Tasmanian wildlife…Amazing surprises! Kangaroos and wombats!

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Joey head and legs hanging out of the pouch.

When we arrived in Australia 19 months ago (after a cruise from Hawaii to Sydney), we flew in Trinity Beach which is located 20 minutes from Cairns in the northern territory/state of Queensland. 

He was an enormous male.    If he’d been standing, he’d be as tall as Tom. His musculature was impressive.

We lived in a nice property with stunning views of the ocean, mountains and hills anticipating that we would see a lot of wildlife. Not surprisingly, there was little wildlife in the residential area in which we lived.    We were more than interested in exploring. After those first days, we were looking forward to seeing our first kangaroo. 

This made us laugh. Only the joey’s legs were sticking out of the pouch.

Our landlord directed us to a nearby field close to the highway where both kangaroos and wallabies resided, relatively easy to spot. We couldn’t have driven there quickly enough.

Mom and joey enjoying the sunny day anticipating treats from visitors.

Once we arrived, we realized we were too far from the kangaroos and wallabies to be able to take good photos. Over those three months in Trinity Beach we returned to that field many times hoping for a better photo, a few of which may be found in this post.

This mom didn’t hesitate to put her joey in a downward position for a handout.

From this site:

“Unlike the young of most other mammals, baby kangaroos are highly underdeveloped and embryo-like at birth. After a gestation of up to 34 days, the jellybean-sized youngster makes the journey from birth canal to pouch by clambering up through its mother’s fur. Once safely in the pouch, the joey suckles solidly for just over two months. 

At around six months, once the youngster is sufficiently well developed, it will leave the pouch for short periods, returning when it needs to feed. Red kangaroos leave the pouch for good at around eight months and continue to suckle for another three to four months; gray kangaroos leave at about 11 months, continuing to suckle until they are as old as 18 months.

Interestingly, female kangaroos are able to suckle two youngsters simultaneously – one in the pouch and one outside, offering two different types of milk, as well as having an egg ready for implantation.”

We made a lot of noise in an attempt to get this wombat to look up for a photo.  It was chow time. Note how he’s  more interested in eating the starchy pellets instead of the slice of pumpkin and the apple, somewhat like humans.

Eventually, after driving through more remote areas and not spotting any wildlife, we decided we couldn’t live in Australia for these extended periods and fail to see its wildlife, unique to the continent. As a result, we contacted the Cairns Tropical Zoo (a rescue facility) to ask if they’d host our visit, give us a tour and share details we could publish for our readers. They were delighted to assist.

Finally, he picked up his head for a side view, immediately returning to his food.

Here’s the link to one of the zoo posts we published at that time. This particular visit in the Cairns area was a little more expansive than our recent visit to Wings Wildlife Park which had a few less species.

Too big for the pouch, but still nursing. As stated above in quotes, joeys can nurse up to 18 months after leaving the pouch.

Regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting Wings Wildlife Park, which provides for a few more hands-on experiences than in Cairns. Each facility of this type, including many others, we’ve visited in various parts of the world, have their own unique offerings, providing the visitor an opportunity to appreciate the wildlife more commonly found in each country.

This young kangaroo was relaxed, hoping for a handout.

The kangaroos, seen up close and personal, were a particular highlight of our recent visit, especially seeing the not-so-shy guys firmly enclosed in the safety and comfort of their mom’s pouches.

Scratching.

As we wandered the facility up and down a number of steep inclines and hills, we took dozens of photos many which we’ll continue to share over these next several days, even with new topics we’ll post unrelated to the zoo.

The kangaroos have a huge natural habitat in Wild’s Wildlife Park, which is obviously conducive to procreating successfully in captivity. These two moms both have joeys in their pouches.

The only disappointment in visiting these types of facilities is the difficulty in taking photos of some amazing birds and small creatures enclosed in tightly woven mesh/fences. We’ll include the few good shots we managed along the way.

This joey looked somewhat large to still live in her mom’s pouch.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend engaged in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment as we’ve found in this wonderful place, this Tasmania.

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2016:

Tom, for the first time ever, ordered a Caramel Macchiato on the Celebrity Solstice one year ago today. It became his “go to” coffee drink at the Café el Bacio, where each morning we prepared the post. For more details, please click here.

Finally, we saw the notorious Tasmanian Devils..A video!….Fabulous day out!

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In fact, the devils of Tasmania are not as ugly as expected, except when they show their teeth when threatened. The photos we’d taken of the rescued animals, the intent of Wing’s Wildlife Park, left them little reason for them to feel threatened in the spacious habitat in which they comfortably live in the park among other like animals.

Our short video about the Tasmanian Devils.

We didn’t know quite where to begin sharing our photos from yesterday’s visit to Wing’s Wildlife Park in Gunns Plains, Tasmania. There was a wide range of native wildlife only to Australia inspiring us to take many photographs that we were excited to share.

Over the coming days, we will publish photos in groups of animal types based on the fact that we have too many to publish in a day. For those of our readers less interested in wildlife, please “bear” with us. 

The natural habitat included hollowed out tree trunks, stumps and isolated areas to comply with their natural instinct to burrow at certain times.

Then again, when we’ll be in Antarctica in 12 months and Africa in 13 months, neither of which will be able to resist posting wildlife to the point of being ridiculous. For us, as we’ve mentioned many times, the greatest joys in our travels are surrounding wildlife, vegetation, scenery and culture.

Yesterday’s visit to Wing’s Wildlife Park especially appealed to us based on the facility’s goal of presenting rescued animals. We have little interest in regular zoos when animals are purchased, kidnapped and taken with the intent to be trained for show’s to satisfy the public’s curiosity. 

