February 15th to 19th.

Monday 15^th February.

            The weather has turned quite nasty with high winds and rain so we decided to stay put at our overnight camp spot until lunch time. We then packed up and proceeded to Peter & Keri’s place which was only about 20 km’s away.

We located their house without any trouble and parked the motor-home in their backyard. Their house in on 2 acres but they also lease an adjoining paddock of similar size for extra space for their 4 miniature horses and a donkey.   

They also have a pig, a dozen or so ducks and two young boxer dogs.

Our arrival there was greeted with great excitement by the boxers as apparently they do not have a lot of exposure to visitors. They jumped all over Gail & I in sheer delight for at least ½ an hour. We had a walk around the property when it was time to feed all the animals. Ironically they have not had rain for months consequently everything is bone dry and their paddocks are looking very sad. However shortly after we arrived so did the rain, so we are now considered to be a good omen.

We had a very nice dinner with them and their daughter Sara who by now had arrived home. Roast Tasmanian lamb and a Greek salad went down very well with a nice glass of red wine.

We sat around the dinner table chatting for ages until it was time to retire to the motorhome for the night. It rained almost all through the night much to Peter’s delight who advised us that they had received 18 mm in the last 14 hours.

Tuesday 16^th February.

            We departed Adventure Bay around 10:00 am and drove directly to the Ferry on the north Island, a distance of around 35 km. The ferry takes 20 minutes to make the crossing to Kettering. We joined the Southern Outlet freeway at Kingston which made for a much quicker trip into Hobart.

A brief stop at the Showgrounds to refill water tanks, use the dump point for our grey and black water as well as depositing our accumulated rubbish in a bin. Note that there is no garbage collection on Bruny Island. An hotel employee at Alonnah had previously told us that they have to pay per bag to have their garbage picked up by a contractor and transported by ferry across to Kettering.

Our departure from Hobart was via the Bowen bridge at Glenorchy then via Risdon Vale, to Richmond where we stopped for lunch. Continuing on via Campania we joined Highway 1, the Midland Highway to Oatlands.

After parking the motor-home in the free camping area we walked around the small town of Oatlands. A combined Bakery, Café and Hotel lured us in for a coffee.

This establishment is quite unique in that it has a theme of old Errol Flynn and Marilyn Munro movies throughout. Every room (including the ladies and gent’s toilets) within the building is lined with memorabilia relating to all the films that these two Hollywood actors ever made.

Errol Flynn was born in Tasmania at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Hobart, the very same hospital as our own Rodney James was born. Flynn made a total of 53 movies in his acting career.

It is still quite windy and cold so we made a hasty retreat to the comfort of the motor-home.

Wednesday 17^th February.

            Prior to departure from our overnight camp I went for a walk to the adjoining flour mill complex and information centre. The very large windmill was and still is there for the sole purpose of providing the motive force to grind grain into flour production. The Callington Flour Mill was built in 1837 and today forms part of a cottage industry providing specialty flour to bakeries in Hobart and Launceston.

They also package by hand small quantities in 1 kg brown paper bags for retail sales through the adjoining information centre.

The lake where we were camped beside known as Lake Dulverton extends for about 1.75 km’s to the east and is largely covered by weeds. Interesting to note that over 100 years ago a local farmer devised a “Hydro glider” with a two blade propeller and armed with cutting blades enabled him to cut the masses of “weeds” in the lake.

The prevailing winds then deposited them on his property to the east, where they were used as fodder for fattening cattle. It is claimed they resulted in a 50% increase in milk supply.

We then moved on along the Midland highway to Ross where we walked around the town. Ross founded as a garrison in 1812, is a picturesque Georgian village with a wealth of convict associations and a rich pastoral and military history. The unique convict built Ross Bridge with its intriguing carvings is a must visit feature for photos.

A further 12 km to the north is the town of Campbell Town where we are staying in the free camping area beside a quaint little creek and dam.

Tasmania are certainly catering for the self-contained touring vehicles by providing a great number of RV friendly towns and locations.

Due to our relatively early arrival in Campbell Town we took the opportunity to set up our clothes line and catch up with some washing.

Blackberry bushes line the creek so we picked a large bowl full which Gail then stewed. For dinner we simply had a big bowl of these delicious blackberries combined with stewed apples (which we had picked a day or so back in the parking area in Richmond) and Greek yoghurt. There is nothing as enjoyable as fruit which has been hand-picked from beside the roadway, then cooked and eaten fresh, which was certainly the case here.

The last few days it has been quite windy, consequently our washing dried very quickly.

Thursday 18^th February.

            Today we travelled from Campbell Town to Launceston via the Symmons Plains car racing circuit which is where the V8 Supercars race in Tasmania.

The total distance from Campbell Town to Launceston is only 66 km’s. We are continually amazed how small Tasmania really is compared to travelling in say Queensland. Because of these relatively short travel days we find we arrive at our destination by mid-afternoon or earlier even taking time to do sight-seeing excursions along the way.

