Tasmania 2018

TASMANIA TRIP 2018

Friday 2^nd February 2018 -  Gundagai

After much preparation the time had arrived to start our trip to Tasmania, taking two months with our caravan which involved booking for a space on the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry.  We decided to make the most of our time in Tasmania and to see as much as we could in this time frame.

Firstly, we had to make our way to Melbourne Port from Sydney we could have taken only two days to do this trip but decided to do this a little slower and take three days, no point in wearing ourselves out before we start.

Our first stop is Gundagai, leaving home at 9.15am, took the M7 to the Hume Highway, we stopped at the Sutton Forest McDonalds for a coffee and break then had lunch at a Rest Area at Yass then onto Gundagai arriving around 2pm. 

Buzz 

Top Spot

Staying at the Top Tourist Park where they have numerous drive through spaces with unsuits it is a lovely park.  We quickly set up as only being overnight it was power, water and a bucket for sullage nice and quick.   Had a rest for a while then decided to go for a walk around over to the local park near the golf course then back into the main street, this is an old town with lots of history.  The white corellas and cockatoos were returning from their day out and making a racket along the river squawking and screeching fighting for their night space in the trees, such a beautiful scene with the river as the backdrop.   Tomorrow we will be heading to Euroa in Victoria.

Saturday 3^rd February 2018 – Euroa

Today we headed into Victoria our destination Euroa which is the famous bush ranger Ned Kelly region. There were bigger towns where we could have parked our caravan overnight but the little town of Euroa was more pleasing.

We continued our drive on the Hume Highway stopping at Holbrook for morning tea, there is a diversion road off the highway and very easy to return.  This small town has a submarine in a park with a café near and when we are in this area this is where we like to stop and have a break. 

Holbrook NSW

Back on the road (Hume Highway) to continue south the road is excellent with not much traffic except trucks.  There was a police presence along the way but no worries for us, in fact it was good to see them out and about. 

We wanted to stop at a Rest Area for lunch and the Hume Highway has quite a few of these along the way, it is always good to find one which has clear signage, diversion roads off the highway and clear ability to get back on, toilet facilities and good parking areas.  We chose one called Dominance near the Wangaratta turnoff we pulled in made ourselves some sandwiches and had a quick break then back on the highway very easy.  Toilets were clean and in good working order.

This stop was only about 55kms from Euroa.  The caravan park at Euroa is wonderful it is getting a small facelift and it is in a beautiful setting. 

View from van Euroa

The amenities are very new and also very clean, the park is near a river with beautiful trees and green grassy areas.  We went for a walk into the town over a small bridge which runs from the caravan park into another section of the caravan park, into a park of beautiful trees then up the road to the main shopping centre which is not very big, it has the usual cafes, Aldi’s (groceries) and other small clothing shops.  The history in this small town is wonderful the history of the residents who went to war, a local museum and other historical features.

Sunday 4^th February 2018 – Braybrook

Arrived Braybrook to Ashley Gardens Big 4 Caravan Park
just before lunch and quickly set up in a drive through spot.  This was a good spot to stay overnight for our trip to the Melbourne port the next morning.  We decided to unhook the caravan and do a run to the ferry terminal, the staff at the caravan park said the best way to go was over the Westgate Bridge so off we went full of nerves.  Gil had worked out all the roads we were to drive on so he was the navigator would have to say even though this was a Sunday and not a lot of traffic it was still nerve racking.  We were very proud of ourselves only made one wrong turn at the start which was quickly corrected and made our way in good time and first go.  The caravan park was quite busy and full obviously a lot of people like us with the same idea. 

Monday 5^th February 2018 – Spirit of Tasmania

We were not sure what to expect today all we knew we had to be on the Spirit of Tasmania by 8.15am due to cruise ships being in dock and another on the way in the closing time slot for boarding was changed to an earlier time, so up at 5.30am to leave by 6.30am.  We were going well until half way along the Westgate Bridge then we hit the traffic and a little bit of panic set in are we going to make our destination in time but as we needed to get off a little way along it saved us time once off the bridge we had a smooth run to the terminal.  We eventually got on the booking line we thought we had everything covered except we could not take our bird seed for our budgie on board, we could only keep enough for the bird to eat on the trip so the rest went in the bin and a lot of paperwork had to be filled in.  We booked him into an animal kennel but eventually told he could stay in the caravan a little annoying as we paid for the kennel and of course no refund.  This eventually got sorted after a minor hiccup we made our way around the ship and finally found our way to the line for parking our car and caravan.  There were already two full lines of car/caravans and we were in the third line third from the front and we had been told the caravans are usually the last off.

Thats what we go on

Wake me when we get there

 We locked up everything got our deck number and colour and up the stairs we went not really knowing what we were doing but eventually worked this out.  Had breakfast which consisted of omelette, coffee and toast, then off to find our recliner again a little bit lost eventually worked out there were numbers on the seats and found where we needed to be.  So happy we did this as the ferry was quite full and other areas on the ferry seating was first in best dressed.  It was a very smooth run across Bass Strait and we also saw Spirit of Tasmania 2 going back to Melbourne, we arrived in Devonport right on time 6.30pm.

We were advised over the loud speaker which decks were to be cleared first and we were very excited one of them was ours and even better we were the third car/caravan to get out.  Off to Ulverstone Big 4 Caravan Park we arrived in daylight, although the office was an envelope was in the box indicating where we were to park our caravan, so perfect.

Tuesday 6^th February 2018 – Ulverstone Day 1

Washing time

This morning food shopping, as we could not bring any fresh food over from mainland Australia to Tasmania, also gas cylinders for our small stove burners.  Coles in Ulverstone has a good variety of items we needed so we did not think to go anywhere else.  We managed to get some fresh homegrown vegies from family and only had to buy some fruit and other items we needed.

Crab Net

Back yard view

After shopping we visited Julianne’s sister and brother-in-law as they live in Ulverstone we had lunch at the IGA outlet and then a drive around Ulverstone local area, then went back to their home then out to BBQ dinner to Julianne’s niece always good to catch up with family.

Wednesday 7^th February 2018 – Ulverstone  Day 2

Today was a trip to Preston Falls and Gunn’s Plains Caves and surrounding area.  The road out to Preston Falls is mostly farmland very beautiful this is why we like Tasmania not far from the busy town centres and you are quickly in the country areas.  Preston Fall
s 
was beautiful a short walk to the falls started with a few not to steep steps then the trail flattened out walking through a beautiful area of tree ferns and over the creek that feeds the falls, this then takes you to a large platform overlooking a gully and the falls. 

Although the falls were not running to fast at this time of year they were still beautiful, well worth the visit. 

Gunn’s Plains Caves these are underground and we read they were quite beautiful when we arrived we were late for one tour so decided to stay and have morning tea and wait for the next one, the tours run on the hour so only had around half hour to wait.  There are toilets available and a small shop to pay, we paid $14 each for seniors.  A husband and wife run the tours and they do an excellent job, you need to be reasonably nimble as at the entrance there are 20 steps straight down, it is concrete paths with railing and as you would find in caves it is damp.  These caves do not have bright lighting it is sombre but very necessary to see the wonderful formations, the guides are excellent, very down to earth and do not rush through.  We had a wonderful experience with this tour it was a just excellent to be able to understand the explanations of the formations and enjoy the tour.

We decided to do a round trip and return through the little town of Riana then back to Penguin then Ulverstone.  This was a wonderful drive, leaving the plains and rising up the hills where we had a beautiful view of the valley just spectacular, anyone who goes into this area should experience this view there is a pull in area where this can happen. 

Back to Ulverstone had some lunch then back to the caravan to do a little packing as we were moving on the next day to Stanley further west.  We went to see Julianne’s sister and brother-in-law to say goodbye just for eight weeks then return.

Thursday 8^th February 2018 – Stanley Day 1

We packed up the night before but did not leave Ulverstone until 9.15am we did not have a great distance to go today.  We started our run really good but about an hour into our trip we were diverted off the highway due to a cyclist and a truck accident, Tasmania does not have good directions when off the main highway.

 We were sent up back streets and had no idea where we were going thank goodness for the NAVMAN, driving with a caravan in tow along narrow back streets in farmland it seemed to take forever and we had half of Tasmania following us as we are from NSW, there was not much help from us.  Our NAVMAN eventually got us back on the highway but it would of being good if persons were situated in various areas to help the traffic around the accident area.

Back to the highway and getting on with our trip to Stanley, we stopped at the Rocky Cape Road House for a break had a coffee and something to eat then on the road again.  We arrived at the Stanley Caravan Park around 11.45am and we were booked in and set up by 12.15pm, we are right on the beach but very lucky we have a row of shrubs just to cut the wind from coming straight on us this is a beautiful caravan park, clean amenities and great camp kitchen.

The Nut Chair Lift

Once set up we went on our first adventure to “The Nut”, drove to the car park hopped on the chair lift ($16 dollars each) to the top and return, you can walk from the car park to the top, not us.

View from The Nut

View from The Nut

View from The Nut

  We took the left track and walked around the top, full circle, stopping at various viewpoints to take photos and just admire the view.  There were obvious holes in the grass where the sea birds such as shearwaters, kestrels, falcons and penguins come up and nest in the grass, lots of spinifex, Scottish thistle and other native plants.  This was a wonderful walk the view over the ocean and Stanley is just spectacular this is one place anyone coming to Tasmania should not miss.  The small town of Stanley is beautiful lots of old buildings which have been maintained in good condition.

Our next stop was Highfield House this home was originally built in the early 1800’s and has been owned by a number of families in its lifetime.  This is a wonderful old home with its buildings including stables in excellent condition from its early era this is worth visiting after leaving this home we went onwards on the road we did not retrace our steps.  The view at the top of the hill looking over Stanley is wonderful.

After Highfield House we had a coffee at the local shop in Stanley then went looking for a long wharf we saw in the distance when we were at the top of “The Nut”.  We worked out the distance it should be at Port Latta so we retraced our steps back out of Stanley around 14kms and sure enough we came across this wharf which was a coal loading wharf with a conveyor belt on it that went quite a distance out to sea and there was a stockpile of coal on shore we found this quite interesting, so our curiosity was answered.

Late this afternoon we went for a walk along the waterfront for about a kilometre up to where the fishing boats were moored at the large wharves along the shore at the bottom of “The Nut”.  There were a number of sea birds squawking and screeching fighting for room on the rookery for the night.  The beach did not exist due to the high tide hopefully we will get to walk along the sand tomorrow.

