“Traveling is something that brings me perspective. Worldwide lockdowns and accompanying travel restrictions because of COVID-19 make it that most people will probably spend their holidays in their own countries. I’m lucky to be in Australia, after having moved here in October 2021. Although the world’s smallest continental mass, it’s the world’s biggest island and there is a lot to discover. I have been curious about Tasmania for a while and I am excited to pay a visit.

The size of Australia, even Tasmania, continues to astound me. I thought it would be the size of Texel, a small island in North Holland. I was looking forward to cycle around the island. However, it turns out that Tasmania is 65% larger than The Netherlands, the country I grew up in. As I tried to see a lot of the island and therefore rented a car, I discovered that a one-hour drive can bring a complete change of scenery, coastline, architecture, and weather conditions.

I had never been in a small propeller airplane. The experience of being inside one, while seeing the coastline of Tasmania, left an impression on me. I tried to capture the experience of the plane taking of. It was good to have that full sense of freedom again. I also did a drawing of the Low Head lighthouse where I spent some time on the last day, I cleared my mind there, did some sketches, and did a bit of a recap on the trip. The drawings of the lighthouse stayed with me in my mind and became a bit of a symbol for the trip for me.

Day 01

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 05:00

I prefer some hours of the day over others. Noon is good as that’s lunchtime. 7pm is great, as this means its time for the magic skies. 5am however, must be amongst my least favourite hours I thought to myself, when my phone’s alarm sung for the second time. I picked up the sound of snoring but had trouble figuring out if the source was Kate or our dog, Bell. My eyes adjusted to the bathroom's bright light while the mirror revealed the beginnings of my beard. I closed the door, as I didn't want Kate to wake up to the sound of my electric shaver. (It's a good but noisy old shaver; the model before this one likely ran on Diesel). I turned the shaver on and its battery indicator started flashing red. This means I have two minutes to shave the lower half of my head, or I will be flying to Tasmania with half a shaved face. I made it in time! Good onya mate!

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 06:00

It is six in the morning and Kate is dropping me off at the Kiss & Ride area near Terminal 4 of Melbourne Airport. The parking sign warned us; we are allowed to park for one minute. Kate managed to push me out of the car, hand me my luggage and hug me like there is no tomorrow in under 30 seconds. I noticed a few weeks back that Kate owns a Guinness Book of World Records, and it is likely that she has now earned a mention in the next edition. Terminal 4 is not a big terminal and I slipped through customs and security no trouble. Sometimes, when going through customs, I try to act as normal as possible. I stink at acting and I'm therefor pretty sure this behaviour makes me look not only like an idiot, but extra suspicious. Almost like I'm hiding forbidden exotic sea turtles in my Pringle's can.

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 07.00

I enjoy flying; sitting on a chair in the sky, listening to music (album: Avalon), looking over clouds, while travelling far away at great speed. I even enjoy the fasten your seatbelt chime. It's an exciting experience, and I count myself lucky for being able to travel. I'm at the gate, waiting to board domestic flight JQ703 which will bring me from Melbourne to Hobart in Tasmania. As I have lived in The Netherlands for 34 years (I have moved to Australia a few months ago) I am not yet understanding thoroughly, the size of this country. In Australia a Boeing 787 Dreamliner can fly in a straight line for five hours straight, and never leave the country. In The Netherlands one can drive from The Hague to Rotterdam in twenty minutes. Boarding has started. I booked seat ‘4D’ as this sounded similar to ‘Jordy’.

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 10.00

Touchdown in Tasmania. All passengers are immediately directed to the BioSecurity area. A friendly middle aged medium sized man pointed a plastic laser gun at my facial expression. He told me I had the right temperature. Medium rare, and good to go. I arrived at arrivals, and was welcomed by a poster with lions, tigers, elephants and a zebra. I immediately realised I should have done more research about Tasmania. I wasn't sure if this poster was an ad for the Hobart Zoo, or a heads-up about the local wildlife. Next to the poster I noticed a big sign saying 'The Circle of Life'. This was a shop and I wondered what they were selling. Donuts. It was comforting to know, that if a snake or spider gets me, I will end up here as a donut. A Donut sprinkled with hundreds and thousands, for sale at the arrivals terminal of Hobart International Airport.

