After a couple of days in the wilderness, we drove to Tasmania's second largest, though not terribly exciting, city, Launceston. We stayed just south of the city in the Coachman's Cottage at Woolmers, an estate from the early 1800s. The area has gently rolling countryside with a backdrop of a river and mountains. The original owner, Thomas Archer, planted the area to remind himself of his native England. Just outside our window was a small flock of sheep, which we attempted to herd and photograph. There is, however, no comparison between our efforts and those of the Australian sheep dogs!

Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania

On the eastern coast of Tasmania is Freycinet National Park, where we hiked over hills, through forest, and ate our lunch on the beach. We also stopped at the towns of Ross and Richmond. Ross has an interesting convict-designed and built bridge and buildings left from the women's factory (prison). Richmond is a colonial town bypassed by main roads and progress and now a tourist stop.

Joshua and Dan in Freycinet National Park

Port Arthur, the major penal colony in Tasmania, was somewhat of a disappointment, perhaps because of the great expectations for it and also perhaps because this was not our history. The siting of the penal colony on a deep and beautiful harbor, is indeed magnificent; of course the prisoners had no chance of enjoying it. Charles Dickens visited Port Arthur and modeled several of the characters in Oliver Twist after prisoners. We heard a story about a Jewish prisoner, Ikey Solomons, who was supposedly the model for Fagin. The Potato Factory is a novel based on Solomons' life. The weather during our drive to Port Arthur was rainy, but it mostly cleared by the time we arrived and yielded a spectacular rainbow just before sunset. We stayed in rather ordinary accommodations, but just outside were cattle who provided diversion and a morning concert.

On our last day in Tasmania, back in Hobart, we toured the Cascade Brewery and then drove up Mount Wellington, which provides the water for the brews and forms a dramatic backdrop for the city and from which there is a spectacular view; we experienced the fiercest winds ever and could barely stand up! The following morning Joshua joined us for breakfast at the B&B and we then bid him farewell.