Friday 9^th February 2018 – Stanley day 2

We found a couple of places we did not have on our itinerary The Big Tree and Dip Falls.  Both of these wonderful places are in the same area west of Mawbanna, we nearly did not look for the beautiful places as they were about 26kms from Stanley.  The signage to both was excellent and we are very happy we made the decision to go there.

The Big Tree is situated in a beautiful rainforest, a Blackbutt approximately 160 years old the circumference of the trunk was enormous, this lovely tree was accompanied by more large trees, giants of the forest, and wonderful tree ferns at least 20 feet tall moss over the fallen trees and orchids growing on the decaying timber.

We doubled back to the Dip Falls this was also a beautiful site.  Although the area has not had a lot of rain the falls still had a good flow.   The water cascaded from the top over rocks which were almost hexagon in shape and some perfectly formed, the water fell to the bottom in two ponds, one was round in shape and the other almost the perfect shape of a heart (or Tasmania) some would say.  There was a viewing platform on one side of the falls and the other had concrete steps and path down to the bottom of the falls with excellent fencing.

We travelled to Smithton as we wanted to go as far west as we could, Stanley did not have a big population so we expected Smithton to be the same but we were pleasantly surprised it was much bigger and had a lot more industry.  Smithton is quite hilly and protected by a couple of bays, firstly Duck Bay, with Perkins Island then Perkins Bay and Big Bay.  Then there is Robbins Island with Robbins Passage between mainland Tasmania it was obvious with all the islands and bays it was a good port for sea merchants. 

We noticed the old butter factory which would have employed a large number of workers in its day, now a days McCain’s Foods has a big factory, Devondale Milk and quite a lot of other industry around for employment this was good to see.  The water ways looked fabulous with some leisure craft getting around the bays, so fishing would be another good industry for this town.

After Smithton we decided to keep driving west, we drove until we saw the wind farm and to the road to Woolnorth which we saw was a private road and did not go any further but that was enough for us we felt we achieved what we wanted to do another good day.

We finally went for a walk along Tatlow’s Beach which is right behind where we are situated in the caravan park at Stanley, the tide was out so we could walk along the edge of the water which was quite warm with beautiful sand some parts were covered with tiny shells in quite large heaps and we were fortunate to come across a tiny crab trying to swim and get back to shore where there were hundreds of tiny holes where his mates were hiding, nature so fascinating.  A great finish to a wonderful day.

Saturday 10^th February 2018 – Stanley day 3

Today was a rest day needed to catch up on washing, cleaning up and just having a rest from driving around and to sort where we were going in the next few days.  It rained today later in the afternoon our first wet weather it turned out to be a storm so was not too bad it is very dry in Tasmania and the rain is much needed.  We packed up the van as much as we could so we could get a reasonably early start the next morning.

Sunday 11^th February 2018 – Arthur River day 1

On our way to Arthur River we wanted to call into the
 
Tarkine Forest Adventures at Dismal Swamp we were a little bit hesitant as first but this turned out to be a wonderful place to visit a beautiful rain forest to walk through, all you need is reasonable fitness. 

On entry there is an area where morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea can be bought very nice overlooking the forest.  If you do not want to do this just do the walks or for the brave at heart there is a slide which we saw in action looked like a lot of fun.

We did the walks and found these very good the tracks are excellent and do go downhill to start there are not steps only well laid gravel paths and board walks.  Some areas of the board walks do get a little slippery due to the leaves falling on them and then in turn the wetness on these just need to take care in these areas.

We spent two hours here and thought we would only be half an hour it was a beautiful place thoroughly loved if we took our time walking back and would have to say there was only one spot which we found we had to take our time.

On to the Arthur River Caravan Park
,
it is nearly empty on a couple of other vehicles in here the booking is made by phoning the number supplied in a reception shed and they collect the money at the end of the day.  This is certainly only basic and showers, very small camp kitchen and laundry but big enough for us we are only here two days we have power and water

After setting up our caravan we went for a drive into Arthur River this is in a National Park there are several places to camp and there is the beach area which called The Edge of The World 

it is so windy and the surf is very rough, on nearly all the exposed rock there is timber logs sitting on top of each one which has been dumped there by the sea, this is a fishing village and the main tourist attraction is the Arthur River Cruise, which we will be taking tomorrow.

Monday 12^th February 2018 – Arthur River Cruise Day 2

The day was cloudy but not too cold we had a booking on The Red Boat 
Arthur River Cruise

there were quite a few people already on board when we arrived.  We made our way to the back of this little boat and as it turned out it was a great position to sit.  We were not long on the cruise when morning tea came around a great selection of hot drinks, coffee, tea, green tea, hot chocolate and biscuits just wonderful.

 All on board were treated to an excellent history of the river and its inhabitants, the local knowledge of our captain, Robert, a local in the area was just wonderful.  We were very lucky we were able to see the great Sea Eagles 
and their off spring and a nest that has been around for 50 years which gets added onto every year and another nest further down the river which was nearly as big, it was just magnificent in the tree tops.  The variety of vegetation along the river and how and why it grew in the area and its necessity for the native life.  The further we travelled up the river the vegetation changed to more rainforest vegetation with beautiful tree ferns and other plants.  On the riverbank we were shown the hole and area where a platypus has his/her home this was another exciting moment as these marsupials are so shy.

We stopped in a T intersection on the riverbank called Turks Landing 

and in amongst the trees blending in with the bush were tables, chairs and BBQ set up for making our lunch for us all, it could not be seen clearly until we disembarked off the boat so well camouflaged.  While our lunch was being prepared all passengers went on a guided walk into the rainforest where various trees and shrubs were shown and explanations given of the good work and the importance they have in this wonderful rainforest, the captain had a wealth of knowledge of the English and Botanical names of these trees.  A few drops of rain fell but we did not get too wet as the thick canopy of trees kept us from getting soaking wet.

Retracing back our steps to the bush lunch area where we were served up meat hamburger, sausage and helped ourselves to a variety of salad, bread rolls and condiments just excellent. We were also visited by a local pademelon; these wonderful animals are quite used to humans and hang around for some salad scraps.

Our return trip was also very good with another opportunity for photo snaps of the Sea Eagles a great day
.

As we were only at Arthur River for two nights and keen to get some sunset snaps and tonight was our last opportunity.  A return trip to the Edge of The World for a sunset snap unfortunately there was a bank of cloud on the horizon so we knew we would not get the photos we would have liked.  The photos we got were good but not excellent were pleased with getting some shots.

Tuesday February 13^th 2018 – Philosopher Falls Day 1

Today we had a long drive to Waratah and small village off the Murchison Highway.  We stopped at Wynyard to get fuel and shop then onto Waratah leaving Arthur River 7.30am.  The caravan set up was first in best dressed some power and water sites, some power only and some with nothing.  This particular park is run by Waratah Council and we advised our dates to stay were firm but unfortunately caravanners who arrive beforehand for only two days decide they want to stay longer and they are not asked to move for the people who have confirmed definite dates so we had to do with a site with no water at the rear of the council building but close to the BBQ small camp kitchen.  We were a little annoyed at $28 per night for everyone whether power, water or neither $10 deposit amenities key, which you get back on key return.

There are two public toilets and one disabled each for both male and female also the amenities consist of three ensuite’s. This is a very popular stopping area for Cradle Mountain and the Corinna Cruise, the council need to look at putting in more powered sites and adding to the amenities as well as keeping visitor’s times in check.   There is only one lady looking after all this as well as the council is also a Post Office and Visitors Centre during peak time she could do with some help.

The area of Waratah has a lot of history and well worth the visit.  After setting up we went to the Philosopher Falls 

around 9.5km out of Waratah would have to say this is the most beautiful rainforest we have ever seen.  The walk is a gravelled path in excellent condition with huge tree ferns of all shapes and sizes some fallen over and started a new life on a different angle which created some grotesque and wonderful formations.

Fallen trees covered in varieties of moss and lichen with fungi growing on the side of rotting timber in magical colours of brown/white, brightest of reds and pinks, beautiful multicoloured tree trunks it was like walking in a fairy land.  We could hear the falls and the closer we got to them the steeper the path became we eventually walked onto a metal footbridge where we could see waterfalls coming toward us rolling over rock steps we decided to walk on further for a while but felt we had gone far enough we knew there were 237 steps to the bottom of the creek but felt we were not fit enough to attempt this part of the walk but we thoroughly enjoyed what we had seen.  Back into Waratah for a drive around Waratah has a wonderful waterfall and waterwheel, museum and other areas of interest.

Wednesday 14^th February 2018 – Corinna Cruise Day 2

Yes, we were supposed to go on a cruise today but during the night the weather came through really wet and stormy so we made the unanimous decision not to go on the cruise.  This was a one and half hour drive to Corinna and 24klm of this on dirt road as we are not familiar with how the weather would affect the dirt road we decided it would be safer to stay with the van and we were very happy we made this decision the rain was excessively heavy and the winds up to 40klm/h were very strong.  Better to be safe.

Thursday 15^th February 2018 – Strahan Day 1

Left Waratah around 9am it had been raining and we were happy to move on the ground had become soggy and boggy.  We took the Murchison Highway this was excellent being a sealed road we only had a couple of delays where there were road repairs but this was not a major concern.  The highway is quite windy in parts especially through Hellyer Gorge this is one section it is needed to drive to the conditions of the road and area. 

The little town of Roseberry was a surprise although in the hills it was well visited by people.  We decided to stop in Zeehan for a coffee and of course it was raining but could only find a temporary coffee stand this town does not have a lot going for it.

Friday 16^th February 2018 – West Coast Wilderness Explorer to Queenstown from Strahan and back Day 2

This was a great day despite the bad weather, in fact we thought this may have been cancelled due to the rain.  The old locomotive had a steep climb over the mountain with a grade of 1 to 20 one side and 1 to 16 and coping with the rain!!!!

We had booked and paid for this trip in advance and we were not disappointed a wonderful well organised train experience.  It is a day of experiencing a big part of yesteryear hearing how this mighty track was built by hand and the hardships that went with it. 
 
The train left Strahan chuffing its way around the edge of Macquarie Harbour the second biggest harbour in Australia then headed along the side of the King River starting its climb up the mountain.

 After boarding the train, we were given a basket with hot water in a small thermos, cheese and biscuits and later on in the trip the staff came around with coffee, tea and hot chocolate this was for our morning tea, really great.

The driver and the fire man doing their work to keep this 120year old engine working while we sat back and relaxed listening to the wonderful story of this tracks life by one of the crew who looked after us.

The King River is just magnificent it flow is gentle to start but as we climb higher we could see down in the gorge is flow became quite treacherous in parts.  The vegetation also changed from normal forest to cool temperate then rainforest truly breathtaking. 