Posing for a photo.

Over these past few years we’ve visited a few such places that were indeed rescue facilities, but the animals “performed” or were ridden by visitors. Such was the case when we visited Moholololo Elephant Rescue facility in Hedspruit, South Africa three years ago this month.

We’d heard that the elephants were rescued and care for by some the finest rescue people and support staff in Africa as outlined in the story we posted here. At that time, we passed on the elephant ride uncomfortable with the concept. Instead, we each did a short walk with an elephant holding our hands with their trunks a shown in the photos from that post.  

I tried to get a teeth baring photo when three Tasmanian Devils were playing a bit, but it happened so quickly, I missed the shot.

In a seminar we attended upon our arrival the presenters explained that the elephants were treated with loving care and were unable to be returned to the wild due to injuries and disabilities preventing them from being able to sustain life. 

As a result and due to a lack of funds, donations from the public and fees to enter the facility helped offset the cost of the elephant’s care and quality of life.

Taking a sip in the pond.

Its under these types of circumstances that we appreciate and understand the intent of wildlife rescue facilities, especially when we’ve witnessed their loving care.

On the other hand, a regular zoo, has little appeal to either of us with this one caveat… when we visit Minnesota and if, our grandchildren want  us to go with them to visit the popular Minnesota Zoo, we won’t say no. 

They almost looked quite huggable.

Sometimes, we have to put aside our principals for a short period in special circumstances. A day later, we can return to our beliefs and ethics, especially knowing we’ll be back in Africa a mere six months after leaving the US for the family visit. 

Visiting Wing’s Wildlife Park left us with a good feeling. The public is allowed to feed and pet many of the animals who seemed to enjoy the attention and of course, the food. 

A warm sunny day kept this little fellow lounging in the sun for a nap.

Their areas were clean with plenty of appropriate food and vegetation befitting the nature of their species.  When the staff entered the various habitats, the keepers voices expressed loving and gentle tones that the animals seemed to respond to with enthusiasm.

The fees to visit the facility was a little high for this area at AU 23, US $16.89 per person. We hadn’t called in advance requesting they waive the fees for our story which occurs in many instances. In this particular case, we chose to keep it low key and simply enjoy ourselves at our leisure.

On the road to Gunns Plain we stopped for photos at an overlook. Sadly, this Tasmania Devil was lying dead in the grass, most likely hit by a car. We’ve seen considerable road kill in Tasmania. The roads have no shoulder and many nocturnal animals are killed at night when motorists aren’t able to stop in time to avoid hitting them.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with other wildlife photos and look forward to “seeing” you then! Thanks for being an integral part of our life of world travel!

Photo from one year ago today, January 6, 2016:

As we boarded the ship one year ago, we noticed it was still decorated for Christmas. For details of a medical emergency prior to boarding the ship and how we handled it, please click here.

A sunny day drive to the countryside…We never know what we’ll find…

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Green/spring onions were being processed for wholesale distribution.

While driving often throughout the countryside, we are often surprised by what we have found along the way. Whether its an exquisite view of the ocean, horses and colts in a field or a kilometer of roadside wild flowers, we often stop for a better look and to take a few photos.

We have rarely found a region as rich in diversity and landscapes as we have seen since arriving in Tasmania a month ago today. Not only are the views of the ocean, mountain and green hills breathtaking, but the people are some of the warmest and friendliest we’ve ever met in the world.

The farm, Dendra Market Gardens, seemed to be inaccessible to the public.

With 13 days remaining until we depart Penguin to head to the Huon Valley, a 45 minute drive from the capital of Hobart, we’re taking advantage of every opportunity to explore, especially on sunny days, treasured here in the summertime.

When we stumbled upon Dendra Market Gardens a few days before Christmas, we weren’t surprised we weren’t able to arrange a tour when the owner and his workers were obviously swamped preparing produce to be transported for the busy holiday season.

This particular farm cultivated a wide range of products.

We met the owner, chatting with him for a few moments as he approved of our photography and wandering on our own. Respectful of the busy holiday processing, we only spent a short time walking around the beautifully planted and arranged farm located in the small town of Cuprona, Tasmania.

And small town, it is indeed! With a population of 308 based on a 2011 survey, we have never seen a “city center” that could hardly be the case, for a city of this size. Instead, locals travel no more than 20 minutes to gain access to Burnie the closest larger city as shown in this map below:

Later, in researching online, we discovered the following information about Dendra Market Gardens from this site:

“Tasmanian Dennis Davis used to work in the shipping industry, and grew lettuces out-of-hours.

But somehow the leafy greens drew him away from shipping altogether and now he’s a full-time market gardener employing 30 workers.
He doesn’t grow lettuces anymore, but has parsley, snow peas, tomatoes, silverbeet, Asian greens, leeks, and radishes.  (And more since publication date of this online post).  Although he no longer grows lettuce, he has parsley, snow peas, tomatoes, beets, Asian vegetables, leeks and radishes.
It’s summer in that part of the world, which makes agriculture more common during the right season.
“They’re all niche crops that we’re growing,” he said.
“Some of them have happened primarily to keep people employed through the winter time so that we can maintain a stable, experienced workforce.”
And that experience is important because all the vegetables are hand planted and weeded.”
“We do a lot of hoeing.”
“We average probably 1.6 million plants in a year and they’re all planted by hand because it’s much more accurate and efficient.” Continued below.
Produce grown under a cover for protection from sun and rain.
In the 14 years Dennis has had Dendra Gardens at Cuprona in the north-west he’s seen a significant change in consumer tastes.
Asian vegetables are growing in popularity, and he now grows five varieties. “We’ve had a gradual increase in Asian migrants coming to live in Tasmania. But the general population seems to be being educated toward new kinds of food.”
Zucchini is a popular crop in Tasmania, which is referred to as cogent in many parts of the world.