Upon reaching Launceston we first located our overnight camp area, “Old Mac’s Farm” in the suburb of Norwood. Although quite close to the CBD it is far enough away to have to drive the motor-home into the city. “Old Mac’s Farm” is an interesting location with fresh water lakes surrounding the camping areas and plenty of level grassed sites available. We discovered at least 100 other caravans and motor-homes upon our arrival. We selected a site which gave us easy access in and out as we plan to now drive to Aurora Stadium. The couple parked next to us advised that the caretaker generally came around each afternoon to collect the camping fee of $10.

This couple, Bob & Denise we found in conversation are very good friends of Don & Jan from the Shores. It certainly is a small world.

We placed our “Site Occupied” sign in the middle of our campsite and proceeded to Aurora Stadium which is adjacent to the CBD.

Why are we going to Aurora Stadium you may well ask?

Well, tonight Carlton are playing Hawthorn in the first round of the NAB Cup, so this visit was a definite must as far as we were concerned.

After parking early afternoon in the Aurora Stadium parking area we walked the short distance to the Launceston Showgrounds first so we have our bearings for the Ulysses AGM which is being held there from February 29^th.

We then walked into town, located the Esk (Boag’s) Brewery which we plan to visit for the factory tour in a week or so while we are at the Ulysses AGM.

Then back to the Stadium, purchased our reserved seating ticks ($25 each) and entered the stadium 2 hours before start of play. Considering that Carlton finished at the bottom of the table last footy season and Hawthorn were Premiers, Carlton acquitted themselves very well in a low scoring game. The final margin was only 23 points in Hawthorn’s favour. Gail thoroughly enjoyed the night game.

Another coincidence; the couple sitting next to us from Victoria are very close friends of Claire’s sister Marg’s daughter Pauline who live in Koondarook.

At the conclusion of the game we returned to the motor-home in the car-park and waited patiently for the bulk of the traffic to disperse before we drove back to “Old Mac’s Farm” for the night.

Friday 19^th February.

            As we now have 8 days before we need to be back in Launceston for the Ulysses AGM we decided to drive direct from Launceston to Stanley on the far north west coast, and from there slowly work our way the 220 km’s back to Launceston, camping along the way at interesting locations.

A bit of shopping at Woolworths, top up with diesel and we were on our way.

Upon arrival at Stanley (and The Nut) we discovered that the camping area on the recreational ground was temporarily closed to the public and fully occupied with tents for the fire fighters who are still battling with the fires in the north west of Tasmania.

Stanley is really a satellite of nearby Smithton and therefore devoid of shops apart from a small general store. We saw a few caravans and a motor-home parked towards the end the Esplanade right on the rocky shoreline so figured it would be alright for us to also prop there for the night.

Being Friday, we had our own Happy Hour of Mersey cheese, biscuits, red wine and a beer or two.

            

February 7th to 14th.

Sunday 7^th February.

            Today was a full on drive in the Hyundai as we intend to visit the Tahune Air- Walk which is located about 25 km west of Geeveston which is 60 km south of Hobart. Our route took us via Huonville and Franklin where we stopped at the Wooden Boat Centre. It appears that most boats in this area are constructed of wood as opposed to steel, cement or fibreglass. They range from clinker style rowing boats up to similar clinker construction cabin cruisers.

Next we moved on to Geeveston where over coffee we discovered an absolute surprise event awaited just around the corner in Geeveston.

Assembled in the local park were the greatest collection of vintage, veteran and restored vehicles as well as a large number of motor cycles and muscle cars.

We were able to locate almost every car we had owned in the years gone by.

Ranging from a restored 1938 Ford 4 door V8 sedan, several absolutely gorgeous 1952 Holden sedans fully restored to original condition and one modified with a floor change gearbox, bucket seats, modified dashboard layout and beautiful mag wheels. Whilst this particular example was heavily modified it was by far my favourite car on display. EJ and EH Holden’s featured heavily and as with most cars on display all were immaculately restored. There were many examples of Mini’s and quite a display of XW and XY model Falcons (GT and otherwise).

The cars were so good that I spent very little time looking at the motor cycles.

We then moved on to visit the true purpose of today’s trip, the Tahune AirWalk.

The Tahune AirWalk allows visitors to walk high above the forest canopy and the magnificent Huon Pine trees. These giants of the forest soar high above even the highest walkway of the suspended structure of the walk which is 49 metres above ground level. Breathtaking views are obtained all along the suspended structure with the final section being a cantilever section of 50 metres in length suspended by overhead cables only.

After leaving the AirWalk structure a forest walkway leads to a suspension swing bridge over the Huon river, with a second swing bridge a little further on which crosses the Picton river.

On our return trip home, we took the much longer route via Cygnet, Gordon, Snug Margate and Kingston back to Hobart. The scenery along this coastal road is magnificent with views out onto the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Monday 8^th February.

            Today is a public holiday in Hobart to celebrate the annual Hobart Cup and also the Hobart Regatta. Gail prepared a picnic lunch and we set off early anticipating big crowds and parking being a problem. We were fortunate to find a parking space close to the Regatta grounds adjacent to Queens Domain.

The visit to the fairgrounds atmosphere was somewhat of a nostalgia trip as I recall taking Tracy & Colin here in 1968 when Gail was in the St Johns Hospital in Hobart with peritonitis. Colin was still small enough then to be in a stroller with Tracy tagging along and helping with the pushing.

