Circling Back

I picked good weather for the visit to Queenstown and Strahan and left as the wind picked up. After a drive to Zeehan (a long way for coffee and only a couple of important buildings), I spent another night at Queenstown. I had intended to stay a bit longer in Strahan but it was quicker to return to Queenstown than to go back to Strahan. Queenstown is proud of their historic sports ground, with a gravel oval. I wanted to see a game of football to see how the players coped with gravel rash. The gravel is very fine and during the night I got good taste of it - in more ways than one. The sports ground provides free camping. On my first stay, there were about twenty rigs. This next night there were only eight. Perhaps they knew something. Early in the night the wind got up and all night the sand swirled around the area, sandblasting the outside and sneaking into every part of the van. I drove off eventually knowing that everything I touched was gritty with sand. (Two days later the road into Queenstown was closed because of a snowfall.)

I wasn't in any great hurry to get back to Hobart so I made a large detour. I spent one night at Bothwell. Some of the small towns have worked hard to encourage tourists. Bothwell has published a heritage walk, with more than twenty buildings explained. With a substantial number of buildings more than a century old, they have a real slice of history. Ten dollar camping with good hot showers and free laundry encourages people to stays at least overnight. From there, I went to New Norfolk, quite a bustling modern town mingled with historical aspects. New Norfolk was the place that I got phone coverage back after five days in the wilderness. If I ever come back, I will have a Telstra phone. Even that is not always available, but is much more reliable.

I had eleven messages waiting for me. It's good to know that friends and relatives are following my trip. It is also nice to see occasional comments on Facebook and emails. Thank you all. One message was from Zudi who repeated her invitation to return. So here I am again at Geilston Bay, Hobart. Today I just played ladies. I had to find a chemist and get some medications. Apart from that, I had a rest, had a read and watched a DVD. Yesterday I had pulled everything out of the van and swept out the sand. So it is ready to hit the road again tomorrow. I am making a big loop south, doing the Huon Trail, before I head north for the ferry on Monday 26th.