Saturday 29th September 2001
saw a sunny start to this epic trip. Even though it meant an early wake up call for the Blundens (5 am) we were all excited (after we fully awoke, that was) about what lay ahead. Brekkie at Micky D’s saw an ominous beginning to the culinary delights that were to be appreciated on the trip. We arrived at Engadine at 7:20 or so, and the Weiss contingency, were ready to go. After a bit of packing - all luggage and big items on the new roof rack and the extras in the car – our first attempt to get 8 people in the ‘cruiser was quite successful. All the stumpy legged ones in the back (Sarah, Wendy and Beryl), and after securing them in, Scott, Peter and Alison spread themselves out in the middle. Klaus and Mark had to suffer in the front (the things us men do for the family!). We set off south about 8:15, heading down the highway towards the ‘gong. Turning right onto the Picton road headed us West towards the Hume highway. After a few hours we stopped at Gunning for morning tea. After a few leg stretches we successfully scoffed down some food and drinks, and the obligatory visit to the local park toilets, we were ready to hit the road again. A few more hours of fun and excitement saw us again stopping for a pit stop. All the essentials were made at Hollbrook, where we kicked the ball around and walked on the HMAS Ottway, the replica submarine memorial, but were soon back on track for Melbourne. The next stop was our refuelling stop at Albury. We squeezed all we could into the tank, as it was our last free fuel stop. The next few hours passed pretty quickly as we made our way into the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Of course we had not booked any accommodation so we kept our eye out for a mansion which would house the whole team, for a low sum. This of course proved fruitless, as it was Grand Final weekend, and the Melbourne Show weekend, as well as school holidays. We travelled around for quite a while, getting closer and closer to the CBD all the time. We eventually talked a hotel receptionist down from $189 to $140 for a room in a really nice business-type hotel. After a quick dinner in the café, we hit the sack ready to get up nice and early to leave at 7am.
Sunday morning was bright and sunny for the real start of the trip. It was only 15 minutes to Port Melbourne where we were booked on the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ which is the ferry that was transporting all of us with our targa vehicle to Devonport. Of course, all my hurrying up was to no effect because as soon as everyone saw McDonalds on the way to the wharf, we had to stop for brekkie. That took us ages, and we eventually arrived at the wharf after 8am. We had to line up with everyone else and we ended up boarding (me driving the car on board while the rest had to walk on) after 9, which was the planned departing time.
As it was a day time crossing, we did not plan to use the beds we had to pay for, so instead we found a nice lounge area which seated us all, and plonked our gear down for the duration. Also, as soon as we got on board we found out that breakfast was being served, so we had another one. When something (especially food) is free, you cannot knock it back. After finally leaving the dock, we headed south across Port Phillip Bay, and about 2 hours later eventually left the bay and into the Tasman Sea.
The sea was very calm, so the crossing was not going to challenge anyone’s ability to hang onto their food. 13 hours was a long time, and it seemed to go pretty slow.
There are limited things to do on board – actually there is nothing, almost. There is a small casino, a kid’s game room (most things were $2 per go), a couple of bars, and 2 restaurants. Meals were included in the price of the fare, and because it was a buffet everyone was completely satisfied as we all stuffed ourselves stupid. We saw very little wildlife during the trip. Klaus and Sarah saw a flying fish, Mark saw some seals, and lots of ibis heading south in formation. One funny thing we saw, about half way across, was a galah perched up on a railing. We are not sure how long it was there, but later on during a rain storm, Klaus saw it take off, but soon return to the safety of the ship. We never saw it again, after that. After many card games, and trips around the ship, we eventually landed at Devonport about 10:30pm, Sunday night. We were lucky enough to be the group that was first off the ship, and as we all got in the car, we got to our hotel (about 100 metres back down the shoreline) before most people even got off the boat. Our hotel was actually on the other side of the fence to the landing port so we could have walked to our room, except it was pouring rain. It had rained on and off during the second half of the trip across, but when we got near port, it had rained continuously. We checked into our hotel (we thought we had better book this one, as we knew we would not be arriving until late), and after a bit of sorting out of the luggage we soon found ourselves in bed, and fast asleep….well I did anyway – I cannot speak for the others.
Monday saw a sunny morning, with blue skies and no wind. I went for a walk about 7am around the wharf area, and it was quite mild. I only had a pair of shorts and a T-shirt on in fact. Wendy came out about 20 minutes later and we walked up to the mouth of the river. Soon after that, a wind came up, and clouds came in, so the day was not looking as promising as it first seemed. As we had no food, Wendy, Klaus and I went for a drive to get some brekkie stuff. We had a quick drive around town, looking for the knitting mills that Wendy and Beryl had planned to visit later on. After a breakfast of toast, tea and coffee, we re-packed the car, and headed off to look at mighty Devonport.
Klaus knew a fellow model flyer, who lived in Devonport, so while the girls had a squizz around the knitting mill, we went to find Klaus’ mate and check out his ‘shop’. We located his place, only to find he worked out of his garage. There are still business opportunities to be had in Tasmania. While Klaus went in, we played soccer out on the road with a couple of the kids in the street. They were about 5 years old. After a while, we went back to get the girls, and then headed west along the coast towards Burnie. We headed through some really nice countryside. It reminded us of the rolling English hills and farmlands. The weather was all over the place, but generally it stayed dry for the most part. It seemed strange driving along the coast as the road hugged the coastline for many miles. Looking out to sea was like looking across a large lake. The water was brown, and there were no visible signs of any surf. We went through Burnie, heading towards Wynyard where the girls wanted to visit a tulip farm. The tulip farm was very impressive, as there were rows and rows of planted tulips of varying colours. The backdrop of the tulips was amazing, as the farm looked out over the coastline to the water, with a really typical-looking, nice lighthouse sitting on the grassy headland.
After wandering all over the farm, we headed off to the lighthouse to see the view along the coastline. Unfortunately the murky sky did not provide a great panoramic vista up and down the coast, but it was still dry where we were, so we weren’t complaining. I think the countryside around that area was like you see in books about Tasmania - rolling countryside, green farms, lots of trees, and picture-book vistas.
