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.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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.
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