4th Week - Thursday - Burnie

First stop the Information Centre which is also the maker's workshop.  They have artists and craftsmen who demonstrate their skills (and also sell their products).  After looking around here and deciding to skip the museum and art gallery we chose a tourist drive.   First stop was Fernglade Platypus Reserve.  There is a walk along the river bank through ferns.  Fernglade has a reputation for being one of the most reliable places to see a platypus in the wild.  The best time being early morning or evening.  Here we are arriving mid morning so what would our chances be.   We parked and while Ian got his camera out, I wandered to the river where a platypus was swimming about 10 metres from me.  It went underwater so I tried to get Ian's attention without scaring it.  When the platypus surfaced I stood still and watched him.  Each time he went under Ian moved closer to the side of the river and we watched him until he went under the trees on the opposite side of the river.  Off to do the walk, which was very pleasant and then returned to the river but no sign of the platypus.  Couldn't believe our luck at managing to arrive at the time we did.  Back in the car and we drove past the Hellyers Road Distillery which is the largest boutique whiskey distillery in the Southern Hemisphere and on to Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden.  This garden has 20,000 plants and is the only known place where the entire range of the world's rhododendrons can be grown in the same garden.  Unfortunately wrong time of the year so we didn't go in.   Finished the tourist loop by parking back at the information centre and strolled along the boardwalk that runs along the beach into the city centre.  Looked around the shops, grabbed lunch and then strolled back to the car and drove to Roundhill Lookout.    There are 3 different viewing platforms but unfortunately the clouds and mist were rolling in so not quite as spectacular as could have been.  Stocked up on some supplies and back to the van.

Fernglade Platypus Reserve

Fernglade Platypus Reserve