When planning our Tasmania itinerary, I set aside a day to visit Maria Island, known for its natural beauty and wildlife. We decided to take a full day tour run by a small, local operator. Sometimes it’s nice to let someone else do the driving and make the decisions. Plus, the cruise option would allow us to see more of the island’s landscape.
The first thing to know is that it’s “Mariah” (as in Carey) Island, even though it is spelled like Maria (as in “How do you solve a problem like . . .”). Why? Because Tasmanians like to be different. Seriously, that’s the explanation for a lot of things on Tassie.
Due to rough seas, we did not get to circumnavigate the island as planned. Still, we learned a ton from Michael and Zoe (captain and guide). We started with a geology lesson, which included lots of details. I won't lie, to me it's mostly pretty rocks. It did remind us of what we’ve learned from visiting the Basque Coast Geopark -- the terrain is unique and unusual.
In one photo you can see a sea cave we entered, which was filled with small fossils. We also saw some napping seals.
We got off at Darlington harbor, where we learned about the island’s convict and industrial history. A penal colony was established in 1825 but was abandoned in 1832, with the establishment of Port Arther (next post!). It was resurrected in 1842 for another 8 years. Later, an Italian entrepreneur, Diego Bernacchi, leased the island from the government and created a settlement that included farming and tourism, and then became a center for concrete manufacture (using the island’s limestone). In 1972 the island became a national park. Several historical buildings remain.
While I enjoy history, I was more excited about the island’s wildlife – most of which is not native but was “imported.” We finally saw a bandicoot, a marsupial rodent that had eluded us back in Hobart. There were pademelons and wallabies, of course.
But the star of our visit was the wombat, who are like little fuzzy tanks. They are too busy grazing to pay much attention to their human paparazzi.
Our last stop was a seaside view of the Painted Cliffs, a stunning natural sandstone formation along the island’s west side.
All in all, it was a lovely and memorable day.
Almost done with Tasmania!
Shana & Jeff
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