Tasmania 25th Nov - 9th Dec

So why Tasmania. Why am I spending two weeks on an island that not even many Australians seem to come to. A place where it seems to rain more than even Ireland and where they have a phrase that goes:

If you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes and it will change.

This wee critter has a lot to do with it.

Tasmanian Devil

In fact this wee critter has a lot to do with why I am on this trip in the first place.

I have always liked the Tasmanian Devil - I will freely admit that I have a Warner Bros 'Taz' Pyjamin case on my bed back home. It was only about a year ago that I first learned of the current plight of the Devil, the largest Marsupial Carnivore that still exists (unless I find a Thylacine on my travels!).

The Tassie is being ravaged by a disease called Devil Facal Tumour Disease (DFTD) which causes horrible cancerous growths around first its mouth then its whole body. It is passed from one animal to the next when they come into contact with each other and leads to their death through starvation. It is a nasty way to die.

I wanted to come out here to see how things were fairing for the devil and also hopefully to understand the animal a bit better in the process.

I'll let you know what I found out in my posts.