Awesome Eagle Hang Gliding Experience at Tahune Airwalk

The Eagle Hanggliding is located near the Tahune Airwalk in the Tahune Forest in South-Western Tasmania. It is about a thirty minute drive from Geeveston and about two and half hours drive from Hobart.

Greg, Tehillah and I stayed the previous night in the Tahune Airwalk Lodge and so did not have far to go in the morning to the hang gliding.

We got up and after breakfast, we checked out of the lodge. We then went over to the Tahune Airwalk customer service desk and paid for our tickets on the eagle gliding.

Tristan then met us and told us where to go for the Eagle Hang Gliding. Tristan drove his ute down the dirt track and the three of us walked down the hill.

When we got there, Greg decided that he would go first. You can see from this video below that Greg had a great time and enjoyed his rides of the cable hang glider.

 

After Greg, Tehillah and then Leanne had their goes.

Leanne took her camera on the ride with her and so was able to capture the perspective of the rider, while enjoying the hang glider experience.

You can hear from Leanne laughing what a wonderful time she had. It was an absolutely Awesome experience!

Greg videoed Leanne to show the perspective of the cable gliding from the ground.

 

The views are absolutely breathtaking. The pristine, flowing Huon River below the cable and the bridge to the airwalk off in the distance.

While sitting underneath the hang glider the rider also has the ability to swing around in a 360 degree turn to take in and enjoy the views in every direction. If you prefer, the rider can just sit still and enjoy the view from the one position. The choice is totally up to each individual rider.

Tahune Eagle Hang Gliding Address:

Tahune Forest Reserve,
Arve Road, Geeveston TAS 7116

Eagle hang gliding was a great experience and something that we hope to be able to do again one day.

Without hesitation we highly recommend Eagle Hang Gliding to others who may be considering a visit to the Southern Forests in Tasmania. A once in a lifetime opportunity for many people, this is something that you do not want to miss out on!

Location:


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Tahune Forest Reserve Aerial View:


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In our next travel post we will take you on our relaxing and exciting walk on the Tahune Airwalk, as our guide, Ian, showed us the natural beauty and features around the airwalk.

So until next time, Remember to Enjoy Life and Enjoy going Hang Gliding!

Leanne Annett <><

Tahune Forest Airwalk Lodge Tasmania

After we had a lovely day at the Hastings cave and thermal springs we drove for an hour to Geeveston and then a further hour inland to Tahune Forest. Tahune is part of the Southern Forests in the south west of Tasmania.

We checked in at the Visitors Centre and received our key. We had already paid a week earlier when we made the booking so that made it quick and easy.

Tahune Airwalk Lodge Address:

Tahune Forest Reserve,
Arve Road, Geeveston TAS 7116


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Tahune Forest, Geeveston, Aerial View:


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Ian then escorted us over to the Tahune Airwalk lodge, which was only a short walk from the visitors centre. We were pleasantly surprised to see the quality of the accommodation and all the features.

Since the lodge was only opened a few months previously, in April 2011, every thing was nice and new.

There was a good size common-area with a professional-type, stainless steel kitchen, large fridge, tables and chairs. There is also free Internet provided on the computer in the common dining area.

The fridge is stocked with milk for visitors to make a hot cuppa. On the bench are canisters with tea bags, coffee, sugar and hot chocolate sachets. This means that guests are able to enjoy a hot cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate when they arrive and during their stay.

Since there is no television reception out in the forest, there are no TV stations available to watch, but several DVDs are provided for the enjoyment of the visitors.

At one side of the dining area is a lovely wood fire, with chopped wood neatly stacked nearby. Just outside the side door is a large pile of chopped timber, which sits under cover to keep it dry and ready for use.

There are 8 rooms distributed around the common-dining area with enough beds to sleep up to 25 people. Each room has its own unique layout with some rooms sleeping more people and others less people.

There is a room that suits people in wheelchairs and it has space to manoeuvre easily.

Tahune Forest Airwalk Lodge Tasmania


Down the corridor there are toilets and showers. It is set out very carefully and has obviously been planned very well. There are separate little rooms down the corridor with each room for one particular purpose.

