Tasmania

Day 0: Melbourne > Tasmania

The trip starts the day before at Geelong (near Melbourne). All members of the trip made their way to the port by flying or land transport. One flew into Avalon Airport, one went in by train earlier on, another flew in on the day before, and the other two (me included) reached Geelong from the Great Ocean Road trip.

Spirit of Tasmania used to use Port Melbourne but has recently (as in 2022) relocated to Geelong, with North Shore being the closest train station. It is a decent walk from the train station and many simply came in by taxi or uber. The port now has a larger loading area for vehicular traffic and a new passenger terminal. The passenger terminal serves passengers both on foot and by bicycle. 

Onto the Spirit! It is a giant ferry with 10 decks, transporting both passengers and vehicles, supporting freight transport to and from Tasmania. Decks 7-10 are for passengers. Sleeping bunkers are purchased in extra for just a bit of extra price, which is totally worthwhile for a trip on the ocean. The ferry across the Bass Strait takes 11 hours on an overnight trip with multiple decks and plenty of amenities for passengers.

Shortly the sun sets in Port Philip. It takes this ferry 3-4 hours to exit Port Philip into the open seas. We took the time to explore the restaurant and play in the arcade before heading back to sleep (and shower) in our bunker. In the open seas, the ride gets slightly rougher as the ferry wobbles through the waves. The wobble coupled with the tilting motorcycle in the arcade made it more realistic. There is also a kids playing area with Minecraft on Xbox and a movie theatre. There's plenty of open space for passengers to enjoy but sleeping is not permitted in those areas.

By the time we woke up, we were already very close to Devonport, the port city on the northern end of Tasmania. The city of Devonport and its suburbs are the very first thing we see as we first step foot onto the island state.

We picked up our car (an 8-seater comfortably seating 5) and drove off to the first destination of the day- Coles Devonport. The group stocked up with food, essential communal items (bottles of water, dishwasher soap, garbage bags) and got an ice box from Kmart next door.

Then onto our first drive to Launceston, the second largest city of Tasmania. Along the way there were many cyclists and the drive was also very scenic, giving Scottish vibes. 

We stopped by a berry farm where we went onto picking strawberries. The strawberries are priced based on the weight of the box and can be picked from the designated area. Some strawberries went into the box, some into the soil, and some straight to our stomach. The place also serves coffee and cakes and we got our much needed coffee to wake ourselves up from the ferry ride.

and into Launceston. Unlike regional towns in NSW, cities in Tasmania are planned in a way similar to many major European cities. Parking is scarce, pedestrians are prioritised with the pedestrian mall and most vehicle traffic travel in single direction. It surprises me that this type of pedestrian-first planning concept can be seen even in such rural places, but rural places also lack the public transport needed to facilitate this. It took us a while to find parking and we eventually parked in a paid parking lot, walked around the city and got ourselves food at a Lebanese restaurant. The Arabic member of our team had a great chat with the owner and gave some honest food reviews. It was also a surprise for the restaurant owner to see customers from places near where they are from.

The final destination for the day is the Bay of Fires and the group went on driving under directions of Google Maps. We went onto a rural road, bypassing Ben Lomond National Park then onto some dirt roads. Most roads in Tasmania except major roads are unsealed yet the conditions of dirt roads are very decent for a 2WD. The drivers first hit the road slowly at 50km/h, then gradually gained confidence on these road surfaces. Soon we made our way to St Marys, a town on the east coast of Tasmania. A more direct road through St Marys Pass was closed at the time, forcing a detour along the coastline and adding more driving time. This made the first day the day where we spent the most time in a car, a bit over 4hrs. 

We also went into a closed road while driving through the dirt sections. A vintage car also got into the same situation, and soon both u-turned and got out onto the main highway. While there are other main highways leading to the same destination, google maps tend to opt for the most direct way regardless of what type of road it is.

