--Nicole Krauss
Holy cow, another amazing day. Let me rephrase that: Holy kangaroo, another amazing day. Actually, we did see "Oreo" cows--black in the front and back with a white band in the middle.
We headed out toward Port Arthur, one of the prison complexes where British criminals were sent in the 1800s. Our first stop was the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo. That word is correct. Our excellent guide, Joe, took us first to see the kangaroos. There are a couple dozen of them, a couple with joeys in their pouches. OMG, I had several kangaroos eat out of my hand and I got to pet them, chest only. Did you know that kangaroos can't move backwards? Think about it. Then we went to the Devil viewing area where Joe told us all about them. Right up front, the cartoon Tasmanian Devil is NOTHING like the real thing. They are solid muscle except for some fat where the white patches are. They are very passive except during mating season. A female ready to mate waits outside her den for the males to visit. If she doesn't like one, she will give him one chance to leave by chasing him off viciously. If he doesn't get the very strong hint, she kills him and eats him. (At that point, I blurted out "That's a good plan!" which produced loads of laughter.) The devils have incredibly strong jaws, and when they eat something, it is all gone--bones, fur, everything. They can eat 20 chickens in one night. It was fascinating! We also saw wallabies and Green Rosella birds. The photo of the Green Rosella below is not telephoto--I was that close to it.
Then we went to Port Arthur and had a tour of the grounds, including the solitary confinement building where they locked prisoners in silence and solitary, letting them out only one hour per day. Eventually they had to build an asylum next door because the prisoners went nuts. Duh! The Brits sent boys as young as nine years old there. The grounds today are beautiful, including a stunning garden (photo below). We also did a boat tour of the harbor. On the way back to the bus, we stopped at the memorial dedicated to those who died in the mass shooting rampage in 1996. After that shooting, the government had a buyback of all the automatic rifles in the country. [For how long are Americans going to continue to be idiots in this realm!?!?!??!?!] The memorial includes a reflecting pool with a panel with a leaf for each person killed. There is also a cross with the name of each person murdered. The plaque at the entrance says:
Death has taken its toll.Some pain knows no release.But the knowledge of brave compassionShines like a pool of peace.
On the way back to Hobart, we stopped at the Tasman Arch. The coastline here is magnificent. We are told that the water is really cold. There is nothing between Port Arthur and Antarctica, approximately 1500 miles distant.
Lanie and I finished off the day with a beer, then a fine dish of chicken Pad Thai.
My brain is full and my heart is so joyful!
Leta
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| Green Rosella |
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| "Elvis" the devil thru the glass viewing area |
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| Port Arthur gardens |
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| For each one murdered... |
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| And their names listed on the cross |
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| Tasman Arch |
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