Beauty Point – Devonport

Awoke early and enjoyed a walk around the bay and into town. There were many dogs out being walked, but we found all owners were worried about their dogs getting near Midget. Its quite strange how we’ve found so many dogs, but so many owners unwilling to let their dogs say hello with any new comers.

We then booked the triple bunger; Platypus House, Seahorse House & the Beaconsfield Mine. First up with the Platypus house. Not having ever seen one in the flesh, I was really keen to see one. They were a lot smaller than I’d expected. Also really difficult to photograph as they just don’t sit still. They are still trying to get them to bread in captivity, but they live a happy and fulfilled life in their huge playpens. The males also had a poison dew claw (the only way you can tell the male from the female). This is something to keep an eye out for if you ever see on – let along ever get near to one…

the only Platypus I could get a photo of sitting still!

in this photo you can actually see the Platypus' webbed feat. Serious swimming items!

Next we visited the three echidnas. They were hilarious. We walked into their room and they were waiting at the door for our arrival. Apparently they were hungry and waiting for their mix of crushed white ants, milk and honey. We sat around on the floor and they just wandered around. It was really interactive and such great fun. The found their food bowl and dove their little beaks straight in. Their huge long and skinny tongues having a fit trying to lick up all the food as quick as they can. Apparently their tongues are sticky and pick up everything they touch!

cute little fellas - actually they dont know if they are male of female as there is no sign - have to wait for them to breed - note the fur!

Next we moved on to the tour of Seahorse House. The tour was fabulous. The housed all the Australian endangered Seahorses as well as the local Tasmanian variety that bread like rabbits. They were really flash sensitive so we weren’t able to take photos, except in one part. They then took us into their breading room where they bread their babies. Apparently they will eat their young very easily unless they’re taken straight away, as they can’t tell their young from their food, so they separate them as soon as they’re born, which has given them a great breading supply. Also the males give birth not the females – which is quite interesting. They are reluctantly haven’t been able to release any into the wild as they are all dying due to global warming. The waters are getting too warm. At least they are doing a great job of what they’re doing. I did get to hold a youngster. It was really weird. He was bony and hard and incredibly strong. He was about as long as my had from the tip of his head to the end of his tail. They also have a tail that automatically coils around anything it touches. Quite funning watching them unwillingly touch another’s tail and they’re forces to twine tails around each others’. They are really cute.

We then moved on to the Beaconsfield Mine. They had recently set up a great mine museum since the collapse and death of one of their employees nearly two years ago. They also had a great section devoted to their rescue including newspaper clippings and TV news excerpts. Steve and Wayne went off with all the engineering feats covered by their museum. I guess it was more of a boys museum. They did have a great social history section upstairs. So much history about this town. The old 1870s section of the old tunnels are now part of the exhibition. Its really well done.

Given we’d somehow lost a day, and now Sharon & Wayne are leaving tonight, so to see them off in style, we ate at the Irish Pub in Devonport. We parked on the opposite side of the bay to where they boarded and we watched the amazing monstrosity of the boat do a u’ee and head out into the harbour. We waved our good byes and heard Sharon & Wayne waving and shouting out to us. We’ll miss them. It will be strange not knowing what they’re up to.