Tasmania

Yet more wood to be chipped up for transporting to China!

Swansea Bay

Port Arthur Penitentiary

Marilyn with cousin Derek on Mt Wellington,Hobart

Tasmamian Devil- very vicious & found in the open country.

Feeding mother & baby Kangaroo

What a welcome to Oz! My(Maurice) hands & hand luggage had to be checked for explosives! We eventually reached Hobart to be met by Marilyn's cousin, Derek, where we spent our first night.

Tasmania is an eye opener to a very different lifestyle. The weather is very variable-on Monday we left Hobart in 21 degrees sunshine and within a couple of hours were on the windswept Central Plateau Reservation in 6 degrees and fog. Today Hobart was a crisp 9 degrees with blue skies but on top of Mt Wellington which overlooks the city it was only 1 degree with icy snow drifts. Over three days we have driven up through the centre of the island and then down the warmer east coast till we reached notorious Port Arthur, the former convict colony and now an historic site. En route, of course we had to visit Swansea, which proved to be a seaside village dependant on local tourism and not the city the name implies but no resemblance to its counterpart in Wales.

The country is heavily wooded and the main local controversy concerns the future of the lumber trade. Scenically, there are similarities with both Ireland and North Island of New Zealand, though the vegetation and animals are different from both, see the pictures above.In fact, we suddenly found ourselves driving on unsealed roads.All car rental agreements exclude cover on this type of road but we had no choice unless we wanted to drive back another 50 kms. We have been advised not to travel at night as it is very dangerous with so many animals. Also because it becomes dark so early at around 5pm we have to finish each day before this time. People are laid-back , friendly and pleased to welcome visitors from Israel.After Shabbat with Chabad in Hobart ,we shall continue to Melbourne where we shall spend Shavuot & next Shabbat.

Chag Sameach