Fossil Cove

Until this past winter, this part of Tasmania has been in drought for at least ten years and the bush has been very dry. The dry gum leaves make the downhill climb slippery, but more of a worry is the fact that smokers sometimes toss their butts away. This is a dangerous bushfire area, so people need to be very careful.

Fossil Cove is about 25 minutes from Hobart. The walk down to the Cove takes 10 or 15 minutes -- or longer, if you're like me and want to stop and look at every orchid or other plant in bloom. It is a steep track, but there are steps along the worst bits, and handrails in the very worst areas. You'll have to allow longer to get back up, but, frankly, having to pause to rest here and there is a good excuse to examine some of the interesting plants, or just the views across the gorge that you didn't give enough time to on the way down.

As you descend into the gorge, you'll see wonderful rocky outcrops, and little caves that you can imagine our native animals using for a good night's sleep. The vegetation is varied and beautiful, a confusion of Nature. Unfortunately, you aren't likely to see our nocturnal animals, but there are plenty of birds. I've seen a wedgetail eagle in the gorge several times, a great masked owl, tawny frogmouths, and an array of honeyeaters, robins, wrens, and others. There is also a sea eagle's nest nearby, so once down at the cove you could see one of those, along with the other water birds.

I have many visitors from overseas and interstate (that would be what we in Tasmania call the North Island), and they all come back to Tassie as often as possible, and always make the trek down to Fossil Cove at least once while they're here. Some go down there every day, others like to have a (cold) swim.