We stopped at Lower Landing where honey tasting was set up, a walk around to stretch our legs and toilet stop if required when we did stop the train filled up with water a very important necessity for a steam train. Our next stop was Dubbil Barril further up the mountain and on this level the track changes not only having the normal train track but also in the centre if a set up called the “Rack and Pinion” which is an added help to hall the train up the steep incline. 
At this stop is a beautiful rainforest walk, while the train is filling with water passengers are given an opportunity to wonder through this beautiful rainforest of tall tree covered in moss and lichen and tree ferns so tall water rushing down a creek with the brownish colour which comes from the surrounding trees.  Rinadeena

is a stop to get snacks and/or drinks and also another toilet stop and to also closely inspect the rack and pinion set up on the rail.

Now on our decent past the area of Lynchford then Queenstown where we had 2 hours to have lunch and explore the town.  Lunch could be bought from the local pubs, cafes and also the Tracks Café right on the platform.  We took our own lunch but did buy coffee from the Tracks Café the atmosphere was great. 

The front carriage on the train was for people who paid extra for the serving of morning and afternoon tea on the train and lunch at the Tracks Café we did not pay for this extra.

Queenstown is showing its age and unfortunately has lost a lot of its population almost relying totally on tourism such a shame.  We did enjoy our stay here and the return trip back.  The train did stop at Lynchford on the way back for passengers to do a little gold panning and we did have one person find a small gold nugget, well done to them but the train does not stop at Lower Landing on the return.

It is a long day doing the full trip we found this most enjoyable learning more Australian history about how hard these men and women worked to make this wonderful country.

Saturday 17^th February 2018 -  Gordon River Cruise Day 3

Another exciting day today on a beautiful catamaran, where we had a wonderful view from our window seats or alternatively we could walk to the front or back and have advantage points to take photos.  Our first visit was to 
Hells Gate
where boats come into Macquarie Harbour this is very rough and narrow where there are two light houses one on either side of this opening into the harbour. 

Along the way to this area is a new way of fish farming.  In the middle of the bay are round set ups with nets over the top some with close netting for the younger fingerlings and some with wider netting for the bigger fish these are fed a man-made food mix to help the fish grow faster and better for the sea food market there were quite a lot of these set ups throughout the harbour,

After we left Hells Gate we set off to the Gordon River where at the entrance to the river the water was quite rough then as we ventured in further it became calmer. The rain was persistent on and off but in between showers we saw how beautiful this river really can be.

The catamaran took us to the beautiful Heritage Landing Nature Walk unfortunately at this time the heavens decided to open up and it rained quite heavily but this did not stop us from taking the walk around the board walk to see the beautiful rainforest which included the sassafras, blackwood and myrtle with its neighbour a 2000year old Huon pine.

On returning to the catamaran it was time for a buffet lunch consisting of salads, cold meat, cheese and salmon and very tasty, plenty available for seconds and thirds for the hungry.  Drinks could be purchased, coffee, wine and other soft drinks and plenty of snacks.

Our next stop was the most exciting the convict ruins of Sarah Island, 
a once dreaded penal colony of torture, escapes and starvation.  How these poor retches ever survived at all is beyond thinking.  The stories are horrific of the escapes and cannibalism of the time.  The ruins are two hundred years old and some are still partly standing today, just amazing.

This was the end of our tour but would have to say the whole day was well worth it just an amazing harbour.

Sunday 18^th February 2018 - Day 4 Strahan

First off today we went for a walk to Hogarth Falls

which is in a park called the People’s Park in Strahan, these falls are a 45min return walk. This was a first dry day for a week so it was quite exciting to be able to walk without the bother of rain.  At the beginning of the walk are amenities and a lovely park for picnics.

The path is very good to walk to the falls there are notification signs on the different flora along the track and photo opportunities of the creek running from the falls, this was a particularly beautiful walk flat except for the last few metres to the falls.  Hogarth Falls are absolutely spectacular should not be missed if anyone visits Strahan.

We decided to drive to Macquarie Heads which eventually ends at the western point on the northern side of the Macquarie Harbour.  This was sealed for a few kilometres, the unsealed with a good surface.  We decided to drive as far as we could and became very surprised finding a couple of camping areas along the way, quite basic and with caravans and tents in view, but this was not our way of camping.

We finally came to Ocean Beach
 
and walking down onto the sand we realised we were facing Hells Gate from land and right in front of us was one of the Light Houses we saw from our Harbour Cruise.  This was magnificent, the tide was out and the sea birds on the edge of water were just wonderful, we were so excited and spent at least an hour here just walking around and admiring how spectacular was this view.  Our final tour of Strahan back to the caravan to get fuel and pack up to move onto Derwent Bridge.

Monday 19^th February 2018 – Derwent Bridge Day 1

Leaving Strahan around 9.00am which was a bit later than we wanted but all good.  The road to Queenstown would be windy and we thought we would have a slow trip but the car and caravan travelled extremely well and the road was excellent.  We stopped at Queenstown for a coffee break at the Tracks Café which is the café the train from Strahan uses.  We had a little trouble finding a parking spot for both car/caravan finally up a side street, Tasmania likes to charge everyone for parking and are quite strict in fining you if time is over the limit.

On our way to Derwent Bridge we stopped at Nelson Falls 
this was another magnificent rainforest area and a beautiful walk to another magnificent waterfall we never get tired of these great areas that are put aside for our leisure.   The only quibble we have is the parking where there is not enough space for the caravanners in transit you have to be lucky to find a spot.

Next stop the Franklin River
 
this has been a stopping point for a number of years due to the controversy years ago with the Franklin Dam.  We were looking forward to this stop as it is very well known but would have to say it was a little disappointing, lots of trees down and the rainforest was not as good as most of the others we had visited. The river was very quick moving but not a lot of opportunity to see much of the river.  Toward the end of the walk there was a boardwalk to the river but a tree had come down and blocked the way.  We did find out the winds had created some havoc in this area a week before and the area had not been cleared.

We decided to push onto Derwent Bridge then onto

Lake St Clair where we were to stay a couple of nights.  We had read bad reports on wiki camps of water pressure being bad, amenities not up to scratch, small sites which were hard to park caravans and motor homes.  The decision was to carry on regardless and we are so glad we did, as we have a small caravan parking was not a big issue, yes! the water pressure is not great but we supplemented this with our pump in our caravan, we found the amenities we used to be clean and well looked after and we had power.  Thumbs up for us.

We settled in for the afternoon walking around the lake and finding all the facilities we needed to use, visiting the Visitor’s Centre
and gathering information we needed for our walk the next day it was all very good.

Tuesday 20^th February 2018 – Lake St Clair Day 2

Off walking today along some of the
shorter tracks around Lake St Clair, the first track we took was to Watersmeet, a beautiful walk with signs indication the names of trees and other vegetation, an easy walk which came to two rivers meeting and cascading away down to the lake we were so impressed a beautiful sight.

The track went further around to Platypus Bay
  
where it could be possible to see some of these very shy animals, our hopes were not high for this as the timing was not good, the early morning and dusk is best.  On we went the track was quite good some normal track and some boardwalk, going downhill in some areas, we finally came across a wooden screen where there were holes made for observation of the platypus away from the bank of the lake, stopping walkers from getting close and scaring them.  We spent quite a bit of time here but it was as expected “No Platypus”. 

This was the time to discuss going back the way we had come or going on further to the lake shore then climbing out to join the Overland Track back to Watersmeet.  We seemed to have done quite a bit of walking already so decided to push on to the lake where there was an old barge
left on the shore rotting away over time from here it was a short climb to the Overland Track then down to Watersmeet and back along the track to the Visitor’s Centre.  We decided to have a coffee and share a brownie at the café we then decided on our next adventure.

We wanted to visit The Wall at Derwent Bridge and on the way Lake St Clair Road we took the turn off to the dam and the pump house.  The dam
was a bit of a surprise it was easily accessible, the water flowing over the top creating overflow on the other side then rapids, the water was so clear and pure coming off the mountains.

After leaving the dam we took the road to the pump house but this was not accessible there was a gate across the road.  We were able to get a closer photo of the pump house

and could look back from the opposite side of Cynthia Bay and again the water was so clear and clean.

Out to the Lyell Highway to Derwent Bridge we had a look around the local pub and across the road from the pub where a lot of people park their caravans in free camp then drive their cars into Lake St Clair for day trips, this was not good we were very happy we went into the proper camping area.

Off to The Wall,

this was amazing we decided to have a late lunch here the food was really wonderful, tomato and vegie soup with focaccia, Tassie tea and a GF biscuit made from peanuts, choc and peanut butter tasted fantastic.  No dinner tonight.

horse and cart, farming, native plants and insects all just absolutely amazing one man’s skill brought everything to life in wood.  Not allowed to take any photos at all but there are books for sale.  There was a story behind each carving.

Wednesday 21^st February 2018 – Hobart Day 1

Good bye to Lake St Clair we had a very good run into Glenorchy where we have booked into the Hobart Show Ground.  We drove across on the Lyell Highway which winds its way over the mountains through Tarraleah past the huge electricity station in the gorge, Ouse where we stopped for a quick coffee, then Hamilton, Gretna and New Norfolk. 

Would have to say once we were on the eastern side of the mountains   houses of the small towns had a very English look and were very quaint.  We started to see the wonderful Derwent river, such a magnificent body of water which looks after a large variety of water birds.  The farm lands are really soft and beautiful compared to the rugged western side of the mountains.  New Norfolk has a real charm very old the houses with front doors just a step from the road, built along the banks of the Derwent.

As we got closer to our destination the NAVMAN had to come into action, we found our way to the Showground in one go, again we were very pleased, we had also read not to good reports about this as well but needed to be in a central place for our needs.  We have found this to be an excellent place to stay with our van, we have everything we need, showers, toilets, sullage, clean water and power and clean sites.  Yes, the showers need a token for hot water $1 for 5 minutes and this is more than enough, the amenities are clean and only a short walk away.  The staff at the Admins office supplied us with an excellent map of Hobart showing which streets are one way, malls and two way which made it so easy to find our way around.

After setting up we went for a drive into Hobart to find the council chambers where we could get parking vouchers for longer stay parking for when we needed.  Mr NAVMAN was excellent, so thankful, the streets are very narrow in the centre of Hobart due to the way this city was originally designed.  We found parking in the Argyle Street Centre which has a shopping centre including Woolworths and other small shops from here we walked down towards Constitution Dock where there is the Visitors centre and Council Chambers.  Everything was very straight forward we received a book of tickets went to the Visitors Centre had a look around gathered some more info, walked toward Constitution Dock and back up Argyle Street to the car park, into Woolies did our shopping and realised we were over time so now was the right time to use our free tickets.  Straight to the office in the car park had our ticket validated and did not have to pay a cent wonderful.