We had our picnic sitting in the grandstand overlooking the water activities on the Derwent river. It was particularly hot in the brilliant sunshine, so much so that by about 2:30 pm. we felt we had enough sun for the day so made our way back to the car.

Another place on our bucket list to visit in and around Hobart is the Shoreline Hotel in Howrah where Kevin worked as a casual barman during our time living in Hobart. We crossed the Tasman bridge and although so much has changed with respect to roads, roundabouts etc. in the intervening years since 1968 when I worked there we were able to find our way to the Shoreline Hotel.

Well, how it has changed. The hotel previously sat on very large corner block of land with bushland all around. This international hotel was a real beacon on the landscape then, but now it is part of a huge shopping precinct. The exterior has obviously been updated but still very recognisable. We parked, then went inside to have a drink and a look around. The barman who served us was of mature age so I asked him how long he had worked there. “Sixteen years” was his reply.

When I told him that I had worked there in 1968 he immediately stated, “that would have been the old hotel” before complete remodelling and refurbishing prior to him beginning working there.

The timing of our visit coincided with the live TV broadcast of the Superbowl 50 in San Francisco, so while we soaked up the atmosphere of the hotel for old times’ sake we also watched the concluding stages of the Superbowl.  

Today is the first day we have been able to see the top of Mt Wellington clearly so decided this would be a good time to make the drive to the top.

On reaching the summit we walked to the various viewing platforms to get the best panoramic views of Hobart and environs far below. The clear sky and clear air was ideal for scenic photos. The road to the summit is still quite narrow in places so extreme care is necessary particularly when oncoming traffic appears.

After spending an hour or so on “the top of Tasmania” we descended to Hobart where we went out for dinner overlooking the Derwent. Our vantage point for dinner allowed us to see the last few legs of a yacht race in progress. At the present time it is still quite light up until about 9:30 pm. permitting a lot of outdoor activities such as sailing on the Derwent.

Tuesday 9^th February.

            Another day out touring was our plan for today with a visit to Bothwell.

The countryside between New Norfolk and Bothwell via Hamilton was perhaps the only area we found completely dry and barren to date in Tasmania. The quality of the road was excellent considering it is only a dual lane road. After looking around the small town, another picnic lunch in the park, a visit to the Weavers Craft Shop we returned to New Norfolk via Melton Mowbray, the Midland highway to Bridgewater.

Wednesday 10^th February.

            More touring from our base at New Norfolk. This time armed with another picnic lunch we were headed for the Franklin Dam and Strathgordon via Mt. Field National Park and Russell Falls.

Our plan was to bypass Russell Falls in the National Park and first cover the additional 103 km’s to Strathgordon and the Franklin Dam.

Passing through Maydena we proceeded a further 5 km only to find that the road to Strathgordon was closed due to fire hazards and bushfires ahead.

About turn, back to Mt. Field National park where we looked around the visitors centre then went on the 40-minute return walk to Russell Falls.

Russell Falls are another great example of a spectacular Tasmanian waterfall. Our picnic lunch today was a real gourmet feast. Sour dough chunky bread sticks, Mersey Valley original cheese, triple smoked ham, fresh tomatoes and to finish off, a delicious custard tart.

The scenery on this route was absolutely marvellous, following the river for quite a distance, then real wilderness sections. Upon return to New Norfolk we did some shopping in Woolworths to stock up on depleted items.

Thursday 11^th February.

            This morning was spent doing a complete clean up and sort out of the motorhome. Fridge and cupboards were cleaned out and the floor washed.

We also washed the sheets and towels in the caravan park laundry.

High on our list of things to do whilst in Hobart was a visit to Moonah West to see the houses we lived in some 46 – 49 years ago. So after lunch was the time for that.

On arrival in the general area we were confronted with extensive roadworks causing some streets to be closed and requiring us to make several detours. Eventually we arrived at number 16 Lawson street with the intent of taking a photo or two. Murphy’s Law dictated that there were multiple roadworks’s and trucks parked directly outside, however we still managed to get a photo. Nothing at all seems to have changed with this property which was the second house we lived in.

The first house, number 12 only two doors down the street was an entirely different situation. Although essentially the same from the street view the dug-out car parking space has been extended with the addition of steps up from this area to a side gate on the right hand side. The front façade of the house has taken on a more modern appearance with the installation of large aluminium framed windows. Looking up the sideway it was apparent that there have been extensive extensions to the house at the rear. The long steep driveway up to number 10 next door looked very dilapidated and overgrown, quite different to when the Manning family lived there.

We then drove to the Glenorchy regional shopping centre which certainly did not exist back in the early 70’s. It is a huge centre right on Main road.

Talking of Main Road, it is an absolute bun fight traffic wise. The road is quite narrow with vehicles permitted to park on both sides, reminiscent of Sydney Road Brunswick (except for the trams). It is a real challenge for the bus drivers to negotiate.

A visit out to the Cadbury complex confirmed what we had previously heard – factory tours no longer exist, however it was nice to see the extensive grounds and gardens are still there and beautifully maintained.

Friday 12^th February.

            Up early this morning as we have to return the rental car into Hobart by 10:00.

