Hotel coffee and shower before heading out into the centre for Launceston’s weekly Harvest Market

Very cute fresh food market with a couple food stalls, local crafts, wines, honey, etc, and some live music on the go

We grab a couple of coffees from one of the vendors as well as a couple brunch sarnies

One jalapeno burger and one bacon & egg burger

We enjoy The Heart Collective, a local band, before getting back to the car where we pop to Woolworths to stock supplies and start our day

First on the agenda today is Cataract Gorge, home of the world’s longest single-span chair lift (of 457m), which was built back in 1972

We of course hitch a ride on it – only one way so we get to enjoy a walk too – and get a lush view over the First Basin and South Esk River

Getting off the other side, there’s a trail up to the top of the hill we’re already most of the way up so we take it

Just before, though, there’s a little dinner date going on with a couple Pademelons, a Peacock and a Wallaby; but wait… here’s an additional party ????

Next, we take the Eagles Eyrie Lookout trail and it’s not for the faint of heart – very steep – but worth it for the view!

Back down we go and only to be treated with such a close up experience watching a little fella grab some lunch!

Reaching the flatter area, we pop to the little cafe for some liquids

We have a another close up moment with another, of many, residents here

Next, we wonder down to the First Basin and round to near the public swimming pool where some of the Native Tasmanian Hens are taking a dip

We do a loop over the Alexandra Suspension Bridge – this was originally built in 1904 though this is the second version as the first was mostly taken down by a big flood

We go around the path by the water again before getting to the car

Off to Tamar Island Wetlands Centre where there’s a boardwalk to take you around the reserve with the chance to spot local wildlife

The visitor centre had taxidermied versions of some of these ☹️ but we learnt a new fact about Wombats

The weather changed vastly throughout the walk and we got to spot a couple of the birds they’d mentioned including Black Swans, ducks, Moorhens, Comorants and Pelicans

The boardwalk takes you across several little islands but then to the main Tamar Island which has a wreck of ‘The Platypus’

Reaching Tamar Island, we do a circuit before finding there’s a jetty the other side

At the end of it, Dave spots a couple of weird jellyfish!

We head back battling the crazy gusts of wind!

On the way, an Australasian Swamphen crosses the path

Back to the visitor centre, we realise we’ve burnt a tad

Anyhoo, let’s get to our hotel for the night – it’s just over 1.5 hours and we stop at a shop to grab some dinner supplies before making it

Gowrie Park Wilderness Village is hosting us in one of their cabins for a couple nights – delightful place out in the sticks

It’s pouring with rain as we arrive so we get settled while we wait for it stop

Once stopped, we get some laundry in a machine, with Pademelons frolicking about on the greenery, and start on dinner

Dinner tonight is a BBQ with one of the outdoor communal amenities of the place and Dave is taking the chef duties tonight

A couple of cheese burgers each as well as several chinese chicken skewers ????

We walk dinner off strolling around the area and have a field day with the animals around here

There’s tons of Pademelon but we also spot a Kookaburra and are sure we can hear the growl of either a Feral Cat or a Tassie Devil!

We had to get back to the main area as our laundry finished and it was a nice surprise that the darker it got, the more confident the animals got and became greater in abundance!

Time to hit the hay, though not before a scare by a giant spider ???? let’s try and sleep ????