Ben Lomond (name stolen from Scotland) is clearly visible as the mountain range with a rugged top. The stolen name is used everywhere, even in places like Ben Lomond Rd in the outback.

The bypass then leads to A3 Tasman Hwy running along the east coast of the island, as we drive north towards St Helens. The reddish texture of the rocks that line the beach made the place "Bay of Fires".

Along the way, we got pulled over by the police at Scamander, a small town on the highway. The speed limit was reduced to 50 upon approach, where the speed sign was hard to spot. The car went through the bend slightly above 60 and was caught by a police car parked on the other end. The fine was not expensive (compared to other states, eg. NSW) but the police in this encounter was quite aggressive, trying their best to spot other offences.

We went further up St Helens until we stopped at a random beach for the rocks. The beach would have looked much nicer if it wasn't for this weather. Many days of our trip were in this cloudy weather but this isn't something we have control over, unfortunately.

The sand is also crystal white, quite unlike beaches in NSW.

There were free camping spots along the beach, quite unusual to find in Tasmania. Many of them were full as we arrived late, but we managed to find a spot near Swimcart Beach. Car was parked, tents unloaded, and it was time to enjoy dinner. One of the tents is from Macpac which the salesperson claimed to be easy to set up but was in fact the hardest to do. There are many parts to put up, more than any other tents made by other manufacturers. 

Another person travelling with a van kindly offered us some firewood as we forgot to bring ours. We put our fire up, cooked our dinner using the stoves and enjoyed some marshmallows under the campfire. Another guy from Hong Kong showed off his unique way of making marshmallows, heating up and peeling off each crispy layer one at a time.

It is a day with blue skies and much clearer weather. The friendly neighbour on the campsite also woke up early, preparing himself to go fishing.

We started off with a 2hr drive down to Freycinet, near Coles Bay. The national park is well known for its shorelines, beaches and granite peaks. The highway also runs roughly along the shoreline until we reach Coles Bay, the town right by the national park.

We went into a fish and chips place nearby before going for the hike. There is a boat ramp nearby with spectacular view over the national park, along with some Bay of Fires rocks.

The start of the national park and all its walking trails is just a short 2min drive away. We got everything packed up and headed straight off. The plan was to do Mt Amos, a relatively difficult hike that offers unobstructed views to most of the park.

The difficult bit of the walk mainly came from the smooth rocks that make up most of the climb. Some parts of it are slippery and can easily trip someone off on shoes without good grip. The track is well signposted and yellow diamonds guide hikers to the right way. Shortly after the start of the walk, the view of Coles Bay opened up.

The smooth climb turned into a rocky forest at the top, with a mix of bush tracks and rock scrambling. The yellow diamonds on the rock offers limited guidance at this stage and as the peak is in sight, we simply made it up using whatever way we have found. The name of the mountain Mt Amos seems to have some connection with the bible but not much info is available online on this granite mountain.

The summit was just a short climb away. There was a rock marking the tallest point but it was a slightly hard scramble to get onto. Only one made onto it and others didn't as the view below isn't much different from that on top.

The panoramic view of the Freycinet Peninsula is spectacular. As the oldest national park in the state, it was named after the French navigator Louis de Freycinet. The highest peak of the peninsula, Mount Freycinet, sits right on the opposite side. Down the granite ranges lies the crystal clear Wineglass Bay, with some hexagonal columns lining the shoreline towards the east.

The climb down was equally as hard over the same rock surface we climbed up. The grooves were used as useful guidance and most of the descent bit was done by sliding down the rock, similar to slides in a children's playground. Even those with climbing shoes do not have full grip on the rocks and were half slipping as they went down.

With a half-exhausted group at the base of the climb, we only walked a bit further to a lookout of Wineglass Bay and call it a day. It was a slight climb onto the mountain pass between the three granite peaks. The scenery wasn't much different from here and we didn't have the energy to go further anyways so we ended our day here. Another group of friends (who came in 2 days after us) went down to Wineglass Bay instead, bringing in a glass of wine on the beach.

