Passage 1

Hiking on soft sand proved surprisingly hard graft. The banker from Melbourne thought the first day's walk of less than six miles was hardly taxing, until he tried. Each sinking step drained a little more energy.

Yet there were times when the wild beauty of Tasmania's east coast had the effect of champagne on jaded spirits, so that our pace seemed light and effortless. An empty white beach stretched as far as the eye could see, with dolphins leaping over jade greed waves. If we sailed straight out to sea, the nearest landfall would be New Zealand, then Chile.

When I had suggested using factor 15 suncream, staff at the outdoor equipment shop in Launceston shook their heads. “There's a big hole in the ozone here. Use factor 25 at least.”

Launceston is the state's second city, though its population of some 96,000 is that of a small British town. It was where I met my follow hikers after spending the previous evening eating wallaby steak, tasting some of Tasmania's impressive wines and listening to music at Festivals, an annual festival of food and drink. Our group of nine included an English dietician and a Californian actor, who had been a stand-in for Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of Titanic.

At the end of our first afternoon's hike we reached a fixed camp among dunes. We cooled off in a sparkling sea, dined and drank, fell soundly asleep and were up with the sun.

The second day was tougher, taking us nearly nine miles along the Bay of Fires itself, said to have been named by Captain Cook when, form his ship, he sighted fires lit by Aborigines.

Intoxication was beginning to give way to weariness, however, as we caught our first glimpse of the Bay of Fires Lodge. Built five years ago of Tasmanian oak and plantation pine, its energy comes via solar panels and guests must pump rainwater to take a shower. The lodge was designed with environmental sensitivity in mind—so don't expect en-suite facilities—but the food and wine are excellent.

We spent another day there, keeping an eye out for the poisonous tiger snake as we went for an early swim, kayaked in the mouth of the nearby Ansons River and strolled back along the sands in good time from a farewell dinner with much wine.

On the walk (it operates from November to May), you'll need to carry clothes for the four days (rucksacks are provided). You can store luggage at Evansdale, the pick-up point near Launceston.

Our time at the Bay of Fires Lodge showed that you don't have to rough it when you go hiking in Tasmania. While there I also climbed Cradle Mountain on the state's best-known route the Overland Track, southwest of Launceston. After enjoying the stupendous view, I descended to meadows where wombats and wallabies grazed, then returned to the comforts of Cradle mountain lodge. Its cabins are set in grounds heady with the scent of tea tree blossom and many have decks with private hot tubs. if you feel you deserve further pampering, the lodge has its own spa.

To discover Tasmania's wildlife, take a Pepperbush Peak 4WD trip with Scottsdale-based bushman Craig Williams. Search for platypus by day and quoll, a cat-like marsupial, after dark.

Weather permitting, Craig will cook you a gourmet meal on a mountaintop—perhaps of wallaby steak with port, flavored with pepper bush berries.

Back in the state capital, Hobart, stay at the Henry Jones Art Hotel. A row of 19th-century waterfront warehouses have been converted to provide five-star luxury and, as the name suggests, lots of artworks.

Which is true concerning the second sentence in Paragraph 1?

The word “factor” in the first sentence of Paragraph 3 means________.

What did they do in the mouth of the nearby Ansons River?

Where is the state's best-known route for climbing Crade Mountain located?

Which of the following is NOT true?