Western Wilderness

The tourism slogan for Tasmania's west coast is "Western Wilderness", but the main thing why you should call it so is the fact that there is no McDonald's there for 200 km (hence no Internet for me), no mobile phone coverage, and the petrol, where available, is overpriced.

I met a lot of tourists since I started on my trip. Many from Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Austria; occasionally a French or an American. Of course it is interesting to chat and learn about each other's travel plans and experiences. You find anything from Aussies who are just on a four-day holiday, to overseas tourists who are on a three-week vacation, to people who have sold their houses and spend a year of sabbatical and/or life recharging in Down Under. I met young people but equally many pensioners of 60+ age who are travelling here in caravans (Wohnwagen), campervans (Campingbus), RVs (Wohnmobil), or in normal cars and sleep in tents or rooms.

The picture was taken in Rosebery, a whistle stop (Kaff) in which the only pub in town closes on Sundays at 8 p.m. So the five of us (a couple from the Netherlands and one from Alaska) ended up partying in my campervan...

Oh, and I have another animal photo to share with you. This is an Echidna (Ameisenigel). Kind of half-way between a hedgehog and a porcupine, and very cute the way it toddles along! :) I have also taken a video of the little fellow, maybe I'll get to upload it later.

I have arrived in Hobart.