So far, we’ve found many local businesses in Tasmania such as this farm to be less sophisticated in their use of the technology and the Internet for the promotion of their products. But, owners and staff are savvy and aggressive in their efforts to grow their businesses with integrity and passion for their products and services.

By coupling years of hard work, dedication and old country values seem to be working for each of those we’ve highlighted in our posts over this past month. It’s an amazing place, this Tasmania. We look forward to more discoveries over these remaining days on this special Australian island.

Soon, we’re taking off for a visit to Ulverstone and who knows what more awaits us! Happy day to all! 

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2016:

One year ago today, we posted favorite photos of our time in Pacific Harbour, Fiji as we prepared to leave. This photo of Tom was on the night of his birthday last year when we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Pearl Resort’s gourmet restaurant, Seduce, definitely deserving of a five star review. For more details, please click here.

Four days, no sun…Cabin fever setting in?…Dogs, flowers and beaches…A little bit of “this and that”…

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Simple, but delightful.

We’re anxious to get out to explore, but with rain over the past four days, most likely we won’t be doing so today. Neither of us sees any reason why we should get soaked on a walk in the rain (not our thing).

On a walk across the street which is lined with a wide variety of blooming flowers, we spotted this unusual plant.  Any comments from locals or flower enthusiasts?

Nor do we see any purpose in driving through the countryside with limited visibility, making photo taking annoying to say the least. There’s strong storm conditions in the Australian continent and we suspect we’re getting some of that inclement weather as well.

Instead, like many of you, on bad weather days, we choose to stay close to “home.” In our old lives, when we had to work, we never hesitated to go out when it was below zero or on rainy or snowy days. 

Note the purple/mauve borders and veins on the leaves. 

Now, in this life, we don’t have to go out in bad weather unless we have a definitive reason, such as a travel day; to catch a flight or when boarding a cruise. We love how flexible we are in this life!

Two dogs swimming in the ocean on Christmas Day, the last sunny day in Penguin.

Do we get cabin fever on days like this? Tom, who can easily occupy himself online for days at a time, has no problem to prevent cabin fever. For me, spending little time online after posting the day’s blog, conducting research or logging future travel plans and financial matters, I have little interest in using my laptop. 

Aside from vast expanses of white sand beaches in Tasmania there are rocky areas.

Somehow I find myself with plenty of tasks that easily consume part of each day, whether it’s preparing a meal, doing laundry or organizing and rearranging our “stuff” to make the next packing session all the more seamless.

Little bells.

Today, I’ll be rearranging our pill bag. I take three prescriptions, while Tom takes none. Recently, we received a shipment of a one year’s supply of my three meds each of which is wrapped in blister packs.  

Having used all the loose pills I had on hand, I decided today would be a good day to open all the blister packs putting the individual pills in the appropriately labeled plastic pill bottles from past purchases in Australia. 

Walkway along Penguin Beach on Christmas Day.

Yep, I must admit, as an old timer myself, I use a monthly pill container case since I take the three meds together once each morning. It contains space for 28 days. Thus, like many of who are taking multiple medications, it makes sense to use a pill case to ensure errors aren’t made. 

Looks like this possible Great Dane was looking for her/his owner to return from the shop. We took this photo on a very cool day.

Pressing the pills through the blister packs for an entire year’s meds could take a few hours. For three different meds for 12 months, that is 1095 “presses” in the blister pack. 

Dogs allowed.

I realize that keeping the pills in the blister pack may extend their freshness, but in an effort to eliminate excess weight, getting rid of the superfluous paper and plastic makes more sense due to our circumstances.

Also, today, I have to use a needle and thread to sew a few items. I don’t mind doing this, but have trouble threading the needle unless I use that silly little tin thing that is often included in a package of various sized needles. Its this thing:

Ever use this thingee when trying to thread a needle? I’m lost without it. Must be old age.

Yesterday, I made enough low carb, grain free, starch free pizza for several meals, leaving only a salad to chop for today’s meal. We left out enough pizza for two days, freezing three packages we can later reheat as  additional meals. 

Specifically, Penguin Beach.

Sure, I have a touch of cabin fever, but with plenty to do plus a few favorite downloaded/streaming TV shows we’ve been binge watching in the evenings I’ll be fine. We’ve been watching these shows: “This is Us,” “Victoria” and “The Crown.” We seldom watch TV during the day, although we may have local news or talk shows on in the background.

More of Penguin Beach.

We hope you have a great day today filled with a little “this and that” to keep you occupied and entertained.

Photo from one year ago today, December 29, 2015:

We’d been warned against purchasing locally caught fish in Fiji when it’s often caught close to the shore where bacteria is heavy in the waters from sewage disposal.  As a result, we never purchased any fish for four months. For more photos, please click here.

Eyes drawn to beach after beach…Is Tasmania as amazing as Hawaii?…

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We took this photo from downtown Penguin. Wow!

Two years ago, at this time we were on the Big Island of Hawaii while 12 family members had visited us at the two vacation homes we’d rented next door to one another. It seems like a lifetime ago. 

We were watching from our front veranda as a massive flock of birds (most likely seagulls) were in a frenzy over a school of fish.

To view some of our photos from that period, please begin searching through the archives beginning here. Below is a photo of Tom in our “backyard” in the Big Island, taken the day after we arrived, awaiting out kids and grandchildren soon arriving. What a view!

Two years ago Tom stood in the backyard of one of two of the vacation homes we rented awaiting our family’s arrival for Christmas. Here is the link for this particular post, the same as indicated above.

