We sailed into the city of Hobart, state of Tasmania, country of Australia. We got a very abbreviated history. The indigenous people came her about 60,000 years ago. It’s the oldest continuous civilization in the world. 12,500 years ago, Tasmania separated from the Australian mainland. Europeans arrived much later and never got around to importing rabbits, pigs, and other non-native animals. The long separation allowed independent evolution of unique species such as the Tasmanian Devil (with it’s square, stackable scat) and the Tasmanian Tiger (now extinct).

We took an hour and a half bus ride up the Huan river — with a stop for a lovely morning tea, of course. It isn’t that far as the crow flies, but we had to drive around to the other side of the bay.

Our objective was an elevated treetop walk. It’s sturdy and safe, but one can feel the catwalk swaying when 30 people are on it. Our guide pointed out major things of interest. Apparently one can do quite well in a forest if they are knowledgeable.

The most impressive and prized trees are the Huon Pine. These were damaged by a brush fire in 2019. The trees depend on fire to propagate. Seeds are in a small pouch and can’t germinate. A fire pops the pouches open like popcorn, allowing those seeds to germinate. It’s amazing that fire is required for some species to survive.

After a fire, the Huon Pine might need an “energy boost”. They get it with a temporary growth on the side of the tree. These leaves provide extra sugar through photosynthesis. When the tree has recovered, the side growth drops off the tree. Our guide gave us the name of this growth. Twice. I was too embarrassed to ask again. When I got back to the ship, my favorite expert Google failed me. The growth will remain nameless for now.

These are big, tall trees. The trees in this picture are about 75 feet tall. At full maturity, Huan Pines can reach as much as 150 feet. The oldest known tree is 3,000 years old. The penalty the tree pays for the excellent wood and long life is slow growth – about an inch a year. Fortunately, Huon Pines are protected in Australia.

Nature has many wonderful and amazing tricks. We enjoyed this trip very much. I hope this finds everybody doing well.