Winter 2019 - TAS. 1 The Devil’s Zoo

TAS. 1   The Devil’s Zoo

Sometimes I ask myself if we really need to rent a car because for short periods we usually stay in one spot or two. But it seems so easy to just rent a car and then we have our independence, but it is an exchange, we do give up some local flavor by driving around. I know that by using public transport we get a much better understanding of the people who live in a place. For the week we were in Tasmania (TAS) we rented a car at the airport. 

Heading to Tasmania

Naturally we wanted to see as much as we could in the one week we were in TAS yet we also have to sleep. Even though we started our day at 3AM in Christchurch, it was around 9 PM before we arrived at Hobart Airport. 18 hours had passed traveling what looked like a little hop on the map. But due to our Qantas flight schedule we had to go to Sydney first and then transfer to a flight to Hobart. Because we traveled to a new country (Tasmania is part of Australia), we had to go through customs and security in the Sydney airport. 

Between Flights

 Well, it beats swimming but it just shows that even in today’s fast world some logic, like flying directly from NZ to Tasmania, is just my logic, it makes no economic sense to Airlines.

Cobwebs on the Mirror - Again?

We slept until 7 AM the next day and then rented from East Coast rental, a Nissan Pulsar, a nice car for our needs because it had a big enough trunk to accommodate our entire luggage. 

Nissan Pulsar - Nice Car

Do I tell you about our fright of Carol leaving her striped tote bag (see picture above) with her camera in it at the rental office?  In the hassle of stuffing bags into the trunk, getting the keys, doing the paper work, etc. we drove off never realizing her bag was missing. I was bummed out about it and 'vented' verbally but I’m sorry, Carol, we all make mistakes. I left a phone in a room someplace in the States years ago, Carol was much better at the time, she just said call them and yes, they had the phone and would send it to us via mail. Well in TAS, we were not that far away from the Rental office so we turned around and recouped the bag. They had it in safe storage already, nice folks those people at East Coast Car Rental. Sometimes I am just too ‘emotional’?

Tasmanian Devil

Our first stop in the car was at the Unzoo, on the way to Port Arthur. We did not know there was a Zoo but we had hoped, somehow, to meet the Tasmanian Devil. The Devil is a bit of an elusive, nocturnal creature, not very smart, rather cantankerous but it is infamous for the sound it makes. It’s rather loud and totally weird. 

When the first Europeans came to Australia they had to walk (trek) all day, were tuckered out at night and just wanted to sleep in their tents.

Tasmanian Devil

Well, those small animals, the Devils, smelled food, came to eat and when not happy they made this sound.  In the black of night, those small, black creatures were hard to see. It was said by the suspicious Europeans that only the devil could make sounds like that, hence the name that stuck until today.

A Vicious Critter

There are no longer Devils in Australia; all the Devils that roam the wild are living in Tasmania, and the population is dwindling. A specialized, contagious facial cancer that attacks the Devils has decimated the population. Just a decade ago there were an estimated 150, 000 Devils roaming in TAS, now there are an estimated 75,000 living. 

Hear Bones Crunching as He Eats

The Devils eat mostly carrion, their extremely sensitive smell telling them where the food is. But a Devil eats anything that is meat, their jaw pressure is tremendous. Just one bite can bite through a human’s femur, the largest bone in your leg. I did not want to mess with this small, cantankerous power house of an animal, so I was glad we saw him in a Zoo, this Devil was free-roaming but behind a high wall that kept him contained. By the way, I was told that their brain is as big as a pea… and all they are concerned about is ‘MEAT’. They are not friendly, cuddly beings, there is only one thought on their minds, the zoo keeper told us. FOOD! Even the Zoo Keeper kept her distance when dealing with the animal. One just does not cuddle those 'cute' things!

Now These Are 'Cute'

Getting His Money Taken - But He's Smiling

This UnZoo, on the way to Port Arthur, had other exhibitions, all of the animals such as wombats, wallabies and kangaroos free roaming, but I was mainly focused on this 'weird' Devil. Glad I finally saw one. The sound it makes sure is far out. 

 

A Galah Bird - Beautiful

While in the Zoo, we had a lecture on the fowl of Tasmania. Some odd birds were being fed while we were there. One bird, though, was especially very ‘smart?’ it would pick coins held up and offered from the audience and deposit them into a cup. It would fly from person to person, collecting ‘change’. So, if you left your ring or watch on the window sill of an open window… this bird would come and collect it, bring it to its nest.  Good bird to have, right?

 

We had a good visit at the zoo, but we are actually just passing by, we are off to Port Arthur, a bit down so road, so let me write about this place next.

Cape Barren Geese

A Tawny Frogmouth - Strange Name

Green Rosella