I drove the motorhome with Gail following at a distance from New Norfolk to the Hobart Showgrounds where we dropped the motorhome off then both continued in the car into Harrington street and returned it to Hertz. We covered just on 1,000 km in the car during the week we had it. Petrol costs were very good at only $86 worth including returning with a full tank.

We then walked back into town, had a look around the mall section of Elizabeth Street and another walk past 158 Collins Street (my office) to the information centre where we watched a couple of tourist type short films on attractions in Tasmania. Next on our list was a thorough investigation of the waterside area, in particular Constitution Dock and the IXL – Henry Jones complex. This historic sandstone building which was a jam production facility many many years ago has seen a new lease on life. The entire series of beautiful old sandstone buildings fronting the waterfront have been extensively refurbished including an up-market hotel, complete with bellboys, eateries, art gallery, a boutique and office space on the upper floors.

An open air courtyard still retained the remnants of overhead machinery used in the production and packaging of the jam products.

Fish and chips purchased from one of the many outlets on the waterfront and eaten there rounded off a very pleasant morning.

It is interesting to note that Tasmania is obviously catering to the overseas tourist trade and in particular the Japanese, as everywhere we go a lot of the signage is in Japanese as well as English. Even all the travel brochures in the info centre had an entire section devoted to their language.

After lunch on the wharf we visited the Maritime Museum. There is so much early sailing history surrounding Hobart that we managed to spend about 3 hours at the museum without even noticing the time pass.

We caught a bus from central Hobart back to the Showgrounds at Glenorchy, booked in for one night on a non-powered site.

Saturday 13^th February.

            Since leaving home I have had a minor concern with the inner off-side tyre on the motorhome. From time to time I have thought the pressure looked a little low and my attempts to inflate and check generally yielded little result. In fact, I think I was letting more air out than putting in. So before leaving the Hobart this morning I visited a Bridgestone tyre outlet in Argyle street to have them remove the wheel and check for a slow leak. Upon checking the pressure of this wheel with an accurate truck gauge it was found to have zero pressure. Obviously the outer dual wheel had been carrying most of the load. Being Saturday morning this particular dealer did not have the staff to do much more but he referred me to a better equipped Bridgestone dealer in Derwent Park Road at Moonah. So back we went where upon removing the wheel it was discovered that the only problem was a quite loose valve stem extension which allowed the air to escape. On reflection I believe this add-on extension may have been incorrectly refitted when I purchased six new tyres prior to this trip. To my relief there was no visible damage to the tyre as the outer wheel being correctly inflated had prevented transfer of the load onto the “flat” tyre.

We refuelled in Sandy Bay, visited a “Ship Loads” store which is like a giant Reject Shop. We have noticed a few of these stores in our travels so curiosity finally got the better of us.

Onwards to Kettering where we were in nice time to que for the ferry to Bruny Island where we intend to spend a few days as well as visit friends Kerry & Peter who live on the island. $54 return for the motorhome was quite reasonable.

You would not believe the coincidence – while we were waiting to board the ferry there was a knock on the door and there were Kerry and Peter waiting for the same ferry. They had just returned from an Eagles concert in Launceston and were heading home. Upon boarding the drive-on drive-off ferry we were parked in the centre row at the very front with a magnificent view of D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

The 20 minute or so crossing allowed us to have a good conversation with them.

As Gail & I have planned to do a Bruny Island cruise tomorrow from Adventure Bay, we have arranged to visit Kerry and Peter Monday afternoon and stay overnight in the motorhome at their place.

The ferry lands at a jetty on the northern island of Bruny, however most interesting things are on the Southern island which is joined by a very narrow neck.

Peter recommended a nice camp spot in a National Park at “The Neck” so upon disembarking we made our way south to this spot where we set up for the night.

Sunday 14^th February.

            A leisurely breakfast of porridge and fruit, then we departed to have a further look around South Bruny Island. First stop was Alannoh on the western side of the island. Alannoh is a quite small settlement however it houses an Hotel, a school, general store, community health centre, library and a police station.

We spotted several caravans parked behind the hotel so dropped in to make enquiries. Non powered area for fully self-contained vehicles (ours) with a daily donation of $5 to cover mowing the site etc. As we have booked to do the Bruny Island Coastal Wilderness Cruise this afternoon from Adventure Bay we moved on at this time with the possibility of returning here late this afternoon to overnight camp.

Then back to the east coast township of Adventure Bay where after a short drive around we parked and made our way to the Bruny Island Cruises booking office.

Our afternoon trip departed after a briefing at the booking office at 2:00pm.

A short walk along the roadway led us to the jetty to board one of four identical boats.

Known as the Yellow Boats they are designed to cruise in all weather, every day of the year. All identical boats are 12.5 metre Naiads, each powered by three Yamaha 250 hp outboard motors and are purpose built for the rugged coast of Southern Tasmania. They have 40 open-air seats all facing forward which ensures excellent all round viewing. All passengers are fitted up with a full length heavy duty waterproof poncho style outer protection against the inevitable spray that will most certainly be encountered. Lap style seat belts are also provided and must be worn when the craft is under way, generally at quite high speed.

Their manoeuvrability enables them to get extremely close to the cliff faces despite the huge swells we encountered. They are also capable as we experienced to cruise inside several deep sea caves.

