| TASMANIA THE APPLE ISLE |
|
 |
 |
| This is our cottage and beach at Bicheno is on the north east coast of Tasmania. |
 |
| Tasmania has many unigue mammals found nowhere else in the world. Some like the Tasmanian Devil and Tasmanian Tiger are well know.Others such as the Eastern Quoll, Pademelon and Bettong are less well-known but equally fascinating. |
| Some of Tasmanias Wild Life |
| BETTONG'S |
 |
| TASMANIAN DEVIL |
| The Tasmanian Devil (sarcophilus harrisii) cannot be mistaken for any other marsupial. It's spine chilling screeches, black colour and reputed bad temper led early european settlers to name it the Devil. Although only the size of a small dog it can look and sound incredibly fierce. |
 |
| Icy streams cascading out of rugged mountains, stands of ancient pines mirrored in the still waters of glacial lakes and a world of wildlife will captivate you From its long, lonely beaches to its teeming wildlife Mt. William National Park is a place of constant fascination to all who visit there. It is in the far north east corner of the state. The park is an inportant area for the conservation of Tasmania's coastal heathlands and dry sclerophyll plants. Whether you want to fish swim or just relax and enjoy the park there is always something to see. |
| MT. WILLIAM NATIONAL PARK |
| The bettong prefers dry open eucalypt forests and grassy woodlands. It is nocturnal, spending the hours of daylight in a domed, camouflaged nest of grass. The bettong collects suitable nesting material and carries it back to the nest site in its prehensile tail, which it curls downward around the bundle. In comparison to the potoroo which does not venture far when feeding, the bettong may travel up to 1.5 km from the nest to a feeding area; quite a journey for an animal this size! |
| Habitat Devils are widespread in Tasmania from the coast to the mountains. They live in coastal heath, open dry sclerophyll forest, and mixed sclerophyll-rainforest - in fact, almost anywhere they can hide and find shelter by day, and find food at night. |
| The bettong is only found in the eastern half of Tasmania. It became extinct on the mainland in the early decades of the twentieth century, largely because of predation by foxes and large scale land clearance |
 |
 |
| CRADLE MOUNTAIN |
 |
 |
 |
 |