The Romance of Tasmania shared by

Tasmania — You Romantic Devil

a look at the romance of Tasmania, shared by globetrotter, Leigh Meredith Moorhouse

Tasmania, by the far-off Tasman Sea. Even the Aussies don’t go there. But my adventurous partner, with whom I travel often on business, decided this was the place for a unique romantic getaway. He’s brilliant, adorable, funny, and very sweet, so for me a “romantic getaway” is where ever he is.

We had been traveling several weeks through Malaysia, China and Australia, managing the business side of life, negotiating contracts, networking, schmoozing. We had a mere six days to ourselves without any agenda, without any necessary distractions tugging at our sleeves. “But Tasmania?” I thought, “Are you kidding me?!”

We boarded a small plane for the flight from Melbourne to Launceston (Tassie’s most northern city). We landed at the small and unassuming airport in a drizzly, chilly fog. A voice from the rental car counter said, “No worries, Mate, it’s quite easy to find the highway. Just turn left. And to the left we drove. Our destination? Cradle Mountain. Mountain area is a popular tourist destination as well as the starting point of the bushwalk called the Overland Track. This track takes approximately six days to complete. This is a must-do for hikers and is an experience full of some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the world. But for our little “getaway”, we would be content with spending some quality time at a lodge, relaxing and enjoying a little down time.

As far as I could see at this point in the trip, this is a tiny and quite backward place. No much going on. Only a few cars beyond the town of Launceston’s airport. Interesting looking characters walking along the side of the road for no apparent reason. I started thinking about all that I’d read in the tourism brochures. “Best vacay for foodies & wine lovers.” So far I wasn’t impressed, there wasn’t one single gourmet restaurant or winery anywhere in sight, just simple country roads dotted with small houses here and there.

After a couple of hour’s drive in a southerly direction, as the roads began their twists and turns, the landscape changed as quickly as that of a handmade quilt sporting multiple

fabric textures and colors. Suddenly, I felt as if we were on the movie set of Lord of The Rings. With forests and mountains of such fantasy and so cinematic, I began looking for Frodo Baggins! These were some of the loveliest landscapes I’d ever seen, ever, in all of my travels to many corners of the globe.

Suddenly a rustic and but efficient-looking lodge appeared before us. We had arrived at Cradle Mountain Lodge. We were greeted by a very courteous staff who arranged for our lunch in the bar around a blazing fire pit. I was still sporting my sandals and tee shirt, having left Melbourne when it was 85 degrees. Both of us were now cold and wet and rummaging through luggage to find warm dry clothing, shivering and giggling the entire time. As I reminisce about which was better, I’m truly unsure… the comfort of my partner’s lingering embrace or the warmth of that crackling fire pit in the middle of the room!? After a quick bowl of soup and some coaxing, I agreed to a short stroll deeper into the forest floor. Oh dear! I was finally dry and warm! Why must I venture outdoors again!

It is important to note here that I’m a Florida girl, born and raised. Winter is not my thing, nor anything that resembles it. This cold and wet place wasn’t my idea of paradise. I longed for an island dotted with huts built over turquoise waters with warm humid breezes. But after a short time, I did found these luscious shades and textures of green very intriguing. Seriously, there were greens I’d never seen before, even in the Pacific islands.

And then there were the marsupials. Tasmania, Tassie for short, has some of its own species of marsupials, such as small wallabies, the Tasmanian Pademelon, and the infamous Tasmanian Devil. Large numbers of small wallabies and pademelons have taken up residence around the lodge for obvious reasons: the food is plentiful. While they normally graze on grasses and other common vegetation found in wet forests, these particular ones had also grown to love some of the same fruits and vegetables we eat, particularly apples!

Our rustic cabin was positioned in such a way that no other resemblance of life was in view accept for the breath of ferns and the continuous foggy mist. This enchanting cozy space was decorated with browns and creams that you would expect in rustic cabin