And back to the main entrance. There is a logbook for bushwalkers and some information signs for tourists.

Similar to the day before, it was a 3hrs drive and then a full day hike. The other group of friends turned out to be doing the same track on that day as well, so the groups met at Cape Hauy trailhead at the rather southern tip of the national park. The walk is part of the more well-known Three Capes Track, covering all the capes of the national park featuring long coastlines of hexagonal columns. There wasn't time for a multi-day walk so only one cape was chosen as a decently long day walk.

Driving down A3 Tasman Hwy it was the same coastal country. Vineyards, cattle farms and the distant peaks of Freycinet, along with some occasional ocean views along the way. An intermediate stop was made at Triabunna for grocery shopping. Triabunna is the gateway to Maria Island and the information centre of that national park was also in the town, right by the ferry wharf.

We took a bit of gravel road (as a shortcut) before heading back onto the main highway on A9 Arthur Hwy, heading towards Tasman Peninsula. A small echidna crossed the road and there was a small petro pump in the middle of nowhere. A very brief stop at Tasman Arch before we proceeded to Cape Hauy. The last stretch of the drive was another 7km of gravel road. Tasmania's gravel roads are fortunately very well maintained and there wasn't much difficulty in getting a 2WD through. We're still not sure what the animal warning sign meant- it looked more like a dragon.

Shortly after exiting the inland bit the track gets very exposed along the coastal headland. After a short climb, the track descended slightly onto the cape. The columnar dolerite cliffs line the shore and are among the highest in the world. These columns often indicate ancient volcanic activity as they are formed by cooling of lava (similar geographical features can be seen in Hong Kong and in Warrumbungles).

The columns get taller as the track progresses out onto the cape. 

The walk ends at a lookout overlooking Cape Pillar, the longer cape out of the three capes. Columns also form in the middle of the sea, which is named The Monument.

We waited for the remaining group to arrive, then took lots of photos around the lookout. One guy got his binoculars and saw jellyfish in the ocean around the cape. It was also a good spot to look back at what we've gone through as we begin the walk back to where we started.

At a large group, different people walk at different paces, and some got to the carpark well ahead of others. There were some multi-day bushwalkers resting on the stairs as they carry the multi-day load down to the carpark, ending their trip and preparing for their way back to Melbourne. We waited in the carpark while others, seemingly lost, went interacting with a camper catching loads of lobsters. 

And the evening in a nearby campsite. Wallabies are seen everywhere in this area, some feeding on tourist food. We lit up the campfire using a quick way- pouring liquid fuel in it. The ignition created a giant spark scaring others fearing that we will burn our tents.

Also on the Tasman Peninsula is the world cultural heritage site Port Arthur. The ex-convict site is well known for its history, giving a glimpse into the livelihoods of the early British settlers. The site forms the Australian Convict Sites world cultural heritage along with multiple others, including Cockatoo Island and old Great North Rd in Sydney.

The Penitentiary, main building of the site. It was constructed as a flour mill and granary, along with dormitory and many more prison-style facilities.

There's also the church, officer's quarters and guard towers. Many of the buildings were dismantled or destroyed by bushfires when the site was closed.

A short cruise ship ride brings visitors to the Isle of the Dead, where the cemetery of the settlement lies in. 

The museum offers detailed information about the convict site. While the aim of the system is to instil discipline in prisoners, shaping them through education and training, many eventually became victims of the system defeating what it was supposed to do.

The drive to Hobart continued after the convict site. We stopped briefly at a beach and went on a walk at the mudflat. It was a short drive and soon Tasman Bridge came in, the bridge crossing the river into Hobart CBD.

