More Travels in Tasmania ...

We began the day by heading out of Hobart to visit Russell Falls. Once there, we hiked through an amazing forest - that's me standing in one of the giant trees that has fallen over. There was a canopy of trees overhead that stretched upward to the sunlight. Lots of birds calling to one another and eventually we reached the beautiful falls.

From there we drove through various farmlands - including this one growing hops for the beer production - to the quaint town of Richmond. We saw the old sandstone bridge and had a great lunch in one of the small cafes.

Then there was the moment Jeff has been waiting for for years - his chance to see the famous Tasmanian Devil. Pretty vicious creatures as I understand it. They live primarily on road kill and will devour 40% of their body weight in one feeding, eating the fur, skin, meat and bones. Word to the wise - don't pet the devils!

At the sanctuary we were also able to see the cute, cuddly Wombats - short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. And of course, we couldn't miss the kangaroos hopping about in search of anyone who would feed them - so Jeff obliged and we saw a young one nestled next to mom for its nourishment.

The final stop was Mt. Wellington. Kind of a scary drive up to the top as the guardrails definitely did not look like they would stop a vehicle from cascading down the mountainside if it went of the narrow road. But the view from the top down to the town of Hobart, the bay and the Pacific Ocean was incredible.

Tomorrow we leave to return to Sydney where we celebrate our 50th anniversary and board our ship to take us to the islands of the South Pacific! See you then!