Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Photo Gallery
I certainly like the Photo Gallery software that came with Vista. The application allows you to organise your photos quickly and with relative ease by integrating its features with the Operating System. You can select a group of photos as you would normally within a folder, and then do batch operations. So with the required images selected you can carry out any of these actions; rename, delete, attach an existing tag or create and attach a new tag, create a new folder, move the images to a folder. This list represents the main task that you want to do with your images to organise them for ease of access later and it’s all done in a minute if not seconds. If you have the habit of organising your images using the Operating System via Windows Explorer then this is fine as Photo gallery has no problem keeping track. Photo gallery did not come with Windows 7 candidate version but it was downloadable from Windows Live.
Cams for Coffs Harbour
We do have quite a variety of needs in the crags around Coffs (Glenreagh) but if you can’t buy the whole set of Black Diamond Camelot’s (http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/camalots.php) then the low to midrange sizes would be the best starting point, such as, .4, .5, .75. To be noted is that the range of cracks that they can be used in is quite wide so there is overlap in sizes giving you some choice. I find it very useful to have a small cam such as the blue alien (http://www.aliencamsbycch.com/l) along with a set DMM nuts.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Web Site validity
Reading an article recently about web sites and if they are genuine. Well I would not be so wary of unprofessional sites but my experience has led me to be wary of the more professional when someone is trying to ‘rip you off’. The issues that I look for are; Links to other sites; a contactable web master; prompt reply to an email query, no bad mentions of the site via a Google Search; contact details tested; longevity of the site.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Explorer 8
There does seem to be some problems with installing Explorer 8. I have heard on the grapevine instances of computer lock ups etc. Certainly wise to use the system restore before installing any new programs.
My first hand experience is with web sites. It seems that some sites won’t run properly in Explore 8. The reason for this would seem to be incorrectly written code in the site files. Some programs that produce web pages such as MS Publisher produce code that won’t validate via the W3S requirements. Pages coded by some people have been sloppy which results in incompatibility problems between programs. It would seem that Explorer 8 is more strict in its structure needs of the XHTML and therefore sites are producing errors. This effort to make XHTML consistent I would class this as a good thing and a trend that will continue because it will assure that web pages present correctly in all browsers. Unfortunately for those who have developed their sites with software such as Publisher, usually because of budget issues, will need to look at producing code that is valid ( http://validator.w3.org/ ). The options open to you; well you would try and validate the code, and in this way the coder can go through and fix the errors; Have the site re written using better development software such as Dreamweaver., Komposer (free), Amaya (free) or a development environment such as Joomla.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
28th April 2009
Camped in a caravan park at Port Sorell to freshen before the boat across the Strait. Last night we stayed at the west side of Lake Barrington at a camp site. A fresh -7 with some snow reported in the heights. Being only 50 odd k from Table Mountain we decided to go for a look, to see the after effects of some evening snow fall. There was snow on the high peaks and some left around the Table mountain area, pretty sights. We picked big crunchy fresh apples from the wild trees on the way.
Sort of forgot a few things on this trip like the key to open the door to turn the gas on for the van. That was ok for I had a small single burner Coleman stove that has proved faithful over the years as a backup. But, just like one backup is never enough on a computer, the Coleman choose this moment in time to give up. The moment was 6pm, camped at Lake Barrington, no facilities close. Well we did have a box of matches, so we gathered some chippings and other fire wood. The fuel was a little wet from rain earlier in the day but we had some paper from pamphlets etc . Your standard matchbox doesn’t keep to well now a days it seems as the striking of a match practically destroyed the box. Down to the last five matches, I stuck them all at once and the twigs and paper burst in to life. Well that saved me having to find a couple of fire sticks and time rubbing them together. We enjoyed a hot cup a soup and some steaming tea and coffee. Having depleted the match supply we moved on early in the morning, down to Sheffield and bought a gas burner stove, a Kookaburra for $20 bucks an $4 for a gas cylinder. Works well.
Camped in a caravan park at Port Sorell to freshen before the boat across the Strait. Last night we stayed at the west side of Lake Barrington at a camp site. A fresh -7 with some snow reported in the heights. Being only 50 odd k from Table Mountain we decided to go for a look, to see the after effects of some evening snow fall. There was snow on the high peaks and some left around the Table mountain area, pretty sights. We picked big crunchy fresh apples from the wild trees on the way.
Sort of forgot a few things on this trip like the key to open the door to turn the gas on for the van. That was ok for I had a small single burner Coleman stove that has proved faithful over the years as a backup. But, just like one backup is never enough on a computer, the Coleman choose this moment in time to give up. The moment was 6pm, camped at Lake Barrington, no facilities close. Well we did have a box of matches, so we gathered some chippings and other fire wood. The fuel was a little wet from rain earlier in the day but we had some paper from pamphlets etc . Your standard matchbox doesn’t keep to well now a days it seems as the striking of a match practically destroyed the box. Down to the last five matches, I stuck them all at once and the twigs and paper burst in to life. Well that saved me having to find a couple of fire sticks and time rubbing them together. We enjoyed a hot cup a soup and some steaming tea and coffee. Having depleted the match supply we moved on early in the morning, down to Sheffield and bought a gas burner stove, a Kookaburra for $20 bucks an $4 for a gas cylinder. Works well.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
van pick up
26th April 2009
Well it’s was finally time to pick up the van after the incident couple of months ago. We flew from Coffs to Sydney then on to Tassie on Anzac day. Left Coffs around about 4.30pm and arrived about 8.30pm. We had a short stopover in Sydney, only about an hour as the plane from Coffs was ½ hour late. Spent the night at Hobart Central City backpackers, not recommended, as they supplied us with single bed blankets to fit the double bed, make it a bit tricky. On Sunday morn we checked out the Hobart markets again, and then we caught the bus to Oaklands to pick up the van. After a chat to the mechanic he was quite happy with the mechanical side of the repairs. He told us of an electrical problem he had yesterday when he took it for a test run. He ‘sort of fixed the issue’ but left us in some doubt as to whether it was going to be ok. Anyway had come too far to hang about so off we went to spend the night at Deloraine, in a lovely c’van park next to the river. A couple of hours on the road and all seemed ok. We booked the Boat to return to the mainland on Wednesday night so we plan to spend a couple of days, North and East of Devonport. The weather is fresh, Bonnie would say cold, but I am hoping for snow.
