Burnie, Tasmania (Day 75)

Yes, Tasmania of Tasmanian devil fame. It’s our last port before we exit the ship in Sydney. It is the 75 the day of 77 days on the cruise. The tour options were minimal and so we opted to spend time in town on our own. This means we did not go to the wildlife park so we missed the aforementioned devils.

We took the shuttle into town. It was about a ten-minute ride to get not that far from the ship. In fact
it seemed like we had driven so far it must have been another ship we saw just over the hill. There were
a large number of greeters, town volunteers who fill you in on the sights of the area. We took a look at
the small market set up on the lower floor of the parking ramp because they expected the wind to come
up in the afternoon. We didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without. I’m sure you are all shocked by
this.






Next for us was the boardwalk by the beach to the Little Penguin display. Unfortunately the penguins
only come ashore at night when it is safer for them so we did not see any. We learned a little bit about
them, and were amused at the sign written for the penguins about how to keep safe from humans.
Australians have a nifty sense of humor, but some of it is pretty subtle.

Back from the penguins we tried our luck with the arts. The art gallery is closed for refurbishing. The
museum was open and the staff was very proud to show us their history. Because the museum was
smaller we spent more time reading than we normally do. It was nice for a change, to actually learn a
bit more without feeling so rushed. We could tell you more, about the ill fated idea of raising sheep on
what looked like great grazing land but wasn’t. About the discovery of tin and how it changed things.
About how they built the railroad, etc. etc. etc. It was a nice little museum.

We walked through the rest of the downtown, bought some goodies for our room stewards, and
couldn’t find anything in town that we couldn’t live without. If it sounds like we’re ready to finish the
cruise I think you are right. We’ve been packing for several days and will finish up tomorrow. Having
four large suitcases and two carry-ons accessible in a room the size we’ve been living in is a feat of
engineering. One sea day before our arrival in Sydney.





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