Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Animals of Tasmania

Tasmania is famed for two native animals in particular - one is the Tasmanian Devil (not at all like the cartoon version, well, except maybe for the teeth!) and the other is the Tasmanian Tiger. Which is thought to be extinct, but as this photo shows, it is clearly not! (look very very closely in the bushes!)
(Well, at least, not in Little Hobart Town in the 1820s/30s anyway...)

But the animals I'm really talking about are these:

Ducks!
Turkeys! (and a chook!)

Poddy calves!
Mumma cows!
And of course, sheep! Lovely suffolk sheep, born entirely black but when matured have white wool.
I was most disappointed to find these sheep are not much for the wool, much more for the eating. In fact, I ate some the last night I was there (not one of these particular ones though!)

That's the way it is on the farms. All of these animals, except the ducks, were from the farm we stayed on. Despite my having grown up in country NSW, I did not grow up on a farm (there were times when I felt I should tattoo that on my forehead - no, not everyone who grew up in the country lived on a farm!) Mum and Dad did farm though, before I was born, and many of my uncles and aunts were farmers, as well as parents of friends. Even though I know where meat comes from, I still don't quite have that ability to deal in such a practical manner with the getting of the meat from the paddock to the table. Milk and eggs are a bit different, aren't they. Thank goodness for farmers who provide the food for us to eat.

Speaking of which, the milk from the cows from the farm where we stayed (it's a bit like that "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" song isn't it!) is used to make this cheese:
From the Wicked Cheese company. Next time you are in Tasmania (or a really good cheese shop) buy some! It's from happy cows who frolic in Richmond!!

20 comments:

Bells said...

i just adore sheep with black faces. I saw them in England, too. Love love love them!

And I love a good cheese recommendation. I want some cheese right now!

m1k1 said...

camembert is one of my all time favourites. i shall search for the richmond cheese, because one should be just a little wicked once in a while (as long as no-one else gets hurt).

MadMad said...

Oh, fun! I LOVE farms. And CHEESE. YUM!

Michelle said...

Ooh! That cheese would go very nicely with my quince paste!

It's funny what you say about farms/country. I grew up in North Qld and never learned how to wrestle a crocodile either. ;-)

LynS said...

These are picture book animals. Black and white cows have long been favorites of mine, and I think I'll now have to add black-faced sheep to my most favored animals list. Tasmania's attraction is increasing...

amy said...

Your travels sound lovely!

Geek Knitter said...

All right then... must put Tasmania on the long list of places to visit before I die.

DrK said...

mmmm tasmanian camembert. hmmm tasmanian lamb. i lived on a farm for a while and it was a bit freaky, giving names to things you end up eating. i love the model hobart, so funny!

Caffeine Girl said...

What a fun tour of rural Australia. It looks an awful lot like Wisconsin (dairy capital of America). Those black-faced sheep are adorable!

Ann said...

Great pictures especially the sheep. Tasmania is such a great place & I would love to retire there one day.

Lynne said...

Camembert! Yummo!

My DD collects the cartoon Tassie Devil characters and loves the real thing but after her honeymoon in Tas. she was full of stories of ducks! They also stayed on a farm for the last few days of their trip at a tiny place called Mole Creek.

TinkingBell said...

Yum - very nice with quince paste.....

Linda said...

I like the look of that cheese!

Donna Lee said...

What a lovely holiday. I think I'd have trouble living on a farm and eating the animals. I might quickly become a vegetarian.

yoel said...

Everything looks and sounds wonderful! What is a Poddy? Does that refer to just calves, or animal babies in general?

Gidgetknits said...

Ducks!!! Turkeys! Cows! Now you have my full attention! I just have to avoid looking at the cheese... I hate being dairy intolerant sometimes...

Em said...

Momolla and I have often said that it's a good thing we live in the time period we do, as we are not in favor of butchering anything. I know the mechanics of how my beef makes it to my plate, but I don't necessarily want to participate in it.

Alwen said...

Now I must say "Cheeeeese, Grommit!" or I'll absolutely burst!

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed seeing your photos from Tasmania - it's such fun to get a peek into other areas of the world!

Carol said...

Oh and how were the ducks at Richmond Bridge. I swear I nearly walked on one, I thought it was a rock. It didn't move. LOL They were the tamest ducks I've ever seen.