Looking for parking in Hobart is always a struggle. The city is planned in the same European way where pedestrians are prioritised, but without adequate public transport and park-n-ride facilities, it is hard to be carless in the city. Eventually, we found parking on some side streets in the CBD. The bustling city offers a great chance to shop, dine and restock our groceries. Increased immigration into the island state has also bought diverse cultures into the city, unseen in other parts of Tasmania.

Mt Wellington sits next to the city at 1,271 m elevation. It was a cloudy day and the city was barely visible from top, covered by heavy clouds. Mt Wellington is a common place for hikes and cycling, as some have summited it multiple times on foot and by bike. We drove up instead with limited time to spend. As someone from Hong Kong everything above 1000m in elevation is impressive :)

There's a trig station, indoor lookout and an unknown tall pillar at the summit. It's a popular tourist attraction as frequent shuttle buses transport tourists straight to the lookout.

The day ends with a drive down the mountain, Coles shopping and dinner at the wharf. Most restaurants close very early and we were fortunate to get into a pizza place right by their last orders.

The day started with heavy downpours around Hobart. The original plan for the day was to visit Burnie Island, slightly south of Hobart. Looking into the rain radar it was quite unlikely for the rain to end anytime soon in the day, and therefore plans were improvised. We decided to head north early along Midland Hwy towards Launceston (which wasn't raining) and do bushwalks in the nearby Ben Lomond National Park.

Roadworks duplicating Midland Hwy into two-lane dual carriageway has led to massive delays on the highway. A slight detour on B31 was made, passing through Richmond instead of north Hobart. It was cloudy all over the island from south to north and perhaps we still couldn't escape the weather. 

A bit of dirt roads and we reached Ben Lomond National Park. The name came straight from Scotland (Ben = Mountain) and there's also a place with the exact same name on the other side of the planet. Ben Lomond is a plateau lying around 1500m above sea level. While it is possible to drive to the peak (and the ski resort) we started our walk slightly below. Well formed track led hikers onto the plateau, then pillars guide the way all the way till Leggens Tor, the second highest point in Tasmania.

A large slope of rocks presenting the land of the devil.

As the top of the plateau is reached the track became poles guiding the way. The wind was blowing strong and the foggy day made it extremely cold to be in. It took us a very long while to get through this cold place. What we see along the way is also typical alpine terrain and vegetation. There's not much to see on the walk except at the beginning and at the very end.

And there's Leggens Tor, the 2nd highest peak in Tasmania. The tor itself is just slightly above the plateau, with a short ladder for hikers to climb on and take pictures.

We lit up a fire to warm ourselves up (briefly) before heading down. The huts are locked and do not permit any day use. They are somehow named Ben Bullen, perhaps name taken from NSW?

As we went down the sky has partially cleared up. The blue sky is finally back! We also had a clearer view of what the mountain looks like, which was covered by fog on our way up.

It didn't take us too long to get back to our car. Having survived the intense cold in summer, we turned the heater on for quite a while before packing up and heading down to the campsite for the night. The campsite is near Launceston, way below the mountains.

Down the hill we passed through the town of Blessington, saw the sunset, listened to some music while on the drive and slept early for another long day.

The highlight of the 10-day trip comes here. Cradle Mountain is certainly the best mountain in Tasmania with its unique shape. This is also another day where we met up with another group of friends, attempting a summit on a group of 11. The mountain is formed with dolerite and has the hexagonal columns seen in many mountains across Tasmania.

We passed through Mount Roland on our drive to Cradle Mountain. While it is not a national park the mountain still looks very spectacular.

After Mt Roland, it was just several sharp bends on a curvy highway towards Cradle Mountain. The place is a very popular tourist site with loads of cars, campervans, caravans and coaches shuttling in tourists. The national park runs a shuttle bus service transporting tourists to various trailheads. The visitor centre is an architectural masterpiece on its own, with several more lookouts under construction catering to the large volume of tourists.

Having a late start we started off on a rapid ascent up to Cradle Mountain. The actual climb to the top of the mountain is only ~600m in elevation, doable in a day hike. At the end of the short broadwalk is Dove Lake with a great view of the mountain itself.