Leaving the tulip farm, we headed along the coast, west again to Stanley. Stanley was located on a headland jutting out into the Tasman Sea towards the mainland, just near the north-west corner of Tasmania. Stanley’s claim to fame was a circular headland, which protected a small fishing village.
Although it was nice to look at, the turning weather restricted our stay, and potential climb of the headland. Soon after a lunch of fish and chips (although Ali’s sausage roll was not what you may call a substantial event – it was only 2” long), we headed back towards Wynyard, where we left the coast and headed south towards the mountain lands and more specifically Cradle Mountain.
The drive took us away from the water and into the up and down mountain land, covered in thick growth of pine and gum trees. We travelled through a lot of cleared pine farms, as well as plantations that appeared to be ready to harvest. We also headed through very thick rainforest countryside, which meant slow, windy roads, and most of it under drizzle, and rain. The temperature dropped a few degrees, and when we finally got up into the higher altitudes, and into the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park, it was getting on dark, with the prospect of a cold night in store. One of the things we had noticed, or maybe had not noticed, was wildlife. We had seen very few (basically none) examples of birds or animals. Apart from the hundreds of Plovers, little evidence of life seemed to exist. We did see 4 or 5 wombats just before we arrived at our booked accommodation, so our spirits began to lift as far as seeing some of the much acclaimed animal life. Checking into the cabins, we were confident that the following day would be clear, and we would see some magic countryside.
On Tuesday morning things looked promising, as the first thing we saw outside our room was a wallaby walking up beside the car. He was obviously a local, who knew that people meant food, as he did not flinch when I came out of the front door. After a few Kodak moments, he simply hopped (waddled) slowly away from the car and into the scrubby bush around the cabin. After breaky we packed the car again and headed into the park proper to tackle Dove Lake and the 2 hour walk around it. The weather was not too bad, with broken sunshine, and high cloud. Arriving at the lake we found out that we had arrived on one of the 32 days per year that it was not wet. Apparently the annual rainfall is about 2 metres.
The walk around the lake was not too strenuous, but was really beautiful. We saw all sorts of greenery from towering gums, pines, and ferns, to microscopic algae and mosses. Wendy particularly liked the Ballroom Forest, a dense “fantasy” style forest of mosses and streams under a thick canopy of ancient trees. The most enjoyable ‘moment’ for her was the short burst of the Tango along the boardwalk, including the dip, but a little treacherous due to the narrowness of the boards – stepping off was a real possibility!
Back out of the forest, the colour of the water was very obvious to us.
It was a deep yellowy brown. This is caused by the leaching of tanin from the plants, – particularly the button grass – as the water runs down the hills to the lake.
A lot of the walk is on a boardwalk, so the walking is not too challenging even though Ali managed to stumble and tumble. Most of us were further along and we could see the girls (Ali, Beryl and Wendy) bringing up the rear when the event occurred. Both the gang with Ali and the gang further along burst out laughing. Funnily enough, the girls were just discussing the probability of falling off – this was prompted by a lady walking the other way confessing to falling, narrowly missing a pile of manure. The boardwalk is really good though because it meant we could see nature up really close without impacting any of the native fauna and flora. Because of the rainy weather, some of the falls were flowing, and the whole area looked very, very green.
After the 2 hour walk, we headed back out of the park, and immediately the rain started again. We drove out of the park and came across an old timber bridge, off the road. We walked over to it and saw it was constructed from massive logs, and must have been used by logging trucks in times past.
We continued south towards Strahan. This was our destination for the day as we had booked a 6½ hour boat cruise the following morning. One good thing about Tasmania, is that distances between places are not too far. A 2 hour drive is about the most you need to do, to get to the next place of interest. We drove through the mountains and stopped for lunch at the small township of Roseberry. It is in a mining area, and there are signs, of equipment and pipelines, to support that industry. We had our lunch in a small bakery/café, and Klaus walked over to the upright fridge to get a drink. There was an old man sitting there, and he must have just farted. Klaus came back without the drink, saying he couldn’t breathe due to the smell. He went across the road to get a drink. We all had a laugh about that. An uneventful, yet slow and winding trip to Strahan was had by all, and we rolled into town about 4pm. We had planned 2 nights there, so we picked a cabin in a nice park. It worked out really well as it gave us a bit of time to relax. The owner of the park told us what things there were to do. He told us about Hell’s Gate which was the mouth of the river system. He suggested we drive up the 11km dirt track to the end and have a look.
Klaus, Alison, Sarah, Peter and I went 4-wheel driving as the dirt road lead onto the beach. We drove around a bit to have a look for possible fishing spots. We could see the water rushing through the narrow entrance. It was only 75m across and something like 8 billion litres of water flows through there every minute. Unfortunately the entrance was on the other side of the river, and between us and it, was a lot of shallow water, so fishing was probably not much good. Klaus was not too keen as he did not like the colour of the water. It was very much the brown tea-colour of the other water systems we have seen.
On the way back we attempted to get across to Ocean Beach. Ocean Beach was where the Short tailed Shearwaters (Mutton Birds) came in to nest each night. Unfortunately after quite a drive across the sand dunes, the road reached the beach, but the beach was completely inaccessible due to debris and rough seas. That meant we would have to come back to the beach, via the normal road access, the next day.
While most of the gang were off ‘bush-bashing’, Beryl and I were grocery shopping for the evening meal. We foolishly assumed the grocery store would be in the main part of town but we were quick to discover it was up the hill. OK, we walk up the hill! That was not too bad but by the time you collect meat, veg, drinks and basic essentials, the bags are extremely numerous and quite heavy. Knowing that the others wouldn’t know where we were, we carried them back down the hill. Plonking them inside the door of a gallery, we managed to take in the local craft and then we retired to the coffee shop for sustenance. This is where we were found!