 Thursday 22^nd February 2018 – Hobart Day 2

A late start due to some paperwork which needed to be done then off to Russell Falls, Marriott Falls and Strathgordon.  The drive out to the falls was great driving through the villages of New Norfolk where there are crops of raspberries, hops, cherries, blackberries and many more cold climate fruits, the small villages of Plenty, Bushy Park, Westerway and National Park.

The Russell Falls

are one of the most popular and well known in Tasmania and the site was quite busy with buses and cars.  The visitor centre was very nice and a café also had a good choice for lunch etc. as we had a late start we decided to have lunch before walking to the waterfall, tomato and zucchini soup with focaccia and a drink.  The walk to the falls is easy it has been improved over the years due to the high volume of tourists and we were surprised the rain forest has survived as good as it had with the high volume of walkers.  We did not hear many visitors speaking English, the falls are still very good although not in full force, there has not been much rain in Tasmania for a while.

At this point we decided to go to Strathgordon to the Gordon Dam as the distance being 88km one way from where we were and this was a place we really wanted to visit.  Off we went the road was quite windy in places, all sealed road, but good just had to drive to the conditions.

As we getting closer in the mountains the view of the bare rock faces high above us, just spectacular, the region where snow skiing in winter is very popular.  Not far from here we were able to see the canals which join the two lakes of Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder
 
where the water can be dispersed from both lakes, a magnificent way to control water storage.

There was a lookout about 20kms before Strathgordon looking over Lake Gordon and another at Strathgordon looking over Lake Pedder the view over these lakes is truly amazing on a beautiful sunny day. 

Th drive to the Gordon Dam Lookout 

words cannot describe this site, just stunning, the dam is a wonderful manmade construction which blends in with the surrounds, the water level was a lower than we expected, although gave the view more interest. 

Friday 23^rd February 2018 – Day 3 Hobart

Family history today, a trip to the State Library in Hobart to gather more information on Julianne’s convict ancestor.  This library is really amazing there were so many desks and computers set up and also a history room. 

The staff were ever so helpful could not do enough for us, we even had our own helper to help us down load information onto a jump stick, we spent nearly 4 hours researching and we even had a go at the microfiche tapes, another learning curve.

Very happy to leave with extra information and hopefully be able to work out the movements of the family history.

Before we returned to the caravan we had one more stop, St Georges Church opened in 1838 at Battery Point where Julianne’s great, great grandfather was married and this wonderful sandstone church is still work done out the front.

Saturday 24^th February 2018 – Day 4 Hobart

The weather was not very kind today the rain started the night before and has been consistently heavy, hoping it might improve as the day goes on.  The rain started to stop around lunch time and the day became quite windy and this helped move the cloud away. 
We decided to go for a drive to the Hobart Botanical gardens

  



this was a good decision the gardens were well established and very interesting.  At the entry there is a hut called the Hub where a map of the gardens is handed out and there is also a café/restaurant which overlooks these beautiful gardens or a simple takeaway coffee area.

The brick wall at the western side of the gardens was built by convicts and this is also a heated wall with sandstone on the road side of the wall.  The eastern wall which faces the Tasman Bridge is also built by convicts the brick size is only two inches wide compared to the bricks of today are three inches wide, the bricks the convicts made are also not as smooth and precise like todays brick.

The gardens are magnificent, this garden was started in 1818 and the layout has been changed over the years by various establishments running the gardens.  It seems most of the trees have been planted and established for a long time they are a magnificent height with limbs spread wide.  Our most exciting plant we found in the gardens was the Wollemi Pine as only a few years ago was thought to be extinct, there were three of these beautiful trees alive and well with the extraordinary cones on the top.

A hot house has a variety of plants with wonderful colour combinations.  There is also a great view of the Tasman Bridge when up on the higher grounds of the gardens.

After leaving this area we drove to the top of the hill which gives a view of the magnificent Derwent River and looking toward Glenorchy.  It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Sunday 25^th February 2018 – Day 5 Hobart

Mount Wellington was a great experience Tasmania’s highest peak it is 1257 metres, the view towards Hobart and the surrounds is absolutely stunning.  The Derwent River and other waterways as far as Bruny Island.  This peak should only be seen when there is a clear day.

The road up to the top is narrow and can be slow if caught behind bicycle riders or buses.  There are a few points of interest on the way up or down, once arrived at the peak there is plenty of room for parking and two platforms reaching out over the edge giving fantastic views of Hobart.  The weather can be quite chilly a coat, scarf and beanie are good to have in the car if needed, the temperature when we were there was 8 degrees but the wind chill factor made it feel like zero.

The vegetation is very similar to that which is growing in snowfield areas as Mount Wellington has been known to have snow on the ground in the middle of summer.

We decided to have lunch after coming down from Mt Wellington at a little tavern called Ferntree Tavern it was around 150years old we had delicious potato and leek soup and a cup of coffee, very nice.

On our return from the tavern we saw the Cascade Brewery
where tours are organised and/or there is a restaurant and garden.  We did not go on the tour as we felt this was a little expensive but we did visit the garden and walked around the outside of the old Cascade building, it could be imagined this area could be used for wedding photos very lovely.

Monday 26^th February 2018 – Day 6 Hobart

This morning we walked around Constitution Dock it was amazing to see so many yachts in dock including a cruise ship one of the Princess Liners and so this meant quite a lot of people around the dock area.  We walked along Macquarie Wharf and Sullivan’s Cove towards Salamanca and Battery Point.
 

Had morning tea at a nice little café in Salamanca area wonderful old buildings from the 1800’s it is not hard to imagine the noise, laughter etc that must have been around in those early days. 

We eventually returned to the wharf where we took a ride/lunch cruise on the Hobart Historic Cruises aboard the MV Spirit of Hobart out of Sullivan’s Cove into the enormous Derwent River up to and under the Tasman Bridge returning by Montagu Bay, Rosny Point, Bellerive, the more upmarket places of Hobart then back to Sullivan’s Cove, this was great we were given a wonderful lunch and enjoyed the history of this part of Hobart.

After leaving Hobart we took a drive to Kangaroo Bluff Battery is located across the Derwent River near Bellerive, was built in 1880 on the Cove, Battery Point. There are still three cannons on site but the remainder of the supporting gunnery has been removed.

We then drove to Rosny Park Lookout at Rosny Point this was a spectacular view up the Derwent River where quite a few yachts were meandering around the bay.

Tuesday 27^th February 2018 – Day 7 Hobart

An early start today for a trip we had been very keen to happen, Bruny Island Cruise commences on the South Bruny National Park from Adventure Bay.

Driving to Kettering to board the traffic ferry to North Bruny Island then drive 40mins to Adventure Bay on South Bruny Island.  The drive starting from Kettering is very picturesque, little villages, tall trees, farming, beautiful beaches, the narrow neck between North and South Bruny and lots more.

This cruise is very organised from booking to trip.  On our day of the trip there were four boats of 50 people on each, this shows how popular this experience to see these islands has become.  The boats travel down the coast of South Bruny Island keeping close to the island land pulling into land marks along the way caves, kelp forest, the monument driving the boats between too tall rock columns, bridge rock and The Friars where seals have their breeding grounds and islands of nesting seabirds.  The trip goes from 11.30am to 2pm, have morning tea before you leave and lunch on return at their own restaurant by ordering or leave Adventure Bay to have your own along one of the beaches. We had a fantastic day.

Wednesday 28^th February 2018 – Day 8 Hobart

Today was a short drive into Hobart to visit the Cascades Female Factory.  This was established in 1828 to house the increasing female convicts transported to Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land as first known).  The land, 20 acres, was allocate by Governor Sorell to Mr Thomas Yardley Lowes for a distillery this was not a success and with the gaols filling up with more females being transported the needed for more room was needed.

In December 1828 the first women were transferred to the refurbished distillery site which was to become known as the Cascades Female Factory.  There were class systems where the lowest were sentenced to the washtub and laundering for the factory, the orphan school and the penitentiary, they also carded and spun wool, the second-class convicts were employed to makes clothes for the establishment and preparing and mending linen.  The first class, those who could be trusted, were overseers, employed as cooks and hospital attendants.

Many babies were born at this hell hole but many of them died due to malnutrition and other diseases.  It was closed in 1856.

We went back to Sullivan’s Cove to book our tour of Port Arthur we found a place in the MONA building where this could be done rather than wait until we get to Port Arthur.

There were some big storms this afternoon stayed in the caravan to catch up with notes etc.

Thursday 1^st March 2018 – Day 9 Hobart

As this was our last day in Hobart and we had covered all the areas we wanted to visit we took a drive over to Richmond and Sorell which was a very pleasant drive.  Richmond in Tasmania is very old and this little historic town can boast it has the oldest bridge in Australian still standing in its original condition.  The gaol built in 1826 is the oldest still in its original condition and this gaol had both women and men convicts, this town is truly a great example of the 1800’s building history, this is up a side street not far from the centre of town.

St John the Evangelist Church had it foundation stone laid in 1835 and the first school house built in 1843 right behind the church, these are both beautiful buildings.

Walking up the main street we visited a historical model of Old Hobart Town as it would have been in the 1820’s.  As we had spent quite a bit of time in Hobart we found this very interesting we were given a layout of the town as it is today with the buildings which still stand from the 1820’s and walking around the model it was easy to work out the old with the new.  From Richmond we then drove to Sorell this is also an old town more farming and fishing we did a small amount of food shopping here then went fruit picking this was a little disappointing as the farm did not have a lot in season to pick a few strawberries and pears.  This finished our time in the Hobart area.

Friday 2^nd March 2018 – Huonville Day 1 – Tahune Airwalk

Moving onto Huonville which was only a short distance from Hobart the reason for this we wanted to visit a couple of places and this seemed the best place for the two days we needed.  Originally, we were going to stay at Geeveston and we were so glad we changed our minds the Huonville Caravan Park was really good.

They have wide grassy spaces near the river or near the amenities, powered and water or unpowered and no water.  The amenities are clean although no delegation for men or women, this did not seem to matter, $1.00 for five-minute hot showers which is more than enough time.  This park is situated on a small creek which runs off the Huon River and this is only a small walk, it is one of the most peaceful and beautiful parks we have visited.

After we set up we headed to the Tahune Airwalk which is approximately one hour from Huonville.  It is a beautiful drive following the Huon River through the towns of Franklin and Geeveston, the big areas in apple and pear growing, the fruit trees full of beautiful red apples and plenty to buy in stalls along the road side.

