Week 4 Tassie

St Helens Harbour

Week four was pretty relaxed as we spent most of it at Scamander with little travel and plenty of relaxing. We found a pleasant resort complex in St Helens for Christmas dinner and enjoyed a sumptuous 3 course meal for $69 ph. Very good value and included prawns, smoked salmon and oysters. Met another Qld couple now settled in Tassie and had a great chat as we were missing the company of family. I believe it was only the second time we had spent a Christmas away from our clan.

St Helens area

The east coast was still relatively quiet until boxing day when the locals started to descend and the park started to fill up. We did some short trips around the back forestry tracks and a little bit of fishing but not much luck at the moment.
We were fortunate to see some of the Sydney Hobart fleet go past but not the winner.

Bicheno

After ten days it was time to move further south and try and find a dog friendly park as all of the free camps were full of locals. After a long day for us and 162km we found a park at Triabunna that had a vacancy and was dog friendly. Not the prettiest park in the world but would get us through until after new year and a chance to go back and see Coles Bay and some of the Freycinet Peninsular. The trip down was great as we saw Bicheno then  Swansea and the beautiful views across to The Hazzards a very striking mountain range on the Freycinet Pen.
Yesterday (30th) we drove down to Hobart to see Lupe ( former work colleague) and Seb her fiance. We met at Salamanca and had brunch with them and a great catch up. Salamanca was bustling with the yachts finishing the big race and Taste of Tasmania in full swing. Would have loved to enjoy it more but having Trixie in tow made it difficult so after a brief look around we headed back to camp via seven Mile Beach to check out our next dog friendly camp and then through the historical town of Richmond.

Brunch with Lupe

Lupe and Seb

A rushed shot of Hobart docks

We are looking forward to the next few week as we will do the Freycinet area then head to Hobart where there is a myriad of wonderful places to explore and some good pictures to be taken.

Week 3 in Tassie 2012

After a very pleasant 4 days at Greens Beach riding out a storm or two we headed across the Batman Bridge to travel towards Launceston on the East Tamar Highway. Our plan was to follow the Tasman Highway to St Helens via Scottsdale. After missing a turn in Lonnie we finally found the correct road.



Myrtle Park

We had conflicting reports on the difficulty of travelling this highway as there was a particularly narrow, winding section between Myrtle Bank and Scottsdale called The Sideling. After receiving a report on the wonderful park at Myrtle Bank we decided to chance it. So glad we did as Myrtle Bank Park (# 2) was a real gem and only 102km from Greens Beach.



Myrtle Park

 The park was an old farming property that was bequeathed to the Launceston Shire on the proviso that it would always be maintained for camping and that there should never be any more charges other than to keep it open to the public. Six dollars a night per site, dog friendly, beautifully grassed, and showers toilets and a boundary marked by the St Patricks River. By far the nicest place we had seen for years. The river had small trout rising to the insects hovering above, what a sight.

Whilst there we decided to check out the horror road plus visit Scottsdale and Bridport on the nth coast. Nothing better than being prepared for road difficulties but after driving it without the van I was comfortable to give it a go.



Near Scottsdale carved out of tree stump

After two extremely pleasant nights we tackled The Sideling and only encountered one truck, fortunately at a wider part on the 20 km bad section.  A second brief stop at Scottsdale to refill the water tanks from a roadside tap specifically put there for travellers and we were off for another short day of 85km to Wellsborough. This quaint old tin mining town was all but deserted but the historical hotel offered camping out back for $5 a head (#20), and was great with showers and toilets and a beautiful old hospitable country pub. No one there when we arrived as the pub only operates on reduced hours so we set up camp and waited until the owner arrived.

We decided to dine in the pub that night and so did most of the other travellers. We joined a couple with a motor home and had a very pleasant evening.