Driving back to the cabins, the sunset over the river was just stunning, so we jumped out of the car yelling, “props!” and we all ran out to the end of a jetty to create a silhouette against the gold of the water. We had to run so as not to miss the moment. Even Beryl put on the speed!
Wednesday started like a lot of others. That was with wet ground from overnight rains, but a broken sky, which looked promising. We wanted a dry day because we were about to spend 6½ hours on a boat going up and down the Gordon River and Macquarie Harbour. We had to get to the dock early to secure good seats all together. We got there 30 mins before boarding started and we were the first in line, so we were pretty safe. After much discussion we decided to go to the second level and front side windows. We jumped on board as soon as possible and secured these seats. Just as well, as some people had gone upstairs to the open deck, and just as we were taking off, it started to rain, and people were squeezing in everywhere. We started the trip heading out to Hell’s Gate, and because the seas were slight, we travelled out of the river mouth, and back in again.
There were a couple of typical lighthouses near the mouth and they looked very picturesque. They would have looked beautiful with a nice blue sky. Something we did not have though. From the heads, we travelled up river to Sarah Island. This was a prison island for the worst of prisoners. It is about 500m long, and 200m wide, with a couple of small rock outcrops just off shore. These small ‘islands’ were used as punishment for any crimes committed on the island.
We had a couple of guides on the island, who knew a lot of the history. Each guide had a “shadow character” – someone from the history of the island that they could personally identify with. Our guide chose an 18 year old, because both guide and convict shared the same age. The tour was a wonderful performance with great diction, dramatic delivery and living passion – a great benefit when trained actors play tour guide. The guides were all part of a show in Strahan called “The Ship that Never Was”. It was quite fascinating.
For a long time, prisoners were used to build ships, some small (5m), and some long (40m). They had some very intricate launching apparatus’ as well as high tech building techniques. Quite amazing for the early 1800s. One of the guides wore a wetsuit and traced the old beams out into the water to give a real indication of the structures. When she reached the end of the beams (waist high water) she plunged off into 30’ of water, the natural depth of the bay floor. Good stuff!
After Sarah Island we headed downstream to the mouth of the Gordon River.
The Gordon is the river that was very controversial back in the early 80’s. The Tasmanian government wanted to put another dam on the river just below where the Franklin joins in, for Hydro purposes. Hence the name The Gordon below Franklin dam. The greenies, of course, opposed this and there was a big stink for a long time. Eventually the greenies won,
and the federal government stepped in and forced the issue. Good thing for all of us, because as we motored up the Gordon, it was like stepping back in time….maybe a bit like Deliverance.
The river was really beautiful. The thick rainforest and mountains that came right down to the water, really looked impressive. We stopped at a boardwalk for a 20 min rainforest walk, and it was majestical. Very dense forest, very moist air, lots of mosses and ferns, with huge Huon pines, Myrtles, Blue gums, and Tree Ferns. It was a great time, even though the weather was on and off. I was glad we did the trip. There were also lots of fish farms on the river. Atlantic salmon and ocean trout (rainbow trout) were being grown in these structures and we were lucky enough to be present when they were being fed. Lots of security around these farms, as they represent a big economy.
From the river, we headed back to port. We got back at about 3:15, so it was a long day, but a good one. From there Pete, Ali and I went for a drive – with Pete at the wheel – out to Ocean Beach to check out the mutton birds, as we had planned to go back tonight. From the beach, we decided to drive around, so we went down all the sand tracks we could find. One of the tracks went for ages, and at the end we came across a ‘fish waste disposal – no public access’. Of course we kept going – it was only 30m – and we came across a pit dug into a sand dune. This pit was where someone dumped all fish guts, heads, and bad complete fish. I do not know why it was there, but I do know it did not smell too pretty. From the pit, we drove down a few more tracks, and eventually got back to town. We drove all over town, up and down tracks and roads. I do not think we missed any part of town. We found the rifle range, old logging tracks, dumpy houses, and some not so dumpy ones. We did not come across any nice homes, so I don’t know where the people with money live. I am sure there are some, especially given the “bosses” car at the launching site for the river cruise. After we got home, we had dinner, and then all but Wendy and Beryl headed off again to Ocean Beach to check out the Mutton Birds. We headed off about 8pm, and on the way Klaus said, “of course the birds come in on dusk, so you won’t see any arriving”. Now you tell us. We kept going, and when we got to the beach, there was a big racket, as birds were running everywhere, squawking and carrying on. Yes, there were none on the beach, but there were plenty of birds in the colony. We wandered all over the place. It was the first time I had seen this sort of thing up close, so it was interesting.
Back to camp, and it was time to hit the sack, ready for a packup and driving day to follow.
Thursday, and we were off again. We were not quite sure of our destination, and we thought we would just wing it. We left Strahan and headed East, not quite sure of what lay ahead. We drove through Queenstown, which was ‘famous’ for the ecological disaster which mining can sometimes cause. The hills were devoid of trees, and it looked pretty awful. Klaus voted it as Tasmania’s untidiest town, as there was rubbish along the road and outskirts.
Coming over the top of the range, saw a dramatic change in scenery, and it wasn’t long before we were back in forests and greenery.
Nelson Falls was a sedate stroll into rainforest with lots of vines and mossy growth on old soaked trees. The amount of moss on the ground was quite surprising, thick carpets of bright lime green growth. The falls were modest but very pretty and the photographic urge was well met. As usual, it started to rain, but we got back without getting too wet.
Next stop was a strenuous walk to Dogherty Lookout. Many stairs and long hauls skyward brought us to a pinnacle of rock that looked down over the Derwent River in both directions. Part of the view took in a wide grassed valley that was reminiscent of the ‘land before time’ scenery and we wondered if the artists of the movie had visited this part of Australia – it was as good as identical.
Scott took great pleasure, not in the view, as in stirring up the black bull ants that had their nests along the pathway. Beryl was adamant that he should wait until she had passed before satisfying his perverse enjoyment.
