It took 4 hours of hiking to reach our campground at Encampment Cove 5 if you include the afternoon

Located off Tasmania s east coast, the beautiful island has something to offer everyone. With sweeping bays, isolated beaches, rugged cliffs and mountains, historic ruins and quiet lagoons, it is an unspoiled gem a haven for nature lovers, bushwalkers, adventure seekers, wildlife enthusiasts and photographers alike. With 14 convict buildings, and ruins unchanged since the convict era, the island is now too, a World Heritage Listed Convict Site. Fascinating history comes together with spectacular natural beauty on this incredibly remote wildlife sanctuary and National Park.
Our escape downtown los angeles restaurants from civilization began with a ferry ride from Triabunna. Traveling to an island with no cars or shops, downtown los angeles restaurants we packed as much camping equipment and food as we could possibly carry on our back.
While there were bikes available for hire, we walked, taking in as much of the stunning natural scenery as we possibly could. In fact, in attempting to take in the entire island in two days, all we did was walk! However the hours flew by quickly as we eagerly explored.
Transported back through history, we hiked past the remaining convict buildings of Darlington, once a convict station in the early 1800 s. Discovering downtown los angeles restaurants abandoned buildings is a hobby we indulge in all over the world, however the buildings on Maria Island were particularly fascinating. downtown los angeles restaurants Ranging from old cottages and farmhouses to kilns, brickworks, convict barracks, cement silos and a cemetery, the remains of the buildings on the island have something to say about multiple phases of history. We let our imaginations run wild, conjuring up ideas of what life on the island would have been like during the convict era.
No imagination required, however, to experience the living conditions from back in the day. What once was a convict penitentiary is now used to accommodate visitors rather to detain them! Limited accommodation is available for those wishing to stay in the old penitentiary, now a wood-heated dormitory-style backpacker unit, with shared facilities and no power. Though appealing, we chose to camp!
It took 4 hours of hiking to reach our campground at Encampment Cove 5 if you include the afternoon nap we took on one of the islands isolated downtown los angeles restaurants beaches! The sandbar which connects the two sides of the island was absolutely stunning, and the only traces of life were from the abundance of wildlife who call the island home.
A wildlife sanctuary, we hiked past so many wombats we almost mistook them for rocks. The island sports all manner of native Australian wildlife . It is a breeding ground for the endangered Tasmanian Devils (devils have been introduced to the island to form part of an insurance population ), and absolutely overrun with wombats, emu s, Cape Barren downtown los angeles restaurants Geese and wallabies.
We spent hours trying to spot a Tasmanian Devil, however it wasn t meant to be! We had been informed on the ferry ride over that National Geographic were soon featuring the story of 12 Devils being released into the wild, and were looking to obtain photographs. This was incentive enough to hike off the beaten path and into the uncharted areas of the island in pursuit of the crazy creature! While nothing came of our search, the fact that we knew we were sharing the island with Tasmanian Devils was adventure enough.
What should have been a 4-5 hour hike eventually became a 6-7 hour hike after numerous detours into the bush pursuing wildlife with our camera s ready. They may not look fast, but let me assure you, wombats can RUN!
While this kind of rock formation is not uncommon, it is rare for it to be so exposed and accessible downtown los angeles restaurants for tourism. A 2 and a half hour hike from the main port in Darlington, the cliffs weren t overrun by tourism as we had expected. In fact, there were only one or two other people exploring the area when we arrived.
This was the true beauty of Maria Island. While only a short trip from Tasmania s capital of Hobart, it is not overwhelmed by thousands of visitors. The wonder of the island remains intact, downtown los angeles restaurants and traveling here offers a rewarding sense of discovery and adventure as though you are discovering and experiencing the island before the rest of the world gets the chance.
Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging around the world for the last 7 years to inspire others to embark on their own worldwide adventure! Her husband Mike is an American travel downtown los angeles restaurants photographer, and together they have made the world their home.
Meg has recently launched “ Mapping downtown los angeles restaurants Megan ”, an up and coming travel blog which aims to give you the best tips and advice on travelling, volunteering, living, working and holidaying abroad. She hasn’t been everywhere, but it’s on her list!
Write for ThePlanetD .  Our  Inspirationonal Stories Series   is back and bigger than ever. We re looking for our fellow travellers to share inspiring stories. Has travel changed your life? Has travel  made you a better person downtown los angeles restaurants ? Do you have a great tip? Did you visit a destination and just have to tell everyone about it? Did you find the  love of your life,   your passion  or  your purpose  during your travels? downtown los angeles restaurants We want to hear your travel stories. Be it your greatest adventure or most life affirming moment or some great travel tips you learned along the way, Send your ideas to ThePlanetD.com and  check out our writing downtown los angeles restaurants guidelines   for more details or  read our call out to writers .  Contact us here   and we ll get back to you.
Thank you Megan! We appreciate you sharing this hidden gem with us and all the readers of ThePlanetD. We love having people write for us because there is no way we can visit everywhere and it inspires us to explore downtown los angeles restaurants new places too! You ve made us want to head to Maria Island the next chance we get!
Maria Island is so beautiful I actually downtown los angeles restaurants went there on school camp in primary school!! I didn t appreciate it properly back then, but now you have me wanting to go back. It sounds awesome. Although I didn t realise non Tasmanians had heard of it!
Superb photography Meg! I didn t know you were originally from Tasmania. Its the only Aussie state we ve yet to explore and as we re currently in Melbourne I m having to sit in my hands in order to stop myself booking downtown los angeles restaurants tickets over there right now! Thanks for inspiring me!
I would love to enjoy an Australian Christmas. We may be going to Queensland in the Spring. Can t wait! And thanks so much for sharing. We now have added Maria Island to our list of must visit destinations!