Well it’s was finally time to pick up the van after the incident couple of months ago. We flew from Coffs to Sydney then on to Tassie on Anzac day. Left Coffs around about 4.30pm and arrived about 8.30pm. We had a short stopover in Sydney, only about an hour as the plane from Coffs was ½ hour late. Spent the night at Hobart Central City backpackers, not recommended, as they supplied us with single bed blankets to fit the double bed, make it a bit tricky. On Sunday morn we checked out the Hobart markets again, and then we caught the bus to Oaklands to pick up the van. After a chat to the mechanic he was quite happy with the mechanical side of the repairs. He told us of an electrical problem he had yesterday when he took it for a test run. He ‘sort of fixed the issue’ but left us in some doubt as to whether it was going to be ok. Anyway had come too far to hang about so off we went to spend the night at Deloraine, in a lovely c’van park next to the river. A couple of hours on the road and all seemed ok. We booked the Boat to return to the mainland on Wednesday night so we plan to spend a couple of days, North and East of Devonport. The weather is fresh, Bonnie would say cold, but I am hoping for snow.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
e tags
How about his eTag system – certainly citified with little thought to the country person. I’m all for the e bit which should make a system very versatile but ...
I popped into an RTA just out of the big smoke on our travels to the apple isle. Gave them the story that we would be passing through Sydney and Melbourne so what could we do if we go through the electronic tolls. I was pretty much informed that there was no system in place to cater for this once off travel, right or wrong advice I am not sure. The best they could offer me was a weekly fee that had to go for a minimum of 4 weeks. This involved signing up for a tag, paying for the month, about $25, and if the tag was not returned a weekly fee of $5 from then on. The physical bit of the tag has to be fixed to the front window just in front of the rear vision mirror so the electronic readers can pick you up as you pass in your vehicle. So this is what we had to do (if you wanted to try and do the right thing) in case we went through a toll. Being fairly good at direction and finding my way I simply followed my nose and the signage to get through Sydney to go to Melbourne. All the signs led me through the tolls. Are we surprised, no. Don’t get me wrong I wanted to pay my way but I sure didn’t want to be ripped off and deceived which is essentially what is happening. See without a tag, yes you can drive through the tolls without one, but they take your picture, and you only have 24 hours, or is it 48 to call big brother to arrange payment or they will fine you. Yeah fine you, well we are a nation of convicts I suppose. Can you really blame people for getting annoyed at this crap. I think the fine is $10 so next time I think I will just take my chances and test out their camera system.
If you have read this blog before you would know we broke down on our trip. The vehicle has taken 8 weeks or so to fix and that little tag is stuck on the window.......
I popped into an RTA just out of the big smoke on our travels to the apple isle. Gave them the story that we would be passing through Sydney and Melbourne so what could we do if we go through the electronic tolls. I was pretty much informed that there was no system in place to cater for this once off travel, right or wrong advice I am not sure. The best they could offer me was a weekly fee that had to go for a minimum of 4 weeks. This involved signing up for a tag, paying for the month, about $25, and if the tag was not returned a weekly fee of $5 from then on. The physical bit of the tag has to be fixed to the front window just in front of the rear vision mirror so the electronic readers can pick you up as you pass in your vehicle. So this is what we had to do (if you wanted to try and do the right thing) in case we went through a toll. Being fairly good at direction and finding my way I simply followed my nose and the signage to get through Sydney to go to Melbourne. All the signs led me through the tolls. Are we surprised, no. Don’t get me wrong I wanted to pay my way but I sure didn’t want to be ripped off and deceived which is essentially what is happening. See without a tag, yes you can drive through the tolls without one, but they take your picture, and you only have 24 hours, or is it 48 to call big brother to arrange payment or they will fine you. Yeah fine you, well we are a nation of convicts I suppose. Can you really blame people for getting annoyed at this crap. I think the fine is $10 so next time I think I will just take my chances and test out their camera system.
If you have read this blog before you would know we broke down on our trip. The vehicle has taken 8 weeks or so to fix and that little tag is stuck on the window.......
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Day 21 Tuesday 17th February
Back home in Coffs today which will see me chasing up insurance and trying to recoup some losses from the breakdown which is significant. The repairs are going to cost $4000, booking changes on the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ cost $60 so far, air fares home just under $700, another, $200 accommodation waiting for a flight, a week holiday to pick the van up, and airfares to do so similar to above. Probably then it will cost in the vicinity of $5500 to $6000. A lot for me but I guess it’s relatively minor when you consider the losses incurred by the people devastated by the Melbourne bushfires. We have seen some weather extremes on this trip. Heat wave conditions in Melbourne which contributed to the devastating fires to magic weather in Tasmania (12 to 24), although it is struggling through a major drought to flooding in the Coffs Region on our return. Well this ends this blog posting on this trip for now – and if you were following a long then I hope you found it a little interesting - will post more on the last week of the trip when it happens.
We had a great time and Tasmania is a beautiful place. Our problems occurred at the end of our trip so it did not impact on our holiday too much.
Back home in Coffs today which will see me chasing up insurance and trying to recoup some losses from the breakdown which is significant. The repairs are going to cost $4000, booking changes on the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ cost $60 so far, air fares home just under $700, another, $200 accommodation waiting for a flight, a week holiday to pick the van up, and airfares to do so similar to above. Probably then it will cost in the vicinity of $5500 to $6000. A lot for me but I guess it’s relatively minor when you consider the losses incurred by the people devastated by the Melbourne bushfires. We have seen some weather extremes on this trip. Heat wave conditions in Melbourne which contributed to the devastating fires to magic weather in Tasmania (12 to 24), although it is struggling through a major drought to flooding in the Coffs Region on our return. Well this ends this blog posting on this trip for now – and if you were following a long then I hope you found it a little interesting - will post more on the last week of the trip when it happens.
