Update #9
2-26 March 2003

Our voyage from Antarctica to Hobart aboard the 'Polar Bird' began on 6 March after all the work was completed at Casey Station and all departing personnel were transferred to the ship.  We then moved out through the pack ice, observing lots of crabeater seals, as well as orcas and minke whales, before we reached open water. From there, the trip went quickly as the ship made good time on the relatively calm seas. We had a day or two of rough water, but nothing serious and we actually reached Hobart earlier than predicted, on the morning of 14 March. It took us only 6.5 days to make it across! 

The packice in March, beginning to refreeze.	Crabeater seals on an ice floe.

It was a hectic scene at the wharf after the ship arrived, with family and friends waiting to meet everyone who had been away for so long. In addition, there were lots of baggage and cargo to offload, including all the samples I had collected.  We were glad to be on solid ground again as well, and enjoyed some good meals in Hobart before Rodney left for home on 16 March.  I decided to stay longer in Tasmania and rented a car so I could visit some parks and do some hiking and observe wildlife.  I left on my trip on the 16th as well and began driving around this large island to visit those parks that were recommended to me as being the most scenic.

The 'Polar Bird' arrives at the Hobart wharf while Casey personnel look for family and friends waiting to greet them.

My first stop was Mt. Field NP only an hour from Hobart.  There are mountains and forests here, the latter comprised primarily of eucalyptus trees. One species in particular, the swamp gum, can reach enormous heights.  A section of old growth forest, the Styx Forest, has what is thought to be the tallest tree in the world (originally 120+ m high, but winds have knocked off the top to now 92 m).  This eucalyptus tree is taller than the redwood trees in California and is pretty impressive.

Glacial lakes above treeline at Mt. Field NP.	Good platypus habitat at Mt. Field NP.

The World's tallest tree at Styx Forest.	Looking up the tallest tree.

The wildlife here is interesting too. There are lots of birds, many brightly colored, including parrots and cockatoos.  The mammals are mostly marsupials and are seen primarily at night or at dawn or dusk.  Around the park, I saw lots of pademelons (a small wallaby), as well as common brushtail possums.  The best way to see these and other mammals here is to walk out into the forest or along roadsides at night with a headlamp. In addition, I saw my first platypus in the wild, swimming in a pond in a stream.  It was quite exciting to see.

A common brushtail possum at night.	An eastern quoll in the campground at night.

Besides watching wildlife, I also love to hike for hours through forests and other natural habitats that characterize an area.  At Lake St. Clair NP, I walked one loop trail for 18 km one day and went through more eucalyptus forest, Nothofagus forest with moss-covered trunks, lakes, wetlands, and open buttongrass pampas.  Although it rained part of the time, that's to be expected in this region where some of the forests are rainforests, complete with leeches!  I also saw another marsupial, the eastern quoll, which is about the size of a house cat and had spots on the side.

A Eucalyptus forest with buttongrass at Lake St. Clair NP.	Tree ferns in rainforest at Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers NP.

At the end of my travels, I visited two more spectacular parks: Cradle Mountain NP and Walls of Jerusalem NP.  At each, I spent a day hiking far into the park and saw more wildlife and great scenery.  I saw flocks of sulfur-crested and yellow-tailed black cockatoos at Cradle Mountain, and lots of red-necked wallabies along the trail at the Walls.  It was a good way to end the trip. 

Small glacial tarns (pools) in the alpine zone at Cradle Mtn. NP.	A view high up in Walls of Jerusalem NP.

Moss-covered Nothofagus and tree ferns at Styx Forest.

Now it's time to pack up and head home after a long time away.  Obviously, there's lots more to see here in Tasmania and it's well worth another visit.  I hope you get a chance to travel here someday and hike in these parks.  See you in Wilmington!

Steve Emslie

cked wallaby at Walls of Jerusalem NP.