Globus family of brands’ Head of Marketing Australasia, Chris Fundell, recently embarked on an adventure through Tassie, which was a real winter treat. Here he recounts his time on his Globus tour.
As a first-time traveller to Tasmania, I was insightfully informed before my travels of the beauty, tastes and laidback nature from many who have been lucky enough to experience this wonderous state. Yet, no words could do justice to just how peaceful and calming this experience was. Living in Sydney but from a small village in the UK, I often miss the feel of a cosy fire all rugged up with a refreshing pint! Tasmania certainly brought back many of those feelings and much, much more.
Our Rugged Tasmania tour certainly lived up to its name: parts of Tasmania, especially in the West, have a majestic, rugged landscape and coastline. Connecting to this remote part of Australia certainly ticked many experiences that I have been wanting to do for a very long time, and as Tasmania was now kind of on my doorstep, I had been slow to book a trip but the wait was well worth it.
The following 9 days was a real treat and not just the wonderful Tassie oysters, whiskey, local beer and gin! We travelled clockwise starting with a night in Hobart then stopping overnight at Strahan, two nights in Cradle Mountain National Park, another two nights in Freycinet National Park before one more night in Hobart. The landscapes, history, lodges and wildlife were all bundled together to create a magical adventure.
Part of a great tour is making sure you have the best Tour Directors and guides. Our Tour Director, Robyn, was fun, energetic and an encyclopaedia of local knowledge. Robyn was flanked through parts of this itinerary by a few local guides like Luke, our guide to Bruny Island. Luke was full of whit, stories and an immense passion for Bruny and Tasmania. He certainly knew what to showcase, look for and the history behind each point of interest coupled with hilarious stories. One such story is of the one policeman in Bruny who sits in a ‘lazy boy’ chair with his speed gun…always in the same spot! Lucky for this solo policeman, the law enforcement doubles to two at the weekends to help take the load off.
Approximately twenty five percent of Tasmania is a UNESCO World Heritage site covering 15,800 km2. We get right into the heart of this area by travelling on the Spirit of the Wild along the Gordon River, but before this we go through Hells Gate and hear all about the history associated to this area. Once we enter the river mouth the boat goes into ‘whisper mode’ and the engines switch to electric. You suddenly feel like you are gliding on glass as the water is so still and not a noise could be heard apart from the odd bird. We stopped off on Sarah Island and took a guided walk around this deeply connected historical convict island. The contrasts of this peaceful setting with a quite rough and violent past were captivating to hear about.
Every time I stopped along the route I would hear myself say, “this is my favourite part of Tasmania”. Looking back, every part of this itinerary had its own highlights. From the top floor bar at the hotel in Hobart showcasing great views of the city; Cradle Mountain Lodge with its fires in the cabins and the wombats casually walking around the many tracks; the Tasmanian Devils feeding frenzy that reminded me of my kids back home; boat trips showcasing history, wildlife and rugged coastlines; Freycinet Lodge and another boat trip to Wineglass Bay…not to mention the oysters, whiskey, local beer and gin…oh, okay, I already already did!
We travelled just before the start of winter, so we certainly needed to wear warm clothes, but this just added to the overall experience and enjoyment. A winter treat…it certainly was in more ways than one.
You can experience all this, and more, for yourself on the 9-day Globus Rugged Tasmania tour!