There is one male toilet, one male shower and then likewise, one female toilet and one female shower. In addition, there is a disabled toilet and shower, which is a good size to enable ease of movement.

As well as stairs leading up to the entrance, there is also a timber ramp, which means that wheelchairs and prams have easy access to the building.

Once you are settled in, you are free to enjoy a relaxing walk throughout the forest. This is something that only guests to the lodge can do after dark.

Tahune Forest Airwalk Road Sign Geeveston Tasmania

So make sure that you bring some warm jackets and some good quality, strong torches to use on your bush walks and exploring after the sun sets.

Greg, Tehillah and I enjoyed a relaxing evening after our long day. We cooked a hot dinner and watched a DVD.

Greg and I also had a short walk down to the Eagle Hang Gliding and had a look at the river.

In the next post we will continue with our experience on the hang gliding. This was one of the best things that I have done in my life and so I am excited to share it with you.

So until next time, Remember to Enjoy Life and Enjoy a fun forest holiday!

Leanne Annett <><

WorldTravelGeeks Youtube Channel

I just wanted to write a short post to tell you about my Youtube channel.

I really love working on this website and sharing our travels and adventures with our readers. It is a passion of mine and something that I enjoy doing each week.

In addition to writing about our travels I also really like making short video clips of our holidays and vacations around Australia and further afield, whether that be cruising, traveling to neighboring New Zealand, Fiji or other Pacific Islands.

So I thought that I would give you the link to WorldTravelGeeks Youtube channel in case you want to check out all of our videos.

World Travel Geeks Youtube Channel

There are usually more videos on our channel than are currently on our website as it takes me a little longer to write the blog post and add it in here to what it does to create the video and upload it to Youtube.

Click to go to WorldTravelGeeks Youtube Channel

Once you are on our Youtube page then you can see our videos. On the right hand side of the screen should be a column showing our most recent videos. If you can only see three videos or so then click on “See All” to reveal more videos. You will then be able to scroll down this list of videos to find what you are looking for.

Most weeks we are uploading videos and so there should always be something new to see.

If you like our videos then why not click on Subscribe so that you will be notified when we upload new clips?

At the moment we are still creating and uploading videos from our recent trip to Tasmania. Then we have some more from our vacation in Coffs Harbour to make and upload.

We are heading off to Surfers Paradise next month so there should be something from that holiday that we can share with you.

Have a great week and Remember to Enjoy Life, Smile at a Stranger and Make a Difference in the World!

Your Friend,

Leanne Annett <><

Red Dog Movie Review

This is a short review of the Australian movie, “Red Dog“.

Today I went to the Robina Event Cinemas to see this Aussie movie. I did not know much about it before I actually arrived and started to watch the movie.

“Red Dog” is based on a true story and is set in Western Australia, Pilbara region. The movie begins in 1979 and then rolls back in time to 1971 where it tells the story of this friendly kelpie who touches the hearts of the community in Dampier.

Dampier is a coastal town that is hundreds of kilometres from most Australian cities. The population was listed as 1,370 in the 2006 national census. Many of these people would be miners who work in or around the port at Dampier.


I enjoyed the movie. I found “Red” to be a friendly and lovable Aussie dog. He had his own unique personality and knew how to encourage those in his community.

The movie stars Australian actors Rachael Taylor (born in Tasmania, Australia) and Noah Taylor (born in London). Josh Lucas from the United States has the lead role in the film and becomes the much-loved master of this energetic dog.

Koko is the animal star in this 2011 Aussie movie as Red Dog. You can see Koko’s interview in the short video below.

Aussies Keep Cool

I was surprised at how many scenes showed the local miners in their undies! But I guess that the climate is so hot there that this is one way that the men kept cooler.

I really did not like the cat in the movie. Called “Red Cat” this animal certainly learned bad habits from its unfriendly owners and definitely was not kind to dogs!


Favourite Movie Scene

Red Dog Statue Dampier Pilbara WAMy favourite scene in the movie was the knitting scene. I actually laughed out loud during this section of the film. It seemed uncharacteristic of the stereotypical Aussie bloke, and so I found it funny.