We had a great time and Tasmania is a beautiful place. Our problems occurred at the end of our trip so it did not impact on our holiday too much.
Monday, February 16, 2009
opposite - getting a tow
Day 20 Monday 16th February
We hitched a ride on the shuttle bus in to Hobart and spent most of the day wandering around the city streets and shops. The airport is 16k form Hobart and there was not much to do at the Airport Hotel. We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm and kicked back into a restful night before our plane ride home tomorrow on flight Virgin DJ 1165 from Sydney arriving Coffs 1550. We will have to spend half a day in Sydney to gain our connection.
We hitched a ride on the shuttle bus in to Hobart and spent most of the day wandering around the city streets and shops. The airport is 16k form Hobart and there was not much to do at the Airport Hotel. We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm and kicked back into a restful night before our plane ride home tomorrow on flight Virgin DJ 1165 from Sydney arriving Coffs 1550. We will have to spend half a day in Sydney to gain our connection.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Day 19 Sunday 15th February
Well today turned out to be rather undesirable. We pulled over on the side of the road for a quick toilet break. On moving off I drove over a rock (didn’t see it) which scarped a little underneath. It didn’t seem to be an issue so I drove on. 50m down the road the oil light came on indicating some problem. I stopped, checked the oil and water, looked underneath and all seemed ok, and the car sounded ok. There was a little town, Flintstone, not more than 400m away so I headed for it to gain a phone or a mechanic. After driving down the main street (the only street) the car had stopped and wouldn’t start again. So I used the public phone up the street a ways to call the NRMA. The nearest agent was 1 ½ hours away. I called at 8.20 and he arrived a bit after 10. The initial diagnosis wasn’t good and we were towed down to Oatlands to Ollie’s Mechanical repairs, by this time it was about 1pm and we bid Paul farewell and waited for David (his brother in law) to arrive. David arrived, opened up his workshop, and began his diagnosis. A couple of hours hence we had the news. The rock I had driven over had dinted the sump. In so doing it had jammed the oil pick-ups so no oil was circulating in the motor. This caused the drive shaft to cease, shear a pin of the timing chain, and the reason the motor did not want to go. Anyway to cut a long story and a holiday short it will take approximately 2 weeks and $4000 to fix. We decided to leave it in the capable hands of David and organise to pick it up in a few weeks time. David’s wife gave us a lift into Oatlands town and we bid the Robson’s goodbye. We organised the next available bus to an airport city which was Launceston and strolled the town while we waited for the connection. While we were looking about we began talking to a man at one of the tourist attractions telling our story when another gentleman and his wife who was from Port Macquarie heard and offered us a lift to Hobart as they were about to leave. We accepted their kind offer and they dropped us of at the Hobart airport. The next available flight that we could find was with Virgin on Tuesday morning at 0655, to arrive back in Coffs at 1550. With the help of a security guard at the airport we found a motel that was close to the airport, less than 2km, and we boarded the airport shuttle to our home for the next two nights. We arrived at the motel around 7pm and were glad for a hot shower and a comfy room.
Well today turned out to be rather undesirable. We pulled over on the side of the road for a quick toilet break. On moving off I drove over a rock (didn’t see it) which scarped a little underneath. It didn’t seem to be an issue so I drove on. 50m down the road the oil light came on indicating some problem. I stopped, checked the oil and water, looked underneath and all seemed ok, and the car sounded ok. There was a little town, Flintstone, not more than 400m away so I headed for it to gain a phone or a mechanic. After driving down the main street (the only street) the car had stopped and wouldn’t start again. So I used the public phone up the street a ways to call the NRMA. The nearest agent was 1 ½ hours away. I called at 8.20 and he arrived a bit after 10. The initial diagnosis wasn’t good and we were towed down to Oatlands to Ollie’s Mechanical repairs, by this time it was about 1pm and we bid Paul farewell and waited for David (his brother in law) to arrive. David arrived, opened up his workshop, and began his diagnosis. A couple of hours hence we had the news. The rock I had driven over had dinted the sump. In so doing it had jammed the oil pick-ups so no oil was circulating in the motor. This caused the drive shaft to cease, shear a pin of the timing chain, and the reason the motor did not want to go. Anyway to cut a long story and a holiday short it will take approximately 2 weeks and $4000 to fix. We decided to leave it in the capable hands of David and organise to pick it up in a few weeks time. David’s wife gave us a lift into Oatlands town and we bid the Robson’s goodbye. We organised the next available bus to an airport city which was Launceston and strolled the town while we waited for the connection. While we were looking about we began talking to a man at one of the tourist attractions telling our story when another gentleman and his wife who was from Port Macquarie heard and offered us a lift to Hobart as they were about to leave. We accepted their kind offer and they dropped us of at the Hobart airport. The next available flight that we could find was with Virgin on Tuesday morning at 0655, to arrive back in Coffs at 1550. With the help of a security guard at the airport we found a motel that was close to the airport, less than 2km, and we boarded the airport shuttle to our home for the next two nights. We arrived at the motel around 7pm and were glad for a hot shower and a comfy room.
Day 18 Saturday 14th February
Slow start to the day and then a walk towards Mount Rowland for a couple of hours. Interesting walk with the fauna changing from wet to dry rain forest and then the cooler plants of the higher regions. We returned to the van for lunch and then left to check out some markets at Sheffield. Sheffield is known as the town of the Murals and they adorn the walls around the town centre. We then ventured on and decided to check out one of the high land lakes, Lake Arthur, a nice drive up with amazing panoramic views of the valley. The lake and the camp site however were ordinary, lots of campers with little room and quite dusty. This is a Hydro lake and I counted 20 overhead power lines adorning the views from the campsite. Many persons had small boats and were most likely here for the fishing rather than the view. Anyway we found a spot to rest for the night and will be off early in the morning.
Slow start to the day and then a walk towards Mount Rowland for a couple of hours. Interesting walk with the fauna changing from wet to dry rain forest and then the cooler plants of the higher regions. We returned to the van for lunch and then left to check out some markets at Sheffield. Sheffield is known as the town of the Murals and they adorn the walls around the town centre. We then ventured on and decided to check out one of the high land lakes, Lake Arthur, a nice drive up with amazing panoramic views of the valley. The lake and the camp site however were ordinary, lots of campers with little room and quite dusty. This is a Hydro lake and I counted 20 overhead power lines adorning the views from the campsite. Many persons had small boats and were most likely here for the fishing rather than the view. Anyway we found a spot to rest for the night and will be off early in the morning.