We had been advised by locals along the way that the East Coast gets very busy during the holiday season and that the free camps are usually chocker so were not sure how to approach the problem. We ultimately decided that we would find a caravan park and book in for a couple of weeks to ride out the busy festive period. St Helens only had a Big 4 ( not our cup of tea) so we headed further down to Scamander and found a dog friendly place a short walk from the ocean. (Another short 61km day….love it!)



Bay of Fires

We were able to book one site for 10 days so here we are. A bit dearer than we would have liked at $30 pn (pensioner rate) but central enough for us to be easily able to see the Bay of Fires and other great attractions. The only other downside is next to no phone or internet coverage, but a short drive to the top of the hill behind sorts this out.



Bay of Fires

Our first day here and we couldn’t wait to see the Bay Of Fires. The sun was out the sand is white and the sea is aqua marine, truly magical. We checked out the free camping and there were some spots available as it turned out so we will do that next time. Some of the sites were not for big rigs and checking them out without a van would be less stressful. This whole coast strip is just magnificent and hardly a sole lives there.

The point as St Helens

Today we did a trip south to St Marys and back along the coast. The free camp at St Mary’s was good but the road from there down to the coast on the south side was very narrow and winding (Elephant's Pass) so we were glad we didn’t head that way with the van. 

I am sure we will enjoy our time here at Scamander and plan to look for a pub that does Christmas dinner as it looks like just being the two of us and Trixie on the 25^th.

Week 2 Tassie

Christmas Parade at Penguin

We left Penguin Saturday with a feeling we were leaving an old friend. Friday evening was remarkably still and balmy for the local Christmas parade and capped off a great first week.

Father Christmas in the Penguin parade

We headed through Ulverstone, Latrobe, Railton ( town of Topiary) with plans on spending a couple of days at Sheffield. The free camp #220 was great and there were 11 other rigs in there for our first night with all but two joining us for happy hour. Drinking water available but toilets only open during sporting events.
Sheffield is a beautiful town full of brilliant wall murals with a wonderful back drop of Mt Roland. We did a bit of tripping around and went through the mountains to Mole Creek, Chudleigh and Deloraine, all beautiful little country towns.

Phone pic in early morning at Sheffield

Murals in Sheffield

Mural WIP

They are amazing

The rag and bone man Sheffield

After three nights at Sheffield it was time to move again, a "long" journey of about 70km to Chudleigh for a $5 camp at the showgrounds. Toilets but no drinking water. Beautiful spot and met a couple in a bus pulling a trailer loaded with books and operating as a book exchange. "Paperback Express" was their road name and Rosemary and John their real tags. Keep an eye out for them as you travel and especially if you need a book.

We then started east again and finished up at free camp 202 at Bracknell. Very peaceful on the banks of a running stream. One night only and after a great curry we decided that the Tamar Valley would be worth a look. We headed to Launceston and eventually took the correct turn onto the west Tamar Highway. First mistake was to miss the turn and finished up near the water front and some very narrow, windy and hilly streets but we were able to extract ourselves without too much trouble. The gorge that appeared on this detour right in town was truly spectacular and was like a glimpse of wilderness in the middle of the city. Unfortunately I couldn't stop to take a pic.

Chudleigh

We headed along Beaconsfield ( site of the great mine rescue) then up to Greens Beach caravan park #264 for a couple of nights and some laundry chores.

Opium poppies in bloom everywhere

Tide out at Greens Beach (mouth of the Tamar)

Whilst stopping to have a coffee on the wharf at Beauty Point the owner of the Platypus Park stopped for a chat and gave us some back ground on his and other tourist attractions in the vicinity. He must have impressed us as we returned the next day and took in both the Platypus Park and the Seahorse Farm both located on the wharf. We aren't big on touristy type attractions but thoroughly enjoyed them both. Unfortunately my phone pics were not good enough to upload.
We were only going to stay a couple of nights but the weather changed for the worse so we decided to stay an extra night then another so plan to leave here on Sunday morning.
Yesterday we did a trip over the Batman Bridge to the other side of the Tamar and went to the top via Georgetown to Low Head. Bought some great fresh seafood at the  Georgetown fish factory and also some fresh raspberries along the way.
Tasmania continues to impress and distance between camps is minimal.....great for the fuel bill!

