The end of eleven months in Tasmania.

Lake Burbury

The drive from New Norfolk reminds you that you are in Tasmania and not on the mainland, driving over the central highlands towing a large caravan means negotiating steep mountain roads that slow you down to around 20 km.

 Polluted Queen River (Queenstown)

After a night at Brady’s Lake and three at Lake Burbury and a quick stop over at Queenstown (nothing much to see there apart from the polluted river and barren landscape caused by the mining in the area) we arrived at Macquarie heads campsite 11 km out from Strahan. At $8.00 per night and set amongst tall tree ferns why would you want to stay at a caravan park!!!! While there Chris and I went on the Gordon river cruise which apart from cruising up the majestic Gordon river also takes you into Macquarie harbour and through Hells Gate (the name given by the convicts being sent to the Sarah Island penal settlement in the harbour).
After eight days in the Strahan area we travelled north to Wynyard via Hellyer Gorge.
Wynyard is a beautiful town which is over looked by Table Cape and Fossil Bluff.

Campsite at Macquarie Heads (Strahn)

Table Cape is famous for the tulip farm which exports tulips to the Netherlands and Fossil Bluff for the fossils found of giant marsupials.
The whole area is covered in rich volcanic soil that in turn supports a large agricultural community.

 Gordon River

After two days in Wynyard it was time to get to Arthur River on the rugged West coast via Stanley which also has a large land mark recognisable from a distance, ‘The Nut’ is the remains of a giant volcanic plug. The walk to the top is very steep but well worth it for the views of the surrounding area. A visit to Digg falls and the very old Digg tree (which is 62 m tall and has a circumference of 16m) was also not to be missed. The tree has been aged at around 400 years.

Tree Fern

Arthur River is very remote and seemed to always get the westerly winds blowing onto the mainland. The mouth of the Arthur River is also the area named by the locals as ‘The Edge of the World’ because if you were to travel from there in a westerly direction you would not come across another land mass until reaching South America approximately 8000 km away. Camp sites there are well managed by Parks and Wildlife which include flush toilets and water taps. While there I managed to catch two trout in the river mouth which soon became an evening meal.
Leaving Arthur River we back tracked along the Bass highway towards Burnie. As we found Wynyard so nice the first time we spent another two nights there to refill the water tanks and then made our way to a quaint little seaside town called Penguin, named after the little Fairy penguins that inhabit the area.

Hmmmmm

Our last campsite was 13 km south from Penguin at Riana, the best site we have come across while in Tasmania. The Pioneer Park was established by the locals and is meticulously maintained by them, with hot showers, BBQ’s, flush toilets and rubbish removal, all for only $8.00 per night. Just down the road you can visit the Wings wild life park (where we eventually got to see a Tasmanian devil), and Leven Canyon.
After 16 days there it was time to get to Devonport to catch the Spirit on Tasmania back to Melbourne.

 Stream near Montzuma falls

Our 11 month visit to Tasmania was an experience we will not forget. The people are the friendliest in Australia and could never do enough for you and with so little traffic it was easy to get from one point to another (if you don’t mind the mountain roads).
One day we will get back again to catch up with the friends we made while over there, but now it is time to move on and see the mainland for ‘Howeverlongittakes’.

The Nut

 Tulips on Table Cape

Digg tree

Edge of the world

Penguin

 Pioneer park

Leven Canyon

Tassie devil

 Sandy and Doug

Time to head South.