Derwent River Roadhouse was lunch. Probably the nicest hamburgers we have had for a long time – well for most of us anyway – Beryl was a tad disappointed when her meat pattie and sauce only hamburger had just that – meat patty and sauce. Someone had to round up some salad for her to abate the whinging! Lake St-Clair was quite pretty and a short stop before heading back on the road toward the capital.
The National Park passport suggested we befriend a wallaby at the lake and that’s just what we did.
Arriving in the suburbs of Hobart, we found a nice motel block at Glenorchy, with adjoining units. Of course, the Weiss family copped the ‘dud’ unit – again – but both women were excited about the in room washing machines. Wendy’s machine did its best to chew the arm off Marks top. They were quite hard on clothes. We ate in, preparing ourselves for the visit to the chocolate factory, the next morning.
We got up on Friday in eager anticipation, for the visit to the Cadbury chocolate factory, bearing in mind that we hadn’t booked a tour. We conned 8 passes out of the booking office, being told it was not the done thing. The tour was very interesting, and we got to sample many product lines. We were allowed two wrapped samples of various lines, but Mark managed to end up with a huge number, as did Peter, but not as many as Klaus. (not true. kkw) We all posed for a photo out the front, with our disposable hats on, and Mark with an additional, ‘whisker cover’.
Complete with homemade sandwiches we hit Richmond for lunch. We thought we might tackle the maze there but we found out it was made of timber and decided to give it a miss. A short visit to the famed Richmond bridge – the oldest bridge in Australia – with Beryl and Wendy managing a skip around the Teddies in the Park store and one other arts/craft store in town.
Then it was off to Turbridge, looking for the oldest single span, timber bridge. While we found a stone and timber one, we were surprised to find it was the one we were looking for, not what we had in mind at all, but worth a look anyway. It was single span timber, but resting on ornate sandstone ballustrades.
The piece de resistance was Ross. A most picturesque town, with a very English look about it’s bridge and river banks, we spent quite a while photographing the impression by the bridge and soaking our shoes in the slush along the way. We also strolled through the old church and the Wool Centre. As we climbed back into the car, Mark commented on how lovely the town was and how taken he was with the condition of the place, only to be responsible for a much chewed up grass verge, following a U turn and a bit of skidding in the soft, moist grass, on the edge of the road. We sailed out of town leaving a trail of mud all the way back to the offence. We were all hoping the Police were as sleepy as the town!
Saturday saw weather that was completely against the forecast. It was sunny, and we were off to the markets! In Hobart city, on Salamanca Place, every Saturday there is a street market. Today was no exception, so off we headed. To me, the markets seemed no different than any others. Wendy and Beryl liked them though. The kids thought they were pretty ordinary. The markets offered the usual herbs, crafty things, music, clothes, used junk, and food. Klaus, the girls, the boys and I went for a walk out on the pier to look at the view from the end of the dock area. I am not sure if that is Constitution Dock (the dock that receives the Sydney to Hobart yachts) or not. Anyway the city looked small from out there, not because we were a long way away, but because the city IS only small. Hobart is really just a big town. Tied up to the dock was a huge tri-maran. It must have been 150 feet long. A nice little thing to take out for a spin on a Sunday afternoon. We were there until after lunch when we headed down to Bruny Island. This is an island about 50 kms long, about 45 mins south of Hobart. It is reached by a car ferry, which takes about 20 mins to cross. The island is very nice, with rolling green hills, small farms, nice beaches, and lots of Plovers. The weather was good all the time we were there. We started off looking at the north end of the island, and then headed down the middle and across a small, narrow stretch, which seemed to join two big islands together. On this spit was a penguin rookery, and we planned to come back at the end of the day to see the Fairy Penguins come in.
Further south we went to a spot where Captain Cook landed in 1777. Klaus saw a whale in one section, but we couldn’t stop on the narrow road, to have a look. Apparently Cook called in for “some water, wood and food for cattle”. We played on the beach for a while, then headed across land to the western side of the lower half of Bruny Island via a mountain track that proved quite bumpy for the backseaters. We stopped on the top of the mountain pass for a quick look over the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Up the coast again, as we headed back to the spit to check out the penguins.
We played again on the beach waiting out time, but unfortunately we ran out of time, as we had to be back to the ferry for the last crossing at 7pm. While we were waiting for the ferry to arrive, we walked down to see what the people fishing on the wharf were catching. They had caught some good sized squid, plus a couple of other small fish (Flathead, Tailor). The people who were catching them were something to behold though. I think the gene pool they belonged to had long ago dried up. While we were on the boat the rain started again. It poured all the way home, and stopped just as we got to our unit. Hopefully it will be dry in the morning for our first pack-up in 3 days.
Sunday broke early for us. We got up at 6am as the Weiss’ were due at 7 for breaky. Overnight, Tasmania had gone onto daylight saving, so we also lost an hours sleep. No one wanted to get up. We had a long way to go – about 1 ½ hours – but we had to pack the car after 3 days of staying in the one place. We had stuff everywhere, and people had done lots of shopping. Bad news though – it was pouring rain. We packed as much as we could onto the verandah of Klaus’ unit as he was next to the car. We waited until it stopped then we hit the loading. We were pretty well finished when the skies opened again. Luckily all was covered, just not tied up completely. When we finished loading, we all jumped in and headed off towards Hobart.
It was about 8:15, so we had done pretty well. Of course it was still raining, and as we headed over the Tasman bridge it did not let up. In fact, it continued all the way to Port Arthur. About 2 kms from PA, the clouds parted and we saw blue sky for the first time. We entered the park headquarters, and the sky got even brighter. The prices for the entry were pretty good. A family entry was only $43 for 2 adults and up to 6 kids, so for the day, we adopted Ali and Sarah. The place was really set up well. They had very good displays of convict information. The entry price included a harbour cruise as well as a guided overview tour of the settlement. Dianne, our guide, knew a lot of stuff, and provided us with a very good summary of events and locations within the settlement. After 30-odd minutes she left us to wander as we pleased.
