Australia is an amazing place and is on the bucket list of many American travelers. From the Sydney Harbour and its iconic Opera House to the Great Barrier Reef, on to the red center or outback, Australia has it all. I thought that I knew Australia well, managing a Tour Operator and wholesaler that promotes and creates Australian packages specifically for US travel agents. I have been working in and around Australia for a long time. I found out though, and happily so, there is still much more to see and discover.
Our story begins a few years back when I was making another journey, yet again, to Australia. Landing in Sydney, I was excited about seeing friends, our local staff, and creating a new product line before a friend of mine, Nathan Darke, now an Aviation & Tourism Distribution Specialist at Hobart airport, insisted that I spend more quality time in Tasmania. I know a bit of Tasmania, that elusive island just off the Southeast corner of Australia, shrouded in mystery but well known for great food and wine. I was keen to explore more of the island so took up Nathan’s offer and immediately discovered a different Australia, an Australia that is part legend, part myth, and part emotion.
The first view many visitors to Tasmania will have is by airplane. Before landing at Hobart Airport, we pass by green forests, turquoise seas, white sandy beaches along the dozens of small islands along the main coastline, and much more. Upon landing Nathan helped me set up a few days to explore the island and that is exactly what I did.
I first started to look at the enigmatic land itself. The topography of Tasmania is startling for its diversity and colors. It is an ancient land and feels and looks like time stood still. There is a good reason for this as Tasmania still features landscapes from ancient Gondwanaland, that super landmass that joined all continents together 250 million years ago. Breaking up into today’s continents starting about 165 million years ago, Australia drifted away, and Tasmania drifted off as well keeping some of its ancient life forms to itself.
This has left Tasmania unique in many aspects. It has a large temperate rainforest, with trees that rise to 300 feet in height, dwarfing anything, or anyone, that stands next to them. Tasmania also has large ferns that look like they would be more at home in the Jurassic period. Some of the largest cliffs in Australia are found here and in the middle of this large island, one can view majestic mountains that are taller than 5,000 feet such as Mount Ossa. If this were not enough, the island boasts rivers and amazing estuaries and bays dotted by colorful lichen-topped rocks of orange-yellow, and fiery red. The best place to see this in Tasmania is the stupendous Bay of Fires.
Taking all this in, I was already “sold” on promoting more Tasmania but there was still more to discover beyond the land itself. Because of the age of this ancient island, Tasmania is rich in its own flora and fauna and many species are directly related to what existed during the Gondwanaland period such as the platypus and echidnas. There are also many flowers and a few trees from this ancient period as well. However, there are other species of animals and insects, not quite as ancient but nonetheless interesting like the amazing Glow Worms. These luminous insects light up several caves across the island and they put on an amazing light show! In the animal world, we must make mention of the white wallaby, a small marsupial kangaroo-like creature that is a native of Tasmania. Of course, one other animal everyone knows well is the Tasmanian devil, and this must be the most famous animal from this island.
Once found on the mainland of Australia, over thousands of years their footprint was reduced to just Tasmania itself. Loud, slightly obnoxious when hungry, but cute, the so-called Tasmanian Devil is a must-see when visiting the island. One animal that you will not see but is part of Tasmania’s fame, is the Tasmanian Tiger. This tiger, which was actually a marsupial predator, was hunted to extinction in the 20th century. However, every few years someone in the interior of the island, especially around the scenic Cradle Lake, claims to have encountered traces of this legendary animal. With so many sightings and footprints assigned to this mythical beast, one could be forgiven for believing that a Tasmanian Tiger can just walk right out of the forests and say G’day! But alas, on my adventures I didn’t see one but heard many stories about them in a local Hobart pub.
Now having ingested this amazing landscape, I learned about its overwhelmingly beautiful flora and fauna, the biggest treat of all was still to come in the form of a multi-colored light show. Tasmania has some of the purest air quality on the planet. The skies are pristine, and it seems like the stars and heavens can be touched merely by raising your hand to them. One late afternoon, I caught a boat in Hobart and headed South, passing some majestic tall craggy cliffs and one special towering monolith called the monument. Chased by dolphins and seeing one whale off in the distance, I was already as happy as one can be. We eventually moved further South to Bruny Island, a moody place where wind and clouds are interspersed with the brightest of sun and the clearest skies in the world. We disembarked, opened a Tasmanian white wine and some local cheeses and bread, and waited.
We didn’t have to wait long for one of the most beautiful shows of the natural world to start. In the distance, a yellow and purple shimmering light began to appear. Above it though, the Milky Way showed itself in a way that can be only experienced but poorly explained. Billions of stars and galaxies could be seen right above my head, competing with the ever-glowing and growing colors of the Southern lights or Aurora Australis. This visual cacophony of colors must be one of the most beautiful experiences for even the most ardent and jaded traveler. The Southern lights progressed slowly over the next few hours until purple, red, orange, green, and many shades in between created a wall of colors that shimmered, danced, and at times pulsated to the universe itself. Seeing the skies and universe so clearly left me thinking that Tasmania is a must-see when visiting Australia. While the Southern Lights can be seen from April through September, the Milky Way in her majestic robes can always delight.
The next day, returning to Hobart, I was excited to share what I had seen with my friend Nathan. He gave a non-plussed look of “I told you so,” and told me one more thing to see before flying back to the mainland, the silvery seas or bioluminescence. Not knowing anything about his phenomenon, I headed over to the Bellerive Yacht Club after dusk and to my amazement, saw fluorescent neon blue colors streaking the waters as they lapped up along the shores and in between the boats. It looked almost like a moving light show as the lights lit up everything around them while moving to an unseen rhythm all their own. I have never seen such a light show in the sea since.
I left Tasmania that evening and headed back to Sydney. I love Sydney and believe it is a very important place to see when visiting Australia. But now, when asked where to go in Australia, I and my team always recommend adding Tasmania for its nature, its ancient landscapes and its amazing colors that light up not only the universe, but the eyes and soul of every visitor.
Joseph has 30 years of experience in the international tourism and travel trade industry as a business development and global projects expert. He is the principal owner and founder of Chameleon Travel Shop (CTS). A U.S. Navy war veteran, his experience includes being the Director of Business Development for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Director of the largest Receptive Tour Operator in Brazil. Joseph’s business relationships and professional experience extend to over 40 countries worldwide with special emphasis on markets in Europe, Brazil, and Oceania. joseph.walker@chameleontravelshop.com