Having spent a total of eight months in four of the Hawaiian Islands; Oahu, Maui, Big Island (aka Hawai’i) and Kauai we left the exquisite US state with fond memories of amazing scenery and experiences.

Scene of Penguin from a distance.

Now, after only three weeks in Tasmania, we’re finding ourselves entrenched in the beauty of this island not only for its amazingly friendly people and ease of living but also for its simplicity. Nothing feels rushed here.

Farmland view of the sea.

Is it possible to compare the islands of Hawaii with Tasmania with their expansive ocean views, white sand beaches, mountains, hills and lush vegetation? 

From of the ocean from a country road.

Tasmania offers the exact same features that make visiting this island state of Australia comparable in many ways to visiting some of the Hawaiian islands in the US.

This is a view from an elevated road in Penguin.

A few differences we’ve observed during this short period in Tasmania:

  • Considerably less tourists in Tasmania due to it’s distance location to many countries. Hawaii is easier to get to from many countries in the northern hemisphere. Most of the popular islands of Hawaii are packed with tourists, creating traffic and commotion typical of life in many island communities, not necessarily bumper-to-bumper traffic, but  it may be difficult to find parking spots at popular beaches and venues.
  • It’s generally more expensive in Hawaii, perhaps a trade-off for the added time and transportation costs to travel to Australia from many other countries.  Rental cars were more expensive here.  Groceries are less expensive. Dining out is comparable.    (Continued below).
Many homes and farms in Penguin have beautiful ocean views.
  • The weather? It’s sunny and warm in Hawaii year round, although it may rain off and on, with most rain storms quickly moving through to returning sunny skies. In Tasmania, we’re experiencing three cloudy and rainy days in a row (which may be unusual during these summer months) with considerably cooler temperatures during the spring and summer based on its distant proximity to the Equator. Winter temperatures are cooler. Not all travelers care for warm climates. 
  • Friendliness factors in both locations? Comparable. We found the people of Hawaii to be outrageously friendly. Here in Penguin, in Tasmania, in general? The locals are equally friendly if not more.
  • Recreational activities: Scuba diving, deep sea fishing, diving, whale watching, shopping and the availability of tourist spots are readily available in both locations.
Tasmania has many roadside viewing areas on the highway.

In reality, for most travelers, it all boils down to cost, weather, proximity and crowds. If a traveler prefers a quiet, laid back experience with temperate weather and can travel the long distance, Tasmania may be preferred.  If one is looking for a more active location with nightlife, warm sunny days on the beach, Hawaii (on some islands) may be preferred.

Walkers exploring the beach.

As for the scenery, they’re equally exquisite in their own way and we treasure the opportunities we’ve had in visiting both states. The ocean and mountain views, the green grassy hills, the abundant variety of vegetation and wildlife and the cooler climate has made us feel we’ve come to the right place at this point in our travels. 

An early evening guitar playing session while sitting on a rock.  Photo taken from our veranda.

Have a beautiful day as we work our way toward the end of 2016. It’s been a good year for us. We hope it’s been so for YOU as well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 28, 2015:

  • One year ago in Pacific Harbour, Fiji Tom was engrossed in watching a ski movie on the projection screen in Baku Blues bar/restaurant in the Arts Village. For more dining out photos, please click here.

A sunny day drive through the country…Nature at its finest…For the less experienced reader, how to use our archives…

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This was our favorite photo of the day, a huge Billy Goat with quite the beard and defined facial marks.

Even today the weather is cloudy and overcast, but that does not bother us. We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of sunny days since we arrived in Tasmania more than three weeks ago.

By car across the countryside, you can see the ocean in the distance.

Each sunny day, we head out to take photos as shown in today’s post, photos from the countryside, the quaint towns, the ocean and the points of interest we’ve found to be most appealing.

Cattle are funny when humans come by.

In many locations around the world, living in more remote regions often leaves us looking for photo opportunities. We had assumed this would be a dilemma over the four months we spent in Bali (with a two-month break in between) as of April 30, 2016. 

Nice country sign, by the way.

But, the photo opportunities in Bali kept coming and coming as evidenced in our posts, easily reviewed if you missed them, by researching our archives located on the right side of this page below our advertisers.

Cattle on a hill.

As a matter of fact, here are the step by step instructions for using our archives.  For our more experienced readers, please bear with us as we review these instructions:

  • Scroll down the day’s home page, below our advertisers, to PREVIOUS POSTS 
  • Note the list of years since we began posting beginning in 2012
  • Click on the little black triangle of the year you’d like to research, that looks like this:  ► 
  • Once you click on this ► the entire year’s posts, month by month, will be displayed.
  • Select the month and search for headings, you like to see. If you’re looking for something in particular and are unable to find it, please don’t hesitate to send me or Tom an email and we’ll send you the link by email.
Highland Breed cattle.  See this link for details on this breed.

Many of our new readers find they are more easily able to grasp the nature of our continuing story by reading the posts from the beginning. Our story is a a continuing day to day journal of the lives of two retirees with no home, no storage and only a few bags in our possession, traveling the world for years to come. It’s less of a “travel and sightseeing” log one may find elsewhere and more of a personal account about living all over the world.

This annoyed male approached the fence when we stopped for photos.

Many have written to us explaining how they began reading our posts from the beginning to grasp the full intent and meaning of why we do what we do and how it impacts our daily lives. Could YOU do this? Some could, some actually do what we do, although few would choose this odd life.

Although this one mooed at us, she/he didn’t bother to get up.

Yesterday, we loved speaking to our family members on Christmas Day (in the US) and were reminded of how much we left behind. Any yet, after hanging up, we giggled with delight over the prospect of seeing them in a mere five months, spending six weeks in Minnesota and three weeks in Nevada.