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 10.30

Outside the terminal I bought a ticket for a SkyBus, which I thought was a better name for a plane. I stared at the folder. A daunting task for a libra; there were six drop-off locations in Hobart to choose from. After a moment of doubt I went for location two: Brooke Street Pier. The Skybus dropped me of at the harbour. The water and weather both grey; the boats brightly coloured. A big hand-painted sign on a restaurant near the water reads ‘cooked seafood’. It's a good thing fish can't read, I thought to myself. I'm ripe to be a dad. I went for not one, but two chocolate croissants as Kate is not here to protect me from myself. I wandered around the harbour area until it was time to head for 'Connie the Caravan' where I will be spending the first two nights.

Tue 23 Mar, 2021 — 15.00

Connie, is a small, blue, lovingly restored old caravan. Beautifully located near a couple of poplar trees, surrounded by a rose garden. The caravan stands on a private property in the middle of Moonah, a suburb of Hobart. Immediately after entering the caravan I felt as if I was back in 1995 and inside the caravan of my grandparents. Memories. The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology mentions a 70% chance of rainfall and I am looking forward to falling asleep to the sound of raindrops on the roof.

Day 02

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 01:00

The night wasn't an easy one. Right before lights out, I noticed a spider behind the light switch. I tried to catch it with a plastic cup. The spider moved with speed and ease, giving me cold sweaty goosebumps. When I opened one of the caravan's cupboards I noticed a spray-can. With one eye on the spider and my other eye on the can I read; 'Easy Reach Surface Spray Crawling Insect Killer' and I knew enough. This would be a battle with only one survivor. (Readers discretion advised) I sprayed the spider. Suddenly, an unpleasant loud beeping tone. The spray had set off the fire alarm. Like a secret smoker in an aircraft's lavatory, I dismantled the device with speed and ease. A few hours later, I figured the spider had a buzzing social life, as I was quickly outnumbered by mosquitos. When I turned on the light, ready to "applaud" a few of them I noticed my glasses in bed. I must have slept on them as the left temple had broken off. Spider karma.

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 11:00

The couple running the place is kind. I texted them about my broken glasses, and asked for Super Glue. An unusual request but they were happy to help. I walked up to the main house and my glasses were glued and drying in the windowsill a little while later. Time for town. I walked around the city centre looking for bookstores as I have my mind set on a book by architect Robin Boyd, titled The Australian Ugliness. An interesting investigation on Australian architecture written 60 years ago. I found a second hand bookstore named 'Cracked and Spineless' which perfectly described how I felt yesterday getting up at 05:00 in the morning. Sadly I couldn't find the book that I was looking for and left the store with three other books; rebounds, for emotional compensation.

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 12:00

The Muttaburrasaurus was a seven metres long herbivore, named after the town in Queensland where its remains were discovered. And today, a 1.8 meters long carnivore, is enjoying his lunch right under its one-hundred-million years old anus. If only he knew. I'm sat at a wobbly round table outside the entrance to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and I'm enjoying my first banana cake of the day. Inside the museum I was educated on Tasmanian history, flora and fauna. The last stop of my visit; the paintings room upstairs. There was a painting of a lady, titled: 'The Artist's Wife in a Sun Hat'. She looked annoyed. Sometimes Kate gives me this look when I'm being annoying making pictures of her. On other portraits I noticed a lot of well-painted hands. I wondered if artists are good at painting hands because they are almost unavoidably, constantly looking at their own hands while holding pencils or brushes. Time to leave the museum.