The settlement is fascinating. It is also huge. It is located on a headland at the very south east side of Hobart. It sits on a very nice harbour that provides shelter from the elements, with plenty of provisions like fresh water and timber. It was initially selected because of the abundance of bluegum trees. Bluegum is ideal for boat construction, so the location was chosen as a penal settlement so that boat construction could be performed. Boats of various sizes were made, just like we saw in Sarah Island near Strahan. The largest was about 40,000 ton. After Dianne left us, we all went in different directions. Scott and I went together, and we headed off towards the hospital, guard accommodation, and the prison itself. We even did some acrobatics when we attempted to cross a water covered bridge. I fell over and landed very heavily on my left ankle, and right elbow. A bit of blood was lost, but nothing too dramatic. The structures were quite amazing. Three feet thick walls for most buildings would have gone a long way towards keeping the cold winters at bay. Scott and I wandered all over the place. It was good to spend some time with him. At noon we were booked on our harbour cruise, so we headed off to the dock. The ferry was the Bundeena, which was located for many years, at Port Hacking – our home area at Cronulla.
It was sailed down to Tasmania from there, quite a feat, considering the size of the boat. The boat took us around the Isle of the Dead, which is where they buried all the dead prisoners, as well as any free settlers that did not make it. As Port Arthur was opened in 1830 and was not closed until 1877, they estimate that there are about 1500 people buried in unmarked graves on the island – these were all the convicts. Free settlers were buried in another area and with a great deal of pomp and ceremony, not to mention with headstones. The cruise went for about 20 mins but was very informative. The seas were a bit rough, and when we went out past the shelter of the island, we hit some swell side on and the boat rocked quite a bit. It was interesting to hear all the people start to mutter amongst themselves, expecting the worst. Back on the site again, Scott and I continued around the rest of settlement. We were due back at the car at 2 for lunch. As we were eating lunch, the weather again intervened and it poured rain, of course, most of our party weren’t much affected, as we sat in the car throughout the lunchtime antics. Beryl and Wendy, on the other hand, got surprisingly wet as they made sandwiches on the back tailgate in the constant rain and wind. Ali was quite wet, too, as she didn’t fit in the car. Pete suggested that was because she was “a big unit” – Klaus’ pet statement to her – but Beryl is sure it was more likely to be the fact that no one would move so she could get to the back seat. Klaus, Scott, Pete, Sarah and I had had enough, so it was decided that we should go back and check into our accommodation, and unpack the car while the 3 girls stayed on. We had to go back at 6 and pick them up, and of course, we were scheduled to arrange dinner for the return of the rest of the party which include doing the grocery shopping, and selecting appropriate food items. We had a bit of a bad time because it seems that minced meat does not exist in or around Port Arthur, which is a real problem when Spag Bol is the menu. Klaus was designated cook, as everybody else was too busy watching television.
Wendy, Beryl, Scott and Sarah wanted to go back and do the night Ghost tour, so at 8pm they headed back while we did the housework. Some more blood was lost during their absence. I banged my head on an overhead cupboard and drew quite a bit of blood. Klaus’ assistance was to offer to shave my head so that I could put a bandaid on it.
He also wrapped my head in toilet paper to help me get some sympathy upon their return. They returned about 10:30. Beryl, Sarah and Scott did not seem too concerned about the tour, but Wendy made the comment that it is not something she wants to do again soon.
(I have to say, I was a little apprehensive about walking around an historical site of such hardship after dark. Beryl, from the outset, was well based in her scepticism and quite convinced she would have no problems. In hindsight, I’m really glad she was there – she was a quiet strength for my shaky heart. In the beginning, a volunteer was required to hold one of the lanterns and I offered, not because I was noble but because I figured if I held the light, I would always be in the light – sounds a little biblical! Also, it was the 2nd lantern and I didn’t want to be picked to bring up the rear with the last one. We toured through several buildings: the church, the parsonage/post office, the mortuary, which was off limits during the day, then the separation gaol. I was standing in the group outside the parsonage/post office and the guide was talking about the Reverend Easton and how he had died upstairs in the house. A large man, he was packed into his coffin in his bedroom but suffered great indignities when they found it impossible to manoeuvre it down the stairs and he had to be lowered to the ground by way of a back window and a winch. I was still holding the lantern and it was quite bright about me and I caught a fleeting moment of a tall man in a long black coat wearing a top hat standing right beside me. The guide had mentioned the coat but not the hat and later, when I asked about it, another guide said people had been reporting to her that the top hat was a common sight of late. Further on in the tour, we were in the mortuary and as Beryl took a flash photo I saw the image of a woman with loose blonde hair standing right in front of me. I thought it might be my eyes playing tricks, so I watched as others took flash photos and I never saw it again. I have no idea who she could be as no female was talked about in here but I’m confident I saw her. On both these occasions I was not scared at all. However, when we entered the separation gaol the guide asked me to lead the group in, which I did, but that left me standing at the end of the group when we turned around for the guide’s interpretation. It seemed a very long presentation and filled with sorrow and nastiness. I was very much uneasy and very grateful for Beryl’s company there. No, I wouldn’t like to repeat that experience again.)
Another day gone, and plans for Monday were made. We are off to the Huon Valley, which means up to Hobart and then down the west side of the harbour. Hopefully the weather is better for loading the car.
Monday morning looked good…for a while. Yes, we had to load the car in the rain again. It was not too bad though, as we hardly got wet. From the unit we headed off back towards Port Arthur as we wanted to go to the Remarkable Cave. This was a cave on the peninsula, which faced out to sea, and when you stood at the back of it, you could see a map of Tasmania formed by the shape of the cave opening. Mark made some comments about a ‘map of Tasmania’ but Wendy soon sorted him out. Actually it is not really a cave, as it is a tunnel because we viewed it from the back after walking down lots of stairs from a boardwalk. Wendy and Beryl had a hard time going back up the stairs, because of all the walking they had done the previous day.
