour of the Tarkine and the Nut at Stanley were to begin early the next day. It was amazing to see the whole interior of Tasmania and get to meet interesting people on the bus.

Kangaroo Island - Last of the Surf Images - Just loved the contrast of the deep blue sea with light clouds off in the distance, and the green colour of the sea and the shallow bits showing up through the water. Everything looked so wild and pristine.

King Island - Bass Straight - there used to be a land bridge between Kangaroo Island and Australia and Tasmania and Australia for that matter. It allowed species to come to the islands and free from many predators prosper. You can see King Island in the far distance of the first picture and flora along the beaches.