The countryside in Tasmania certainly reminds us of New Zealand.

Will we run out of photo ops while in these two locations in the US? Hardly. We’ll be busy in our “home town” looking at it through new eyes and a new perspective. We’ll share the nuances of living in the US for our readers in other countries (and in the US) and perhaps a different perspective after having been away for almost five years at that point.

Old log house seen along the country road.

And, for now? We have hundreds of photos we’ve yet to share and the stories surrounding them.  There’s no doubt we’ll leave Penguin having many photos we’ll never have had the opportunity to post. In the interim, we’ll share our favorites, which we hope our readers find interesting.

The hills, the trees, the vegetation and the sea create a breathtaking scene.

Today, while the house is being cleaned, we’ll head to Ulverstone to shop for groceries. After discovering pesticides are used on most of the produce at Woolie’s we no longer buy their produce. Instead, we now purchase organic produce at the local Fruit & Veg market, a delightful five minute walk down the road. 

The views of farm fields, bodies of water and the sea is always stunning.

There’s nothing quite like a walk down the road to the veggie mart. Then again, there’s nothing quite like Penguin. Leaving in three weeks leaves us with a twinge of disappointment. It won’t be easy to say goodbye.

We hope all of you who celebrate had a fulfilling Christmas as we anticipate the New Year rolling in.

Photo from one year ago today, December 27, 2015:

During a period of many cloudy and rainy days in Fiji, we visited the capital city of Suva. This photo is the top of the President’s house located in Suva. For more Suva photos, please click here.

Boxing Day situation with a seal…What?…Plus, what is Boxing Day, for those who may not know?

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Members of the public should not approach the seal. Pictures: Tasmania Police
Photo taken by the Tasmanian Police of a seal sitting atop a car.  The area has been secured to prevent the public from getting too close. For details on the story, please click here.

After yesterday’s perfectly sunny Christmas Day, today is Boxing Day and its overcast and cloudy.  We’re staying in other than a possible walk if it doesn’t rain.


Our Christmas Day meal.  The filet mignon was tender as it could be, the prawns sweet and delicious and the plate of bacon and sautéed mushrooms, salad and green beans were added treats.

We’ve always assumed Boxing Day had something to do with the sport of boxing.  This is the first country in which we’ve lived that was celebrating this special day prompting us to research what Boxing Day really is about.


Pedal kayaking on Christmas Day.

In Australia and other British Commonwealth nations, Boxing Day is a day for many shoppers to line up during the night, to take advantage of the continent wide sales on new and leftover holiday merchandise.  They take this very seriously and many stores had long queues since the middle of the night.


These are the same purple flowers that bloom this time of year in New Zealand.

What is Boxing Day?  From this site, here’s some speculation as to its origins:

“Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day following Christmas Day  in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations. Boxing Day occurs on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or a day later.

In the liturgical calendar of Western Christianity, Boxing Day is the second day of Christmastide,[ and also St. Stephen’s Day.  In some European countries, notably Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, 26 December is celebrated as a Second Christmas Day.

There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which are definitive. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestations from England in the 1830s, defining it as “the first week-day after Christmas-day, observed as a holiday on which post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas-box”. (Continued below).


Sunny day view of a portion of Penguin.

The term “Christmas-box” dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:

A present or gratuity given at Christmas: in Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer; the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas.

In Britain, it was a custom for tradespeople to collect “Christmas boxes” of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.  This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys‘ diary entry for 19 December 1663.  This custom is linked to an older English tradition: since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover food.

The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It is believed to be in reference to the Alms Box placed in areas of worship to collect donations to the poor. Also, it may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen,which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.”


During our walk on Christmas Day, we noticed many mailboxes say, “No junk mail.  Thank you.”

As we sit here now with TV on in the background with coffee  mugs in hand, the conversations on the various news shows are all discussing the exciting sales throughout Australia.  This is a favorite day for many Aussies.

For us, with no interest in shopping we won’t even notice the shopping frenzy in quiet, laidback Penguin.  With only a handful of shops not related to dining and food shopping, we don’t expect the Penguin shops to be open.  We’ll know more later when we go for a walk.


B&B in the neighborhood.

We had a pleasant, albeit quiet Christmas Day, with a great midday meal with a light snack later in the evening followed by a lovely walk in the neighborhood.  Later, we lounged on the front veranda exchanging “Merry Christmas” to one passerby after another.


With summer starting on December 21st and temperatures warming flowers are blooming.

Talking to some family members  on Skype and sharing wishes in Facebook via chat and posting kept us busy for part of the day.  Tom spent hours on Ancestry.com piecing together more of his family connections while I busied myself reading and writing to family and friends.


With most islands formed from volcanos an amount of lava rock remains on the beaches in Tasmania, along with a tremendous amount of white sand beaches.

For those on the opposite side of the International Dateline who celebrate ,we wish you a very Merry Christmas and for those on this side,  located in British Commonwealth nations, we wish you a Happy Boxing Day, and shopping experience as well!

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 Photo from one year ago today, December 26, 2015:
 

What a great meal we had dining out on Christmas Day last year in Fiji.  I ate four of these octopus!  For more food photo, please click here.  See Tom’s meal below.
Check out the size of those slabs of prime rib and prawns on Tom’s plate last year.  It was the most tender beef we’d had in months

Happy Birthday, Tom!…Today, we celebrate YOU and…what???…Photos of Tom over the past year…

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While crossing the countryside several days ago, Tom spotted this highly venomous Tiger snake crossing the road. Quickly turning around, as it raced off into the vegetation, we were able to get this photo. For information on these scary snakes, please click here where it’s stated, “Most Australians know of tiger snakes and are aware of their fearsome reputation, though few people will ever encounter one.” Leave it to us to encounter one after only 20 days in Tasmania!