The duration of the trip was 2-1/2 hours, full of excitement all the way. We sped between a huge column of rock and the cliff face with barely a metre to spare on each side of the boat. Outward bound we hugged the rugged coastline stopping frequently for photos until we reached Boreel Point where the Tasman Sea intersects with the Great Southern Ocean. This is where the necessity for seat belts became apparent as we thumped and bumped into a huge swell to cross a large open water section to reach the most southern point of Bruny called Tasman Head.

This is where we saw hundreds of Australian fur seals lazing in the sun all over the rugged rocks and cliffs. We were rather fortunate with the weather as we had encountered some rain earlier in the trip but the sky cleared and the sun emerged as we reached this furthermost point of the trip. After spending time up close and personal to the colonies of seals we returned to Adventure Bay by an almost direct line from the Southern Ocean, then the Tasman Sea and finally into the calm waters of Adventure Bay.

Back into the motor-home for a warming cup of coffee, then returned to Alonnah to camp overnight behind the hotel. We had a Pizza and chips from the hotel for dinner.

            

Port Arthur & Hobart

Thursday 4^th February.

            From Taranna it is only 10 km to Port Arthur so we timed our departure from the Taranna Cottages so as to arrive at the Visitors Centre of Port Arthur shortly after they opened. Parked in the extensive RV section of the car-park then headed off downhill to the Visitors Centre entrance to the historic Penal Settlement.

The admission price of $28 concession includes a guided walking tour of about 45 minutes followed by a 40-minute boat cruise around the harbour to the Isle of the Dead where both deceased convicts and free settlers were buried. A nearby small island housed all the juvenile convicts aged from 9 to 14 years who were considered at risk if locked up with the older convicts in the large penitentiary buildings.

A little known fact concerning the Port Arthur penal settlement is that those incarcerated here who were shipped out from England were not first time offenders with a minor misdemeanor as their only crime.

They were repeat offenders who were overcrowding the goals in England.

Following these organised tours, we spent several hours roaming at will around the settlement looking at the old buildings such as the hospital, the commandants house etc. Our initial observations were just how much the area has been upgraded and to some extent changed in as much as occupational health and safety regulations dictate. On our previous visits some 45 plus years back visitors were permitted to roam in and out of the various derelict buildings. Now everything has safety standards such as covered walkways, handrails at every turn plus warning signs everywhere.

The tragic events of 28^th April 1996 where Martin Bryant went on a shooting rampage killing 35 people and injuring another 19 have been downplayed to some extent. However, the Broad Arrow Cafe where most of the shootings took place has been incorporated into a memorial to these poor souls. The actual building has been reduced to the outer sandstone walls and a reflective pool created at the rear of this building. The whole area including secluded garden is a very quiet and solemn place.

A late lunch in the visitor’s centre rounded out a very pleasant visit.

As today happens to be our 55^th wedding anniversary we plan to celebrate this milestone with a nice dinner at the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart. Consequently, we needed to move on quickly to reach Hobart in time to book into the Hobart Showgrounds for overnight accommodation before driving to the Casino.

Boy has Hobart grown over the intervening 46 years since we lived here. The suburbs now span all along both the eastern shore and high into the hills and valleys surrounding Hobart in all directions.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner and a glass of champagne overlooking the Derwent River.

Friday 5^th February.

            As there is no checkout time from the showgrounds we left the motor-home here and caught the bus into Hobart. Before we went to collect our rental car from Hertz, we had a short walk around a couple of familiar venues from the past.

First on this list was a visit to the Cat & Fiddle Square one of Colin’s favourite places to visit when he was 4 years old. This feature has changed dramatically over the years. The main feature has been retained high on a wall however the small fountain pool has long gone. The entire area is now housed within a multi storied shopping mall. Next place of interest which I particularly wanted to check in the CBD was the building where IBM was housed at 158 Collins Street. What a pleasant surprise to find that this building is still in use as office space. The adjoining building is currently under reconstruction so I guess it won’t be long before 158 is demolished and a new modern building erected on the site. The compulsory photos were taken, then we moved on to collect the rental car and returned to the showgrounds to pick up the motor-home.

We are staying at New Norfolk, a short 25-minute drive from Hobart where we are booked into a riverside caravan park for the next 7 days.

Saturday 6^th February.

            An institution in Hobart is the Saturday markets at Salamanca Place adjoining the CBD and Constitution Dock. So naturally this was our destination for this morning. Parking is somewhat of a bun fight so we parked our rented Hyundai i20 a little further away beside the Anglesea Military Barracks and walked back down the hill and through St. David’s Park to Salamanca Place.

The setting for these market stalls is just magnificent with the old stone Bond Stores forming the backdrop right down to the water. As this is the Hobart Regatta weekend there are a number of additional attractions set up here. The Australian Navy had an extensive display complete with band and vocalists performing on a stage.

Also in port at present were a navy destroyer which was open to the public and a cruise ship tied up at an adjacent wharf. Monday is a public holiday for the annual Regatta day and the Hobart Cup horse racing.

Eventually we dragged ourselves away from the markets and returned to St. David’s Park for a look at the early settler’s headstones set in the walls around the park.

Our next stop was to visit the Cascade Brewery where we paid to go on the plant tour and tasting. This brewery is steeped in history which made for a most interesting and informative tour. At the conclusion of the tour we sampled a couple of their cider and beer products.