Part of the movie was sad, but it was from this sad time in the storyline that “Red” set out on his journey to find his master. This was what made “Red Dog” so famous and well known.

I recommend the film to those who enjoy Australian films and to those who like to see Aussie culture and mate-ship.

I hope one day to be able to visit the Red Dog Statue at the entrance to Dampier. The statue reads “Erected by the many friends made during his travels”. So when I get over to the North-west of Australia this is on my list of places to visit.

Hastings Thermal Hot Springs Pool

We enjoyed the walk back to the carpark after having our tour through Newdegate cave and were then greeted by a Black Currawong bird that came and sat on our car side mirror.

Prices (as at October 2012)

Thermal Springs Pool Only Newdegate Cave & Thermal Pool
Adult $5.00 $24.00
Child (5-17 Years Inclusive) $12.00 $2.50
Child (Under 5 Years) Free Free
Pensioner / Senior $4.00 $19.20
Health Care Cards $4.00 $19.20
Family Pass (2 Adults + 3 Kids) $12.00 $60.00

 

When we got to the Hastings thermal springs we took in our picnic bag to have our picnic lunch. Behind the Hastings cave visitor’s centre is a lovely garden setting around the thermal pool.

There are picnic tables outside on the grass and also several picnic tables under cover with lovely wood fires to ensure that everyone keeps nice and warm.


Before we went into the thermal pool we had a lovely stroll along the Platypus walk. We had hoped to see some platypus, but unfortunately just saw the flowing streams. The landscape was tranquil and relaxing, with the brown water flowing around the bends in the stream and the tree branches lying across and in the water.

Greg was the first one to get into the water and he found it slightly cold. When I asked Greg how the water was he answered, “Tepid.” Even though he comes from New Zealand originally, Greg is now acclimatized to Queensland weather and gets cold easily.

I was next in the water, while Tehillah videoed. Honestly the water was a lovely temperature. It was not hot, but it certainly was not cold. Tehillah then joined us and the all three of us had a nice swim and relax in the thermal pool.

Greg & Leanne at Hastings Thermal Hot Springs

The outside temperature was just less than 15 degrees Celsius, so when we got out of the water we made a quick dash to the showers to warm up and change into dry clothes.

After our shower and before leaving, we went into the undercover area to warm ourselves in front of the wood fireplaces. We discovered that there is also an electric BBQ near the tables for guests to use and cook a yummy hot lunch.

On our way out we stopped in the visitors’ centre and spoke with Jenny. She shared with us how she had grown up in the area around Tahune. As a child she used to come and swim in the hot spring when it was just in the bush and locals were the main ones who knew about it.

She said that the water in the spring actually flows down from the surface through the dolomite rock and is heated as it descends due to the friction. As the water returns to the surface it is further heated from the friction and comes out in a few places as springs along the Lune River flood plain.


The Hastings thermal spring was opened to the public in 1939, the same year that the Hastings cave was opened to the general public. It used to have a pebble base in the thermal pool and the water was at around 34 degrees Celsius.

In 1993, the bacteria levels in the spring were found to be too high. So a decision was made to remove the pebbles and concrete the pool.

The water was then taken, filtered and then put through a UV system to disinfect the water. This may have reduced the bacterial levels, but it also reduced the water temperature from 34 down to 28 degrees Celsius.

The Hastings thermal springs are still lovely and warm, just not as hot as they used to be. In fact, Jenny told us that it was good that we came in winter as the pool is packed with visitors in the warmer months.

Hastings Thermal Springs & Cave, Tasmania

Location:

Hastings Thermal Hot Springs Address:

Hastings Cave And Thermal Springs
754 Hastings Caves Road, Hastings TAS 7109

Location:

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Hastings Thermal Springs Aerial View:


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When we left the Hastings Cave we drove north to Geeveston and then inland 30 minutes to the Tahune Forest Airwalk.

In our next blog post, we will have a look at the Airwalk lodge where we stayed over night.

So until then, Remember to Enjoy Life and Enjoy a relaxing swim with friends!

Leanne Annett <><