Several tracks run along the lake offering a 360-degree view. As time is limited we took a steep track straight to the ridge (on the right) before heading off to the summit. It wasn't a hard walk but was rather intense given the steepness of the stairs. We had a lunch break at Marions Lookout, where one side faces Dove Lake and the other faces Crater Lake.

After the lookout it was a smooth broadwalk on the ridge till Kitchen's Hut where the summit route starts. Gradient is fairly gentle at this point and the group sped through it without much issue.

Ahead of us is the Central Highlands where the well-known Overland Track transverses through. Multiple mountains can be seen on the track, including Barn Bluff, the 4th highest in Tasmania. Right at the intersection is the historic hut, used by hikers as shelter and temporary storage while they attempt the Cradle Mtn summit.

With the whole group in place, it is time to start the summit. The summit, while not very hard, is not easy with long rock scrambling sections. On a group of 11, some with good bushwalking experience and some with none (those who have only been to city walks in the bushwalking society), the kitchen hut was announced as the meeting point in case some wishes to give up summiting. After all, it is a Grade 4 track, long and requires a bit of experience, but no navigation skills are needed and no very technical bits are involved.

At this point, the mountain is still a decent distance away, yet the route to the summit can be clearly seen. The route leads to the top of the cradle followed by a U-shaped descent and ascent invisible from the starting point. Hikers will only realise they are not done yet when they reach the false summit.

The short sweet bit of formed hiking trail ends and the real climb starts. It is an easy scramble at start along the poles marking the way.

Into the cradle. I went slightly ahead of the main group, reaching the first false summit and descending into the U-shaped peak. The rocks are way larger at the top, taking some time to scramble over under the guidance of the poles.

Proceeding up onto the other side of the cradle on my way up, I realised everyone was behind and I was alone on my ascent. Given the terrain it might be safer to summit as a group, so I went down slightly and went for a lookout to see if others were there. The american guy scrambled up a massive pillar on the other side off the track, seeing if it might lead somewhere then realising it's vertical cliff on the other end. Conversations echoed around the cradle as I learnt that the remaining group is slowly making their way down and back up. The only difficult part was a massive rock with no grip points nearby, requiring some awkward positions to push ourselves through.

With the majority of the group in place (well just around half) we went on to the top of the mountain. The scenery on the real summit is very different, offering a much better angle.

On the other side shows the vast land where the Overland Track passes through. This is simply the best hike on the entire trip with great views and a fun scramble to the top.

As the sun starts to set the long walk down begins. This is where the dreadful bit comes in- long descent requires constant attention which is mentally exhausting. 

It took around an hour to reach the hut at the base of the summit. One member of the group has decided to give up and waited at the hut.

The sunset has projected a satisfying orange shade to the mountain, and to our surprise, the rainbow!

And back to Marions Lookout via the same track. The rainbow remained for quite a while and the mountains in sunset look so different from what they normally look like.

Sun sets very late in Tasmania at around 8pm. We went down through a longer yet gentler track, going down Crater Lake and to Ronny Creek via another broadwalk.

The broadwalk was constructed for wombats to pass in night time. As the sky turns completely dark the wombats are out looking for food. At the carpark we were met by friendly staff who offered us a lift to retrieve our cars back at the visitor centre (as the last shuttle bus has departed). Our drivers went on their car while others remained as we saw more wombats and wallabies. The sky has been cloudy and unfortunately not much could be seen. On our drive back we also saw possums crossing the road, one above the other.

The day ends with a short drive to the visitor centre. My group went to a nearby campsite while the other one, fearing it will be too cold on the mountain, drove a further 2-3 hours downhill until they find a warm campsite.

It was a freezing night in Cradle Mountain. Temperature dropped rapidly at night and most of us were unprepared with our summer gear. We woke up still with sore legs and went on to another day of hike. Walls of Jerusalem is a place known for its day walk on a plateau leading to geographical features resembling the walls of the city of Jerusalem. The national park is also part of the world natural heritage.

