A Month Today

Well it is four weeks today since we started this epic (??) journey and tonight we are camping at Lake St Clair in the National Park. What a rip off these parks are, $25 for an unpowered camp site with pretty ordinary amenities but I guess they have a captive audience and if you want to come here you pay, and pay through the nose.

Well yesterday we finally got on the Wilderness train from Strahan to Queenstown and bused back to Strahan. It was a wonder day full of surprises and information. We had "Thomas" doing the commentary and he was quite a character, only young but obviously loved his job and was full of information and stories. The first part of the journey used a diesel loco but you change trains for the last bit into Queenstown with a steamer to climb the steepest grades in the southern hemisphere.

When you see the devastation of the Queen and King Rivers (both dead with no life in them) caused by the mining, mankind has a lot to answer for. I don't consider myself a "greenie" but this is an eye opener as to what man's greed can do. Fortunately we are waking up and genuine efforts are being made by the current owners of the mine with noticeable results. Many of the denuded hills around Queenstown are being given back to nature with reforestation and maybe in another fifty years much of the damage will be reversed.



We had intended to once again go north from Strahan but we decided to abandon that plan and make for the East Coast via Queenstown. As things happen Allan poked his out this morning to say his fridge had gone on the blink (yet again) and he was going to make a dash for Hobart to see if he could get repairs done. We also said our goodbyes to Sandy and Mary-Jean  ( from the Gold Coast) who we have been travelling with us for a few days, and shared an ale or two, and are now alone in this wild wilderness (with about 30 others camped with us)



Tomorrow, weather permitting we will have a look around the lake before moving on. I don't like our chances of this rain lifting but we can't complain as this is the first rain we have had since we have been here.