Weather: Warm and Sunny (but it rained for two minutes)
Today, we thought we would try our luck touring with a personal tour guide instead. Hilary called to verify our tour, and it was a good thing! They didn’t have us booked! Luckily, they didn’t have another tour today and he was able to take us! (They were having a problem with their email).
We ate a quick continental breakfast downstairs, then met up with our tour guide, Richard. He’s a real genuine local, full of local expressions like using the word “mossies” for mosquitoes and “Japs” for Japanese people. I don’t know if it has the same negative connotation as it does back home.
He had a new Nissan 4x4, which was much better than the puke bus we took yesterday. Our first stop was the Bonorong Wildlife Park! There were so many animals!
First we saw a Tasmanian Devil, which looked nothing like the WB cartoon version. They got their names from the early white settlers who heard growling and noises they believed belonged to a Devil. They have a unique shape to their tail which reminds me of prehistoric animals that haven’t evolved yet. They only exist in Tasmania.
Then we saw a wombat, a cute little digging animal with a hard ass. It uses the cartilage to protect itself from predators. It was very tame and seemed to like our attention. There were kangaroos, wallabies, and emus
all over the farm and we got to feed them! The emus were very aggressive and chased the kangaroos off! After feeding the emus, I had to count my fingers to make sure they were all there! I think they were out for revenge because I ate their cousin. Bwah ha ha ha haaaaaa…
After the emu were full, they let me feed some kangaroos. Hilary was funny. She just would go “here you go” and drop food on the ground. The kangaroos ate right out of my hand. They would put their little, clawed hands in mine to pull it closer to the ground. Some would just lounge around, while others would come right up to you. There were some momma kangaroos with joeys in their pouches.
We saw some emu eggs, and as I was taking a picture, we heard the sound of Satan. We thought it was the Tasmanian devils, but it was actually the cute, cuddly, koala bears ! They were awake, which was rare because they sleep twenty hours a day. Some were stretching, while others were just sitting on the ground. They only eat one specific type of Eucalyptus leaf, so they aren’t native to the Island of Tasmania (or “Tassie” as the locals call it).
After that, we looked at the largest breed of Eagle in Australia. These eagles have been known to carry small sheep and fly off! We left the zoo and went to Richmond, a small, quaint, little town with shops like New Hope back home. 
Unlike New Hope, though, this town was built by convicts. In 1823, convicts built the bridge into Richmond. We had coffee and banana bread (made by Richard’s wife, and very good, I might add) and walked through town. It had a colonial feel to it, and there were shops like “Just Lavender” where they sold all products with lavender in them like soaps and moisturizers. (Translation: Chick store, but it smelled nice).
We continued on our journey through to Eagle Hawk neck peninsula and took in the view. Like Hawaii, bees and wasps weren’t indigenous to Australia. They were introduced on purpose to get rid of other pests, but instead became pests themselves. At least I haven’t been stung … yet. They call it Eagle Hawk Neck peninsula because it was a very thin strip of land with a beach on each side. If prisoners tried to escape through there, the guards would release very vicious and very hungry dogs on them.
Going with the prison theme, we went to Port Arthur next. We ate a nice lunch (included), also made by Richard’s wife (pass along our complements), and played on the swings.
We then went to the convict museum display where we were handed a playing card and we followed the life of the prisoner on the card to see how they endured the prison colony. I got shackled. :(We went on a ferry ride and saw the boy’s prison and the Isle of the dead (where they buried prisoners and workers who died). It really was pretty, but I wouldn’t want to be a prisoner there. They were slaves, put to work for no pay … all for some crimes as petty as showing up to work late repeatedly.
After the ferry, we went on a walking tour, where we had a different guide explain the property. He seemed like a frustrated actor because he had so much energy and emphatic pronunciation, but he was giving a tour of a prison. Although, this is the #1 tourist attraction for Tasmania…
Life was so bad for prisoners that one day a group of them walked down to the commandant’s whaling ship and they set off with it! The guards didn’t realize until later that the Commandant wasn’t on it!
The whole colony was founded because England wanted to show a presence and beat the French to colonization, so the Brits established a prison colony.
There were many buildings, including a church, where a preacher would lecture the prisoners about cleaning up their act. The aristocracy would leave through a separate exit from the prisoners and walk through a botanical garden. It was designed to remind those settlers of the mother country.
The harbor was where the prisoners were brought in and where they were forced to craft sailing vessels.On the way back, Richard told us more local (and true) stories that I couldn’t believe! Apparently, a few friends were dragging a boogie board through the bay in Southern Australia and TWO great white sharks came out of nowhere and “tore the bloke on the boogie board to pieces in a matter of seconds.” I’m glad we heard that story AFTER we went snorkeling in the reef. Imagine seeing two huge great whites (like Jaws) coming straight for you.
Another story Richard told was about crocodiles. They were cleaning fish on the beach and the crocs would come by at night and eat all the leftovers. They got used to coming to the beach to feed. One night, the crocs got more aggressive and one went into a man’s tent and chomped on his leg and tried to drag him in the water. It was a horrific scene. The man was with his family. Luckily, the croc didn’t go for the children or the infants in the camp. The guy’s mother-in-law jumped on top of the croc and punched it in the eyes until it released him. She got bit herself, but they both had gotten freed (just hospitalized).
Now Rhonda, in the unlikely event that we’re camping in crocodile country and I get dragged out of my tent in the middle of the night by a fifteen foot crocodile, go for the eyes! :)
If you’re interested in taking a day tour of Tasmania, it’s actually more cost effective and enjoyable to go through a private tour with Richard. :)
Here’s his information, if you’re interested:
Tasmanian Prestige Tours
Site: http://www.tasmaniandaytours.com.au
Email: rjohn@ozemail.com.au
Phone: 03 6261 1135
Address:
Richard & Janet Onn
P.O. Box 621
New Norfolk 7140
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