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 13:00

The weather is grey, with just the faintest hint of sunshine shining through. I like bananas and I like cake. Your first name doesn't have to be Albert to do the math; I love banana-cake. They are selling them here at 'Ginger Brown' a busy lunchroom in a quiet street in South Hobart. I was peacefully enjoying my coffee, when suddenly; a full-volume radio voice blasted through the iPad speakers of the lady-of-age seated next to me. I looked over and we locked eyes; She looked frightened and I looked surprised. Painstakingly, she tried to stop this sudden burst of loud local broadcast. She swiped! She flipped! She tapped! She clicked! She had pressed the home button a hundred times before I could even finish saying “banana-cake” and eventually decided to pick up the iPad and run out of the cafeteria. As she ran past me, I heard her saying “sorry” at every step she made. "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry" It was outside in the misty rain where the lady managed to solve her noisy modern problem and silenced the device. She walked back in with an embarrassed expression on her face, with just the faintest hint of smiling shining through.

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 15:00

The rest of the afternoon I spent aimlessly walking around the city. I walked past an impressive looking beer brewery. Every now and then I stopped to admire a building. The houses here are different from the ones at home-home back in The Netherlands. They feel American as they remind me of the houses I saw in Portland a few years ago; almost like they could be in an Edward Hopper painting. The afternoon was coming to an end, and I ordered an Uber as I was keen to visit an art academy at the other side of the city. The Uber was five minutes away. I thought to be clever and changed the pick-up location to a spot in the direction the Uber was coming from. I did not realise I placed the new pick-up location marker on the top of a hill. "I am Dutch and I am not used to hills" I told the driver, when he noticed I was out of breath behind my face mask. "My favourite hills are the ones that go down" I continued. The driver looked at me in the rear view mirror, nodded friendly, and slightly turned the music up a notch or two.

Wed 24 Mar, 2021 — 18:00

I was hoping to visit the School of Creative Arts. The ateliers and classrooms where not accessible for the public, which makes sense, and I paid the galleries on the ground floor a visit instead. Opposite the art academy I walked into a dark bar with a bright view on the harbour. “Hello darling!” The bartender said. “What can I get ya?” The rain and mist outside made me crave a hot chocolate and I ordered the first one of the year. I asked for whip cream and did a Indiana-Jones-like whip motion in the air. This was confusing to both the waitress and myself. I stuttered for the first time in my life and barely managed to string my next sentence together. I'm pretty sure I mumbled a thank you for the hot chocolate while asking for the wifi password all in one sentence. Thank god for my accent, making me getting away with situations like this. The password was storytelling, with a capital S. I walked away and sat myself down around the corner, embarrassed, with a capital E.

Day 03

Thu 25 Mar, 2021 — 10:00

The second night at Connie the Caravan contained zero creepy crawlers or at least I didn't notice them and had a good nap. I packed my bag, tidied the place and headed to the airport to pick up the rental car. Once arrived at Hertz, I asked if there was a bigger car available than the one I had reservations for. I’m expecting gravel roads during my trip northwards later this week. "I would like a Mega-Hertz" I joked. No reaction. "Please don't give me the car with the faulty airbags" I continued. Tough crowd. I ended up with a SUV from Toyota that had not yet shaken off its new car smell. The car was silver, elegant and had sophisticated curves. I like naming cars, as it makes them less of a robot and more of a friend. I settled on 'Carbra Streisand'. Without a destination in mind I drove back to the city. I ended up at Ginger Brown again. Same waitress. Same flat white. Same banana-cake. Same seat. It must be Groundhog Day.

Thu 25 Mar, 2021 — 12:00

After driving over the Tasman Bridge earlier today, I noticed signs pointing in the direction of the Botanical Garden. It started to rain, and I decided to visit the gardens as I figured there would be plenty of trees supplying shelter. And I like the way nature smells after rain showers. Small trees, big trees, and trees strangely named. I sat on a wet bench looking over a pond with waterlilies. A white bridge bridged over the water. The scene reminded me of Claude Monet. An old brick wall was built next to the entrance, and looked like it was ten times my age old. It had small tunnels running through it and there used to be ovens build in the base of the structure. Governor George Arthur ordered this heated wall to be built in 1829, to extend the growing period of fruit trees.