The road into the Airwalk is quite windy but easy to find just follow the directions on marked boards.  Parking is not a problem there are amenities and a wonderful café.

There is a bridge over the beautiful Huon River which is forever flowing then a short walk through the beautiful rainforest then onto the airwalk, the stringy bark and blackwood gum trees are just massive in height and the airwalk is built around them.  The end of this walk ends with a cantilever at the end which moves slightly there were a few people on this so we waited until some of them came off then we walked to the end the view up the mighty Huon is just wonderful.  There is also a walk on McKay’s Track where there is a crossing over the Huon on the swinging bridges also Eagle Hang Gliding and the Huon Pine walk. This was a great afternoon.

Saturday 3^rd March 2018 – Huonville Day 2 - Ida bay Railway

The Ida Bay Rail trip should not be missed this tiny historic WW2 Diesel Locomotive takes you on a two-hour journey around Lake Elliott.  We hear the stories of pioneers in this area and how they lived, survived and died, where the township of Ida Bay once was and where it is now.  The beginnings of the 1940’s Loco’s was hauling limestone to the wharf and loading onto boats, also there was a timber mill in the area which does not exist now.

The shoreline is just beautiful with bays and inlets swans by the hundreds keeping close to shore for protection from the winds, sea birds hovering overhead in this very clean, pristine waters, white sand, so beautiful and at the turning point of our journey there is a picnic spot with a BBQ and then be able to take a walk further around the bay, a spot you could spend the whole day at this point by catching the earliest train and coming back on the last train. 

Sunday 4^th March 2018 – Port Arthur Day 1

The trip to Port Arthur from Huonville was excellent we knew we had to travel back through Hobart and this went very smoothly it took us two hours it was a very good drive.

We did not have anything booked only to get to the caravan park and set up and do our washing.  The drive was also beautiful we stopped at Dunalley for a quick coffee break and while we were there the bridge that crosses the river opened to let a tug boat through from the ocean into the river, this was amazing the bridge swings sideways on one side then returns back to be a road again.

Inlets and narrow necks, water views are all the scene to Port Arthur just amazing.  Arriving at the Port Arthur Caravan Park thinking all should be well but we had another snag, the wrong dates were on the books but eventually it was sorted and they could find us a spot although not close to the amenities it is great, except for the night life this area has a number of possums, potoroos and small wallabies which like to get busy at night time not only were they running outside our van but on top of the roof, not very exciting.  Clean amenities, not coin operated but 5 min showers on a countdown which is enough.  After setting up the caravan we went down to the Port Arthur historic site to tee up how, what happens and when we should arrive the next day for our tour.  The staff are very friendly and very helpful, we walked away very confident we were going to have a great time.

Monday 5^th March 2018 – Port Arthur Day 2

There is a great cafeteria, souvenir shop and lots of information available for the novice traveller.  We were lucky we had pre-booked out tickets in Hobart and were all set to go, this allowed us to go straight in get our lanyards, each day there is a different colour. 

We lined up to be on the introduction tour, this is very good it gave us an idea where to start on our own and how to proceed around the site as we did not want to miss out and we also had cruises to get on, one for each day.  The historic buildings are holding up well with a lot of restoration being done, with the income of visitor money going back into this repair.

The stories and historic buildings are truly awe inspiring it was a tough era in our history and some of us are descendants of these wretches.  Today we visited the 1857 Penitentiary, the Commandants House, the Guard Tower 1835, the Law Courts 1846, Officers Quarters then down to the ferry dock to go by ferry to visit the Isle of The Dead most interesting, this place has convicts and free persons buried here.

Tuesday 6^th March 2018 – Port Arthur Day 3

We arrived on opening time again today, mainly to get another good parking space near the entry, we still had quite a number of places to visit before we needed to catch the ferry to the island of Point Puer Boys Prison around 2pm.  Off walking again our bodies were really feeling being tired from being on our feet day after day due to the time limit, there is no choice if we wanted to see it all.  The Government Gardens are just beautiful they are well laid out with a beautiful water fountain as a centre piece.  The church built in 1837 for all denominations and holding up to 1100 people for compulsory service, it has to be noted that much of the decorative stonework and masonry was done by the boys at Point Puer, ages ranging from 9 to 17.  This church is a magnificent building all done by hand with the spires and interior amazing when you think it was put together by convicts.

There is a little church, St David’s, used today was built in 1927 and all are welcome, services are held regularly here.  Near this area are buildings of The Parsonage, Accountant’s House, Visiting Magistrates House and many others.  

From the houses we walked to the Separate Prison a reasonable distance, this was designed to deliver a new method of punishment, of reforming the convicts through isolation and contemplation.  Convicts were locked away for 23 hours each day in single cells. This was an interesting layout shaped like an arch and in the middle was a huge chapel, most interesting.  Further away from this was the museum and café, hospital which is in a lot of disrepair, guard tower, military officer’s quarters and commandants house, we even managed to see a short play next to the prison which was very good, there are three plays every day but we only managed to get to one.  The grounds are wonderful and this is a truly inspiring place to visit.

Point Puer Boys Prison 1834 to 1849.  Claire our guide was absolutely wonderful, although no buildings left, only some brick ovens and walls, with her descriptions and talks we could imagine the hardship and exposure these boys had to either make it or break in this period of their life.  The stories of how they became boy prisoners is also heart breaking some were innocents forced into a world of crime to survive while others were just outright criminals, some lived to their 80’s and 90’s some did not make it past 20.   This was the end for us at the Port Arthur Historic Sites we thoroughly enjoyed these moments and now look forward to other adventures.

Our next destination was to be the Coal Mines which meant a short drive to Norfolk Bay the ruins here are quite substantial and there are 3 sites where they can be reached by vehicle or on foot.  We visited the area with the underground workings, barracks and housing were situated it was amazing and some of the underground tunnels had been rebuilt or fixed so there was an opportunity to walk into them, others were filled in.  the prison cells were mainly collapsed with only some restoration.  Our last visit to the main shaft, which was also filled in, gave us a final chance to imagine the hardship in these mines.

Wednesday 7^th March 2018 – Day 4 Port Arthur

We woke to a perfect weather today and we were excited as this was also another cruise day, Eaglehawk Neck to Tasman Island and then into Port Arthur.  We were very lucky the weather was just right for the trip to go the full distance as most times the boats have to return back the same way they go down, we were very lucky.  The cruise goes out into the Tasman Sea follows the coast to Tasman Island, would have to say this is one of the most wonderful sea trips we have ventured to do, the natural rock caves and formations are something else, so awesome.  The bird life we were able to also see along the way was fantastic, cormorants, albatross, penguins, seagulls, sea eagles, terns and pacific gulls.  The Australian sea lion, fur seals and leopard seals all lazing around on the rocks just a wonder sight.

After this wonderful trip we had a quick lunch then decided to venture off to the Remarkable Cave which is about 5km from Port Arthur and it truly lives up to its name.  A path and quite a few steps led down to this beautiful cave, although it was low tide we could still see the ocean through the hole in the cave, a spectacular sight well worth the walk.

Maingon Bay Lookout another coastal view of the ocean and well worth taking the time for a visit.  We called into Nubeena to buy some groceries on our way back to our caravan and the lady serving us suggested we go to White Beach just around the corner from the shop and would have to say were not disappointed.  The sand was pure white, very clean and clear we have noticed this on quite a few of the beaches around Port Arthur let’s hope it stays this way.

Thursday 8^th March 2018 – Day 5 Port Arthur

A trip to Eaglehawk Neck to catch up with more convict history, the infamous “Dog Line”.  This was a line of ferocious dogs and a detachment of military guards once kept a constant watch along the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck.  They were on the lookout for escaped convicts from Port Arthur.  Today there is a statue of a dog and his kennel, there is also the military station setup in 1832 and this is thought to be the oldest military building in Australia.

Further up the road from this point we visited the tessellated rocks at Eaglehawk Neck and we were very lucky here as these can only be seen at low tide and again we timed this well.  The structures are amazing it is like someone has gone through the surface rock with a knife and made all even cuts in the rocks, amazing and when walking around the tidal animals can be seen moving around and the sea weed growing in the shallows.

More exploring to do our first stop Tasman Arch from the land side of this formation, it is also spectacular but much better from the sea side very happy we saw this one formation from both sides.  Devils Kitchen unfortunately the tide was low therefore there was not much happening here and due to the growth of the vegetation it was hard to see the gully of the sight.  Our next place to visit was the blowhole and again we were not expecting much due to the low tide but with a bit of patience we eventually saw a spray come through the hole in the rock and give us a performance.  There was a portable van near this site with coffee and food and this proved quite popular also the only amenities around.

Friday 9^th March 2018– Orford Day 1

Moving onto another part of Tasmania starting to move up the east coast.  We have booked into the Orford Beach Caravan Park and this is a reasonable new park. 

We set up fairly quickly then took a drive into Triabunna we needed to check out the trip to Maria Island for the next day and make sure our booking for the boat was good as we made this online.  We called into the Visitors Centre and it was excellent we picked up our tickets immediately and ready to go the next day.

Back to the caravan park then went for a walk as there is a beach across the road, Raspins Beach.   This beach also had white sand with lots of different shells, there were a pair of oyster catchers in and out of the water their obvious red pointed beaks give them away, they are a lovely bird.  Up along further where the channel goes into towards the shore we could see some funny shaped humps so we went to investigate and found these were down both sides of the channel.  These are manmade to keep the sand from moving into the channel and choking it up stopping the boats from coming in and or out, it seems a great idea.  Back to the caravan and we decided to go to the very small Golf Club next to the caravan park for dinner, no dinner choices here, we got roast lamb and veg or roast lamb and veg it was quite funny but would have to say very large and very tasty meal. w

Saturday 10^th March 2018 - Orford Day 2

Our trip to Maria Island started from Triabunna, we boarded the ferry at 9.30am for our arrival on Maria Island by 10.0am.  We were quite surprised by the number of people boarding with camping gear and bicycles everything taken on board like this had to be tagged, but if you are going over for the day only a ticket is required. Tickets for going and returning to and from Maria Island are purchased at the Visitors Centre in Triabunna it is a quick run over the bay.

Maria Island is run by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and there are no shops on this island.  All visitors to the island must take their own food and water whether staying for any length of time or just for the day.  On approach to the island into Darlington Bay the first buildings seen are the cement silos from long ago and the Commissariat Store where someone is waiting to offer information for your walks and bicycle rides.