Wed 20th Jan. to Wed 3rd Feb. (catch-up)

Touring Tasmania 2016.

Preamble:
                 The catalyst for this trip stemmed from the desire to attend the 2016 Ulysses Club annual AGM being held this year in Launceston Tasmania from 29/2/16 to 6/3/16.
As Gail & I have attended the last three AGM's together in the Motor-home and it has been 51 years almost to the day since we first came to Hobart on a short term assignment with IBM in January 1965, followed by a 3 year relocation assignment to Hobart in August 1967 this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to revisit the island.
We plan to be away from home for 7 weeks in total, the majority of that time touring Tasmania prior to the week of the AGM in Launceston.

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We departed Hallidays Point at 9:30am on Wednesday 20th January 2016
Travelled via Pacific Hwy, M1, M2 and M7 to Mittagong turnoff, then via Fitzroy Falls, Kangaroo Valley to Cambewarra.
Stayed overnight in the motorhome at C & C's, dropped Velvet off to stay with them while we are away.

Thursday 21st January.
Departed Cambewarra at 8:15am, travelled via Kangaroo Valley, Exeter and Sally's Corner to the Hume Highway. Travelling south towards Melbourne we stopped briefly off the highway at Gunning for a lunch break and stretch. Gunning is a delightful old town that appears to be be still thriving despite the fact the it has been by-passed by the Hume freeway for some years now.
Another stop in Albury briefly then pressed on to a rest area know as "Old Coach Road" which is on the Hume Freeway just north of Seymour area. Overnight here.

Friday 22nd January.
Got back on the road about 9:00am, then via the Metropolitan and Western ring roads to Princes Freeway and on to Torquay where we arrived about 11:00am. A visit to Rivers to buy a new pair of sandals for Gail to replace a pair which broke yesterday.
Parked the Winnebago in Claire's driveway. Went for a walk through Torquay, visited the Uniting Church Opshop looking for an ice bucket with a lid.

Saturday 23rd January.
This morning Claire, Gail & I went for a lovely long walk along the walkway adjacent to a creek towards Zealy Point. The wind was very blustery so we decided on the creek walk as a means of keeping out of the wind to some extent. During the afternoon we had a visit from Peter and Caroline then Gary and Sandy. We had a lovely time with them catching up on all their latest news.

Sunday 24th January.
Gail's birthday today. Left Torquay about 9:30am, travelled via the Princes Freeway, Western Ring road and Metropolitan Ring road to Preston. Glenice  took Gail (and I) out to a nice little cafe for Gail's birthday. They had sweet scones jam and cream with melted white chocolate. I had a home-made beef, cheese and bacon pie with salad and a savoury scone. Everything was lovely.
I was able to park the Winnebago in Glenice's drive as her front fence had conveniently been knocked down recently and not yet repaired.

Monday 25th January.
We were up at 4:30am, left Preston at 5:00am for the trip down to Station Pier at Port Melbourne. The boarding process went without undue delay and we were actually the first vehicle to  board the Spirit Of Tasmania. Our reserved "Ocean Recliner" seats, located at the aft end of the vessel gave us a panoramic view looking backwards for the trip down Port Phillip Bay and then across Bass Straight. The 10 hour trip was quite smooth with only a relatively small swell.
Upon disembarking with no hassles we collected our extra gas cylinder then proceeded the short distance to East Devenport  to our friends Aafje & Adrian Mol's house at 2 Highfield Rd. Ambleside.
They live within 10 minutes drive of the Ferry terminal which was very convenient.
We had dinner with them then retired to the Winnebago which was parked outside their home.

Tuesday 26th January. (Australia Day)
Today we were taken on a "Cook's Tour" of the north by Aafje and Adrian in their Mini Cooper Cabrolet. As it was a nice day the roof was down for most of the day.
Our first stop was Railton (the Topiary Town). The extent and ingenuity of the topiaries is quite amazing. There were shapes and sizes ranging from full size elephants, a race horse complete with jockey, a draught horse with cart and driver and a range of smaller objects still in the development stage but quite identifiable.
Next stop was Sheffield (the Mural town), where we again parked and walked around the township photographing the murals, some of which had incredible detail.  At Sheffield we detoured a short distance out of town where we had a panoramic view of Mount Roland which is quite spectacular as it rises abruptly from the surrounding flat country side. While parked here on the edge of a quite narrow road, Adrian served morning coffee and cake which he had prepared earlier. The girls stayed in the cramped back seat with the convertible roof down to have their cuppa as there really wasn't room for us all to stand on the side of the narrow road. Gail and I found it quite amusing that we stopped in this particular spot for morning tea, however the panoramic view of Mount Roland was the obvious reason for our hosts choice. 
We then continued on passing through huge roadside cultivated fields of poppies which we found interesting. Apparently according to Adrian these poppies are grown and cultivated under extreme security measures to protect them from theft.
Tasmania and particularly this area are one of the very few places in the world where they are grown in the open specifically for opium and other opiates. We observed both helicopters and small aircraft circling from time to time. They take continuous photographic evidence which is digitally compared with previous footage to determine any small change in the crops which would indicate unauthorized harvesting. They are also on the lookout for any suspicious activity. We were told that this aerial surveillance also takes place at night with the use of helicopters and infrared technology.
It has been a big earner for the state, which grows up to 50 per cent of the planet’s legal ­opiates — from which morphine, codeine and thebaine can be extracted — that relieve the pain of humans throughout the world in the form of medicines such as OxyContin and Nurofen Plus.
Warning signs are required by law to be displayed on all ­roadside paddocks to deter would-be drug experimenters from picking poppy heads and brewing the ill-gotten plants into a tea.
We then moved on to Barrington Dam where an international standard rowing course is permanently set up. Then on to Forth, where we drove up to the lookout for a panoramic view of the Forth Valley.  We returned home about 4:30pm, had a rest then took them out for dinner at the Shearwater Resort.

