HOBART, TASMANIA

Today we did a day trip from Hobart and explored nearby Bruny Island (which is actually two islands, North and South Bruny, connected by a narrow isthmus called The Neck).

Highlights of the day:

• Finding a baby skate that had washed ashore but was still flopping about, and "rescuing" it by throwing it back in the surf (where I'm sure it was immediately washed back ashore or eaten by something bigger).
• Having lunch at Adventure Bay, a historic beach where early explorers anchored, and visiting the one-room Bligh Museum, which detailed the voyages of Bligh, Cook, and Tasman.
• Taking the supposedly half-hour Mavista Nature Walk, getting lost and stumbling through the forest for hours because of a missing sign(!). We saw some beautiful scenery, but got really muddy--and Eric picked up a leech. Eccch.
• Seeing our first live kangaroos (or technically, Bennett's wallabies), bounding out of the woods and onto the road in front of our car. (They must do that a lot, based on the amount of kangaroadkill we saw....)
• Walking down the path from the historic lighthouse at Cape Bruny to the windy cliff's edge overlooking Court's Island--an awesome view.