There was a climb towards the alpine plateau until all those lakes and hills, named after the Bible, could be seen. The initial part was quite boring and the best part only showed up towards the end.

Ponds named Solomon Jewel were along the trail as we progress through the plateau

Down onto Wild Dog Creek. This broadwalk crosses the creek and leads into the main parts of Walls of Jerusalem. We waited here for everyone to arrive and made our lunch. It started to rain slightly as we were waiting.

Over the broadwalk and slightly uphill it was Lake Salome. We ended our walk as we see Mt Jerusalem, preparing for the return walk back to the carpark.

The hill at the very back is Mt Jerusalem. All those European names somehow (on the positive side) show off their creativity but are also bastardising it. Place names that have no cultural or heritage value are the worst ones to have.

Then the exact same track back, and a drive back to Cradle Mountain where we camped. It is way easier to see the Walls of Jerusalem from the nearby reservoir made up of Mersey River.

Most of the hiking bit is over at this stage and it was mostly driving back to Hobart while exploring the western edge of Tasmania. A morning drive down Murchison Hwy to Strahan, see the western coast and have lunch, then a stop at Queenstown and the lookout at Donaghys Hill before staying the night at Lake St Clair, the deepest lake in Tasmania.

There was some overnight snow along the Central Plateau (even in summer) and a bit in Cradle Mountain as well. While it meant another freezing night the snow is still quite fun to see. Shortly the western coastline of Strahan shows in front of us.

Then we drove over to Queenstown, the mining town on the west coast of Tasmania. Those barren hills really do resemble wild west america with the abandoned buildings and deep mines.

The giant mining pit is now a lookout by the main highway.

After the windy Queenstown roads there's the abandoned building by the road. Named Linda Cafe some part of the building serves as a cafe and some abandoned. The cafe was closed on that day due to private functions.

The road continues as Lyell Hwy, linking Tasmania's west coast to the east. While the speed limit is 100km/h, the road is very windy with multiple curves and impossible to travel on full speed.

Just one final stop before reaching Lake St Clare was a walk on Donaghys Hill. It's a short hill with a good lookout to Frenchman's Cap. It was a cloudy day and just as we were about to leave the frenchman had decided to pop his cap out. The cap is also snow-capped, quite unexpected in the summer (but it's typical alpine conditions anyways).

There were also good sunset views from the lookout into Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

The lodge right by Lake St Clair offers great hospitality which is a pleasant surprise to us. The lodge is decorated with the theme of the early explorers, holding vintage style compasses and notebooks.

We booked a campsite at the lodge, sitting close to the lake. Possums roam around the site hunting for food throughout the night. Our dinner has almost become its while we pop the boot open leaving the food exposed. The possum gets spotted eating food, flees, attempts to get more food from humans, and then escapes when someone threw rocks at it. We cooked in the indoor kitchen instead with the lovely simulation of possum invaded kitchen on its front door.

Final day of camping brings huge relief to most on the trip, as they are finally on track to heading back towards civilisation. While the lake is vast there's just one lookout worth seeing- others are just the same.

Photo taken, time to go. It's still a decent drive away so a pit stop was made at Mount Field National Park, the rainforest close to Hobart. We drove past this dodgy roadhouse (its food is trash) before turning into Mt Field.

There's quite a lot to see around Mount Field, but as it is 9 days into Tasmania most had enough bushwalking and wouldn't want to walk any further. We did the easiest walk to the waterfall and left. The park has great ecological value (thus making it part of the world natural heritage) with some of the world's tallest eucalyptus trees in this rainforest, but no one seems to appreciate nature when it comes to biological significance.

Finally back into Hobart with ducks, motorways and hilly suburban streets. 

