TRAVEL FEATURE - AUSTRALIA
MEGAN GOVERNI
AND I DON ' T WANT TO GO HOME
“
I got the itch , and a restless soul ,” sang some long haired , cocksure , rock star of my childhood years . “ And that ’ s all right .” The words bounced around my head as I watched nothing in particular , the early morning mist clouding the trees just a few metres from my camp , other worldly and mysterious , beckoning me into the rainforest . This land , wet and lush , prehistoric , held my attention , too much to take in at once , seeming to want to acknowledge something .
I sat amongst flora found nowhere else on Earth , plants , giant and miniature , once sought after for their building qualities , now regarded as a living treasure , something to be respected and admired . I still couldn ’ t believe I was here .
The previous day had led us from Tasmania ’ s west coast , the hamlet of Granville Harbour providing a beachside camp . With rain threatening we ’ d moved on and found ourselves following a road north , deep into bushland . A dam held back a mighty body of water , a regular appearance here in the wilds of Australia ’ s island state . This was the Pieman River and as we continued following a narrow ribbon of bitumen and gravel , we would again find the Pieman .
Riding down a steep , twisty , trail we ’ d come across a punt , a ferry , leading us across the mighty Tasmania river . A bridge not an option , the banks too steep , the river bottom too deep and soft . The ferryman confirmed that we could pay on the other side , electronic banking available despite being told a few days earlier that cash was the only option .
“ Don ’ t pay the ferryman ,” I ’ d grinned to myself . “ Until he gets you to the other side .”
Prophetic . We ’ d discover that the cost was $ 16.00 per motorcycle .
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