Day 18 Saturday 14th February
Slow start to the day and then a walk towards Mount Rowland for a couple of hours. Interesting walk with the fauna changing from wet to dry rain forest and then the cooler plants of the higher regions. We returned to the van for lunch and then left to check out some markets at Sheffield. Sheffield is known as the town of the Murals and they adorn the walls around the town centre. We then ventured on and decided to check out one of the high land lakes, Lake Arthur, a nice drive up with amazing panoramic views of the valley. The lake and the camp site however were ordinary, lots of campers with little room and quite dusty. This is a Hydro lake and I counted 20 overhead power lines adorning the views from the campsite. Many persons had small boats and were most likely here for the fishing rather than the view. Anyway we found a spot to rest for the night and will be off early in the morning.
Slow start to the day and then a walk towards Mount Rowland for a couple of hours. Interesting walk with the fauna changing from wet to dry rain forest and then the cooler plants of the higher regions. We returned to the van for lunch and then left to check out some markets at Sheffield. Sheffield is known as the town of the Murals and they adorn the walls around the town centre. We then ventured on and decided to check out one of the high land lakes, Lake Arthur, a nice drive up with amazing panoramic views of the valley. The lake and the camp site however were ordinary, lots of campers with little room and quite dusty. This is a Hydro lake and I counted 20 overhead power lines adorning the views from the campsite. Many persons had small boats and were most likely here for the fishing rather than the view. Anyway we found a spot to rest for the night and will be off early in the morning.
Day 17 Friday 13th February
Had not realised it was Black Friday otherwise I may have done something more daring. We did go to the Devils Gullet lookout after our excellent tour through Kings Solomon’s Caves. The caves are a world renowned dry cave with great colour and limestone structures, the pictures we took certainly not doing it justice as the environment is magical. Leaving the Mole Creek area we head North via Deloraine to visit the Raspberry farm (shop), Cherry factory, Cheese Factory, and another chocolate factory. This pretty well filled the day so we headed off to Gowrie Park, a large free camp site a little South West of Sheffield. This area is known for its Platypus and we may be lucky enough to spy one along Neil’s Creek tomorrow. This was a nice camp site amongst the towing gum trees.
Had not realised it was Black Friday otherwise I may have done something more daring. We did go to the Devils Gullet lookout after our excellent tour through Kings Solomon’s Caves. The caves are a world renowned dry cave with great colour and limestone structures, the pictures we took certainly not doing it justice as the environment is magical. Leaving the Mole Creek area we head North via Deloraine to visit the Raspberry farm (shop), Cherry factory, Cheese Factory, and another chocolate factory. This pretty well filled the day so we headed off to Gowrie Park, a large free camp site a little South West of Sheffield. This area is known for its Platypus and we may be lucky enough to spy one along Neil’s Creek tomorrow. This was a nice camp site amongst the towing gum trees.
Day 16 Thursday 12th February
Telstra Mobile Phone and Optus wireless internet access is good at low head.
We visited the Fairy Penguins last night. At around dusk the birds, about 300 to 400mm in height, exited the waters of the bay and waddled up the sand and rocks to their burrows and young ones. They did not seem to be bothered by our presence as they came within a few feet of us. Some only needed to walk 50m or so while others went a couple of hundred meters. Baby penguins ventured in anticipation from out of the undergrowth as adults passed hoping that it was mum or dad to get their only feed of the day. If it was the wrong parent they were pecked away and the adults continued on to find their land based home. At around 3am to 4am the parents return to the ocean. This area was hit by an oil spill in 1995 and was a major issue for the penguins. The locals spent many weeks cleaning and re cleaning the birds and rocks at a cost of about $5000 a bird. Each rock in the landing area was wiped over three times as the tides re oiled them. The penguins survived and today their greatest threat seems to be feral cats and humans. Moving on we travelled to Mole Creek Caravan Park and along the way we passed through the towns of Evandale, Perth, Longford, Wesbury, and Deloranine with their many historic buildings. We visited the Wolmers Estate National Rose Garden. This estate comprised the home of the Wolmers family, with a history covering 6 generations with its original historic house and buildings. The rose garden must have covered ½ acre with many rose species and well worth the look. The guided tour of the house taught us that the house was convict built around 1819 and still has its original furniture and curtains. The fittings were mostly imported and royalty sat at the impressive dining table.Settling down for the day we are on the banks of Mole Creek at the Mole Creek Caravan Park, watching young trout flutter in the stream.
Telstra Mobile Phone and Optus wireless internet access is good at low head.
We visited the Fairy Penguins last night. At around dusk the birds, about 300 to 400mm in height, exited the waters of the bay and waddled up the sand and rocks to their burrows and young ones. They did not seem to be bothered by our presence as they came within a few feet of us. Some only needed to walk 50m or so while others went a couple of hundred meters. Baby penguins ventured in anticipation from out of the undergrowth as adults passed hoping that it was mum or dad to get their only feed of the day. If it was the wrong parent they were pecked away and the adults continued on to find their land based home. At around 3am to 4am the parents return to the ocean. This area was hit by an oil spill in 1995 and was a major issue for the penguins. The locals spent many weeks cleaning and re cleaning the birds and rocks at a cost of about $5000 a bird. Each rock in the landing area was wiped over three times as the tides re oiled them. The penguins survived and today their greatest threat seems to be feral cats and humans. Moving on we travelled to Mole Creek Caravan Park and along the way we passed through the towns of Evandale, Perth, Longford, Wesbury, and Deloranine with their many historic buildings. We visited the Wolmers Estate National Rose Garden. This estate comprised the home of the Wolmers family, with a history covering 6 generations with its original historic house and buildings. The rose garden must have covered ½ acre with many rose species and well worth the look. The guided tour of the house taught us that the house was convict built around 1819 and still has its original furniture and curtains. The fittings were mostly imported and royalty sat at the impressive dining table.Settling down for the day we are on the banks of Mole Creek at the Mole Creek Caravan Park, watching young trout flutter in the stream.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Day 15 Wednesday 11th February
Today we are doing the loop around the Tamar River. Going back from Point Beauty we stopped at the world’s first Sea Horse farm complex, Sea Horse World, to view the fascinating world of the sea horse. Their Pièce de résistance is a Dragon Seahorse, a creature that looks like a horse shaped piece of seaweed, growing up to 45cm of which they had two. These two cost them $5000 each when first purchased. Unfortunately they have not been able to breed more in captivity after ten years of research. Essentially the farm is used as a research facility, and they breed thousands of more common varieties for study. We called into the Swiss Village resort, Grindelwald for a gander. This resort has a golf course restaurant, and a small shopping village where we bought a creamy cake for our morning tea break which we shared later at a lookout overlooking the Tamar river valley. We took in the Cataract gorge taking a brief walk around the area after lunch. Some shopping was had in Launceston and we headed out along the Eastern bank of the Tamar through George Town to Low Head to complete the loop around the Tamar River. We hope to see the fairy penguins tonight which don’t come out till dusk.