As it was low tide when we arrived we headed for the Painted Cliffs as it is known on Maria Island, this is the best time to visit.  The walk was a little arduous for us up and down hill quite a bit over a rocky surface but really worth the effort, about 2.2km one way.  We walked through Darlington then past Magistrates Point down to Hopground Beach and it is at the end of this beach the cliffs can be found.  The tide was not completely out and we had to be careful with our footing as some of the rocks were slippery, once around the corner the colours were spectacular.

We had a bit of a rest then morning tea we returned by the road on the way visiting a very old wooden house built in 1924 by Mr Howells and this is known as Howells Cottage.  The house is completely made from timber packing boxes, the side walls and roof and covered with old newspapers of the time, some still remaining.  Out the back is an old brick (convict size bricks) chimney still in its original way, just amazing you could feel how it would be like once inside this amazing house.

There is an Oast House but we did not venture here as we felt we would not have enough time to see everything else.  On our way back to Darlington we visited another house Ruby Hunts Cottage this lonely little house looks over Darlington Bay as well as the house other sheds and outhouses were still standing it looked so lonely sitting there on the hill by itself.

The Darlington historic township was also amazing this is recognised as the best example of a convict probation station in Australia, and one of 11 sites that form the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.

The convict station was established in 1825 and was on the island for 7 years the focus was on punishment and reform through hard labour, religious instruction and education.  The buildings are limed washed and there were up to 500 convicts at the peak of accommodation.

Today the Penitentiary is used for accommodation with dorms for six persons and kitchen, the old bakery is still standing with openings in the walls where the ovens had been, and the building next to this is used as a toilet area, the Convict Mess Hall has history displays and a geological diorama.  For the enthusiasts and fit visitors there are several walks to Mount Bishop and Clerk and Mount Maria this is where the bicycle would be handy to get around quickly when there is only a short time to be on the island.  We had a wonderful day.

Sunday 11^th March 2018 – Orford Day 3

Our final day at Orford we decided to take a drive to Oatlands this was not planed due to noisy, loud obnoxious campers behind us we decided to have a getaway for the day.  Warning stay away from holiday places during long weekends or public holidays as the RED NECKS are let loose. This is a must-see place in Tasmania.

The drive was good it took only about an hour drive and we were very surprised when we arrived at this beautiful old town.  It has the largest collection of sandstone Georgian buildings in Australia, there is a very quaint village feel to the place.

Just by looking around there has been farming and still is, convicts and military, gaol and the old houses have been converted into cafes, galleries and retail outlets with the original buildings still like they were many years ago. We had coffee and pancakes at a lovely little shop in the main street and you felt you were seeing back in time really loved it.

We parked the car and walked around the streets absorbing the feel and the vintage of this town, Southern Midlands Council Chambers, The Commissariat, St Peter’s Anglican Church, St Paul’s Catholic Church, Oatlands House and much more.  At Dulverstone Lake where the old Callington Mill used to work and is now closed, Dulverstone Lake is home to numerous birds both land and water.

Monday 12^th March 2018 – Bicheno Day 1

We had a great drive from Orford to Bicheno as this was a Monday of a long weekend most of the traffic was coming toward us and more or less had our side of the road to ourselves.

We stopped at Swansea for a cuppa this is a lovely little town quite a few cafes and eateries.  At Swansea we phoned the Bicheno East Coast Caravan Park where we had booked into as we had read they have late checkout and other caravanners booked and have turned up early have had to wait until their site has been cleared.  We were lucky our site was cleared and we could come in straight away it would be another half hour to Bicheno so we were pleased with the result.

The site was against the back fence it was a good place except a full slab it was only two tracks for the tyres and this proved a bit tricky to get the wheels of the caravan to where they should be after a little toing and froing we made it on the concrete, the grass is almost non-existent as this site must be used regularly.

We settled in quickly and decided to have a look at the blow hole along the shoreline and some more coastal spots this afternoon.  As it was low tide the blow hole was not working as should be but the walk around was lovely, the smooth rounded rocks and the algae (orange) growing on the rocks made for spectacular colour.

The next little spot on the shoreline was “The Gulch” where a small fish and chip shop was set up and a small island called Governor Island Marine Reserve as not too far off shore.  Following further around we visited Waubs Bay this was also a beautiful bay with the sun out the colour of the water was so clear.  Driving a little further along this time on the main road turning down a minor road to Redhill Beach this also was a beautiful beach always with the smooth rocks and very white sand we took a couple of photos.  As we thought of leaving we were approached by a young couple mentioning that if we had the time to go for a walk along the beach about 1.5 to 2.kms we would come across a sand isthmus, while it was still low tide, where we could walk over to Diamond Island where there were lots of burrows of a penguin colony.  We did not have to think about this too much and off we went, luckily the sand was hard making the walking easier.

The sand was so white and as we approached the isthmus it looked stunning with water lapping it either side very clear blue/green colour we were ever so happy we were told about this site we would never have found it. 

The Island has strict rules, absolutely no dogs, and keep off the areas where there a penguin burrows.  There is plenty of room to walk around the rocks on the shore and then walk up toward the penguin burrows, just so beautiful.  Back into Bicheno and the caravan.

Back at the caravan doing more setting up and making our space comfortable Gil noticed one of a caravan tyres had a big split through the rubber down to the wire which was exposed this meant trouble we had to get a new tyre.  After making enquiries at the park office we were advised the nearest tyre place was at St Helens being one hour from Bicheno and as this was a public holiday there was no way we could get this fixed today.

Tuesday 13^th March 2018 – Bicheno Day 2

We removed the tyre from the caravan with a little bit of trouble as we only wanted to get the van jacked up enough off the ground to wriggle this off safely.  The tyre place where we had to go was not opened until 8.00am and we eventually waited to 8.15am to phone.  We were in luck yes bring it up and they had a tyre in stock we could buy immediately, great news.

After debating whether we would stay at St Helens or return straight away we decided to stay and do what we would have done in a couple of days’ time anyway.  The tyre was done asap and we were on our way our first stop was to Binalong Bay, we were overawed by this pristine beautiful bay, dotted with white sandy beaches, the water so clear he rocks around the bay are big round smooth sandy coloured with the orange algae giving these monsters a spectacular look.

From Binalong Bay we could see a few motor homes dotted in amongst the trees on the far side of the bay and after going out to The Gardens we discovered this is how they came into these areas.

Now we were off for the drive along the Bay of Fires we headed for The Gardens which is the furtherest point you could drive and this did not disappoint.  Along the road were turnoff points to go to the edge of the bay we decided to keep driving and call into some on the way back.  We passed Jeanneret Beach, Swimcart Beach, Cosy Corner, Seaton Cove and Taylors Beach and along the way we passed through Sloop Lagoon and Big Lagoon then up to The Gardens.

It is hoped all the people who camp and use this beautiful bay really do the right thing with their waste etc to keep this in its pristine state in years to come as only the users will destroy it.

Wednesday 14^th March 2018 – Wineglass Bay Day 3

Today was to be an exciting day we were looking forward to our boat tour around Wineglass Bay, this included a light lunch and buying own drinks is required.

This tour was magnificent we started off at Coles Bay and on the way out we had these magnificent mountains beside us Mt Parsons 331m, Mt Baudin 413m, Mt Dove 485m, Mt Amos 454m and Mt Mayson 415m they were mighty and awesome and it showed where some of this granite had been cut away in years gone by for commercial use but no longer viable.

As we got further around the boat passes through the Schouten Passage between Cape Degerando and Schouten Island the landscape here changes to rugged cliffs and caves which have become worn in the rock face, it makes amazing landscape the boat makes its way up behind the Freycinet National Park until it eventually moves into Wineglass Bay, where it can be certainly seen this Bay is protected the waters are calmer and here the boat is stopped anchored so we can all have lunch, very peaceful.  Lunch consisted of a small cheese platter, variety of cold meats and relish, lettuce, tomato and a sweet mostly handmade chocolate e.g. rocky road or Turkish delight and they also cater for dietary needs.

On the way to Wineglass Bay we were lucky to see some dolphins in the distance playing in the wake of the boat also a couple of albatross.

After lunch we were to have another exciting time with these dolphins and they were very playful riding along beside the boat playing in the wash also stirring up the albatross where we saw about half dozen birds with the dolphins playing around with them it was so good, nature at its best.

After returning back to the car we drove up to Cape Tourville to the lighthouse where a spectacular view over the bay could be seen, a great boardwalk was in place and this made walking around the point very easy with beautiful views.

Another wonderful day we had the east coast of Tasmania is beautiful with its bays and sand but so is the west with the beautiful rainforests.

Thursday 15^th March 2018 – Swansea Day 4

Today we back tracked to Swansea, on our way to Bicheno we had a quick stop and always said we would return when we had a spare day.  We called into the Spiky Bridge which was built by convicts in 1843 this bridge now is a bridge to nowhere but it was once part of the road, cattle used to cross this bridge and it is thought this is why the spikes are up in the air to stop the animals from falling over the side??  This bridge is certainly unique.

On the other side of the road is Spikey Beach this has quite a bit of sand and some rocks and it is surrounded by what looks like could have been grazing land, rocks along the beach attracting lots of bird life.

Another beach just another half kilometre towards Swansea is Cressey Beach this was very much like Spikey Beach but this had quite a few shells like the fan shell shape, conch shells and normal shape shells very pretty, this was another good beach with rocky outcrops further up the beach.

Back to Swansea had a late morning tea early lunch then back to the caravan park to do the domestic chores, washing.

Friday 16^th March 2018 – Bicheno Day 5

Today was a rest day and catch up with notes and all the little chores that needed doing.  We have been out every day since we started so we gave ourselves a rest today and it is rainy so that is another reason to stay off the road.

Saturday 17^th March 2018 – Bicheno Day 6

Today started off a little better with the sun trying to peek through the clouds and we felt this could be a good day to dry out our caravan screens and the ground.  We went for a little drive around Bicheno just to get outside for a short while, we discussed going into Apsley Gorge and thought we would give this a go, we drove in a short way over a small creek then the road became quite rough and being dirt after all the rain was very rough, we decided to give this a miss it was not worth damaging the car.  Back into Bicheno we then went to the “Gulch” bought fish and chips for lunch where out the back of the little shop we sat and had a wonderful view of the channel, ate our tasty lunch then decided to go back to the caravan as the day weather wise deteriorated again.

Sunday 18^th March 2018 – Bicheno Day 7

This is our last day at Bicheno and would have to say we are happy to leave, with the weather not so good we had, had enough.  Today again started well weather wise so we pull down our caravan screens, washed the mesh mat which was covering the dirt in our awning and generally started to pack up for leaving the next day.  Almost having everything completed the sky turned black, the wind came in and down came the rain, one big rush to get the awning up and get inside, this lasted around and hour then the weather cleared again, Bicheno four seasons in one day.  Finally had everything we wanted tucked away ready for leaving the next day.  These are the times you need a good book or hobby to soak up the hours.

