Arrived at the ferry terminal in Melbourne in good time, but as we approached the ramp we read the sign listing the quarantined food items with horror. As Andy crawled along in the queue to board the ferry, I was in the back - frantically chopping the entire contents of our fridge to put into salad boxes to take with us! As it happened, we bumped into our friends Gert & Christine onboard and spent the evening in the bar – so we didn’t eat the salads anyway (should have just thrown it all in the bin in the first place!)After an uncomfortable, cold night in upright 'cruise seats' (which double as the cinema seats) we arrived in Devonport. Tasmania is notorious for its diverse wilderness areas and its history as a British penal colony. About a quarter of the island is National Park and if you like deserted beaches, hiking up mountains, waterfalls and weird wildlife – this is the place for you.
We spent the first night near the Narawntapu National Park, reportedly the best place to see wombats in the wild – and sure enough, we saw a mother & joey on Baker’s Beach at dusk.
Next day we headed east and passed St Columba Falls near St Helens, a 90m waterfall surrounded by enormous tree ferns (called Manferns – maybe that’s like a Man-cold?)
St Columba Falls 
