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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