The Tasmanian west coast is different. The rainforest is almost like a jungle, densely packed with trees and shrubs. It is wetter, wilder. Often tree trunks are covered in moss or tree ferns.
The road from Derwent Bridge to Queenstown had the tightest and scariest serpentines we encountered on the island. And the contrast between the national parks and what lies beyond was dramatic. Driving into Queenstown was like driving into an open-cut mine. The hills and mountains around it were scarred: dug up, dug into, pierced through, many without vegetation. The town itself was indescribable. A mix of shacks, sixties townhouses, and grand buildings from the Goldrush era.
We stayed overnight in the RV parking area of the Queenstown oval (RV = recreational vehicle). The oval is infamous for its gravel surface and attracted quite a lot of sightseers while we were there. (Aussie football or AFL is usually played on thick grass but pollution from mining made it hard to grow it.) It was an eerie place to stay but we were surrounded by a bunch of very friendly campers. Wonderful.
Onto Strahan, the picturesque harbour village. Let’s start with a romantic picture of it:
The reality, however, was quite different. Two big cruise terminals dominate the foreshore. The world-famous Gordon River cruise booked out for weeks despite steep prices. International tourism. Five-star holiday homes. Hectic visitors.
We stayed at the initially pleasant Strahan golf club where you can park your RV for a small fee (honesty box). When we pulled in around lunchtime, we thought it was rather full. Yet more and more caravans and motorhomes appeared and crammed into any remaining nook and corner. Chatting with the people next to us (all from WA), we realised that a lot of campers travel anti-clockwise around Tasmania, from the ferry in Devonport down the west coast, across the highlands to Hobart and the east coast. We were headed in the opposite direction.
On the second day a particularly loud group crowded in close to us – and we were ready to leave. But where to go? To Zeehan, another mining town? Existence send us tip via another traveller from WA: Go to Rosebery golf course. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Liz Mike Travels 