Monday 19^th March 2018 – Launceston Day 1

A trip to St Helens to have the other tyre on the caravan replaced, this would give us two tyres the same and make the caravan better balanced.

Now we could get on our way to Launceston, we needed to back track down the coast to the turn off to St Marys then overland to the Midland Highway.  There was a little cloud but the wind was very strong and we knew it would be a slow drive.  There were beautiful old towns we passed along the way Oatley, Fingal and Avoca on reaching the junction of the Esk Highway and Midland Highway the very small community of Conara.  This highway was excellent with more widening happening and much of this road four lanes.  Lots of farms along the way sheep being the majority industry, we drove through the beautiful town of Perth and it was not until we were around 5 kilometres from Launceston where it became noticeable we were getting close to a large city, Tasmania is very rural on all levels even close to the large towns.

Our wonderful NAVMAN got us through the outskirts of Launceston to our caravan park at Legana, we were lucky here even though we had a site selected for us we were able to change this so we were a little closer to the amenities as the last two parks we stayed at this was a bit of a chore in distance it was nice to be a bit closer.  Our site is very good very level and on gravel, no dirt.

Tuesday 20^th March 2018 – Launceston Day 2

The weather is now good and we had organised a cruise up the Tamar River today.   Parking in Launceston is not good we needed to work this out and found paying for parking all day works out to be cheaper.  There are quite a few all-day car parks around Launceston and it is very easy to walk around this city.

We parked in the all-day car park near the Tamar river where the cruise was to start this worked out well for us.  The cruise was a slow run up the river with the captain giving a great explanation on the workings and happenings of the Tamar river system.  The bird life is just amazing there are so many different water birds living along this wonderful river and the population of Launceston certainly uses this for their water sport, boats of all shapes and sizes, many of them under sail.  The passengers on the cruise were offered morning tea or coffee, muffins, fruit and a wine tasting on the return journey.

The tour also ventured up the North Esk and South Esk rivers which feed into the Tamar. We went under the Kings bridge and up a little way into the Cataract Gorge

After this trip we left the car at the carpark and caught one of the free buses which goes around the city.  The bus service is good but more information on how this service works would have been good, as according to the bus stop indicator boards the information indicates the need for changing different buses to different areas and have a different colour, this is not true the same bus does the run all day, the tiger bus and this is just the one colour, that of a tiger.  We were left stranded for half an hour not knowing what to do until a local helped us out this is not good for tourists.  We should have stayed on the bus we originally boarded.

To get back to the car we decided to walk back this was not a long walk once we worked it out.  After reaching the car we decided to visit the wetlands near where are staying at Legana, a very interesting set up.  There is a little shop with books and information on the birds and the boardwalks which are quite extensive over the islands of the wetlands.  We did not complete the whole circuit due to starting late in the day and it was getting quite cold so we have decided to return another time but in the morning. On our return back along the boardwalk Gil spotted a Copperhead snake curled up basking in the sunshine, we took a few photos and left it to enjoy the limited sun.

Wednesday 21^st March 2018 – Launceston Day 3

Today we visited City Park we left the car at the Museum Carpark $3 for the whole day was a little cheaper than the Tamar River Car Park.  We walked to the park which would have been around 5 minutes, it was a wonderful park the trees were original specimens, so strong and tall beautiful gardens a particular dahlia garden in full bloom of various types and colours and a glass house indoor garden just wonderful again showing off various plants of various colours mixed together to give the viewer a wonderful garden perspective.

Just on the edge of grounds at the entry near the gate are the rooms for the local radio station – City Park Radio – in two rooms were old radio pieces, some big furniture pieces down to the very small portable transistor radios, dating from the 1930’s up to 1970’s absolutely wonderful, it brought back some old memories.

We did a complete walk of the park and found there is an area where Macaque Monkeys in an open-air enclosure this was wonderful, they are very funny creatures and some of the small children watching them were truly enjoyed, it was something different and enjoyable.

On returning to the car we decided to walk up William Street where Boags Brewery is situated this is another row of buildings that shows off the history of Launceston, established in the 1800’s and still going today.

Back to the carpark collecting the car and heading north towards Grindelwald as we drove along the road we noted the turn off to Notley Fern Gorge and as this was one of the places we wanted to visit we took the turn off,13kms from the main road.  The road is sealed but mainly narrow and winding through farmland.  This gorge is mainly an area where a convict by the name of Brady hid out in the trunk of one of the large trees about a fifteen-minute walk along the bush track.  The loop track to the gorge takes around and hour and is quite steep with several stairs so we did not attempt this as we felt it would be too difficult for us.  We did not return the way we drove in and decided to head out toward Exeter and part of this road was dirt but good to drive on.

We then drove to Grindelwald this was an amazing place the houses were behind a golf course and it was noted they were quite expensive we also went into a parking area where there was a motel and a Putt Putt golf course well laid out and through an archway shops and eateries like a small German Village is was quaint.

Back onto the Highway again we came across Brady’s Lookout which was really well set up on the left-hand side off the highway and this overlooked the Tamar River it was a spectacular view.

When we were on our Tamar River cruise we noticed a road ran right along the shoreline of the river as we were in the right area we decided to look further and find where this started.  At Lanena there is a turnoff to the right to Blackwall, Gravelly Beach, Swan Point and Deviot and then the road returns up to the highway.  All these small little river frontages had quite a few homes where there was some permanent homes and others looked like holiday cottages an obvious spot for summer for the fishermen and boat lovers.  Driving along the shoreline was really beautiful.  When we reached Deviot, we could see the new Batman Bridge in the distance so we drove along and found a dirt road which went underneath one of the stanchions it was just amazing the size of this stanchion holding up this wonderful bridge.

Thursday 22^nd March 2018 – Launceston Day 4

Cataract Gorge we have been looking forward to today for a while we had already driven to the Gorge the previous day to check the right roads and the lay of the carpark, we are a bit quirky in that we just don’t take a chance on some of the things we need to see especially when we are in a new environment. 

The road is good great signage to the Cataract Gorge and a large carpark for both cars and tow-vehicles, we were greeted by the local peacocks which wander around.  The whole layout of the Gorge is wonderful whether the need for just walking or taking other ways of getting around.

We had already decided we would take the scenic chairlift as the walks are quite steep in places and this would be a new experience here as the chair lift has not been in all that long, when paying for this you need to decide whether you would like to do a return trip also as payment is made for both at this stage ($12 each return).  The chairlift is situated at the bottom of the car park and very easy, the chairlift moves very slowly this makes it easy to take in the view, just wonderful going across the gap to the restaurant/kiosk where we were greeted by the local wallabies and potoroos and more peacocks, after departing from the chair lift it is an easy walk to the suspension bridge and or walk down the cliff face originally built in the 1890’s, of the gorge.  The gardens are also awe inspiring we were so happy we made this a priority on our trip.  There is also the Inclinator which can take people to the top this is like a caged in lift.

We walked down the left-hand side of the gorge from the kiosk side as this is the best all sealed path and not as steep and up and down as the other side.  The cascades, rock formations are just wonderful and we were able to walk as far as the boat did a turn at the, (Kings Bridge 1867), on our Tamar River Cruise, so we had perspective from land and water really great.

The Suspension Bridge is wonderful walking to the middle gives a fabulous view up the gorge showing off more cascades and waterfalls it does have a bit of movement at this stage but not too bad, although we did worry too much, some people were a little disconcerted with this movement of the suspension bridge.  If there is one place to visit in Launceston it has to be the Gorge!

Further up the gorge where there used to be a power plant and now being changed into an Interpretation Centre as Launceston grew the demand was too much for this Power Station to cope and is now closed, this has become a great tourist attraction.

Friday 23^rd March 2018 – Launceston Day 5

We headed north today starting up the West Tamar side of the river where there are many vineyards, then crossing over the Tamar on the Batman Bridge to the east side of the river.  The Batman Bridge is the first cable stayed bridge in Australia built between 1966 and 1968, it is an awesome bridge.  We were heading for George Town and Low Head two northern towns of Tasmania looking over Bass Strait.  We drove through George Town and appreciated the heritage this town has kept alive, beautiful old homes and buildings in great condition.  Windmill Point and carvings made by Eddie Freeman with his chain saw and chisel on old pines at East Beach, to create George Towns maritime history.

The Watch House we spent quite a lot of time here speaking to the curator and listening about the stories of the convicts.  The wonderful early 19^th century convict model village made by a of 91 plus year old local lady and bonnet display in memory of all female convicts, organised by artist Christina Henri with the help of many groups around the world, for the female years of quarantine and the hardship.

We drove out to the Low Head Pilot Station this painted a beautiful picture of white buildings and red roofs, built in 1805 and the oldest working Pilot Station in Australia and we were lucky to see the pilot boat arrive while we were on the shoreline.  One of the buildings has been converted into a café so we decided to have lunch here very simple and very tasty.  After lunch we headed to the Low Head Light House where the Tamar River enters Bass Strait, great views along the coast the Light House was built in 1888 it is fully automated today.   Down by the rocky shoreline the penguins have a rookery where tours are organised at night.

There is the Foghorn back from the early days, it had been out of action for a number of years but an enthusiast has had this restored over time and it is sounded every Sunday at 12 noon being one of the only “G” diaphones in the world. 

Our final visit was to the Mount George Lookout.  The road is narrow, windy and sealed all the way to the top there is mention of a boardwalk which still exists but due to lack of work in keeping the area open from overgrown vegetation the board walk can hardly been seen and there is no longer a view from this area.  There has been an eagle hawk lookout made from steel with steps that wind up to a small landing which looks out over the point, Telstra also has a tower here.

We were going to head south but as our day took longer than we thought we headed back to Legana and the caravan.

Saturday 24^th March 2018 – Launceston Day 6

Campbell Town visit today we were trying to get this done yesterday but ran out of time and we knew the weather was not going to be good today and it was raining all day.  We don’t let the weather worry us if we can get some site seeing done so off we went to Campbell Town this is located towards Hobart south of where we were staying.

Although this town is on the convict trail it does not get the identity of some of the other towns along the way.  Would have to say this is a very pretty town with lots of history.  The beautiful Red Bridge completed in 1838 made out of bricks, with every brick made by hand by convicts originally made for horse and cart now carries over 2 million vehicles a year and is still standing with very little repair work needed to keep this in order.  The workmanship on this bridge must be outstanding.  Like Low Head this old town has wood carving near the bridge that depict an era of time for Campbell Town.  We drove around the streets and would have to say the houses left from the early years are in great condition and many are lived in today. 

