4/4/06
Stanley, Tasmania
After arriving in Tasmania, we drove west along the northern shore to
Stanley. This town is built around the base of what is left of an
extinct volcano. After millions of years of erosion wore away the soft
earth surrounding the volcano, the hard plug that was the molten center
of the mountain was left behind.
This rock formation stands on the tip of a peninsula, so when the
weather turned nasty, we were lashed with strong winds and rain all
night long. We definitely felt the coming of Fall when we arrived in
Tassie!
Up on a cliff overlooking Stanley are the remains of the penal quarters
that were built early in the history of the town. Much of early
Australia was built from the toil of prisoners sent from England, and
Tasmania was no different.
Not too far from Stanley down a long and winding logging road was Dip
Falls. It's geology was also volcanic.
These vertical pieces of rock are Basalt, and have been worn way and
exposed by the falling water.
A view from above shows how these rocks formed octagonal shapes as it
cooled.
We've seen several elevated forest walks constructed all about
Australia, and Tasmania has the "Dismal Swamp." The twist to this one
however is the alternative route one can take to the floor of the
forest, a slide! Unfortunately we arrived too late in the afternoon to
take it down, but I felt it was worth mentioning to anyone who wants to
give it a try!
Previous
Restoration Day
Next
Restoration Day
Home page