The Real Reason Why GPS Was Invented!!

Day 3 found us heading to the Cataract Gorge Reserve which is a river gorge in Launceston.  Or at least we were attempting to find the gorge.  I found myself anointed as the official map reader and was soon wishing for a GPS system. 

I have been driving 35+ years and have driven myself from North Dakota to Virginia to Georgia to Arkansas to Wyoming to Canada and hundreds of points in between and yet I found myself incapable of reading a frikkin city map and being able to tell Natalie where to turn next.

In my defense I have never found a city to have such horribly marked and, many times not even marked, city streets in my life.  Plus...if the street happened to be marked you found yourself doing a split second search as we went through intersections to find that sign as there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for street markings in Launceston.  The normal, standard place where they were should have been which is on the corner in any normal city I've ever traveled through obviously wasn't relayed to whomever marked the streets there. Nope!!  Nada!!  Just not that easy!!  Some were on posts...some were on buildings...some just weren't there. 

Adding to that I typically am the one driving and someone else reads the map and I am now a firm believer that map makers in the Southern Hemisphere somehow do it different as I seemed to be telling Natalie to turn left when it should have been a right or right when it should have been left or just not saying anything cause I couldn't find where we were on the map though I had just seen it two seconds ago.  Good Lord!!  I really could have used a GPS about then and it dawned on me that my inability to read a map is the real reason why GPS was invented.  Yup...who knew that A in Geography back in 5th grade for map reading was truly a farce?!  Course I wasn't trying to read a Launceston, Tasmania map back then.

Alexandra Suspension Bridge over
Cataract Gorge

But, despite all my help or rather lack of it, Natalie found Cataract Gorge and we were soon hiking over to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge at the First Basin.  It was a gorgeous sight to see and the morning was bright and sunny with calm waters in the First Basin below the bridge.  I did feel a flutters in my stomach standing on the middle of that suspension bridge from my dislike of heights but survived even with a bit swaying.

There is also a chairlift crossing the Gorge that is the longest single span chairlift in the world and I know I had bravely told a friend back in the U.S. before I left that I would tough it out and ride it.  So much for conquering fear of heights...upon seeing that lift it reminding me way too much of the one I rode up a mountain in Wyoming down hill skiing years ago and it just wasn't going to happen today.  Walking the bridge had squelched my appetite for heights for the day.

Wallaby

But off Natalie went to ride the lift and I headed down a few trails to see what I could find.  I had stopped at a trail crossing to figure out which way to go when all of a sudden there were wallabies coming up out of the trees and crossing a trail.  It was if they came out of no where as you didn't hear them and then they were just there!!  Three came out and crossed the trail and went up just a bit into the trees and I was able to get a couple pics before they headed off into the forest.

Chair lift

I took a look over to see if Natalie was on the chairlift yet and, not seeing her, I walked up a trail overlooking the First Basin and found a nice stopping point to wait for her.  Isn't wasn't too long before I spied her coming up on the lift and when I got her attention she gave me the unofficial 'secret' Aussie salute as she passed overhead.  I do have a picture of the salute but as it is 'secret' I won't publish it here!!  Ha Ha!  Have I ever said Natalie was a character in any of my previous posts??!!  If not I'm sure you all have picked up on it by now!!

A fishing boat on the
Esk River

After wandering around the gorge we decided on taking a river cruise into Cataract Gorge.  It was a lovely day to do this and we cruised up the Esk River for a ways hearing about the history of the riverfront and then followed the river up into the gorge.  As with all the other tours we had done thus far the captain was delightful and full of tidbits of the history of Launceston and the river AND vindicated my frustration of the street signs.  He relayed he'd heard many a complaint about the signage and more importantly lack of signage and it made me feel just a bit better about my lack of map reading ability.

Fortunately, I think Natalie has an internal GPS as she had little trouble in finding our way to the Heritage Highway that would lead us from Launceston back down to Hobart for our last two days in Tasmania.  As we headed out we were not 'disappointed' that the prevailing winds of Tasmania once again picked up to accompany us to Hobart...she was a happy camper all the way!! 

If you would like to see more pictures from Day 3 in Tasmania here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow