Grady White Boat

Grady White Boat

Tasmania’s island adventure

The climb to the top of Mount Bishop and Clerk, the highest point on Tasmania’s Maria Island, is said to reward adventure travellers with panoramic views over the top of the island’s eucalypt forests and out across the Pacific Ocean.

To the north, we're told, lies the Australian mainland; to the south, over the distant horizon, lies the icy landscapes of Antarctica.

We take it on trust. Because the peak we've conquered on this tiny island off the coast of Tasmania, which in turn is an island off the coast of mainland Australia, is a cloud-covered triumph.

We hear the ocean and the wind, we can even smell its Antarctic purity, but we can see not much further than arm’s length. That’s enough, though, to peer warily over the edge of the peak and see the beginnings of a sheer drop that leads to oblivion.

A few steps back from the edge sits the climb’s other reward: a stash of chocolate and extra water that our guide Ben has lugged with him from the morning’s departure point, Bernacchi House.

Bernacchi House provides a warm welcome for participants in the three-night, four-day Maria Island Walk. Having spent the previous two nights camping out, guest arrive at Bernacchi House to be greeted by an open fire in the hearth, a sumptuous dinner, and a blissfully warm shower. A deep and restful sleep follows as surely as night follows day.

Not that the previous nights’ camping out involved much hardship. In fact, the tents we slept in were more like up-market huts, complete with polished timber floors and screened windows. Each of these huts are positioned discreetly among the gum trees, connected via boardwalks to the dining hut, where we feasted like bush royalty.

A copy of the menu souvenired after our first night on Maria Island reminds me of just how well we ate: Shitake mushroom soup, followed by grilled quail with a spiced couscous and an eggplant ratatouille, then chocolate mud cake with a berry coulis and cream.

Wildlife abounds on Maria Island. Kangaroos, wombats and wallabies are everywhere, making Maria Island a great destination for travellers keen to experience Australian fauna in its natural state.

The island is also home for the elusive 40-spotted pardalote, a very shy bird endemic to the region and much loved by amateur and professional bird spotters.

A colony of fairy penguins also call the island home, and these can be spotted on a night walk from Bernacchi House.

Walking on Maria Island gives us time to be part of this natural environment, rather than merely look at it. We amble along deserted beaches, wander through paddocks where pug-nosed wombats graze unconcernedly, and we take time to enjoy phenomenon such as the magnificently patterned Painted Cliffs.

Embracing the prevailing weather conditions is part of the experience, and although the postcard views largely eluded us, the overcast skies and occasional drizzle added a moodiness that was both melancholic and atmospheric. 

We learnt to pay attention to the detail rather than the big picture. We photographed fossilised sea creatures, feeling a million years of history as we ran our fingers over the fossil’s Braille-like crust; and we listened out for the call of the elusive 40-spotted pardalote.

Maria Island has heartbreaking tales aplenty. It used to be penal colony, and its museum in the small settlement of Darlington includes copies of newspaper reports alerting Tasmania’s free settlers to the details of yet another convict breakout.

The escapees ranged in age from 17 to 21-years-old, young Irish and English men who advised family back home that they, too, should get themselves transported to Tasmania because despite the bleak conditions, the new lives that could be built on the other side of the world were infinitely better than the ones they’d left behind.

The guided four day Maria Island Walk is a quirky blend of history and nature, food and wine, luxury and adventure. It leaves a small footprint, thanks to the eco-friendliness of the base camps at Casuarina Beach (day one) and White Gums (day two) and the mindfulness of our guides who ensure we leave nothing behind but footprints.

At the end of each season, both camps are dismantled and the island is left to winter alone.

Getting to Maria Island Walk is an adventure in itself.

On the day of departure, we’re collected from our hotel in Hobart and kitted out with a backpack, waterproof jacket, a head torch, a silk sleeping sheet and a packed lunch.

Then there’s a short drive to the seaside town of Triabunna, where we board a charter boat and cruise across the Mercury Passage to Maria Island. The boat weighs anchor a few metres offshore and we clamber into a dinghy for final leg of the journey.

It’s a special beginning to an experience none of us wants to end.

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About the Author

Dominic O'Grady is a travel-obsessed Australian journalist.