On a beautiful warm and sunny day, today we celebrate Tom’s 64th birthday. Without a lot of hoopla, no presents, cards or birthday cake, we celebrate it with as much enthusiasm as ever. 

While in a resort in Kenya in October 2013, celebrating our first worldwide travel anniversary, Tom agreed to take part in the reptile exhibition. Click here for the full post.

Today, we thought it would be fun to share our snake stories when only two days ago we encountered the feared highly venomous Tiger Snake, which most Australians never see in their lifetime.  This precipitated our sharing other snake encounters in our world travels in the past 50 months.

Just so you know, Tom doesn’t like snakes. But, encountering wildlife of many types is a highlight of our world travels and we treat each encounter with respect, curiosity and interest, although in this recent encounter and others shown here, with the utmost of caution.

Only slightly venomous, he held this snake in his hand without incident.

Grateful for another healthy and meaningful year in our world travel, it is easy to look back and revel in the experiences we’ve had over the past year. The joy of seeing him embrace each and every location with childlike wonder adds so much to my own experience, let alone us as a couple.

Tom let this green snake slither up his arm.

In these past 12 months since his last birthday, we’ve traveled to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali (Indonesia), Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand.

We’ve sailed on four ocean cruises and one river cruise (Mekong), finally circumventing the Australian continent on a 33-night back to back cruise (two separate cruises, one after another with us staying in the same cabin) ending up here in Tasmania, Australia after a short flight from Sydney. Wow!

This semi venomous snake paralyses its prey. If they bite a human, the area of the bite will feel numb for a few hours but poses no systemic risk. We were told to keep the head away from us while handling it.  This is me holding it as Tom took the photo.

It’s even difficult for us to fathom the fact that we’ve visited and lived in so many countries in one year. We were in Malaysia for only a day, but spent from one week to four months in the remaining locations. It was a very good year.

This venomous snake, a Mozambique Splitting Cobra, dropped from the ceiling of the veranda in Marloth Park, South Africa, less than one meter from Tom’s bare feet as we sat outdoors awaiting the day’s “visitors.” For more details, please click here.

Now, as we look to Tom’s 64th year, we anticipate the future with even more excitement, as we look forward to the following, until his next birthday:
1.  March 1, 2017 to March 13, 2017, depart Tasmania, head to Sydney, boarding a 12 night cruise to New Caledonia; Vanuatu; Fiji and then back to Sydney.
2.  March 13, 2017 to April 22, 2017, stay in Manly (Sydney) for 40 nights in a vacation home.
3.  April 22, 2017 to May 15, 2017, a 24 night cruise from Sydney to Seattle, Washington, visiting Hawaii along the way.  Make our way by land from Seattle, Washington to Vancouver, British Columbia, where we’ll spend two nights awaiting another cruise. (Continued below).

A python on Tom’s shoulder in Kenya.

4.  May 17, 2017 to May 26, 2017, board an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver to Seattle with four ports in Alaska, including; Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway and Hubbard Glacier; Sitka; and Victoria, BC; then back to Seattle.
5.  May 26, 2017, fly from Seattle, Washington to Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Stay six weeks visiting family and friends.
6.  July 7, 2017, flies from Minnesota to Nevada where we’ll stay for three weeks visiting family.  (Continued below).

I took this photo of Tom while we shopped for toiletries Sydney, Australia before boarding that day’s cruise on January 5, 2016. It was pouring rain. We were soaked but happy, as shown by the huge smile on his face!

7.  August 1, 2017 to November 22, 2017, fly from Nevada to Costa Rica where we’ll stay in a vacation home.
8.  November 22, 2017, fly to Miami to spend one night in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
9. November 23, 2017 to December 8, 2017, board the cruise in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, including visits to Grand Cayman Islands; full transit on the new Panama Canal; Manta, Equador; Lima, Peru; Pisco, Peru; Arica, Chile; and on to Santiago, Chili.  (Continued below).

In early 2016, we visited Everybody’s Theatre in Opunake, New Zealand when I shot this photo of Tom. Click here for details.

10.

  December 8, 2017 to December 23, 2017, stay on the same above cruise to continue on to Santiago, Chili to Buenos Aires, Argentina including visits to Puerto Montt, Chili; Chilean Fjords (cruising); Straits of Magellan;  Punta Arenas, Chili; Ushuaia, Argentina; Cape Horn (cruising); Puerto Madryn, Argentina; Punta del Este, Uruguay; Montevideo, Uruguay;  Buenos Aires.

This itinerary is expansive and exciting, each leg of the journey filling us with a sense of adventure and grateful for the opportunities to continue on this path, hopefully for many more birthdays to come.

While in Bali, this year, Tom dressed in traditional Hindu garb with the help of our household staff.  Love that hat on him (and the beard!) which he’s since shaved off. Click here for details.

So, on this day, I wish my dear husband, travel companion, best friend and lover, a very happy birthday and new year of his life.  Thank you for celebrating this life with me, for making each day a holiday and a memorable experience and above all, for the opportunity in spending each day with YOU!

Photo from one year ago today, December 23, 2015:

One year ago when I post a birthday letter to Tom, I posted this single photo of Tom which was taken in March, 2015, when we were in Princeville, Kauai playing bingo at the senior center. For Tom’s birthday letter from last year, please click here.

A walk into town like none other…Penguin…A Norman Rockwell painting come to life…Tom’s Irish Cream recipe..

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Penguin statue on the beach made of penguin dressed with Christmas clothes and various locally inspired pins and decorations.