After the cave we went back to Port Arthur as Ali wanted to buy some more of the playing cards that were used during the tour. Wendy decided to buy some more as well as a gift for someone. After leaving the store we went to a blowhole which wasn’t really a blowhole, just a hole in the rock which was pushed through by the waves and then the waves crashed against some rocks and shot up in the air. Not far from there was a few good examples of natural arches in the cliff walls. These were quite good, but not too easy to photograph as we could only get access to the top of the cliffs. We then visited a lookout that showed a view of Eaglehawk’s Neck, which is the narrow piece of land which connected the whole peninsula that Port Arthur stood on (about 10 kms long). This is where the military had set up a perimeter of vicious dogs to keep the prisoners in. We then headed off towards Hobart so we could drive down the eastern side of the mainland towards Hasting’s Caves. This took us about 2 ½ hours without counting lunch in Huonville. Huonville sits in the middle of the Huon Valley. This is the apple and jam capital of Tassy. Hasting’s Caves is a series of limestone caves (over 200) in the far southern area. The national park we went to also had some hot (27C) springs that we could have gone swimming in, but as it was already 3pm and we were booked on a cave tour at 3:15 there was not much chance. The cave tour was really interesting. The guide was an American of some sort, but he obviously liked his job, and spoke very well about the caves, and the local environment. There were lots and lots of stalegmites/tites, as well as straw, ribbon, shawl, and flow formations. The caves were about 400m long, and were very well presented.
After leaving the caves, we rushed back to Huonville to catch some craft shops. The big one the girls wanted to visit was closed for renovations, so we had to find another one in the main part of the town. This was accomplished, and by 6pm, we left Huonville, with a target destination of Swansea, on the north-east coast. This was reached without any interesting sightings, except for some possums, (because it was dark) about 9:15pm. We had rung and booked cabins so accomodation was ok. After arriving we discovered a short-tailed shearwater (mutton bird) colony, so off we headed in the dark towards the headland, not knowing where they would be, just knowing the general direction. We had a few torches, and once we passed the cemetery, we came across some birds sitting all over the pathway. We looked around for a while and then returned to the van via the beach. It was a really mild night, with stars out. This looked promising for tomorrows adventures. The Weiss’ again got the ‘dud’ van. During the night, a smoke detector battery died, and there was a loud beep every 20 seconds, which caused Ali to have a bad headache the next morning and grumpy dispositions all round. Amazingly, neither Ali or Sarah were kept awake by the noise, but both had side-effects from it. Sarah was harassed in her dreams by a piercing sound but didn’t know what it was. Klaus and Beryl were disturbed by the sound even though they were in the other bedroom on the other end of the caravan, but they didn’t realise that it was the smoke detector until the following morning. They both got up and looked for the sound, and were positive it was coming from the power point near the floor. They should have looked up!!
Tuesday morning began with a bright start – for some of us anyway. The weather was really nice, with blue sky, mild temperature, and lots of promise. After a late breaky we headed off towards Great Oyster Bay and Freycinet National Park. This is the area where most of Tasmania’s oysters are grown. We had seen a segment on a TV show recently showing this area and particularly the oyster industry. It was about a 1 hour drive. The park is on the end of a long peninsular which guards the bay. The land around there is pretty flat except for some high mountains in the park itself. They looked very ominous, and from the brochures we had seen, you had to take one of the walks to get a spectacular view of Wineglass Bay.
This was a bay on the ocean side, but very protected by the shape of the bay. We had seen in some brochures that the walk was 2 hours, but upon entering the park, the ranger(ess) at the gate told us that it was only a 30 min walk, albeit a steep one. We drove through the park to where the walk started. Just before the start, I pulled the car to a quick stop as I spotted an echidna jogging along the track. Pete, Scott and I hopped out, only to find it burrowing into the sand to protect itself.
A gentle cooling breeze and the comfortable respite was just what the doctor ordered. Refreshed, we went on to the end, just a few minutes further around the point. The views from the lookout were spectacular, and well worth the trek. We stayed there for about 20 mins gnawing on carrot sticks, and then faced the return trip. Klaus and Scott were talking to another couple, who had the forethought to bring some delicious french pastries along for their snack. Klaus offered to swap one for a few carrot sticks, but they declined. It was not as bad on the way back, and only took 25 mins. Some of us took a little longer as Beryl, Wendy and Ali discovered another sculpture tucked away just a little off the track. The “waterfall lounge” bubbled down among the rocks and when you sat on it, you slid down – just like a drop of water on a fall. We went over to Honeymoon Bay for lunch. This is a secluded, quiet little beach, which is protected from the winds as well. It was a really nice spot, and sitting on the rocks, looking at the crystal clear water was very soothing. Most of us wandered around the rocks, and looked in the rock pools, but we were amazed that there was no sign of fish life. There was plenty of seaweed, anemones, urchins, kelp, and grasses, but no crabs, little fish, or big fish.
Klaus said he saw one leatherjacket, but that was not a good sign for us having a fishing attempt. That being the case, no fishing was had by anyone. We drove around the park, looking for other likely spots, but none were found. We drove down one jetty hoping to have better luck. At the end was a fishing boat as well as a truck full of oysters that had just been unloaded. The oysters were huge, but after talking to the local (very local) man in the boat, he confirmed that fishing there was no good either. He had a mangy dog on board, which was named V8. I suspect it was his girlfriend, but was berated for suggesting it. So off we went again, but this time heading out of the park towards our next destination – Launceston. After about an hour, we stopped at Campbell Town for coffee, a nibble of something, and a kick of the ball. Again we hit the road, and soon found ourselves in the middle of Launceston, having missed the turnoff to our likely hotel, because we got into town before we realised. Turning around, and I was getting good at that, we headed south again until we found our suburb, and eventually the hotel. After checking in for 2 nights, Klaus rang his old friend Carl Philpott, from Gymea People’s days. Carl said he would come around to say hello. It was good to see him again, as we shared old stories, and new ones. He has been down here for 20 years, but still does not consider himself, or maybe has not been accepted as, a local. He says it is a nice place to live in, but a hard one to work, as there is not too much work around. He also said that it took a long time to get used to the cooler weather. We sat around for several hours, talking, and enjoying ourselves until Klaus spoke up with the words, “well, it is ¼ to 11 and Carl has to get up in the morning to do some work, maybe” – very subtle Klaus! At that, the night ended.
