Tasmanian Revels
When I envisioned my travels to Australia, I was excited but anxious about the prospect of meeting new people. However, being aware of my inherently solitary nature and that my trip was going to be relatively short, I did not expect to establish such a tight friendship with four other travelers that I can now call lifelong friends. We all met at work and bonded over post shift detox sessions at the cafe next door.
Given that we each only get six months on our working visas, our time employed together inevitably came to an end and we decided to do something big before we all went separate ways. Tasmania was quickly picked as the destination we would spend a week together exploring and enjoying our last bit of time with all five of us together.
I am surely glad we picked Tasmania, as the trip to get there was quick and painless, and what we found was beyond beautiful. I could blather on and on about what we managed to pack into five days on the island state, but I'll just pick some highlights that are without a doubt must-dos when in Tazzie.
MONA: filled with modern art that aimed to evoke as much human emotion as possible. From a man-made replica of the human digestive system that produced literal poop (literally), to a room simply filled with audio of human screams on loop, the exhibits definitely sought to make you think.
Bruny Island Cruise: we took a boat out in hopes to find wildlife and ended up seeing dolphins, seals, and intriguing rock formations
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary: Best. Day. Ever. We sat in "kangaroo country" among about fifty or so friendly roos. We spent a few hours petting them and feeding them from our laps. One person in our group was captured on camera multiple times giving kangaroo kisses. That person may or may not be me.
Breath taking nature: The five of us rented a car, so we were able to see Mount Field National Park, Clifton Beach, Opossum Bay, the infamous Seven Mile Beach and much more. The sights were simply ineffable. That's what videos are for though! If you'd like to see my first attempt at a vlog, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7u2GnjJXjk
Favorite person I met along the way: Hugh, our tour guide for the Bruny Island Cruise. He left his high paying corporate life in the mainlands of Australia and moved his entire family to Tasmania on a whim. "Life's too short to waste time in a box," he said.
Fun Fact: Despite being one of the six states of Australia, Tasmania has been left off of the Australian map by accident multiple times. I know for certain I'll never forget it though!