Since leaving Bicheno on the East coast of Tasmania five weeks ago we have become tourists again. In the four days at Lagoons beach we were not able to catch any fish which was surprising as in the past salmon have been jumping onto the hook. From there it was a three day stop over at Mayfield camp site with beautiful ocean views.
Taking a slow drive south we ended up at Steve and Sandy’s block at Levendale, which is about a one hour drive from Hobart. The first week there for me was spent mostly in the caravan trying to get over a bad dose of gastro which was finally sorted out with an injection to my rear. With that behind me (excuse the pun) i was then able to be more sociable.
A light dusting of snow one day reminded us that we were around the 600 meter mark and a log fire really makes all the difference.
After a great two weeks catching up and sampling different types of red and white wine in the evenings, it was time to make our way to Port Arthur.
Staying at the Dunalley hotel camp ground for three days we toured the Port Arthur convict site which was a real eye opener to the harsh times all those years ago when stealing just a loaf of bread at age seven meant being sent to the other side of the world. We also had a look at the ‘Dog line’ which was positioned along the very narrow strip of land a hundred meters long at the widest point, that separated the Port Arthur area from the rest of the mainland and was manned by viscous breeds of dogs that were able to run the length of chain to engage any would be escapees.
From Port Arthur it was off to Bruny Island. While there we went on the 'Yellow Boat cruise’. The cruise is on a purpose built boat which is powered through the sea with three 300 HP Mercury outboards. During the three hour tour we were shown the 295 meter cliff faces that abound in the area and the many sea caves caused by erosion from the pounding seas. A tight fit between two towering pinnacles at high speed was also done, twice for good measure. At the southern most part of the trip we pulled alongside 'The Friars' rock outcrop to have a look at a seal haulout where New Zealand and Australian fur seals spent the day in the sun. Upon leaving Bruny it was a three hour drive to Cockle Creek at the southern most tip of Tasmania. At this point we were closer to Antarctica than we were to Cairns in Queensland. The bush camping there was very well organised with many campsites scattered around, we also continually had wallabies hopping around the caravan during the evenings which Muffie tried to chase. The day before we left we did the four hour return (15.4km) walk/hike to South East Cape. A very rugged part of coast line miles from anywhere.
On the way back to civilisation we spent three days in the town of Franklin on the Huon river along with a couple of black swans and their four signets.
We are now at the New Norfolk caravan park just west of Hobart and intend to take a drive to Strathgordon to see the hydro electric dam setup on the Gordon River and then a day in Hobart to stock up on supplies before heading west towards Strahan.

At last,no more work,Lagoons beach.

The oldest bridge in Australia

Port Arthur

A jail bird

Another jail bird

Port Arthur from Mason cove

The Dog Line at Eagle Hawk Neck

Tasmans Arch

The Yellow boat cruise

The Monument

                                                                                                     

Seal haulout

This is as far south as you can go in Aussie

                                                                             

Part of the South Cape walk

                                                                                                           

One of the locals

South Cape

Franklin campsite

Strathgordon Dam

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                           

Moving on.



Dennis and Monica



Chris and i at Steve and Sandy's block at Levendale



Blackbacked salmon



Freycinet winery



Ben Lomond national park from Mathinna





Snow bunnies



Cradle mountain

Dove lake

Our new van



Inside



Since March we have been in Bicheno on the East coast of Tasmania.We have met some lovely people and are now nearly considered to be locals ourselves.It is definately the warmer part of Tassie during the winter period,however we still encountered the odd morning which produced very heavy frosts on the vineyards.
As work for Chris became less and less here in the caravan park she was able to join me at Freycinet vineyard in June.While i have been introduced to the art of pruning the vines ready for the next season Chris has been involved in 'thinning out' the old vines.A very labour intensive job which really makes you appreciate why a good drop costs so much.We are both suffering from numbness in our hands and painfull wrists,so you really work hard to earn the hourly salary of $19.50 Chris also managed to get back to Adelaide again for a week in June to see Declan who is now walking.
The new caravan was delivered on time and has really made a difference.A seperate shower and toilet means there is no longer the need to walk in the rain to go to the shower block,and a much larger fridge/freezer enables us to stock up,reducing the number of visits to the supermarket.While in Bicheno we have taken time to visit the Ben Lomond national park for a day and Cradle mountain for a weekend.On both visits we encountered snow and freezing conditions but had a great time.The fishing has gererally been good with catches of salmon and mullet off the rocks in Bicheno and at Lagoons beach 27km north of Bicheno,however i did manage to loose our mobile phone in the surf at Lagoons beach which became a costly days fishing !!!
So after nearly six months in Bicheno it will be time to move on.The plan is to spend a few days at Lagoons beach to hopefully restock the freezer with more fish and then travel down the coast towards Hobart,visiting friends at Levendale on the way.We have booked the 'Sprirt of Tasmania' for 3rd December to take us back to the mainland which gives us another three months to explore this beautiful part of Australia.