Moving temporarily to Penguin, Tasmania confirmed that we like small cities. Feeling at home with some of the most friendly people on the planet with a culture all their own has provided us with a powerful sense of being welcomed within only a few days of our arrival.

Penguin information signs posted at the beach next to the above Penguin statue.

Yesterday morning, a long walk through the whimsical main street, a few blocks from our six-week holiday home, left us shocked with a profound sense of belonging.    The theme of the penguin was everywhere as our pictures show.

Monument to WWI, the Great War in downtown Penguin.

As we entered the small eccentric shops, buying a few grocery and pharmacy items along the way, we were greeted as if we had been here our whole life. While walking on the sidewalk, each passerby made a kindly comment, “How’s it goin’ mates?, “Ga day to you both.” We couldn’t stop smiling.

We stopped in the Penguin Visitors Information Centre to take photos to be shared in another post.  Notice the penguin statue and the penguins on the trash bins.

The influence and population of Fairy Penguins in the area (we’ve yet to see any but surely will soon) are the influence of the name of this special oceanfront town with its own population of around 4000 residents, many who’ve lived here all their lives, including our wonderful and helpful landlord Terry.

Terry’s sister Linda owns the Gents Hairdresser where Tom will eventually get a haircut while we’ll visit with Linda.

Within a 30 minute drive, we can reach many larger communities where there’s ample shopping, dining and entertainment venues within easy reach by driving along the scenic ocean view route. 

A memorial  for Troopers Thomas William Barker and Geoffrey Hugh Brownm who died in South Africa in 1900.

About Penguin from this site:

“History of Penguin

Penguin first settled in 1861 as a timber town, and proclaimed on 25 October 1875. The area’s dense bushland and easy access to the sea led to Penguin becoming a significant port town, with large quantities of timber shipped across Bass Strait to Victoria, where the 1850s gold rushes were taking place. The town was named by the botanist Ronald Campbell Gunn for the little penguin rookeries that are common along the less populated areas of the coast.

Sulfur Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1867 and was replaced by the Penguin Creek office in 1868. The latter office was renamed Penguin in 1895.

Penguin was one of the last districts settled along the North West coast of Tasmania, possibly because of an absence of a river, for safe anchorage. Nearly all travel in those days was by boat as bush made the land almost impenetrable. Many of the settlers probably emigrated from Liverpool via landing in Launceston then sailing west along the coast.

White sand beach in the center of town.

Trade began when the wharf was built in 1870, allowing timber and potatoes to be exported. Penguin Silver Mine, along the foreshore slightly to the east of the town opened in 1870 but failed a year later. Neptune Mine, a tad further along, likewise failed. The rail from Ulverstone arrived in 1901, after which trade by sea declined. Passing of the Local Government Act in 1906 saw Tasmania divided into 48 Municipalities. Penguin’s first Council was elected in 1907.”

Penguin’s rich history is evident in every aspect of its pleasing center of town, homes along the coast and inland and, its people, all seemingly happy and grateful to live in this charming coastal town.

Zen House Studio which includes Buddhist Arts & Crafts.

With the intent of a walk along the boulevard, one side of the street each way, we found ourselves engaged in conversation with shop owners and employees being asked where we’re from and why we’ve come to Penguin. Two hours quickly passed as we reveled in each interaction.

The pink building is the candy shop where Tom bought the fudge. The yellow building is Penguin Fruit & Veg, an organic produce and health food shop.

When hearing morsels of our world travel and how long we’d be in Penguin, consistently they smiled, offering a warm, “Good on you!” often followed with…”If you need help with anything at all, please stop by.” Wow! Could we have felt more welcomed?

Local bar with outdoor seating.

We purchased mushrooms at the Fruit and Veg shop, hydrogen peroxide at the pharmacy, double thickened fresh cream, shampoo and conditioner at the IGA market while Tom couldn’t resist a small package of homemade fudge at the candy shop.

Fairy Penguin shaped cakes in the bakery on Main.

Enjoy today’s and tomorrow photos and of course, many more photos we’ll continue to share during our remaining 40 days in this special location. Had we known how much we would have loved it here, we may have chosen to spend the entire three months right here at Penguin.

Penguin Fire Department.

Then again, we need to spread our wings and experience as much as we can as we continue on in our world travels. It’s easy to settle in, embracing a sense of “home” as we meander from location to location.

Christmas penguins are for sale in many of the shops.

With the holiday season upon us, Tom had promised many of our newly made recent cruise friends that we post his “Lyman’s Irish Cream” recipe (compared to Bailey’s Irish Cream). 

Beach in downtown Penguin.

It’s easy to make and is excellent for serving as well as bottled gifts. We don’t imbibe, but know many of our readers may enjoy making this easy recipe.  Here his recipe:

Tom Lyman’s Irish Cream (Comparable to Bailey’s Irish Cream)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 pint ½ and ½ or real whipping cream

3 pasteurized eggs (important for safety)

1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1 cup Irish Whiskey or other bourbon or whisky

Blend all ingredients in blender for 2 minutes, then add 1 cup whiskey, measuring into the empty can of sweetened condensed milk in order to remove every last drop of the creamy sweetened condensed milk.

Blend for another 30 seconds. Pour in a glass bottle with tight fitting cork.

Keeps refrigerated for 30 days.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding the preparation of this recipe. We’re happy to assist! Enjoy!

Photo from one year ago today, December 7, 2015:

It was one year ago today we moved from Vanua Levu, Fiji to Viti Levu, Fiji the main island in Fiji, flying in a small plane to from the tiny airport. For more details and vacation home photos, please click here.