We checked into our hotel then went for a food fair in Franklin's Square. There's food from all over the world- the type of cultural diversity one would expect out of a state capital. 

And lastly we spent our night at Cascade Brewery. Sitting beneath Mt Wellington, it is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. Meeting up with the other group of friends, we had some beer and experienced the atmosphere. This was also the last night for our american friend to be in Hobart, before his flight back to Sydney and eventually back to the US.

Sending off our American friend to the airport, the rest of the group woke up late, explored the Salamanca's Market in Hobart CBD and visited an art museum before driving to Devonport for the ferry. Not much was done on the day except the shopping which is a great way to end the trip.

It was a long crawl through the congested market for lunch, souvenirs, and books. The market was huge with a wide variety of stores, taking us far longer than expected to buy what we want. One really unique stall was an author selling his own book on the hitchhike from Tasmania to London, through central Australia, Xinjiang China, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

We visited an art museum, drove up Midland Hwy to Devonport, stopped at Campbell Town and Launceston for fuel and food, and lastly caught the overnight ferry back to Melbourne. At the art museum we had our last glance at the view of Hobart, with Mt Wellington/Kunanyi at the back.

Midland Hwy forms national highway 1 in Australia, circulating the continent plus the island of Tasmania. The two-lane highway is gradually being upgraded into a four-lane dual carriageway as it links the major port of Devonport to the capital of Hobart. The old national highway 1 shied is still used in Tasmania while many states and territories have transitioned to the use of British numbering styles- A1/M1. It is also the only highway in Tasmania with a speed limit of 110km/h.

We got to Devonport at night before the ferry departs. The staff members rushed us through check-in as we were the last to arrive. We had our luggage checked in and tickets checked quickly as the only customers in the ferry port. The ferry left the port shortly after we got on, several minutes ahead of schedule. It was a rather empty sailing with only a few passengers on board (tho many trucks and cargo were loaded).

Final glance onto Devonport as land slowly fades into the horizon and into Bass Strait. The 10-day trip was really long for all of us and all we wanted was a good night of sleep. The recliner seats in the base fare were also really comfortable, where the angle of recline is almost comparable to business class seats on airlines.

Day 11: Melbourne

The ferry arrived at Spirit of Tas wharf in Melbourne at around 9 am. It took a while for taxis to come into the ferry wharf located outside of the city centre on a dead-end street. The taxi dropped us off at Geelong Station, took the V/Line to Wyndham Vale and changed onto a rail replacement coach to Southern Cross. V/Line trains speed onto 160km/h on the straight section of track towards Little River, bringing us back to civilisation on the main continent (with You Yangs at the back).

The group had a short farewell at Southern Cross Station as some went on with their own travel plans. I checked some luggage onto NSW Trainlink and went straight to the CBD for food. It was the same place for coffee and lunch. People in Melbourne make really good coffee with undescribable magic in it.

I did a short trip to Dandenong to pick up vitamin supplements (for my parents), wandered along Collingwood and had dinner right before the overnight XPT Sydney train at 7pm.

And here comes the final stretch of the journey from Hobart to Sydney entirely by land transport. Car, Ferry, Taxi and finally Train. The 40 year old XPT Train waits at platform 1 of Southern Cross Station, opposite an arriving Overland train from Adelaide. The horn of the train blasts through the massive station complex, as it starts the 11hr, 900km rail journey back to Sydney Central.

The train shortly arrives into Broadmeadows at the outskirts of Melbourne, while the train crew handles the large Christmas crowd on the train (it's a fully booked service). Meals were served through country Victoria until the lights are finally off at Wangaratta, 2hrs after departure from Southern Cross.

Day 12: Albury to Central

As scheduled the train crosses into NSW at midnight at the border settlement of Albury. The sun then rises in the Southern Highlands, before the train crew wakes everyone up shortly before Campbelltown on the outskirts of Sydney. Finally, it's Sydney Central, marking the end of the journey from Hobart to Sydney.