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.

Working hard

Griffin park

Pumphouse Bay

Longford caravan park

The Hazards from Rivers and Rocks

On the way to Evandale we camped at Griffin park for three nights.A great site tucked away in a valley surrounded by pine forests.Unfortunately the rain put paid to the pennyfarthing races in Evandale,however we did have a good time looking around this historic town.From there we headed into the highlands and spent a few days at Arthurs Lake at the Pumphouse camp ground.While in the area we visited the Great Lake and Waddamana power station that was opened early last century and is now a museum.
Arriving back at Longford Chris headed back to Adelaide for six days for Declans first birthday and had a great time catching up with everyone.During her time away i took the Jeep into Launceston to get the radiator looked at as the car was continually overheating going uphill towing the van.$1260.00 later the problem has been solved,a 3/4 blocked radiator.Chris arrived back on the Monday evening and on the Thursday we left for the Freycinet Peninsular and back at the River and Rocks bush camp ground also catching up with another couple we met there a few weeks earlier.
For the last five weeks we have been at the Bicheno East caravan park where Chris has a job cleaning units and i have been working at the Freycinet Winery,grape picking and general work around the processing plant.I have been offered two months work pruning over May and June also.We hope to have our new Owen A van delivered early June which has an onsuite shower and toilet,much better than our current van.After June we will slowly make our way down the East coast towards Hobart.

The East coast.



Yelow tailed black cockatoo

Ralph Falls

Swimcart beach,Bay of Fires

Evandale

Halls Falls

Four weeks ago we left the Latrobe area and headed East along the top part of Tasmania.Our first stop was in the Waterhouse Point area for four nights.A conservation park with many free camp sites avaliable,all walking distance from the beach.The fishing there was reasonable and the weather good.From there it was a one night stop over at Tommahawk caravan park and then we made our way South East to Weldborough where the local hotel offers campsites for $20.00 per night with warm showers,definately better than the 20L solar shower hanging from the shower tent in the middle of the bush.While there we drove around the area visiting Ralph falls on Mt Victoria and Halls falls,which were stunning,in the Blue Tier mountain range.
For the last three weeks have again been free camping at Swimcart beach,12km North of St Helens on the East coast.Another fantastic spot well worth the visit.With really good fishing off the beach and in Grant's lagoon we have had so many fish meals and the freezer is stocked too.
We are now slowly making our way to Evandale for the Penny farthing races on this weekend (18-19th Feb) via Lagoons beach and St Marys.

Finally :-)

Finally,we have starting our semi retirement.The last 13 days from 28th December 2010 to 9th January 2011 on the mainland,were spent in Melbourne at a friends house,which was strange getting used to the extra space,considering we have been living in the caravan for the last two months.

        

 

We arrived in Devenport,Tasmania yesterday (9/1/2011) on the Spirit of Tasmania 1 at 6.15pm.The crossing was smooth most of the way but after spending some time reading a book i soon turned a slight shade of green.
We are not rushing into any employment prospects straight away but will keep our nose's to the ground so to speak should anything come up that looks good.
It has been raining most of the day today and the forcast is for more to come so we are both catching up on neglected duties in and around the caravan and on the computer.

A toast to semi retirement

The caravan park we are staying at until tomorrow is basic to say the least,so we have made a booking at another one a few km's away that is right next to the Mersey river at Latrobe.