Thu 25 Mar, 2021 — 14:00

After visiting the gardens down the river, I drove to the summit of kunanyi (Mount Wellington). As mentioned earlier, The Netherlands is flat as a pancake and thus, I have not been on many mountains. I followed 'Pinnacle Road' and enjoyed the views and curvy drive upslope. Once arrived, it turned out the old saying speaks truth; it is lonely at the top. Nobody around. There was a significant difference in temperature when I stumbled out of the car. It was almost as if I ended up on another planet. Cold clean air. A curtain of mist hiding the views. Strangely shaped rocks surrounded the empty parking lot. A high concrete tower stood tall. Its top reaching the clouds. The tower looked like a rocket ship. I went for my hourly toilet visit when the button of my pants popped off (too many banana-cakes) and fell in the loo. I like touching buttons but I won’t be touching this one ever again. Another couple made it to the top in and old Volvo. I asked them to make a photograph of me. My next overnight stay will be in Port Arthur, a two hour drive away. I better start going.

Thu 25 Mar, 2021 — 17:00

The road to Port Arthur was a good one. Hills, ports, shores, sea sights and mountains. Seagulls flying high in the sky, and kangaroos lying motionless on the side of the road. Sad to witness. I made sure I kept all four eyes on the road. A feeling of freedom came over me as the distance between the capital city and myself grew. The road trip has begun. When I stopped for petrol I browsed through my 'recently added albums' folder in Apple Music. I enjoy a scenic route with music emphasising the views. Tough choice. Pink Floyd works well on highways. The Cure works well in cities. I settled on Prefab Sprout when driving near the Sea. Enya was my companion while driving through the mountains. Every now and then I got out of the car to make pictures. The closer I got to the next destination the prettier the scenery.

Thu 25 Mar, 2021 — 18:45

I’m a ten minute drive away from the wooden cabin I am staying in tonight. I just drove past an impressive row of decorated mailboxes and decided to turn in the shape of an U and capture them on SD card. The series of mailboxes made me want to design one myself. Evening fell at the time of my arrival, coloring the skies pink and rendering the cabin cosy. The girl running the place was kind and showed me the cabin I would be sleeping in. I asked her for restaurant tips (I came unprepared) and she mentioned there are some nearby, however the restaurants all close at 7pm. She figured I missed the window for fish & chips, and she kindly asked if I would like a tosti. Boy did I.

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 01:00

Every now and then, Kate’s father reminds me of the following; if I’m not visiting the lavatory once a hour, I am not drinking enough water. I woke up at one hour past midnight, and I suspect this had something to do with the litre of water I drank earlier. The toilet was located inside the main house right next to the cabin. I got up, got dressed, and turned on the flashlight that was hanging conveniently next to the door. Once outside I froze in my steps. Right in front of me, in the circle of light, I saw my first Australian scorpion. Not a big one but not a small one either. If I would fold the scorpion in half, it would fit inside one of those milk-chocolate Kinder Surprise eggs. Now thát would be a surprise I thought.

Day 04

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 06:00

The alarm of my phone woke me around 6am and I am adding this hour to the list of least favourite ones. I was expected back in the Harbour of Hobart at 9am. A few days ago I impulsively bought a ticket for a flight. A tour of the coastline in a seaplane, which I thought was a better name for a boat. I arrived thirty minutes too early and walked to a cafe named 'Jam Packed'. I ordered a coffee and a croissant as they didn't sell any banana flavoured goods. "Would you prefer the croissant heated?" the waitress asked. "Yes please." I answered. Little did I know this would take ages. Over ten minutes. I looked at my phone and it was nearly 9am. "I'm sorry, I have to return some videotapes" I said, and ran off in the direction of the boats, to catch a plane.

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 09:00

The girl at the desk of the airline company was happy to see me. She was waiting for me, together with a couple that was on their honeymoon. I wasn't sure if the married couple was happy with me crashing their romantic trip. We received our boarding instructions while we waited for the plane, which was running late. The girl from 'Above and Beyond' told us more about the company and the flights they offer. A distant roar coming from the sky informed us on the plane's arrival. A short moment later we were standing next to the seaplane, wearing tiny lifejackets. I kept all jokes to myself. The girl pointed out to us, the emergency exit; easy to find as this was the only door in the plane. We where shown how to buckle up, and in which bag to vomit. I asked the lad flying us around, if he wants me to refer to him as "captain" or "pilot". He stared at me in silence for a while, obnoxiously chewing gum. I saw my own face reflecting in his big black Ray-Ban sunglasses. "Pilot" he said. "Hop on board buddy!".

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 10:00

The flight was short but all pennies worth. Incredible to see the island's coastline from the sky. I couldn't hear much of what was said through the headset, as the radio frequency cracked a lot. I gazed out of the window. Amazing. Both the take off and landing were as smooth as the pilot himself. After we had landed there was a ten minute trip back to the harbour. "Fucking Ferries" the pilot mumbled, when he had to do a wide manoeuvre around an incoming ferry. The ferry was a high-speed catamaran, covered in camouflage, with neon-pink rockets mounted on its roof. This was the ferry to the Mona, The Museum of Old and New Art, located on an Island near the city. The married couple told the pilot that they were going to the Mona right after the flight. "Same" I said! And again I wasn't sure if the married couple was happy with me crashing their romantic trip.

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 12:00

After the flight I went back to the cafe around the corner with my tale in between my legs; I asked if the croissant was still waiting for me. It was. And I ate it on my way to the ferries. The camouflage made them hard to find, but I managed. Once on board I noticed I was the only one not wearing jeans that had the knees cut out of them. Not that there is anything wrong with that. There were 99 steps to climb after our arrival at museum island. Both the stairs and the view took my breath away. Once at the top, I wasn't disappointed; the MONA turned out to be an impressive location. The whole place is carved out of stone. I did not know the museum was mostly underground! The name of the place was fitting, as they had a lot of old and new art.

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 15:30

At the end of the museum visit I wasn't sure what I enjoyed more; the work on display or the building itself. The structure was an interesting one. Tunnels and steel stairs connected all the rooms with each other. A lot to discover. The inside was dark, with every now and then a brightly lit room. There was a Library located at the deepest part of the museum. After some nosing around, I found the book by Robin Boyd that I was looking for. What I don't like about libraries is that the books are not for sale. I sat down to read a chapter or two. Every now and then a family walked in, and started looking around the library. It was usually the youngest member of the family that would then state out loud: “oh wait guys I think this is not an artwork but an actual library, lol” This happened about three times and I liked being snobby and roll my eyes at the three other people reading. I liked the elderly woman behind the front desk. She was friendly and she reminded me of the lady that worked at Dunder Mifflin, the Paper Company.

Fri 26 Mar, 2021 — 17:00

I escaped from museum island at 4pm and made my way to the next location. Again a bit of a drive, but at least it felt as if I was going places. Before I went, I stopped at a local grocery store. Two Tasmanian apples, two one litre bottles of water, and a big bag of "salted peanuts" which I came to understand is a slippery slope to pronounce with an accent and a facemark on... I started the journey towards Lisdillon Vineyard, where I will be spending the next two nights. When I left Hobart for one last time, I realised that in one day I had driven on, sailed under, and flewn over the Tasman Bridge. I felt like I was James Bond. When I arrived at the next accommodation I went for a shower and put on my checkered pyjama - matching jacket and pants. I looked in the mirror. Something green in between my front teeth and tape holding my prescription glasses together. I am SO not James Bond.

