旅行は私の人生なのだ

I get up very early at 3 o'clock in the night because I sleep at 6 o'clock yesterday.

The outside is dark and cold, and I get nothing to do except watching the movies.

The spagetti left is no more dilicious but is the only food I have. 

The movie "Source Code" is a new one for me. Though I have to watch it without texts, I still could realize the content. As for another movie "Angry Drive", I could not understand what they are talking about. 

Lying on the sofa, time passes very slowly. 

Until 7 o'clock, the sky become lighter. I put my camara on the monopad and wait for the sunrise in the balcony. If I could see the sun, it means that it's possible to have a nice day today.

The first bus to the Ranger Station is 9 o'clock at the tourists center.

I spent my time in this luxury room before depature. Writing the diary, writing some postcards, arraging my stuffs again, and taking photos in the room with the sunlight.

Just while I feel bored, I suddently find a big bird in my balcony.

It looks like a big fat crow, but I know it should be some species I don't know before.

I take photos and video of this big bird and ask for its information at the recpetion when I check out the room.

After I search the information further on the internet, I'm quite sure that this bird is Grey Currawong and it's for sure that this bird is too fat.

Oh, please don't feed the wild bird. I really wonder how height he could fly?

By the way, the website of Cradle Mountains National Park provides the useful information of the birds in this area: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4596

I always image the scenes of Cradle mountain since my firend visited Tasmania three years age but miss this place due to the time she arranged.

Now, I do what she didn't do in this winter season.

On the shuttle bus, I see wild wallaby beside the road twice on the way to ranger station.

Arrived at ranger station, the Dove lake is in the front nearby and the cradle mountain is at the far north of the lake.

No one knows why the lake is called Dove Lake, and there is only a short description on the internet without any further information.

So, the name of Cradle mountains is also a mystery.

It seems that there is no reasonable descriptions of their names, and maybe the locals just call them with the names long time ago.

Walking clockwise around the lake, I find some ice in the bushes beside the track.

It's a pity that I could not see the snowy scene here, but I'm glad that the rain stops now.

The scenery of the mountains changes while I walk for a distance, and so is the angle of viewing cradle mountain.

While getting close to the bottom of cradle mountains, you will be amzed with its dangerous.

You could also watch other mountains with the telescope where you will find the waterfall formed by the melting snow.

In the middle of the circuit, the mounatain is just in front of me very closely.

I don't think it's easy for everyone to climb to the summit, and it's not recommend to do this in the winter for the short daytime and bad weather. 

According to the information, it takes at least eight hours. But for me, it may takes more than ten.

So, if I really want to climb it, I should come here in the summer.

The water of the lake is normal in most of the region, but it's color becomes brown in some places near the shore.

Passing through the mountain, there are some small creeeks, and the track becomes rocky.

Going upstairs hardly, I take a big rest in the top. I sit on the chair, feel the cold wind blowing my face, and watch the Cradle mountains. It's a nice place to look around the scenes. With telescopes, you could see the sharp peaks very clearly in a good angle. As for the small waterfall at your right, you could also see the snow on the summit.

At this moment, I image how beautiful it would be, if I visit here in the snowy season.

Sometimes, good photos are gained by waiting the right timing. I really think so.

The rest of the track is much easier as I pass thourgh the upstairs section.

There is a boat house beside the shore with brown water. It looks like someone drops his black tea into the water. The gradient from brown to transparent is quite like the painting, and the house also plays a role in this picture.

It would be interesting to take a picture with the boat house when you stand near the door, but the photographer must find a boat so that he could photograph in the lake.

It's lucky that I finish the circuit without any raining in two hours.

On the way returing to the tourists center, I see the wallaby once again and the tourists walking on the track of Snack Hill.

Before leaving here, I buy a hamburger in the restaurant. It's my first time to eat hambergur in Australia. There is a sayings: The Foreign Moon Is Rounder Than The Native. This sayings may not be true, but the hambergur in Australia is surely bigger than what I ate in Taiwan. The hambergur includes cheese, bacons, slices of tomato, lettuce and the beef. It's so big that the hambergur in Taiwan is like the food for children. The most important of all, it's delicious.

The next and final destination today is the town "Strahan" which is the most western town of Tasmania.

In order to having a longer stay in lake St.Clair, I have to go to the nearest town as possible as I could. Strahan and Queenstown are the choices in my pocket. Though Queenstown is much close to Lake St.Clair, someone said there is nothing for visiting and this mining town looks like the moon surface. Under this consideration, I could take a walk around the lake in Strahan as least, and if possible, I could go for tracking and watching the waterfall.

You may watch the map below that I scanned. I write down the distance of each route and it takes about two hours or more to arrive at Strahan.

Strahan is a small town. Except for the houses, everything you need could be found around the tourist center.

You could walk around the lake, take a cruise in Gorden river, or go to People's park where you could watch Hogarth Fall. Besides, the train station for the old steam train, West Coast Wilderness Railway, is located at the end of the walking track. 

This western train is still running nowadays between Strahan and Queenstown. Though you could also take the train in Queenstown, it's recommend to take in Strahan for the train departs twice from Strahan while only once in Queenstown. No matter where you get on the train, the tour takes about five hours. Unfortunately, it's not suitable for me as a plan of tomorrow.

I go to the tourists center to make sure of the location of Strahan YHA.

This tourists center is special for its wooden building, and there are many parking spaces here.

Although the weather is so nice that I want to look around here, I have to book a room first. 

I find the YHA very quickly which is close to a small forest on the Harvy street. Except for the dormitory rooms, you could also choose the cabin or camp here. However, it's not a good idea to camp in the winter.

Beacuse the YHA is close to the forest, you would feel like staying in the nature and hear the birds' sound in the daytime. It would great to stay here for a few days in summer.

After the accommodation is confirmed, I walk around the lake searching for the nice scenes. 

Even the tree is not green, it could be very poetic while accompanied with the coulds in this nice weather.

It's always true that good photographs appear in good weather. 

I just wonder why the weathers are so different in Strahan and Cradle mountains.

The harbor is quite, and there is a special accommodation here: Sleeping in the yacht. 

If you want to try once, the check-in time for the yacht is after 5:30 in the afternoon.

Though I want to walk to People's park, it seems to be very far from here, and the sunset time is coming.

By the way, you could not see the sunset around the harbor for it faces southward, and according to the map, the viewing point should be at the shore beside the road B27.

I come back to YHA and cook the dinner with my poor ingredients. After all, my journey in Tasmaina will end soon. Therefore, I have to finish all the ingredients before getting on the plane.

The first one is made of Ravioli and cup soup and seasoned with red curry.

It would be better if I could put some vegetables or meat.

The second one is the terrible spagetti for its salty source.

Besides, no other ingredient is also a matter.

I add the red curry soup into the spagetti but it's still not delicious.

(to be continued...)

Route of Today ---

A：Cradle Valley

B：Strahan