We started our day by renting a car in Burnie, Tasmania. I ordered a compact; we got a Ford Ranger. Burnie is a relatively small town, so the rental agencies had to truck in enough cars for the reservations made by cruise ship passengers.
It was comfortable, though a tad large. Our first destination was a blueberry farm. Thank goodness for Apple CarPlay. It took us through fields into the forest then back to fields. It was incredibly beautiful.
The blueberries were delicious.
We had two choices of routes to the next destination, and chose the shorter one. Up a gravel hill, then down again. Half way along we saw some cyclists who likely shared our navigation decisions. It was very hard cycling. The gravel was large chunks, and there were plenty of opportunities to wipe out.
Our destination was Platypus World. They have rescue platypuses who failed attempts at relocation in the wild.
I love the way they move as they swim. The scuttle of the head is quite comical.
The platypuses were smaller than I thought. They weigh less than two kilograms, and are usually less than half a meter long. Males are bigger than females, though not by a lot.
The centre also has echidnas, another animal unique to Australia.
These were very motivated by food, particularly the male. He loved having people visit because that meant more food.
We went back to the car rental place, and that’s when I had a major problem. I put gasoline in the tank rather than diesel. I noticed at the pump, and the gas station was across the street from the rental office. I paid for the gas, we locked the truck and left it at the pump.
The office said they’ll call a tow truck, get the tank drained and refill it with the correct fuel. It would have been worse had we started the engine. A lot worse.
I’ll find out how much this mistake will cost me after I’m home. Drat.
Juliette Knits 