Day 05

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 10:00

When I arrived at my next location yesterday early evening, I was welcomed by group of hand painted signs. Private property! No Access! No surfers! You should have bought a squirrel! As I am surfing the web a lot lately, I hesitated. I decided to blindly trust Google Maps and continued down the dirt-road I was on. Once arrived, I was relieved to find a friendly small wooden cottache. The house is painted white, with a terracotta coloured chimney and a wide wooden porch. Inside, a living room dressed in heavy carpets and thick floral patterned curtains, a fireplace and basket with wood, a cabinet with books and cd’s, and two big comfortable couches. Set amongst scenic farmland, the cottage named 'Gregan Retreat' stands at the edge of a vineyard on Tasmania's East Coast.

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 11:00

I woke up early and started reading a brochure I found inside a fruit bowl. I read about the interesting history of the farmland I was staying on. A short blurb; "Lisdillon was established in 1830 when James Radcliffe arrived from Belfast and was granted the land, it was then that he established Lisdillon’s salt works and sheep farm. At one point Radcliffe decided to travel back to England, and in a gruesome twist, Radcliffe’s headless and mutilated remains were discovered some time later on Waterloo Bridge in London. Who did it, why and how this happened to poor Radcliffe remains a mystery." This was a lot to take in early on the morning. I realise how lucky I am still having my head attached to my body, and decided to make way to Wineglass way.

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 11:00

On my way to wineglass bay, I drove passed a sign saying 'Kates berry farm'. I like kate and I like berries and had to visit. I ordered an oversized coffee and a undersized box of locally produced chocolates. The round white chocolates had berries inside. I still had a bit of a drive ahead of me and continued. Wineglass bay is part of the Freycinet Peninsula, encompassed within the Freycinet National Park. Online I read that it is considered one of the top ten beaches in the world. I like wine and I like the beach and had to visit. A sign at the beginning of the track warned me on mosquitos being bad today, and that these might carry the ross virus. Pivot! I added mosquitos to my 'list of creatures to worry about in Australia' and started my walk.

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 12:00

After ten minutes of walking uphill I stopped, and pretended to admire the view to cover-up the fact that I was out of breath. Wineglass bay is a short walk for mankind, but a giant one for me. My knee-pits are as sweaty as my arm-pits, and I wondered if deodorant for knees exists. I kept going. It has now been thirty minutes of climbing steps. I’m dried out from the inside and sweaty at the outside. Remind me to put flowers at the grave of the person that invented escalators. I wasn't expecting to tire this only at the age of thirty-five.

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 13:30

I arrived at an intersection, and could either go left, towards the lookout higher up the mountain, or right, towards the bay itself. I was curious about the view, and took the left turn. This walk was shorter, which came in handy as the skies were colouring dark. Once arrived back at the parking lot, I got in the car and put the machine in reverse. I could not believe my eyes, when I noticed a small part of what I thought was a kangaroo in the Reverse Camera display mounted in the Toyota's dashboard. Was I hallucinating? I got out of the car and saw two small kangaroos. In my mind I said 'fascinating animals' in Steve Irwin's voice.

Sat 27 Mar, 2021 — 17:00

Adventuring around made me peckish and a quick google enquiry later I was on my way to a place called The Fishers at Devils Corner. A name any pirate would like. I do not have an eye patch, however, my eyewear is patched and I hope this will allow me to sit with the local pirates. I ordered fish, chips and a bottle of rum. Suddenly, drips the size of big drips started falling from the sky. At first three at the time. Then thirty. Then thousands of them. A Proper rain storm. I wondered if this was the storm from New South Wales arriving in Tasmania. I rushed to the rental. My shirt was soaked to the point of transparency. Not a great look for a pirate. The weather calmed down soon. Me and my newfound nipple awareness drove back to the little cabin in Lisdillon.