Tasmania - south

Hiking in the Hartz Mountains National Park, good vista of uninterrupted forest, walking in alpine tundra with small streams criss-crossing.
 

Mt Field National Park offers views of stunning Russel Falls just within 15 minutes of walking. Another easy hour hike through cool moist forest reaches an area where there are still some rare over 70 meter tall Swamp Gums growing.

Tasmania - Bruny Island

A great little island on the south east coast to spend a day walking around. Beautiful rock pools full of life: colorful star fish, baby shrimps, clams, cockles ...

 

Excellent view from the light tower of rich deep blue sea and the special hexagonal rock formation.
 

In the middle of the island is a long stretch of sandy beach, the view from the little hill is mesmerizing.
 

The cliff at the north end of the island has been sculpted by wave, sand and wind into beautiful shapes and forms.

Tasmania - central lake area

Stayed near Little Pine Lagoon famous for fly fishing for trout, cooked 2 brown trouts.
These black swans will move up and down the lagoon everyday.
Very good short hikes in the nearby Lake St Clair National Park, excellent view of serene, calm lake, and beautiful forest.

Tasmania - foraging in Arthur River

Fished eels from the river bank, simply grilled in the wood stove, fresh!
Collected berries from the succulent ground cover plant on the seashore, called Pig face, sweet sour and salty, amazing flavor.
Banana passion fruit, growing well here, not as tasty as the normal one though.

Tasmania - Tarkine National Park

A relatively small national park near Arthur River, great short hikes to see forest and sinkhole.

Tasmania - Arthur River

A big river flowing to the north west coast, stayed near the River mouth for a few days to enjoy both areas. Taken a morning small boat trip up stream, the stillness, the untouched environment is mesmerizing.

Tasmania - north west coast

Said to have the freshest air in the world, no landmass all the way to Argentina!
The coast is beautiful, wild, with long stretch of fine sand to walk for miles.

Tasmania hazelnut farm in Tamar Valley

Dry summer and windy autumn mean no bacteria and mould, coupled with no pest to infest hazelnut, there is no treatment at all.
Just need to clear all grass below the trees before harvest time to collect the fallen nuts, with giant vacuum sucker on the tractor.
At maturity in 12 years, each tree can produce 15 kg of nuts every year.

Freshly harvested vegetable from farm stay

Got a box of freshly picked vegetable and fruits for cooking.

Silver beet with apple-added a touch of sourness to the dish.

Zucchini with parsley-owner grows lots of parsley to make smoothie, it is full of flavor and goes well with zucchini.

Sweet potato with apple and basil-nice balance of sweet and sour taste, with refreshing green color and aroma of basil.

Purple plum with ginger and parsley-I like to stew plums with ginger and a pinch of salt. Here, I added a handful of parsley leaves just before serving, the new flavor dimension is unusual, and happy to know that there are more nutrients in the dessert.

Elven Home bio-dynamic farm stay

Self-sufficient small scale mix farming, with around 60 fruit and nut trees, a dozen of hens, a cow and vegetable plots in Tamar Valley, north Tasmania.
The income from selling produce from the farm, together with rental from the cottage ensured a good living for the family.