Today we are doing the loop around the Tamar River. Going back from Point Beauty we stopped at the world’s first Sea Horse farm complex, Sea Horse World, to view the fascinating world of the sea horse. Their Pièce de résistance is a Dragon Seahorse, a creature that looks like a horse shaped piece of seaweed, growing up to 45cm of which they had two. These two cost them $5000 each when first purchased. Unfortunately they have not been able to breed more in captivity after ten years of research. Essentially the farm is used as a research facility, and they breed thousands of more common varieties for study. We called into the Swiss Village resort, Grindelwald for a gander. This resort has a golf course restaurant, and a small shopping village where we bought a creamy cake for our morning tea break which we shared later at a lookout overlooking the Tamar river valley. We took in the Cataract gorge taking a brief walk around the area after lunch. Some shopping was had in Launceston and we headed out along the Eastern bank of the Tamar through George Town to Low Head to complete the loop around the Tamar River. We hope to see the fairy penguins tonight which don’t come out till dusk.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Day 14 Tuesday 10th February
Today we continued our travels across to Launceston and then further North along the Tamar Valley to a Caravan park at Point Beauty on the banks of the Tamar River. Along the way we took in the views, (pic shows hay bales)lunched at Bridport on the sea, viewed the Scotsdale Eco Farm, and took in the lavender farm which unfortunately is not at its best at this time of the year. The road kill in Tasmania is quite high and through this section even higher. In one short stretch of 100m we counted 5 dead paddy melons. Among the bounty of the road are Tassie devils, possums, wallabies and paddy melons. The trip across to Launceston from the east coast via Scotdale is a bit slow due to the hilly winding road. A quick drive around Launceston gave us the opinion it was not as nice as the Hobart area.
Today we continued our travels across to Launceston and then further North along the Tamar Valley to a Caravan park at Point Beauty on the banks of the Tamar River. Along the way we took in the views, (pic shows hay bales)lunched at Bridport on the sea, viewed the Scotsdale Eco Farm, and took in the lavender farm which unfortunately is not at its best at this time of the year. The road kill in Tasmania is quite high and through this section even higher. In one short stretch of 100m we counted 5 dead paddy melons. Among the bounty of the road are Tassie devils, possums, wallabies and paddy melons. The trip across to Launceston from the east coast via Scotdale is a bit slow due to the hilly winding road. A quick drive around Launceston gave us the opinion it was not as nice as the Hobart area.
Day 13 Monday 9th February
We continued on to St Helens and then to the Binalong Bay and then a great free camp site at the lower end of the Bay of Fires. We did a couple of walks in the area taking in the scenic atmosphere. Orange coloured smooth boulders adorn the shoreline and make for pleasant rock hoping along this picturest coastline. Later in the day our camp was visited briefly by a wallaby taking in some of our culinary delights. A notice on the toilet block that Ross River Fever is in this area saw us jumping for the Aeroguard and some longer clothing. Interestingly enough the only mossie I saw was in the toilet block.
We continued on to St Helens and then to the Binalong Bay and then a great free camp site at the lower end of the Bay of Fires. We did a couple of walks in the area taking in the scenic atmosphere. Orange coloured smooth boulders adorn the shoreline and make for pleasant rock hoping along this picturest coastline. Later in the day our camp was visited briefly by a wallaby taking in some of our culinary delights. A notice on the toilet block that Ross River Fever is in this area saw us jumping for the Aeroguard and some longer clothing. Interestingly enough the only mossie I saw was in the toilet block.
Day 12 Sunday
Left New Norfolk reluctantly and headed for Port Arthur (some ruins shown). We spent half a day taking in the significance of the place, taking a short tour, and harbour cruise. It was a coolish day around 19 deg and windy. After Port Arthur we headed up the East Coast and pulled into the Mayfield bay conservation area a free camp site. We are parked a few meters of the beach taking in the magnificent views across the inlet to the Freycinet National Park. The place is packed with 30 odd campers, vans and caravans. This is one of about 4 free camping sites around this area that lie on this beautiful inlet.
No internet through Optus but there is Telstra Mobile access.
Left New Norfolk reluctantly and headed for Port Arthur (some ruins shown). We spent half a day taking in the significance of the place, taking a short tour, and harbour cruise. It was a coolish day around 19 deg and windy. After Port Arthur we headed up the East Coast and pulled into the Mayfield bay conservation area a free camp site. We are parked a few meters of the beach taking in the magnificent views across the inlet to the Freycinet National Park. The place is packed with 30 odd campers, vans and caravans. This is one of about 4 free camping sites around this area that lie on this beautiful inlet.
