I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tasmania

When we pulled into the port for Burnie, Tasmania, I rushed outside to take pictures. I looked on both sides of the ship for a great picture. Well, we had pulled into an industrial berth and there was nothing to see. So, I was starting to wonder just what kind of a day we were going to have.

I went to the room to find that Brett had overslept and was rushing to get ready. I ran up to the meeting point for the excursion to find I was on the right level, just the wrong end of the ship. Then to make matters worse, on level 7, you can't get from one end of the boat to the other. So, I dashed up the stairs to 8, across the ship, back down to level 7 and get my bus assignment. Sadly, Joe and Tracy had already checked in and were on another bus. Luckily, just a few minutes later, Brett showed up and he and I were on the same bus.

The excursion was called "A Taste of Tasmania". So, we get on the bus and take off for parts unknown in Tasmania. The tour guide was an older gentleman named Ken. He was a great spokesperson for Tasmania. The bus driver Peter would chime in when he had something to add and was yet another great spokesperson who obviously loved this island.

So, we headed off the Sheffield. Now, there isn't much in Sheffield, but they are known for their murals. Currently, there are 37 murals painted on buildings around the town to represent the town and its history. We didn't have enought time to see them all, so I opted just to walk around and look. One noteable citizen of Sheffield is an alpaca who has been shorn to represent a standard poodle. It didn't seem to mind.

So, 30 short minutes later we are back in the bus to head off to a honey store. The ironic twist is that you can't take honey into New Zealand (next destination on the cruise) so you can't buy any honey. Luckily, they also serve ice cream that has honey in it.

After 30 minutes or so at the honey farm, we are off to a wild animal park. The night before in our room, Brett and I watched a show about Tasmanian Devils and their rehabilitation and the breeding program. When we pulled into Truwanna, it sure looked familiar. When the manager of the park got on the bus, I was happily surprised to see it was Andrew Kelley who was the person depicted on the show. We got off the bus and had a BBQ lunch. It was quite good and I will be making lamb burgers when I get home! So then we got a tour of the park and of course, the hilight is the devils. I love those little creatures. Sure, they can be vicious, but they are so damned cute! After the guided tour we were cut loose to see the other animals. They have wallabies and kangaroos wandering and I went down to find them. Luckily, they are used to humans so if you move carefully you can pet the little buggers. As I headed back up to the main part of the park, I noticed that Joe & Tracy's bus had pulled in, so we had a short reunion. Turns out we were doing the same tour, only backwards, the only cross over at that point was the wildlife park.

So, after goodbye, we reboarded the bus and headed off to a chocolate shop. The Anvers Chocolate shop was amazing. They don't make the chocolate there. Rather, they take chocolate made to their specifications and make confectionaries from it. So, we had tea and chocolate ... Mmmmmmmm. Sadly, we had to leave eventually and made our way back to the port. I hated to leave Tasmania, but I assure you that I will be back!!