Wednesday 27th January.
We departed Ambleside loaded up with home grown vegetables. Stopped briefly in Latrobe to fill a gas bottle then continued on to Exeter where we did some supermarket shopping at IGA, and filled the 10 litre jerry can with unleaded petrol for the generator. A short drive to Paper Beach on the banks of the Tamar River where there is a free camping site adjacent to the river.
Tasmania appears to have a very liberal attitude towards free camping and are actively encouraging tourists. Rather than simply a 24 hour limit we have noticed most with at least a 48 hour and others with a 7 day maximum stay period. This particular spot will be our overnight camp for tonight. It is still quite early as we have traveled only 80 km today and we are the first arrivals at this very picturesque spot.
Gail took the opportunity and cooked the fresh plums and rhubarb and also made a zucchini slice, utilizing the veggies we had received from Aafje. A nice walk along the beach beside the Tamar River including a "sit and soak up" the tranquility  on a couple of outdoor furniture seats kindly placed on our walk presumably by nearby residents rounded out a lazy day.

Thursday 28th January.
There were about 5 other campers at this spot by 7:00 pm last night, all well behaved and a quiet night. We moved off around 9:00am, followed the river through Deviot then crossed the Batman Bridge and continued on to Georgetown. On route we passed by the now defunct Comalco site at Bell Bay. Georgetown is a pleasant small town with a nice feel about it.
We parked in a central parking area, went for a walk and bought some lunch from the bakery  which we had back at the Winnebago. 

From George Town we traveled a further 10 km north to the ocean and the small settlement of Low Head specifically to visit the Low Head Pilot Station and Maritime museum. Situated at the mouth of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania, is the oldest group of pilot buildings in Australia. While it was the first station to operate it is the third oldest pilot service after the private operations of Sydney and Hobart. The pilot service dates from 1805, and the first building on the site was probably in 1806. The pilot service still operates from this site today.
The first European settlers to arrive in the Tamar Valley came with Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson in November 1804. They landed and set up camp at Outer Cove (now George Town).

The Tamar River is a dangerous estuary with a complicated navigation channel which has always required the help of pilots. 
The oldest building on the site is Pilots’ Row. It was a terrace of four apartments, each with four rooms, to house the pilots and their families. It dates from 1835 and as the station grew other buildings were added. These include the Coxwain’s Cottage (1847), Boat Crew Cottages (1859, 1860, 1861, 1962), the School House (1866), Pilot’s Cottage (1917), Church, Octagonal Chart Room, Workshop and Boat Shed.
Admission charge to the Maritime museum was only $4 concession, which considering the extent
of exhibits and interest provided we found to be most reasonable. Gail & I  thoroughly enjoyed this visit, spending several hours browsing through the multitude of theme rooms
Our next destination was Bridport and after a drive through inspection we pressed on towards some free camp sites located about 35 km north east of Bridport. These sites were all along a badly corrugated gravel road and after negotiating about 7 km's we decided to turn back when we realized there was still 8 km to go.
Back to Bridport then south east to Scottsdale where we arrived just as it started to rain. 
Northeast Park is located on the edge of town offering free camping for self contained vehicles. 
It proved to be a very popular spot, however we were able to locate a level spot on the firm grass. There are toilets, a hot shower, town water and a series of solid shelter sheds which are extremely popular with the "whiz bang" backpackers as shelter from the rain. The park surrounds a series of small lakes linked by a number of nature walks and a boardwalk through a wetlands section.

Friday 29th January.
It rained quite consistently during the night which I am sure will be greatly appreciated by the locals as they have had very little rain and everything is looking quite dry. We can only hope that some of this rain also fell in the North West of the state where there are bush fires still burning out of control. We walked back into town up a quite steep hill specifically to visit the town laundry.
Normally we would do our own washing and drying, however due to the inclement weather drying time would have been near impossible.
A wool shop adjacent to the laundromat helped fill in the time while the washing and drying took place. After returning to Northeast Park and we went for a walk through the wetland area and generally followed the walking tracks throughout the park.
A BBQ on the free electric barbecues for lunch and as it was now raining again we watched a movie on TV during the late afternoon.