Wednesday again was a bright, clear start to the day. The weather seemed to have turned for the better, or maybe it was just this part of the country.
This was to be our last full day, as Thursday morning we climb back on the boat. We also found out that Thursday was a public holiday in Launceston for their annual show. This means that a lot of places would be closed in the area around L. This means that we had to carefully plan our itinerary to make sure we saw all the things we wanted to. We left the hotel headed for Cateract Gorge. This is a water gorge which was the first site for hydro power in the area. It has some very nice gardens with a suspension bridge over the gorge, which leads to a gardened house, which is now a restaurant, with lots and lots of peacocks and peahens. It was all very British in its appearance.
We stayed there for an hour or so before jumping back in the car, heading north to check out the Tamar Island Wetlands. This is a wetland area that is located in the middle of the Tamar river, just up from Launceston. The national parks people have built a boardwalk which extends about 2 ½ kms out across the wetlands. We all started out on the walk, but some of our party dropped out, the further we walked. (We couldn’t help it, we’ve walked and walked everywhere!) There was hardly anything to see, just black swans, a few water hens, and lots of tall grasses. Only Scott and I made it out to the island. There was not much more on the island to see either. Scott and I decided to jog all the way back. I should not have done it on my sore ankle, and by the time I got back to the car, it was a lot sorer. It was sore then for the rest of the day, and night. After the wetlands we headed further north to find the Glengarry Bush Maze. It was a maze made out of wattle tree, and was trimmed to about 6’ high. The kids had fun while we stood on a platform watching them and helped them when they got frustrated. They eventually made it to the middle and out again. A little orchestration for photos was in order and the kids stopped in strategic places for the snapshot. All were visible, except Scott, who was positioned behind a very tall wall of wattle and told to jump on 3. It was a really funny sight and we hope the photo has captured it. They had fun, and as soon as they got out we had lunch. We helped feed the funny looking chickens (including the rooster that helped feed the other two) and the 16 year old golden retriever.
From the maze we went to a lavender farm, but they had only just started planting. They did have a few rows in flower down the back that we went and had a look at. They use the lavender to make all sorts of goods that they ship all around Australia. The goods include honey, hand cream, biscuits, fudge, mustard, bath salts, powder, soaps, sleeping pillows, and lots of other things. Big business! After the farm, we headed off across the river, and up the eastern side of the river towards Low Head. Low Head is the mouth of the Tamar river, and located there is a Fairy Penguin Rookery. As the Weiss’ had never seen any, we thought we had better do the right thing, as we had missed them down on Bruny Island. We got to the point about 5pm, and as the penguins did not come into the beach until nearly 8, we looked in town for somewhere to eat. The only thing we found, in a realistic price range was the R&SLA. The Tasmanian version of the RSL. I do not know what it stands for though. The food was good value so it worked out well. After dinner we headed up to the rookery to do the tour. The tour was run by a private group, and not the national parks people. They were terrible. It was headed by a lady who had a terrible voice, and it was obvious she learnt the facts from paper, although she talked like she had been doing this for many years. Her offsiders were a young guy (Sam) who had no idea how to talk to people and was there just for the money, and a 16 year old girl who wasn’t really there at all. (she did tell us where to find the ‘hunk’ surfer guys though, and her boyfriend seemed to be having fun doing donuts in the carpark). She was completely useless. After the initial couple of waves of penguins came in, we split up into 3 groups and went on a walkabout throughout the dunes. We caught up with quite a few penguins in their homes and saw some chicks as well.
Wendy, Beryl, Klaus and Alison had stayed back with Abby (the 16 yr old), and got to witness some penguins feeding their chicks, but unfortunately did not get out in the dunes. It was good to see the penguins, but the management and commentary were very disappointing. From the rookery we headed home and arrived about 9:30. The night was crystal clear, and the stars were magnificent. We had not seen any stars until tonight.
Our final day on Tasmania, Thursday the 11th of October dawned another beautiful day. That is 1 ½ in a row! Hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the day, and overnight as well, as we travel back across the water. After packing the car for the last time (we were all sad about that), we headed west towards Deloraine. Deloraine was famous for it’s craft shops. After ½ hour or so, we hit the streets of Deloraine. We dropped the girls off at one end of town, and told them we would meet them at the other end in ¾ hour. They were going to check out the shops! We drove around and could not find anything interesting except a café/bakery. We wandered in and got supplies, and while we were sitting there, the girls walked past. I called them and they came in. They had walked the entire street in about 10 mins. There was nothing, so they joined us for morning tea. Beryl had a pastry called a Paris Breast, and Klaus reckoned he could do with a pair of those. Following the best cakes we had had in Tasmania, we were off again towards the next attraction. This was west again towards Mole Creek and a wildlife park. The park was not a big one, but promised Koalas, Wombats, and Tasmanian Devils! The last was the attraction, as none of the Weiss’ had ever seen one. We entered the park just in time for the next tour, led by a local (very, very local) guy. He gave his name but no-one could understand a word he said. As he commentated, we were lucky to catch every 5
word. You sort of had to piece together the words you understood, with his actions at the time. The first thing he showed, was the Koalas.
As soon as he took it back, it started again. It squirmed the most when he was trying to show everyone inside her pouch, and you can’t really blame it for that. He talked about how “when it gets a bit older, a baby will grow in there and it will come out to feed and go in again”. Next victim, I mean cab, off the rank was the Tassy Devils.