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GRADY: GOOD AS DEAD $15.07 GRADY: GOOD AS DEAD

KEYSTONE,GRADY: JUMP THE FENCE $12.93 KEYSTONE,GRADY: JUMP THE FENCE

KEYSTONE,GRADY: HAWAIIAN MOON $12.93 KEYSTONE,GRADY: HAWAIIAN MOON

Toy Boat $12.68 A little boy has a toy boat. He made it out of a can, a cork, a yellow pencil, and some white cloth. The boy and his boat are inseparable, until one day when the wind pushes the toy boat out into the wide lake. Alone now, the little boat must face fierce

Blue & White Candle Sail Boat $4.5 Item number: 431872 Candle Sail Boat 115mm Blue & White

Casa White Gravy Boat & Stand $7.5 Item number: 307069 Casa White Gravy Boat and Stand

Black & White Half Boat Picture $15 Item number: 323643 Black & White half boat 39x31

On The Boat $10 On The Boat

On a Boat $25.61 On a Boat

Boat $3.23 Boat

Grady Sizemore Jersey: Adult Majestic Home White Replica #24 Cleveland Indians Jersey $99.99 Get the official Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians replica jersey! Features a button front with the authentic decoration and trim. Full or left chest authentic printed tackle twill application and Grady Sizemore's full back authentic name and number in printed tackle twill. Majestic's high quality production and attention to detail make this item an exceptional value and an even better gift! 100% polyester double-knit construction Official team colors and logos Team specific locker tag at front lower left of jersey Made in the USA Officially licensed by MLB

Grady Sizemore Jersey: Youth Majestic Home White Replica #24 Cleveland Indians Jersey $69.99 Get the official youth-sized 2010 Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians replica jersey! Features a button front with the authentic decoration and trim. Full or left chest authentic printed tackle twill application and Grady Sizemore's full back authentic name and number in printed tackle twill. Majestic's high quality production and attention to detail make this item an exceptional value and an even better gift! 100% polyester double-knit construction Official team colors and logos Team specific locker tag at front lower left of jersey Made in the USA Officially licensed by MLB

On A Boat Magnet $3.99 On A Boat Magnet Magnet This refrigerator magnet features a boat and white writing on a black background. Size is approximate. Humor, ocean, sea, lake, water, T-Pain, The Lonely Island, rap, parody.

CHAMPION,GRADY: BACK IN MISSISSIPPI LIVE $21.63 CHAMPION,GRADY: BACK IN MISSISSIPPI LIVE

SMITH,PHILIP GRADY & THE GENTLEMEN OF JA $16.39 SMITH,PHILIP GRADY & THE GENTLEMEN OF JA

NICHOLS,GRADY: TAKE ME WITH YOU $16.88 NICHOLS,GRADY: TAKE ME WITH YOU

GRADY,BILL: ROOM CALLED HOME $17.09 GRADY,BILL: ROOM CALLED HOME

Grady the Goose $13.09 Grady the goose is left behind when her family leaves to fly to a warmer climate, but a helpful farmer finds her and reunites her with her parents and siblings. By the author of Someday Is Not a Day of the Week.

Grady's Wedding $5 Confirmed bachelor Grady Roberts had been attending too many friends' weddings recently. It made his single life suddenly seem less that completely satisfying. Leslie Craig, the only woman who interested Grady, was suspicious of this handsome man's pursuit and knew he'd wind up hurting her when he found out her secret. Contemporary Romance by Patricia McLinn; originally published by Silhouette Special Edition

Cork Boat $11.99 165,321 corks 1 boat Most people have childhood dreams; few ever pursue them. At the age of 34, John Pollack quit a prestigious speechwriting job on Capitol Hill to pursue an idea he had harbored since the age of six: to build a boat out of wine corks and take it on an epic journey. In Cork Boat , Pollack tells the charming and uplifting story of this unlikely adventure. Overcoming one obstacle after another, he convinces skeptical bartenders to save corks, corrals a brilliant but disorganized partner, and cajoles more than a hundred volunteers to help build the boat, many until their fingers bleed. Hired as a speechwriter for President Clinton midway through construction, Pollack soon has the White House saving corks, too. Ultimately, he and his crew set sail down the Douro River in Portugal, where the boat becomes a national sensation. Written with unusual grace and disarming humor, Cork Boat is a buoyant tale of camaraderie, determination, and the power of imagination. From the Trade Paperback edition.

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