A trip to Woolies turned into a sightseeing adventure…

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Many small islands lie near the shore.

Woolworths grocers, known as “Woolies” are popular in Australia. We went shopping at the Woolies in Trinity Beach during our 3 month stay beginning in June 2015. 

For our first big grocery shopping trip, we decided to forgo a farmers market and meat market for the purpose of getting the staples we’d need during our three month stay in Tasmania.  Anything left after this first six weeks will be taken with us to the Huon Valley for the second six week stay at the other end of the state.

View on the road to Ulverstone to do some shopping.

We realize that many of our readers are perhaps not interested in our grocery and/or food purchases and for that, please be patient with us. For us, with our way of eating it becomes very important and, for many of our readers who have written to us, they’re curious as to food products available in other countries.

With the winding narrow road, I had to take photos while we were moving.

I should mention that even in large market Woolies most vegetables are organic, most meat is grass-fed and chicken is organic and free range. The labels clearly indicate the origin of the products available for sale, including indications for farmed fish, which we do not consume. 

The head of lettuce we bought required a lot of washing and eliminating insects. What does it tell you? No pesticides. It was misshapen and uneven. There again, indicating true organic products. We easily found chemical-free eggs, free range, directly from the Woolies farm. In essence, we could, if we so chose purchase all of our food from this market.

A large house sits at the tip of a peninsula.

However, we plan to visit the upcoming farmers markets, mostly available on weekends, grass fed meat markets and locally caught fish markets while we’re in Tasmania. Doing so becomes a huge part of our enjoyment in an area giving us an opportunity to mingle with locals and hear about and see their farms. 

The beautiful road to Ulverstone.

Planning our meals and shopping for ingredients becomes an integral part of our desire and pleasure in living in rural areas, visiting farms, learning the culture and blending in as much as possible.

Our host and landlord Terry has been so helpful. Not only has he provided this impeccable property for our use over these six weeks, but he delivered three bottles of his homemade purified/distilled water for our use, although tap water is safe to drink in Tasmania.

Although we won’t be able to see sunsets from our location, the morning sun offers a stunning view.

The kitchen and property is so well equipped we avoided the expenditure of many staples we usually buy including many spices, quality olive oil, herbal teas, vinegars and toilet paper.  We created a grocery list with these items in mind and headed along the ocean to drive to the next town of Ulverstone where the Woolies is located.

Ulverstone is at a distance from this spot.

Penguin has a few markets, but they’re small and less well stocked. Also, the smaller local markets have higher prices, making it worth the drive to Ulverstone to the popular supermarket. 

In future visits, we’ll get out and explore this reserve.

Little did we know, the 20 to 25 minute drive was much more interesting than we’d anticipated. Terry suggested we take the coastal route if we were interested in some amazing scenery.  He was so right! With the bright morning sun shining on the sea, the scenic route took our breath away. For that reason alone, we’ll be looking forward to returning to Ulverstone for grocery shopping in the also quaint 7000 population town.

We’re excited to see the trains pass by our view several times a day. 

The temperature here is considerably cooler than we’d anticipated. With no warm clothing in our tiny inventory, we both needed to find something in the way of a sweatshirt or flannel shirts while in Ulverstone. In Australia, sweatshirts are called “jumpers.”

Parking on the main boulevard where literally all the stores are located, we found a few shops, one where we each purchased soft flannel shirts, both men’s sizes, Tom’s an XL, mine, a small for US $20, AU 27. I found a perfect hooded jumper in another nearby store for US $15, AU 20 which I’m wearing now, feeling cozy and warm on the chilly morning.

Historical Furners Hotel in downtown Ulverstone. There are many other small towns we’ll explore while in Penguin.

A visit to the pharmacy, a stop at a dollar type store for a pitcher for our iced tea and a few kitchen supplies including parchment paper, tin foil pans and environmentally friendly laundry soap rounded out our shopping. 

Then, we drove further down the same road to a computer store where we’d hoped to purchase a power cord for one of our laptops which quit working while on the cruise. They didn’t have such a cord available, but suggested we drive to Devonport where surely we’ll be able to make the appropriate purchase. In the next few days, we’ll make the 40 minute trip.

The main street in Ulverstone where all the shops can be found.

Lancaster House, another historical building in Ulverstone.

Back in the car, we drove to Woolies, finding every item on our list. Our total bill including enough groceries for eight days, totaled US $209, AU 280. In most new locations we’ve easily spent 30% more.

Back on the scenic road, again we stopped for photos when possible on the narrow oceanfront road. We can’t wait to make that drive again soon. Today, we’re sharing some of the photos from yesterday’s drive. In time, we’ll continue to share more photos from our two day road trip.

Again today, we continue to wash and hang our clothing after all the germs on the ship. It’s the first time in four months, we’re doing laundry. Tom helps with the hanging and heavy lifting while I sort and fold.

Tom’s busy catching up on all the Vikings games he missed during the 33-night cruise with the poor streaming signal on the ship. He’s catching up on several games he missed using his membership in NFL Game Pass. The WiFi is excellent in this property and he’s watching a game as we speak.

Tom commented that the gauge (the distance between the two rails) is considerably smaller in Australia than in the US.

We’re busy making plans for the upcoming few days/weeks, including an exciting Saturday night social event with our landlords which we’ll share in a future post. Thanks to all of our loyal readers for “traveling along with us.” It’s been delightful sharing our travels with all of YOU.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 6, 2015:

What can I say? This was my favorite photo we’d taken in Fiji. It so bespeaks a life in Fiji, the freedom of barnyard animals to roam, to thrive and grow. The fact that we find barnyard animals so worthy of mention only enhances our experiences throughout the world. For more details, please click here.