Currently living in Sydney, Australia, I relish any opportunity to explore the Aussie environment. A recent short break touring the island state of Tasmania was the perfect antidote to a damp and gloomy Sydney winter.
With an itinerary that included the majestic Cradle Mountain, rugged Bay of Fires, and pristine Wineglass Bay, Tassie revealed itself to be a place of jaw-dropping beauty. It is an enchanted land riven with lush green forests, expanses of yellow and brown meadows, and wild, craggy mountain tops. Tassie also wears its convict history proudly on its arm, from the impressive architecture of Hobart’s Battery Point to the serenity of the Port Arthur heritage site with its deeply troubled past.
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| My ‘better half’ with Cradle Mountain in the background |
However, it was neither the architecture nor the environment that captured this expat’s heart but rather the abundant wildlife that presented itself at every turn we made.
Tasmania is an island where adorable creatures with mystical names run free. We watched pademelons and wombats graze by our Cradle Mountain Lodge cabin door. Encountered spotted quolls, wallabies and possums slinking past our St. Helen’s beach house just after dusk. And saw wedge-tailed eagles circle in the sky close to Fingal. It is a place where the Tasmanian Tiger has long gone but where, at Bicheno, we watched rafts of Fairy Penguins still going strong. It is also a place where the iconic Tassie Devil could soon be gone but we visited the folks at Devils@Cradle hoping to change all that.
The Tasmanian Devil, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial, was previously estimated to number 170,000 but has recently fallen on extremely hard times. The devil facial tumour disease has reduced the population significantly since the late 1990’s and now threatens the very survival of the species. As a result, in May 2009, the Devil was declared to be endangered and could go the same way as the now extinct Tiger, with current numbers estimated at only 20,000. Healthy devils are now found in only a couple of regions on the island and also in conservation facilities such as the one this expat encountered at Devils@Cradle on the edge of the Cradle Mountain National Park World Heritage Area.
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| A group of devils just before feeding time |
Offering a comprehensive conservation program aimed at breeding disease-free animals, Devils@Cradle undertakes field and lab research, orphan hand-rearing and, of course, a full breeding program with the intention of releasing healthy devils into the wild. This expat was lucky enough to visit the Sanctuary on a night-time feed and witness first-hand the work of ‘keepers’ like Nicole giving their time and dedication to slowing, and hopefully halting, the decline of these fascinating little creatures.
More information on the work of Devils@Cradle can be found at http://www.devilsatcradle.com. Definitely take a look at the work they do and I’d thoroughly recommend a visit if you find yourself in their neck of the woods. Tassie’s disappearing devils need all they help they can get before they become just another past curiosity of this wonderfully diverse island.
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