Rediscovering Tasmania - King Island 1

Rediscovering Tasmania will always uncovers some wonderful gems and provides the most enjoyable experiences. Tassie scenery, the magnificent coastline, the magic mountains, the mighty rivers & gentle streams, the quaint villages, the lone and pristine beaches, the mining towns etc. is comparable and often better than anywhere in the world. The list could go on like standing in awe at perfect reflections, sunsets (and sunrises), bla, bla, bla!! Get the message?

Since my retirement I have been exploring some of Tassie for the first time and have revisited other spots. Over the past year my traveling companion Jan, has enjoyed some of these delightful places with me. We both enjoy photography (Jan takes at least three times the number of pics I take) and compare notes at the end of a journey.

This blog chapter is the first of a series on Tasmania in the hope that it will inspire you to put the stresses of life aside on occasions and venture out. In the meantime, share the experience with us through this blog. And don't forget to click on any photograph for a larger image.

Seeing it is the most recent and still fresh in my mind, let me begin with a recent trip to King Island, off the North West tip of Tasmania. This was a first for me and for years we had King on our 'want to do' list. I wasn't disappointed. My interest in King Island certainly related to the history of the many ships that came to grieve on the island over the past 200 years.

There is only really one way to get to King, and that is by plane. We boarded a small twin plane (a Piper Chieftain, for those with an aviation interest) in Devonport:It was unbelievable. Of the eight seats available, there were just the two passengers - Jan & I. Plus of course, the two pilots who set up front (haha) seemingly a long distance from right in the back from where we had excellent views of the scenery below. Mailbags were the only other passengers until Wynyard at which airport the aircraft took on three more passengers.We were fortunate to have good weather along the coast, which is always a great sector to fly on, and were able to enjoy the views of well-known places, including:

Devonport, the port of entry for 'Spirit of Tasmania'.Ulverstone where both Carol and I went to school in the 1950sThe 'Three Sisters' at Lonah.Penguin, the place of many memories.

My family settled in Penguin in 1951 and I went to primary school here (an unhappy time in my life). Look at the beautiful Dial Ranges as an outstanding backdrop to this lovely town. Penguin - great name! Great town! Will do a separate blog on the town later on.

Burnie - where I worked for a number of years.
Wynyard - a beautiful town

The weather was fine until we reached King, and we landed in blustery, cold conditions - as one would expect on King. But the welcome was friendly enough and we were soon in conversation with the locals, who number about 1800. It did not take long for them to tell me that they knew my nephew who has lived on the island for well over 40 years. Interestingly, we did catch up with Roger and his wife when we found out that they lived two houses from the house we were renting! Yep, King island is a small world with lots packed in it!

While it was already late, we could not resist a quick visit to Currie Harbour (Currie is the main town on the island). The sunset from the lookout was just great. Have a look:The end of a most enjoyable day.