Saturday 30th January.
After topping up water tanks and a general tidy up with the Winnebago we departed around 11:00 am. Following the Tasman Highway we veered off the highway after passing through Weldborough to visit the Blue Tiers.
The Blue Tier plateau in Tasmania's north east is an exposed sub-alpine plateau 600 metres above sea level, with a rich mining history and magnificent natural heritage. There are a range of walks in the area from a short 400m circuit to a 10.5 km walk one way to Weldborough for the more adventurous.
One of the lesser known walks is the Blue Tier Giant or 'Big Tree' walk. The walk descends through huge eucalyptus, musk, myrtle, mosses and ferns to the majesty of the Blue Tier Giant, the widest living tree in Australia. This massive Eucalyptus has a girth measuring an amazing 19.4 metres. After parking at the quarry we started walking downhill towards the Blue Tier Giant track. This was a well formed road which we could possibly have driven the Winnebago down with caution.
After a near 2 km walk along this forestry road we reached the start of the actual walking track to the giant tree. The sign said "Allow two hours for the walk", however as we had already walked quite a distance and the weather had become quite threatening we wisely decided to head back up the long incline to the comfort of the Winnebago. Weather permitting we may return as we intend to stay in the nearby St.Helens area for a couple of days.
Continuing on towards St.Helens we stopped for a Devonshire tea at a quaint little  shop at Pyengana. The scones were HUGE so this looks like an early dinner treat. They also sold diesel at 112.9 cents/litre which is about 11 cents cheaper than we have seen to date in Tasmania. 
Moved on to St.Helens, visited the Information Centre then decided on the free camping area at the Recreation & Sports ground. Still raining but no worries with the roads etc. to date.

Sunday 31st January.
Continuous rain throughout the night but we are snug and safe at our chosen overnight camp.
We popped back into St Helens where we did a big of grocery and fresh fruit shopping. We then proceeded north east out towards Binalong Bay and The Bay Of Fires. 
The Bay Of Fires & Binalong Bay.
Turning the corner on the road from St Helens into Binalong Bay, the sight is simply jaw-dropping: the turquoise-coloured ocean breaks onto a breathtakingly white beach fringed with huge boulders draped with iconic orange lichen.
The Bay of Fires has been luring holiday makers for decades. Named by ‘Lonely Planet’ in 2009 as the world’s hottest travel destination, the Bay of Fires is an absolute must to be included in any Tasmanian holiday itinerary.
A turn off into the Mount Pearson State Reserve, then a short distance to our selected campsite at Cozy Corner on the Bay Of Fires.
We chose a great campsite right on the top of a small sand hill with easy access to the beach overlooking the ocean and the huge lichen covered boulders.
The sound of the crashing waves along the pure white sands and the huge boulders is simply stunning.

Monday 1st February.

Reluctantly we decided to move on as we still have a fair bit to see on the East coast before we are due in Hobart this Friday.

As the weather has improved significantly today we decided to back track the 30 or so kilometres to visit the St Columba Falls near Pyengana within the Blue Tiers are. The effort was certainly justified as the walk through the giant ferns from the parking area was only surpassed by the magnificence of the falls themselves. The recent heavy rain in the north east of Tasmania made for the most spectacular amount of water flowing over the 90 metre high drop. The St Columba falls are considered to be the highest drop in all of Tasmania. We spent a considerable amount of time just gazing at the huge volume of water cascading down several routes of the falls. On our way back to join the Tasman highway we stopped briefly at the "Pub In The Paddock" to see Prescilla the beer drinking pig. She happily guzzles down a stubby or two offered by anyone who cares to purchase one from the pub.

Back to St Helens  where we topped up with water then continued south via Scamander a small village, then onto Chain Of Lagoons where we settled on a campsite at Lagoon Beach.

Tuesday 2nd February.

A short distance after passing through Bicheno we left the Tasman Highway and detoured the 31 km's to Coles Bay. The weather has improved dramatically with temperature today in the mid 20's. We were not over impressed with Coles Bay, consequently pressed on back to t he highway then south to Swansea. There was a very large historic brick building originally opened in the 1800's as a general store and still trading as a general store incorporating an IGA store.

This is pretty much the shopping centre for Swansea aside from one or two other small shops.

We chose to stay tonight a little further on at Mayfield Beach Conservation area with a great to the campsite close to the beach and amenities. Evidence of the recent wet weather and local flooding is quite noticeable along the beach with large amounts of debris deposited from the campsite. We went for a long walk along the beach and found a hidden gem in the form of a triple arch brick and stone bridge spanning a natural water course leading to the beach.

Wednesday 3rd February.

We were up and on the move relatively early this morning as we have lot to fit into our proposed travel agenda for today.

Travelled via Triabunna, Orford and Buckland then turned off the Tasman Highway once more a few kilometres before Sorell. 14 km's to Richmond where we parked and spent a most enjoyable two hours exploring. First was the St.John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church, built in 1836 set high on a hill overlooking the historic Richmond bridge (1825). Both of these structures were built by convict labour and today are still in perfect condition. We also visited the cemetery which naturally has a mix of very old headstones dating back to the mid 1800's as well as the more modern section.

Then on in to Sorell, a walk around town, refueled then onto the Arthur Highway towards Port Arthur. En-route we visited Devils Kitchen, Tasman Arch and Tessellated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck.

A further 10 km to Taranna where we are staying overnight in the RV camp section of Taranna Cottages for $10 for the night. This is our first paying overnight stop since leaving home two weeks ago.