Why Bhutanese in Oz should travel more

Epic first road trip to Tasmania

Back in 2013, when I was doing my undergraduate degree in University of Wollongong in Australia, my friend Jason and his wife Han (we met through mediation group, Falun Dafa at uni) tagged me along to their road trip in Tasmania (again as third wheeler 😂 ). This was my first road trip and I got the first real taste of travelling. We caught a domestic flight in cold July (It was my winter break) carrying nothing but our sleeping bag and back pack. I was excited for it was my first ever road trip and I had saved enough money to buy myself a DSLR camera and couldn't wait to explore. Carrying a bag pack, a camera and with the hiking shoes, I already felt like someone who had been travelling a lot and I felt good already (I was enjoying playing a tourist honestly).

In our hired motor home

I wasn't much of a hiker or an adventure seeker before going to Australia but that road trip to Tassie (Tasmania is popularly called by that name) changed everything. I felt like I was in a movie, where you and your friends drive in a motorhome (or call it RV), and do all those crazy stuffs. We did exactly that but our craziness were all good ones. Now, Bhutanese living in Australia might tell you that you will hardly see mountains in Australia but that's not true. I haven't heard of Bhutanese living in Tasmania for if they were there, they would prove it wrong for Tasmania, this small island boasts of these stunning landscapes, beautiful mountains and some of the best beaches in the world.

We were on the road for 6 days with our hired motorhome and my friend Jason drove it.
I had never seen a motorhome before except in movies and imagine I had that chance to travel in a motorhome and I felt no less than a movie star. I wish I had one of those motorhomes, for I would literally live there and go on road trips everywhere (except that our roads are all winding, narrow and so many potholes, so the idea seems distant).

Some of the crazy good things we did on your epic road trip were ;

1) Hiking around Cradle mountain lake

Cradle mountain and the Dove lake 

I had never been so close up to a mountain in my life before and Cradle mountain surrounded by Dove lake was surreal to me. I was overwhelmed with nostalgia and couldn't believe that nature could make you feel that way. We did the Dove lake circuit which was around 2 hours hike. The hike is a piece of cake for anyone for there are no real ascents or descents, it's more like taking a stroll in a park. The closer I got to the mountains, I realised how tiny I was and how little space I occupied in this world. I was humbled by the presence of this giant gorgeous mountain.

2) Visiting Freycinet National park and wineglass bay
I would say this is the must visit place in Tasmania for you get the view of picturesque wineglass bay. It takes around 2 hours walk to get to the wineglass bay lookout, and 30 minutes walk to the beach down. You never know who will greet you there, maybe a wallaby!

The wineglass bay lookout 

The seas shells I collected from the wineglass bay beach 

Look! who came to greet us at the wineglass bay beach 

3) Visiting Bruny Island
Bruny island cruise will take you into complete wilderness. It crosses across Australia's second highest cliff, amazing caves, rocks which are popular hang out place for seals. Also the drive to Bruny isalnd takes you to amazing coastline where you will see two beaches (north and south Bruny island)only separated by a neck (Isthmus). We also saw the most amazing dusk there.

Second largest cliff in Australia

The mesmerising dusk on the way to Bruny island

Aw, they were adorable 

4) Visiting Mount Wellington, Hobart 

From the Wellington look out 

I was expecting to see some snows but there were none but the wind was really strong and cold. Also a note, there comes a hut with a warm fire along the way and if you plan on camping there, then don't. The wind you receive there is crazy, we had a rocking motorhome at night when we stayed the night there. So, yeah don't get tempted by the warm fire, it's like Icarus flying towards the sun 😉

The strong wind at Mount Wellington with Hobart below

This was the hut I was talking about 

5) Watching the Liffey falls
If you want to see waterfall closely then Liffey Fall, which is a series of four distinct tiered-cascade waterfalls on the Liffey River located in the Midland region is something that should go into your travel itinerary.  

Fast shutter speed, Liffey fall

So, here is the thing. Today I am a woman who loves being in nature, loves to walk, is an adrenaline junkie and am happier and I feel the most confident when I am in my outdoor clothing. The nature teaches us to be humble, when it is dark the stars are there to show that there are beauty even in the darkness. When you are low, being on the top of a mountain you are no less taller than any trees and what's more, you are like the protagonist in your own movie and you can tell that amazing story of your adventure to your future grand children. That one road trip changed how I looked at things.

Dear Bhutanese living in Australia, in a lifetime of being there, you only get one chance to explore, only one chance to make that adventure of a lifetime, for we know when we are back, we will never be able to get out of the whirlpool of work and responsibilities. So, seize the moment and go EXPLORE!

:) :) :)