No internet through Optus but there is Telstra Mobile access.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tassie Trip
Day 11 Saturday
Well the climbing (bouldering) was a bit ordinary as the rock was choss, breaking off periodically and climbers find that a bit unnerving. I still managed a few moves and stretched the muscles so it was good. We left early for the Salamander Street markets although the weather had turned a bit sour. Except for the heat wave in Melbourne the weather has been excellent, but today it was drizzle and 16 Deg. I didn’t find it too bad, still in shorts but Bonnie was a bit put off. The markets were good but lacked the hustle and bustle of the Melbourne markets and the atmosphere of our Bellingen Markets. There was a lot happening in Hobart on this their long weekend before school returns next Tuesday. The wooden boat display, tall ships, navy week, and regatta, around the harbour attracted crowds. We spent the rest of the morning taking in the atmosphere of Hobart and its surrounds. There are many old buildings around the suburbs seemingly packed in close together. So we spent an easy day, with lots of walking, checking out the real estate and shops.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tassie Trip
Day 10 Friday
Laundry day, well for a couple of hours, and while the drying was happening a stroll along the banks of the Derwent was beckoning. Some pretty good looking rocks along the way are calling for some attention and a boulder might be on the cards later today. A lovely walk was had and then later into Hobart to the Cadbury factory. Essentially the Cadbury factory was a shop with a brief 15min information session on the Cadbury history. We spent $60 on chocolates, apparently $200 odd in normal shop value. Unfortunately we needed to keep the chocies cold and the Frig is not big enough so we bought an esky as well. Great value this esky as similar articles in Coffs are around the $300 mark and this one was on special at Mitre10 (which is as big as Bunnings back home and also selling small white goods) for $149. This esky is claimed to keep items frozen for 10 days. We visited the Hobart Botanical Gardens and spent hours wandering around the wonderful grounds, and later around the Hobart harbour area. We booked our return ticket to the mainland to leave on Wednesday night the 18th Feb. Off for a boulder ...
Laundry day, well for a couple of hours, and while the drying was happening a stroll along the banks of the Derwent was beckoning. Some pretty good looking rocks along the way are calling for some attention and a boulder might be on the cards later today. A lovely walk was had and then later into Hobart to the Cadbury factory. Essentially the Cadbury factory was a shop with a brief 15min information session on the Cadbury history. We spent $60 on chocolates, apparently $200 odd in normal shop value. Unfortunately we needed to keep the chocies cold and the Frig is not big enough so we bought an esky as well. Great value this esky as similar articles in Coffs are around the $300 mark and this one was on special at Mitre10 (which is as big as Bunnings back home and also selling small white goods) for $149. This esky is claimed to keep items frozen for 10 days. We visited the Hobart Botanical Gardens and spent hours wandering around the wonderful grounds, and later around the Hobart harbour area. We booked our return ticket to the mainland to leave on Wednesday night the 18th Feb. Off for a boulder ...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Trip to Tassie
Day 5 – Sunday
Woke 5.30am Breakfast and off to the docks to catch the boat. We arrived about 6.30 and drove on to the boat going through checkpoints asking if we had any firearms, gas bottles. Although we were one of the first to arrive we weren’t the first to get on as the cars, vans, and other types are sorted into lanes and ushered on as required; We eventually were allowed on to the upper levels, level G5 and we walked up the stairs to the lounge on level 7. The boat left the harbour at 9am and arrived 6.45 in Devonport. Nice boat with comfortable seats for us day trippers. The sea sickness pill I took may have helped but I was mostly ill for ¾ of the trip and likewise Bonnie. After arriving Devonport we drove up to Coles Beach and camped for the night.
Day 6 – Monday 2nd Feb
We walked around Coles Bay for a little bit and then on the road again to Burnie. We stopped at Burnie for some shopping (I needed a flannelette shirt) to buy a shirt as the weather had changed and was overcast and raining a bit so we pulled in to a car park provided by Target. Everywhere seems to charge for parking down this way (south) and this car park wanted $1 for 1 hour. Continued on to Table Cape and did the 30 min return walk up to the lighthouse then drove on to Stanley to see the Nut. The Nut is like Mutton Bird Island at Coffs Harbour but about twice the size, and still part of the mainland. At the bottom there is a tourist shop with the usual fair of souvenirs and paraphernalia. There is a cable chair to get to the top if you wish but I choose to walk up the very steep 150 to 200 meters to the top. The climb up is all cemented pathway with a hand rail so it’s quite urbanised. Once at the top you can walk around what is a home for mutton birds and small to medium animals such as paddy melons. After taking in the amazing panoramic views and appreciating the exercise I descended back to the van. The walk took me about 1 hour. We are surprised to see the land looking quite dry down this way which can only make us appreciate the wonderful rain we have back home. Continuing on we wanted to see the ‘rugged west coast’ so Arthur River was the go. Arthurs River is about as far as you can go in a 2WD comfortably. This area reminded me of places like mini waters (NSW) and Serena beach (QLD) where there is national park reserve but camping allowed about the sand dunes near the beach. So we slipped into one of the camp spots between the low shrubbery and dunes to rest and recuperate from the driving and the boat trip. Both of us are still suffering the effects caused by sea sickness. There is a river cruise down the Arthur River which joins the infamous Franklin River. Being on the water was not a desire at the moment so we thought we would give that a miss and continue on. This means back tracking from here back to Burnie then South up to Cradle Mountain and Strahan.
Day 7 – Tuesday
No mobile phone service in this area.
Leaving Arthur River we travelled on down to Burnie filling up with petrol and food supplies as needed, then, turning south towards the poplar mountain retreat of Cradle Mountain. Stopped for lunch on the way to Cradle Mountain, pulling out the Coleman and cooking up bruch of bacon and rissoles for a tasty sandwich. We shared a bit of food with the ground, and ‘March flies’ when the pan slipped of the stove. A spotted Quoll darted across the road on the way and we arrived at Cradle Mountain around 1.30 and paid the $22 to drive up to the lake. Popular place for the car park was large and mostly full of vehicles of one type or another. Small vehicles like our van were allowed to drive up to the lake but larger vehicles couldn’t due to the nature of the track so shuttle buses were provided at $11 a head. On the way down we stopped for an Echidna as it wend its way across the road. Dove Lake at the centre of the attraction sits wonderfully between 100m crags. There are many walks in the areas from 15min to full day and overland treks. We did the 2 hour walk around Dove Lake – easy going on mostly level to slightly up and down. A few spots could be difficult if you had some difficult with your knees. The flowers and vegetation and the feel of calmness from the lake make this a magic walk. We left the lake and headed for Strahan, a village on the west coast of Tassie which has a magnificent inlet. The attraction here besides the water, is the link to the wild river system where cruises are organised to venture down the Gordon River. School is still on vacation here until the 10th of February and the two c’van parks were full and charging exorbitant prices. The free site available in this location was inaccessible so we spent the night on the banks of the inlet at a day park. We decided against the cruise.