décor. The only other color in our quarters was the brilliant red of a large bowl of apples on the sofa table. Situated between the den and bedroom was an enormous stone fireplace. Upon arrival it is customary for the staff to prepare a fire for you. And the view of the warm, golden flames was visible from sofa or bed. We settled in with a warm drink and it was off to bed while the crackle of the fire was still sending swirls of light and shadows around the room. The weather was much the same next morning and we bundled up after a quick breakfast for some much needed exercise. Hikes along the lush and damp floors of the neighboring forest paths proved to be so mesmerizing that our planned jogs and hike gave way to stopping every few steps to simply take in the panoramas that can only be described as truly breathtaking. My husband took my hand as we walked through the fog along a lake we couldn’t see at the time. Native birds chirping on occasion, shuffling of small creatures in ferns and hollowed-out fallen logs on the forest’s mossy carpet. We were both overwhelmed by colors and textures we had never seen in a forest. Thick fog gave way to occasional drizzle rain. I didn’t care that we were soaked or that I was chilled to the bone. The warmth of his hands on mine was like warm sunshine on my heart. After 27 years of marriage he can still melt me like a young girl getting her anticipated first kiss.

A large fire was ablaze in the fire pit back at the lodge. This was quite a welcoming site for us as well as that of a few other tired hikers staying at the lodge. On our approach to the lodge, several pademelons and wallabies were grazing in the grasses. They were so tame that they didn’t notice how close we were to them.

Retiring to our cabin, a young man followed us so that a fire could be built in our fireplace. Showers, lengthy conversation, some red wine, and cuddle time seemed to quickly pass. Suddenly the dinner hour was upon us. We quickly dressed and walked back to the lodge and were seated in a lovely dining room with tables adorned with white cloths and lit candles. Small floral centerpieces were placed on each one. The cuisine was divine and all local, the wine wellpaired, and the atmosphere so much more than I expected from a lodge in the middle of nowhere, in a country so rarely visited even by those who lived in the same hemisphere.

Throughout our stay, I frequently thought about the red apples resting in that large wooden bowl in the cabin. We had been asked not to feed the animals, but I had also overheard a waiter at dinner talk about how much the pademelons loved big red juicy apples. Before retiring that evening, I decided to leave an apple on the front porch to see if it would still be there next morning.

The entrance to the cabin had two doors. The outer door was glass while the second, the inner door, was of solid wood. On a warmer day the wooden door could remain open so that the view of the forest’s hillside could be enjoyed.

Next morning, my husband asked if I’d checked on the apple left the night before. I knew instantly that he knew the answer to this. Edward had not grown up around animals and in contrast I spent a lot of childhood in a rural area of Florida and had lots of animals, both farm and pets. We have two cats and when traveling I miss them dearly and cling to everyone’s pet or animal I happen to see. He enjoys teasing me about this, but at the same time, it endears me to him.

Upon gently and slowly opening the inner, solid wooden door, and gazing out, there was no apple! And looking back at us was a sweet little paddy waiting to see if perhaps another apple would appear! She looked as if she had previously knocked on the door, and we, the inhabitants, had not heard the knock. She appeared to be waiting patiently for us to discover her presence, her demeanor and manners very prim and proper. She was the only creature in sight. So lovely were her twinkling brown eyes, she held her short front limbs close to her body; she was resting, sitting upright on her larger hind legs and flat feet. I quickly retrieved another apple from the wooden bowl. We carefully opened the glass door wide enough to lay it at her feet. She scooped it up quickly while not moving an inch from the door. All of a sudden, four other pademelons appeared! And so went all of the apples in that large wooden bowl resting on the sofa table, not a single one consumed by us. I’ll always remember her sweet face and adoring eyes. I felt a real connection with this little creature and she still resides in my memory today. I think she always will. On this our last morning at Cradle Mountain, we had time for one more exploration into a different area of the surrounding forest before our departure. Bundling up once again for the misty fog and chilly light rains, we set foot along the trail. While the scenery was much the same that we had experienced on previous hikes, there was nothing boring about our final walk. And once again, our attempt to gain some speed in our steps, to get our heart rate up a little (an effort to work off all the scrumptious calories consumed the night before), was impossible. There was scenery that any painter would be envious to see. These forests had not been touched by man in many years, if ever. Large old trees, some rivaling the California redwoods, had fallen to the forest floor, some recently, some many years before. They laid so gracefully near lovely streams and on hillsides and in gullies as moss and ferns had covered them with fanciful decoration. Vines, leaves, ferns, mosses. Textures and colors of green that I thought until now only existed in fantasy. We continued our drive south after visiting Cradle Mountain and over the days that followed we had many wonderful experiences on this lovely island off Australia’s southern coast. But we often think back to Cradle, that lush landscape, the friendly faces, the fascinating wildlife and we know we’ll return some day. It was, indeed, the perfect setting for a “romantic getaway”.