We trotted down to a pen where 4 devils ran around. He picked up a bucket on the way and climbed into the cage – Steve Irwin style! While he was standing there, describing the devils and their habitat, food, etc, the 4 of them were continually jumping up on his leg, trying to get the food they could no doubt smell. He must have had blood and muck on his pants as they were quite interested in latching on. Of course, he got bitten, and it was very funny to watch his reaction. It was as if he did not expect it, and roused on them like they were little kids. They ignored him and kept on at him. At one stage he was standing on one leg, trying to hold off the main offender with the other leg stuck out behind him. It was quite funny to watch. The devils had fearsome jaws and teeth, possessing one of the strongest jaws in the animal world. They just crunch through bone and fur, as if it were a slice of bread.
He eventually asked for questions, and Wendy asked him what sort of population was still in the wild. He answered by saying “they live for a while, but they live for quite some time when they are in the park”. He did not ask for any more questions. He then took the lid off the bucket and pulled out these pieces of meat, which looked like possum road kill, which had been dead for quite a while. He gave a piece to 3 of the animals, then for the 4
he held onto one end of the meat ( or whatever it was), and played tug-o-war with the last devil. It was nearly dangerous, because he was not even watching and the devil was trying to take his fingers with the meat – real Steve Irwin stuff. It was amazing to watch them all eat, as they just crunched down on the bones, meat and fur, and ate it within a few minutes. It was all too much for us. We could not listen to him any more, without bursting out in hysterics, so off we wandered on our own. The park had some good things in it. There were quite a few Koalas, and even one that was nursing a baby. The baby was on the mother’s stomach when we saw it. A Tassie devil had a clutch of babies, too, but Sarah was afraid they were “falling out!” We also saw a Cape Barren Goose that appeared to be nesting. At one stage, the mother got up to turn around and we saw 4 large eggs in the nest. The father was sitting nearby for encouragement. They also had 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles with either clipped or injured wings, as they sat on branches in a pen with walls only 5 foot high, and no roof.
There was also owls, kookaburras, cockatoos, goshawk, quolls, and a few other species. A nocturnal house left a bit to be desired. Klaus said it was as black as the inside of a cow. You couldn’t see a hand in front of your face at the entrance, and little of the animals in there. It was all a bit too much for us after a while. We left the park and headed north for a town that was famous for it’s murals (muriels), and a good place for lunch. We drove through the main street and all over the walls of the town were many murals of pioneer-type life. It was very well done. We played a bit of football, and were soon off again. Again we headed west to the world’s biggest maze complex. It was spread across 1 hectare and contained 7 different mazes. The kids had a ball, while we had coffee (and some of us (Mark) waded through the most gi-normous serving of scones, jam and cream). Klaus asked the lady what the fish symbol was, on the door (to see if she knew) and was told that the owners were Christians, and that everyone was welcome in their establishment. This was the last attraction, as it was now after 3pm and we were supposed to be in Devonport, to board the boat around 4pm.
We soon hit Devonport, and as there was time to spare, the girls talked us into letting them go shopping in another craft store. One thing I noticed was that we would be leaving Devonport just as we had entered it – in the pouring rain - we had not had any rain all day until we turned the last corner into the main street. It poured from then until we boarded ship. We were on board with plenty of time. Well, everyone else was anyway. I sat on the wharf for about ¾ of an hour, while the boat people loaded the vehicles in an order that I could not work out. Anyway, I finally got there, and met the rest of the targa team in the same lounge that we occupied for the trip from Melbourne. We had 3 extras in the group, as Peter had caught up with a friend from his study group (at Nikki Lorraine’s), and his parents. They stayed with us until we went off to dinner, and then they went off and we looked after the truckload of gear we had bought on board.
While Mark was loading the car onto the boat, we went off in search of ‘our’ lounge. The doors to the lounge were locked, so we sat in the main bar area with loads of other people. We were informed that the lounge would be opened once the boat got underway. Klaus was eager to secure our spot, so when the boat left the dock, he found a door unlocked, but shut, and took all out gear to the same spot we had on the way over. The barmaid came in and gave us a dirty look, saying ‘who let us in’. Never the less, we stayed put and had that area until the bar was shut up about 10pm.
Klaus, Peter and Scott had bunks in the hostel section, but Mark scored a bunk in another section. He wanted to swap, but Klaus hung on to his ticket. This was fortunate for the boys, as their bunk room only had 6 beds and a private toilet and 2 showers. Mark, however, had to share with 20 other beds, and snoring, drunken passengers. A squall front had hit the boat around 8pm and the seas were a little choppy, causing some pitching of the boat, but nothing too bad. The room next to Klaus and the boys bunks, had some passengers who obviously couldn’t handle the movement of the boat, and he heard regular vomiting noises coming from next door. Next morning, Ali wanted to see the ‘luxury suite’, so after breakfast, we went down to show her. The room was empty, so Ali came in to have a look. A minute later one of the male occupants, emerged from the toilet and got quite a shock to see a female in the cabin. Funny when it happened. On docking at Port Melbourne, we had to get to the car, as we were due to be amongst the first to get off again. Trucks were parked very close, so everyone had to climb in through the tailgate, as we couldn’t open the doors. Mark took some unflattering photos of the task.
We decided to stop off at the Melbourne markets, but they were virtually the same as the Hobart ones, albeit much bigger. The run home along the Hume Highway was overcast and cloudy. We stopped in Euroa for lunch and then headed off again. The run home was a long one, and many in the car nodded off, except for the driver. Afternoon tea was bought at a roadside café and dinner at a Hungry Jacks outlet near Goulburn. We arrived back at Engadine around 11pm and unloaded the car. Poor Mark, Wendy and the boys still had another hour to get back to Glenhaven, so left pretty well straight away. It was a pretty full schedule on this trip, but we all had a great time and saw lots of new things.
Well worth it, I think.
Some facts about the trip:
Rough cost of total trip (each family): $3,200
Distance travelled by car: 4,636 kms (not including distance by boats)
Fuel used: 765 litres - Avg consumption: 6.13kms/l (17.34 mpg)
Maximum passengers: 8
Minumum passengers: 8
Distance travelled by ship: 858 kms (429 each way)