Day 8 Wednesday
No mobile phones service in this area.
From Strahan we ventured on to Queenstown, a unique town in the hills with its bearish steep surrounding hills. We wound our way through the undulating hills and rivers, stopping occasionally for playfulness in the waters. We took a few short walks, one around the Franklin River and I filled my ‘camel’ with clear, sweet mountain water. We camped for the night in a caravan park on the Tungatinah Lagoon, a fisherman’s delight with many trout being caught.
Day 9 Thursday
Leaving Tungatinah we headed for New Norfolk to make this a base for our adventures into Hobart. Along the way we picked a bowl of wild blackberry for a later treat. We booked into a park for 3 nights on the banks of the Derwent River and spent the rest of the day on the road to the Air Sky walk at Tahune. The sky walk is an extended version of the similar walk at the Dorrigo national park. We found the swinging bridges some fun and the hour or so walk through the rainforest. The road to Tahune winds its way through the Huon valley where apples, cherries and apricots abound at this time of year. At some roadside stalls we bought some new season apples, and fresh cherries the size I have never seen before, like small plums, for $6 a kg. This is a very scenic and pleasing part of Tassie with roses in bloom everywhere.
Woke 5.30am Breakfast and off to the docks to catch the boat. We arrived about 6.30 and drove on to the boat going through checkpoints asking if we had any firearms, gas bottles. Although we were one of the first to arrive we weren’t the first to get on as the cars, vans, and other types are sorted into lanes and ushered on as required; We eventually were allowed on to the upper levels, level G5 and we walked up the stairs to the lounge on level 7. The boat left the harbour at 9am and arrived 6.45 in Devonport. Nice boat with comfortable seats for us day trippers. The sea sickness pill I took may have helped but I was mostly ill for ¾ of the trip and likewise Bonnie. After arriving Devonport we drove up to Coles Beach and camped for the night.
Day 6 – Monday 2nd Feb
We walked around Coles Bay for a little bit and then on the road again to Burnie. We stopped at Burnie for some shopping (I needed a flannelette shirt) to buy a shirt as the weather had changed and was overcast and raining a bit so we pulled in to a car park provided by Target. Everywhere seems to charge for parking down this way (south) and this car park wanted $1 for 1 hour. Continued on to Table Cape and did the 30 min return walk up to the lighthouse then drove on to Stanley to see the Nut. The Nut is like Mutton Bird Island at Coffs Harbour but about twice the size, and still part of the mainland. At the bottom there is a tourist shop with the usual fair of souvenirs and paraphernalia. There is a cable chair to get to the top if you wish but I choose to walk up the very steep 150 to 200 meters to the top. The climb up is all cemented pathway with a hand rail so it’s quite urbanised. Once at the top you can walk around what is a home for mutton birds and small to medium animals such as paddy melons. After taking in the amazing panoramic views and appreciating the exercise I descended back to the van. The walk took me about 1 hour. We are surprised to see the land looking quite dry down this way which can only make us appreciate the wonderful rain we have back home. Continuing on we wanted to see the ‘rugged west coast’ so Arthur River was the go. Arthurs River is about as far as you can go in a 2WD comfortably. This area reminded me of places like mini waters (NSW) and Serena beach (QLD) where there is national park reserve but camping allowed about the sand dunes near the beach. So we slipped into one of the camp spots between the low shrubbery and dunes to rest and recuperate from the driving and the boat trip. Both of us are still suffering the effects caused by sea sickness. There is a river cruise down the Arthur River which joins the infamous Franklin River. Being on the water was not a desire at the moment so we thought we would give that a miss and continue on. This means back tracking from here back to Burnie then South up to Cradle Mountain and Strahan.
Day 7 – Tuesday
No mobile phone service in this area.
Leaving Arthur River we travelled on down to Burnie filling up with petrol and food supplies as needed, then, turning south towards the poplar mountain retreat of Cradle Mountain. Stopped for lunch on the way to Cradle Mountain, pulling out the Coleman and cooking up bruch of bacon and rissoles for a tasty sandwich. We shared a bit of food with the ground, and ‘March flies’ when the pan slipped of the stove. A spotted Quoll darted across the road on the way and we arrived at Cradle Mountain around 1.30 and paid the $22 to drive up to the lake. Popular place for the car park was large and mostly full of vehicles of one type or another. Small vehicles like our van were allowed to drive up to the lake but larger vehicles couldn’t due to the nature of the track so shuttle buses were provided at $11 a head. On the way down we stopped for an Echidna as it wend its way across the road. Dove Lake at the centre of the attraction sits wonderfully between 100m crags. There are many walks in the areas from 15min to full day and overland treks. We did the 2 hour walk around Dove Lake – easy going on mostly level to slightly up and down. A few spots could be difficult if you had some difficult with your knees. The flowers and vegetation and the feel of calmness from the lake make this a magic walk. We left the lake and headed for Strahan, a village on the west coast of Tassie which has a magnificent inlet. The attraction here besides the water, is the link to the wild river system where cruises are organised to venture down the Gordon River. School is still on vacation here until the 10th of February and the two c’van parks were full and charging exorbitant prices. The free site available in this location was inaccessible so we spent the night on the banks of the inlet at a day park. We decided against the cruise.
Day 8 Wednesday
No mobile phones service in this area.
From Strahan we ventured on to Queenstown, a unique town in the hills with its bearish steep surrounding hills. We wound our way through the undulating hills and rivers, stopping occasionally for playfulness in the waters. We took a few short walks, one around the Franklin River and I filled my ‘camel’ with clear, sweet mountain water. We camped for the night in a caravan park on the Tungatinah Lagoon, a fisherman’s delight with many trout being caught.
