industry insect

industry insect

Another view of the port and the giant mantis of gantries and conveyors for its woodchip stockpile and shiploader.

empires

empires

Burnie's port from 1.5 kilometres away on the Wilfred Campbell Memorial Reserve.

salt glare

salt glare

Up to Devonport and on through a string of towns along the north coast, for lunch in a little sandwich shop in the port town of Burnie. The grid of its central business district is located on a small point, so at the end of all streets is a view of the ocean, like postcards far away.

flow

flow

Returning to Launceston for the evening, then rising again to start the next long day, which ended on the west coast in darkness at Strahan, blanketed in frost.

But the first stop was north-west at Latrobe to try to eye a platypus. They are elusive — notoriously shy — and the lake by the local visitor centre yielded no results, although it was pretty.

Following a hint, an hour of silence and careful treading along the muddy banks of the Mersey River rewarded us with a sighting. They are slippery through the water, wriggling about, gliding and and then vanishing as quickly as they appear. Almost invisible if not for the ripples around them.

collider

collider

Another frame of the fascinating, intricate architecture of the cave. If you've never been inside a cave and are ever within a couple of hours of one, do make the side trip. It's worth the time to experience another part of nature.

leap

leap

The vaulted enclosure of King Solomons, of something in a deep sea trench.

past the rift

past the rift

Further into the slender cave.

the darkest umbra

the darkest umbra

King Solomons Cave (someone decided place names don't deserve apostrophes).

Narrower and more vertical than Marakoopa, the surfaces are flecked with crystals of calcite which, when twinkling in the low light, summon from the imagination the jewels of the fictional King Solomon's mines.