We went to the visitor centre where we had very good talk to the curator, Campbell Town has started a theme by using bricks made for any family who call in and may have a convict who came to Australia.  It is a gesture that can be taken up or not, buy a brick for $20 and inscribed on the brick is the name of the convict, the boat on which they arrived from England and the date, Julianne put her name down for interest and will be contacted later about this idea, Campbell Town residents have these bricks in the footpath but room is becoming limited and now they are thinking of building a wall.

Unfortunately, the rain decided to rage its fury and we had to leave, our day in Campbell Town, despite the weather was very enjoyable.

Sunday 25^th March 2018 – Launceston Day 7

This was a rest day today the rain overnight and this morning was not good.  The sun finally came out around lunchtime we went to stock up for food before eventually leaving Tasmania.  The wind came in and this helped dry out some of sides and awning on the van.  This was packed up to as much as we could so we could leave Legana tomorrow morning and move to Gowrie Park.

Monday 26^th March 2018 – Gowrie Park Day 1

We left Legana around 8.30am as we wanted to get to Gowrie Park Wilderness Village and also fit in some touring around.

Once we were out of Launceston we had a good run, as normal we did our planning where the roads on which we had to drive to find our destination and this worked out well.  Stopping at Sheffield for a coffee extended our travelling time, why not, we arrived at Gowrie Park around 11.30am, this location has the Roland Mountain looking down on the park a giant of a background.  The wind was blowing a gale it was a struggle to have a door open as it felt it was going to get ripped out of our hands and the rain was blowing sideways.  The weather forecast was for this to abate by mid afternoon and we were certainly hoping this would happen.  After setting up and doing our usual tour of the caravan park to find all the facilities we had some lunch. 

The King Solomon Caves was our destination this afternoon after looking up the tour times for the caves we left around 1.15pm for a 2.30pm tour although it was only a thirty five minutes to drive if we had of gone straight there.  We always take our time if we leave early, stopping at places along the way and today was no different.  The Round Mt Lookout a wonderful view over the valley and waterpipe line over the mountains.  Along the road were logging areas and replanting of new trees for regrowing, the beautiful Mersey River showing off cascades and waterfalls on both sides of the bridge, even travelling along the road waterfalls and run offs can be seen, just beautiful. 

We finally arrived at the caves around 1.45pm knowing we had to wait, there is a very pretty walk of ferns, man ferns (tree ferns) of a great height and the wonderful stringy bark and other beautiful gums reaching for the sky, real giants.  The path took us to the undercover waiting area where tickets can be purchased and the entry to the cave.

We were soon into the cave this was quite interesting although it was not as big as some of the other caves we had visited on our touring around Tassie. Our guide was not up to the standard we have been use to with a soft voice and being at the rear of 20 people could not here her and her conversations were with the front people only, but a top viewing cave.

Tuesday 27^th March 2018– Gowrie Park Day 2

Another cave visit day today we needed to be at the Marakoopa Cave by 10.00am it was only a three quarter of an hour drive and we knew it was close to Mole Creek.  We are usually thorough in working out roads we need to drive on to get to our destination and today we were a little slack but we did know it was near Mole Creek.  As usual we were discussing other items along the way and we arrived in Mole Creek and realised we had taken an incorrect turn off as these particular caves were not really in Mole Creek itself but an outer area.  We needed to back track and found the time we had to get to the caves now was very slim after organising to take our time the first place, lesson learnt always organise the destination correctly!!!!

We did make it to the caves with 2mins to spare but did not realise after getting our ticket we had to jump in the car and drive to another car park we did eventually get to the group going into the cave a minute late.

The Marakoopa Cave is just wonderful, beautiful, fantastic not enough adjectives to describe it.  The wonderful formations are awesome and when you listen to the guide telling you it takes millions of years for these to form time becomes a big confusion just to think about it. Our guide was very informative about the cave and its history. His voice was loud and we all were included in his talks.

As we had to rush in at the beginning of the tour we took our time when we came out to enjoy the short walk back to the car through the beautiful  rainforest of man ferns (tree ferns), giant gum trees and mosses over fallen logs just beautiful.

Back to the car and off we went to Sheffield the town of murals in fact this particular weekend (Easter 2018) there is the mural fest, we did notice a lot of cleaning up and putting up items in parks for the festival and Easter.

We had a coffee and some lunch then decided to walk around and visit some of the local shops, The Marble Shop was our first visit with Gil in awe of the beautiful marbles, as a young boy he had and still has a very large tin of marbles.  We decided to get one specially made for one of our grandson’s who is a big footy fan in the colours of his favourite team, it was amazing we ordered this in the middle of the day and the proprietor had it ready for us the next day, great work.

Another shop no one should miss if visiting Sheffield is The Emporium this has everything that was made before 1980’s even the proprietor has a different way to dress and present himself truly worth a visit.

We visited a couple of clothing shops and all these were built in the early 1900’s and they still look the same with the clothes presented on the racks the old-fashioned way like we were young, really interesting.

The murals around the town are quite interesting people from all walks of life, farming, blacksmiths working there are many more well worth visit to this lovely town.

We decided to a take a drive to Lake Barrington then return to Gowrie Park.  This was a beautiful drive through the countryside lots of farms especially sheep with beautiful green hills it is so picturesque.  Lake Barrington is a beautiful large lake, 20 kilometres long and it is an artificial lake 40 kilometres from Devonport, built on the beautiful Forth River in 1969 to provide a head of water for the Devils Gate Power Station.  It is also used for most water sports, rowing, fishing, water skiing and canoeing.

Wednesday 28^th March 2018 – Ulverston Day 1

Our trip to Tasmania is coming to and end we are on our way to Ulverston Apex Caravan Park, Picnic Point and from here we will be getting on the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry to return to the mainland in 5 days.

The caravan park is divided into two sections just over the rail line where the office is found is the lower section of this park with a road running along the outside fence of this part of the park allows you to drive up to the hill section which is where have decided to stay.  This is very beautiful we are against the back fence with a view to the beach after being inland for some time it is wonderful to be on the coast.  There is a very new amenities block with all unisex toilets and showers and disabled for both, a beautiful camp kitchen and laundry.  Although the old amenities are still here it won’t be for long it is getting taken down in three weeks. 

This is the Easter Weekend so we do not know whether this will be busy, not many caravans in this section at the moment.  We set up and we needed to put all our screens up, since leaving Launceston we have not been able to dry them out so this gave a great opportunity to do this with a sunny, windy day.

Had something small to eat then went down to the beach which is also called Picnic Point Beach, it was very low tide and this exposed rocks, they are quite sharp to walk upon so we did not go far.  The seabirds are plentiful gulls, cormorants and the southern giant petrel, albatross in the distance and plovers walking along the sandy shores.  Penguins have been known to come ashore where we are staying so we will be keeping an eye open for an opportunity to see these beautiful birds.  The tides appear to be quite big in this area as low tide was quite a long way from the shore.

Thursday 29^th March 2018 – Ulverston Day 2

Off to the Dove Lake Circuit in Cradle Mountain today.  We decided to start early from Ulverston we did not take the back roads although this was shorter in kilometres but winder narrow roads, we went to Burnie turned onto Massey Green Drive to Ridgley passed the Waratah turnoff then turned toward Cradle Mountain, this was longer in kilometres but faster as we travelled along straighter better roads.

Arriving at the Cradle Mountain car park and very surprised by the number of vehicles already at the centre.  We were thinking of driving down to the bottom car park to the start of the walk, after going into the Visitor Centre we changed our minds and very glad we did.

We already had our pass for the National Park but it is necessary to have this checked at the booking desk to make sure it includes Cradle Mountain and also get shuttle bus tickets, this is what we decided to do instead of driving to the bottom car park.  The shuttle buses run every 15mins and it was a wise decision the road is extremely narrow and we would have been very nervous taking the car down to this carpark in fact we are of the opinion they should close this road to cars.  We decided to have a coffee and something to eat before we started our walk which was going to take at least 2.5 to 3 hours or more for us for this 6km walk.

The shuttle buses take about 24 people and they are very quick (10 minutes) we were at the lake in no time.  It is very important to visit the toilet facilities before you start as there are no toilets around the lake.

We took the clockwise track and would have to say this was absolutely beautiful the track is good, has some steps but not to hard we walked over well-maintained boardwalk and gravel track.  The vegetation is rainforest in some parts and there was a couple of off shoot boardwalks down to the edge of the lake and being this close the cleanliness and clear water was beautiful.

There were quite a few camera stops which adds to the time to get around the lake and stopping and speaking to other walkers.  The only hard part of the walk came on the anti-clockwise side of the lake where there is an incline of stone steps and decline the other side, some of the steps were a bit high especially if you have short legs!!!!   Once we arrived at the boat shed we knew we were close to the end this is a particularly beautiful spot.  We were very proud of ourselves we finished this walk in 3.25 hours a high five for us.

We took our time driving back to the caravan park and would have to say our bodies were a little sore so into the showers as soon as possible to help with the aches and pains.  This particular time we are in Tasmania and its Easter and a long weekend so when we came back to our caravan we found the park had quite a few more tents and caravans being set up or already set up, we knew this could happen and we were a little disappointed but a lesson learnt for us maybe look at times of the year to travel.  Would have to say despite the number of people in the park there was no noise after 9.30pm we still enjoyed our stay here at the Apex Park.

Friday 30^th March 2018 – Ulverston Day 3

Earlier this morning we did some washing only necessary items needed to get us home.

Today was a catch up with family with Julianne’s sister and niece living here it was time to say gidday.   We had a beautiful dinner and a big catch up with everyone and during the day we took a drive around Penguin and Ulverston taking in the sites and getting to know the area, beautiful.

Saturday 31^st March 2018 – Ulverston day 4

This is our last official day in Tasmania and in summary we had a wonderful trip although the weather was in parts not the best we only had one item on our list we could not do and we did more than we planned.  This little island has a lot to offer the scenery is wonderful from west to east, compared to the mainland Australia is a little old and behind but quaint, beautiful and so diverse.  Tasmania is a place not to be missed.

We had lunch with Julianne’s sister today and a little sad to be leaving, will not discount never going back as we don’t know what is ahead of us, this is certainly a place to visit but at least two months to see most of what Tasmania has to offer.

Sunday 1^st April 2018 – Devonport Day 1

Up early this morning to get the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry back to the mainland , Melbourne Victoria first night then Gundagai New South Wales then home.