Day 9 Thursday
Leaving Tungatinah we headed for New Norfolk to make this a base for our adventures into Hobart. Along the way we picked a bowl of wild blackberry for a later treat. We booked into a park for 3 nights on the banks of the Derwent River and spent the rest of the day on the road to the Air Sky walk at Tahune. The sky walk is an extended version of the similar walk at the Dorrigo national park. We found the swinging bridges some fun and the hour or so walk through the rainforest. The road to Tahune winds its way through the Huon valley where apples, cherries and apricots abound at this time of year. At some roadside stalls we bought some new season apples, and fresh cherries the size I have never seen before, like small plums, for $6 a kg. This is a very scenic and pleasing part of Tassie with roses in bloom everywhere.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Day 4 tassie trip
Day 4
We used this day to see a bit of Melbourne. We checked out the Queen Victoria Markets, various streets around the CBD and the Treasury Gardens. We went down to the docks to make sure we knew how to get on the boat which will happen tomorrow morning. We walked around this area, taking photos and relaxing. It is still a bit hot though for any serious walking so we took it easy. The best way to get around the city and to avoid the parking fees, about $3 per hour is to grab a bus to the city, which run every 15 to 30 minutes and then catch the free shuttle bus or tram around the city centre area.
We used this day to see a bit of Melbourne. We checked out the Queen Victoria Markets, various streets around the CBD and the Treasury Gardens. We went down to the docks to make sure we knew how to get on the boat which will happen tomorrow morning. We walked around this area, taking photos and relaxing. It is still a bit hot though for any serious walking so we took it easy. The best way to get around the city and to avoid the parking fees, about $3 per hour is to grab a bus to the city, which run every 15 to 30 minutes and then catch the free shuttle bus or tram around the city centre area.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tassie Trip
Day 1 – Wednesday 28th
Drove from Coffs to head towards Melbourne. Stopped at Raymond Terrace to get an Etag for Sydney and Melbourne. More on Etags in another section of the blog. We spent the night at a rest stop just past Goulburn. Easy driving although we were on the road for 10 hours. and camped at a service centre overnight. Great amenities.
Day 2 – Thursday 29th
Drove to Seymour, 100km north of Melbourne and stayed in a caravan park on the Goulburn river, another 10 hours on the road. A little tied but again easy driving for we are having plenty of breaks – had a swim in the river and camped in the van under a tree. Very hot day 43. 7 degrees in the shade. Probably the hottest temperature I have been in. Vehicle air con really handy and the van is running well.
Day 3 – Friday 30th
Short 1 to 1 ½ hour run to a park in Melbourne, Ashley street caravan park a five star park that asks you to mop the shower out after you have a shower. (I guess I didn’t bother with that). Still hot 42 Degrees and to top of Melbourne’s woes in this heat wave we had power outages for a couple of hours due to fires along the power lines somewhere about. Melbourne has had transport issues and power problems due to the heat. This park was fully booked after we arrived mainly due to Wimbledon being on. There are many overseas visitors in the park here just for the tennis (I guest hats why the prices are so high). We checked out a big shopping centre, High Point, not far from our park and we go lost in the 5 story complex. Bought ourselves a desk top fan for the van and some wireless internet access. Tried the GPS in to Melbourne (thanks Tracy) worked ok. The street we wanted to go would not work so I found another street close that it did recognise. It took us to the street but it turned out to be the wrong street with the same name. Anyway I tried again and it turned out we were not too far away from our destination and it all worked out fine. I have put this location in the GPS as a favourite so we can get back after checking out a bit more of Melbourne tomorrow (cross your fingers).
Drove from Coffs to head towards Melbourne. Stopped at Raymond Terrace to get an Etag for Sydney and Melbourne. More on Etags in another section of the blog. We spent the night at a rest stop just past Goulburn. Easy driving although we were on the road for 10 hours. and camped at a service centre overnight. Great amenities.
Day 2 – Thursday 29th
Drove to Seymour, 100km north of Melbourne and stayed in a caravan park on the Goulburn river, another 10 hours on the road. A little tied but again easy driving for we are having plenty of breaks – had a swim in the river and camped in the van under a tree. Very hot day 43. 7 degrees in the shade. Probably the hottest temperature I have been in. Vehicle air con really handy and the van is running well.
Day 3 – Friday 30th
Short 1 to 1 ½ hour run to a park in Melbourne, Ashley street caravan park a five star park that asks you to mop the shower out after you have a shower. (I guess I didn’t bother with that). Still hot 42 Degrees and to top of Melbourne’s woes in this heat wave we had power outages for a couple of hours due to fires along the power lines somewhere about. Melbourne has had transport issues and power problems due to the heat. This park was fully booked after we arrived mainly due to Wimbledon being on. There are many overseas visitors in the park here just for the tennis (I guest hats why the prices are so high). We checked out a big shopping centre, High Point, not far from our park and we go lost in the 5 story complex. Bought ourselves a desk top fan for the van and some wireless internet access. Tried the GPS in to Melbourne (thanks Tracy) worked ok. The street we wanted to go would not work so I found another street close that it did recognise. It took us to the street but it turned out to be the wrong street with the same name. Anyway I tried again and it turned out we were not too far away from our destination and it all worked out fine. I have put this location in the GPS as a favourite so we can get back after checking out a bit more of Melbourne tomorrow (cross your fingers).
Monday, January 26, 2009
Crazy things
House mail boxes, the old style ones that are next to the road are generally too small for the majority of letters. We have a bricked in locked mail box, nice and secure built especially for the job. Yet the mail won’t fit in the box, the letters always protruding out, so anyone can come along and pull them back out from the front. Why would you design mail boxes that don’t take the letters?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Word 07
Isnt it a bugger that word 07 by default has a line between paragraphs. It seems to me after a search through Google that many people agree with this. It would not be so bad if the 'fix' was obvious. See the itelya forum for a solution if you have not figured it out yet. I guess to figure out why this is the default you have to look at the bigger picture and the straetygy behine the 'file system'. A file system based on HTML would have this issue.
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