Week One in Tasmania December 2012

Our ferry

We had a marvelous crossing of Bass Strait on Friday evening last. The captain advised in advance that a one metre swell was all that would be experienced and I guess he was correct as we had little sensation of the boat rocking. The only disappointment was the expensive and poor quality food but the experience was fabulous. The cabin was small but comfortable. Trixie was not too impressed about being placed in a kennel for the crossing but she could see our van from her cage which might have given her some comfort. She was sure glad to see us next morning at 6.30 am when we collected her. Boarding took about two hours with all the checks you have to go through but disembarking was only about half an hour. The whole process was not difficult even for big rigs.

Our backyard at Penguin

Rainbow on Penguin

On arrival in Devonport we had pre decided to head west along the north coast and head for a little town called Penguin after stopping at Ulverstone for breakfast in the glorious sunshine.
So glad we did as it is a lovely settlement named after the small birds that come into nest in the winter. We decided to start with a caravan park until we decide what to do for the next stage of the journey. Not real cheap but a weeks stay gave us one day free and a most magnificent site right on the edge of the sea.
The first couple of days saw us exploring the town and visiting the famous Penguin Markets on Sunday. We then spent some time driving around the local back country which is simply beautiful.

Pyrethrum fields

Rich farming country plus acres of plantation timber and fabulous mountain stream which I am sure are full of trout. There are acres of white flowers which we discovered were Pyrethrum plus the Opium poppies growing in farms all over the hinterland. There were many signs on the fences around the poppies advising of the serious consequences of illegal use. There is a stream running into Penguin which has a weir on it in town. We were walking by this weir one morning when we spotted a platypus feeding. What a sight right in the middle of town. Along a bit further under a "no fishing" sign was a fisherman chasing trout. Apparently the local angling club had released a heap of rainbow trout and it seems the signs are ignored. After a short chat he opened his bag and showed us his earlier catch of a beautiful rainbow that must have been about 2kg.

Lookin over Wynyard from Table Cape

Early in the week we took a trip further along the coast to Stanley. Not such a nice day but warm in the car as we explored the coast and had look at some of the free camp spots dotted along the coast. We visited Table Cape, Boat Harbour, Sisters Beach, Rocky Cape then finally Stanley. The wind at Stanley would have blown a dog off a chain but what a quaint settlement, steeped in history and beautiful buildings. Not as big as I expected but very interesting with a large rocky out crop at the end known as " The Nut" We will climb it when we go back there later in our journey and maybe ride the chairlift down. After a late lunch of scallops we headed back to camp.

View from cafe at Waratah

Thursday dawned bright and sunny so we decided on the round trip to see as much of the Cradle Mountain area as was possible given Trixie was a passenger.
The trip took us up to Burnie where we turned south and headed towards a little town called Waratah. Although off the track we were taking it proved a beautiful detour as it was a quaint little settlement, formerly a tin mining town.  If visiting the little cafe next to the pub is a must.

View of Cradle Mountain from afar

                                                                               

After a late morning tea we headed toward Cradle Valley with its majestic views of Cradle Mountain. Oh to be younger and fitter as the country looked fabulous and we would dearly have loved to do some walks but with a dog in tow this was not possible. It even snowed a few days before we arrived!
We then wandered through this beautiful country before arriving at Sheffield ( town of murals) before working our way back to camp along back roads.
What  a great day and the  most beautiful scenery. About 280kms in total today but very, very enjoyable.

Magnificent Cradle Mountain

Tomorrow, Saturday we leave Penguin and  will change our initial plans and head back to Sheffield area for a camp and good look at the town of murals. After that we will probably keep heading East.
(If you didn't realise you can enlarge  the pictures by clicking on them .)