My first stop was obviously the grocery store and gas station to fill up on essentials. Then, I was on my way. I made my way towards Mt. Field National Park. While it was only one hour and fifteen minutes away, I realized that I had to be efficient with my fuel and how I handle the van because I was already a quarter tank down. When I go to Mt. Field, I also picked up a park pass for $60, which allowed me to see all the parks in Tassie.
I had only a short time at Mt. Field as I was trying to get to Strahan before dark (which, by Macquarie Harbor and the Great Western Tiers, was 4 hours and 30 minutes away). So I went to Russell Falls, an incredible and large waterfall (but nowhere near as big as a major fall) that had not a large but solid volume of water flowing. From there I continued to a small but picturesque waterfall on top of Russel Falls called Horseshoe Falls. The whole area was great and very much a temperate rainforest. All the foliage was lush and green with moss growing nearly on everything. The weather all around Tasmania varied between 9-15 degrees C every day. Not too cold, but enough to always merit long sleeves and a sweater.
After Mt. Field, I continued on my way to the central plateau of Tassie where Lake St. Clair was. The lake itself is a part of a massive national park with Cradle Mountain-but more on that later. Since the area is right on the edge of the Western Tiers, it was a little rainy there and the roads were full of twists and turns because of the mountains. The whole island of Tasmania is mountainous, so I continuously drove on winding roads up and down mountains. At Lake St. Clair itself, there isn’t a lot of good walking tracks. I did about a 45-minute walk through the surrounding area that led me to a place where two rivers met and then turned around. I also got to see the lake which is either the largest or the deepest freshwater lake in Australia. Either way, just like everything else in Tassie, it was extremely beautiful and picturesque.
By then, it was around 3:30 or so and I still had about two and a half hours before reaching Strahan. Just like winter in the US, the sun goes down early and it gets completely dark by 5:30 at the latest. But I had no choice but to continue. The drive through the Great Western Tiers, a vast and wild mountain chain on the entire west side of Tasmania, was spectacular. It was probably my favorite drive ever. As I mentioned before, they are temperate rainforests so it’s always cold and rainy, but as I drove on the windy mountainous roads, I had incredible views of the green mountains covered by mist. And all around you, there is nothing but the vast and mysterious wilderness. In these wilds, even the most experienced and hardened bushman could get lost. Of course, I stopped for pictures along the way. By 5:30, it was completely dark and I still had an hour to go. So in my campervan, I drove along the windy mountain cliffs through rain, heavy fog, and in the dark. I had never been prouder of my driving skills than after that. I can only imagine how great it would have been to drive a sportscar along that route.
By 6:30, I arrived in Strahan and went to a camper spot to get a space. However, the reception was closed. So I went to another nearby but discovered that place was also closed. I decided to just go back to the first place and try my luck camping there, hoping no one would notice me.
Now, you’re probably wondering what I did in my free time if I cut myself off from the world. Most places I went to didn’t even have cell service anyways. Well, the answer is books. I brought along two books and two journals with me. I also had an audiobook stored on my phone as well. So I would spend my time switching between the various books and then going to bed around 9. Since my van came with cooking equipment, I cooked my meals most nights. For lunch I would have peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches; for dinner, I would have egg, spinach, and cheese sandwiches with an occasional side of beans; for snacks, I brought along plenty of apples and kiwis as well as Tim Tams and chips.
