A busy Day

As on most days, I made the most of a shady spot and a dim camper and slept till about 9.30. Plenty of hot water at this camping ground so I had a long hot shower and washed my hair. Three dollars and four minutes was all it took. Feeling human enough to face the day, I strolled back to the van stopping to talk to a few people along the way.

I followed up on an invitation from last night and had coffee and home made biscuits with Marie who was waiting for her husband Bill to arrive back from climbing a mountain.The clothes I had rinsed out 12 hours ago were now dry so I packed up and set off for Derby, just under 50 km away.

Derby was the site of a very prosperous tin mine in the mid 1800s with thousands of workers, about half Chinese many of whom had come from the goldfields of Victoria. Tin mining requires vast amounts of water which was initially piped long distances through intricate constructions of races and pipes. Eventually a huge dam was built. After exceptionally heavy rain, the dam burst flooding the whole valley and the mine with more than a billion litres of water. An interpretation centre in town gives a great multi-media explanation, well worth a visit.

That was my first stop of the day. After a good look around and enjoying the 15 metre screen experience, I had a coffee and wrote some postcards. After a stroll to the post office, I went back to the cafe for a long lunch, reading my book and also sharing travel stories with a couple of groups of fellow travelers. I think there are more visitors than locals in Tassie and all seem to want to talk. And here in Derby that was particularly noticeable. From its heyday with ten thousand residents, it is a tiny town of no more than 30 buildings with half a dozen shops probably barely making a living.

After a long hard day so far, I found the camping area - once again a free camp. I had a bit of a chat with Sharon and Doug. When they left for a walk through town, I had a little afternoon nap. Refreshed, I followed with a stroll along the river bank, at least a hundred metres each way. A few others had arrived by now and I got some recommendations for the next few camps.

I met one of those intrepid cyclists. Antonina is a Polish Canadian woman in her late 50s doing a three week cycle from Hobart, up the east coast, across to Launceston and back to Hobart. Then she is flying to Alice Springs to do another three weeks around Uluru and The Olgas. Each year she goes somewhere different, Norway, Spain, Japan being recent trips. Some trips are more strenuous than others and she may not have cycled more than about 1000km!! Here in Tassie which I would have thought was fairly mountainous, she was averaging 50km a day. While she pitched her tent, I made a cup of tea for us, figuring that she had her preparations down to a fine art by now.

Sharon called in later and we had a long talk. I hope I catch up with her again. She and Doug have discovered geocache.com which I intend to find out more about. It is like a global online treasure hunt - sounds like a great interest to add to a trip.

A bit of reading, a few rows of knitting and mt exhausting day was at an end. I have been out of Internet range so this blog is already old news but I'll post it anyhow.

Going East

I decided not to stay in Launceston. A city is a city. I wandered around a bit and ended up in Scottsdale. This is an RV friendly town with quite a large free camping area on the outskirts of town. There are twenty or more groups here in caravans, campers and tents. I am impressed with the hardy souls cycling or hiking around this mountainous state. They arrive, pitch a tent, cook a meal and look as though they have just done a pleasant stroll.

The local tourist centre is extremely helpful. I got a lot of information and planned a day of sightseeing. My days of course are only half days by the time I get started. I am very thoughtful and try to let those who want to get on the road early have first use of the amenities. There are good facilities here, although a hot shower costs $3 - but that is very cheap camping as this is the only cost to stay. There are efficient bbqs and plenty of taps with fresh water. The resident ducks wander around the camp grounds and obviously don't fear for their safety - probably too old and tough for the pot! A platypus lives in the creek and some campers saw it last night. I will do my little vigil tonight and try my luck.

During the day I went for a drive to the Ralph Falls which are among the tallest falls in Tasmania. They must also be the narrowest falls. No doubt there are times of the year when there is a better flow but today they seemed to be about 50cm wide for most of the fall, and a metre of so at the widest part. That was after a hike down from the car park. The information I got from town said it was an easy 20 minute walk. I've actually done a few walks recently and manage Level 1 walks with no problems. This was not an easy walk and others agreed with me. I went back to the tourist centre and suggested they edit their information as several people who were on the track with me said they would not have started the trek if they had known how difficult it was. There were a few young people who just about ran down and back up, but for oldies the material was misleading.

On the way to the falls I stopped for a while in the very small township of Legerwood to admire the carvings. A number of trees in the town were to be removed because they were becoming dangerous. A forward thinking group raised money for the trees to be carved as monuments to local men killed at war. Each tree features one serviceman e.g one shows a fellow armed and on duty on one branch, asleep and dreaming of his lady love (also carved) on another branch, etc. They have obviously been treated and polished and are a great sight lining the Anzac Park. Another couple are in the park in Scottsdale.

After Autumn, Winter and Summer this last week, it was back to pleasant mild weather today. The scenery is wonderful on a clear day with so many mountains and valleys and trickling streams everywhere I walk. Camping at night is fine. I rarely bother putting up the awning as the van is very cosy at night. There is always someone to talk to and to share a drink or a cuppa. People who are lonely on the road only have themselves to blame.

Evandale

This little town comes alive for the Evandale Fair (and maybe at other times of the year which I don't know about). The main feature of the fair is the National Penny Farthing championship. There were 68 competitors today, mainly Australian but others from Germany, India and Canada. It was quite exciting to watch with sprints, slalom and novelty events. As well as the championship races, there were races for kids (on smaller penny farthings), women, novices and age races with events to age 60 plus.

The downside of the day, for me who hates the heat, was the temperature - in the high 30's. For the organizers, I am sure that was a plus as there were good crowds. The drinks and ice-cream stalls did well as did the cafes and pubs. I'm not so sure about the service clubs with spit roasts etc. It may have been too hot.

I had been expecting to catch up with Marilyn and Paul and Nancy and Geoff later in the week. However they turned up at Avondale today. I didn't spend much time with Nancy as she had come on a bus which was returning early. But I had a couple of hours with Marilyn. She and Paul are going to the east coast soon, as I am, so we will try to spend some time together then.

This is my second night (of three) spent at the Longford Caravan Park. I met up with the Red Hatters from the north coast yesterday and have enjoyed socialising with them. Tomorrow some of the Hobart ladies and local ladies will meet up with us for lunch. It will be good to make some contacts for my visit to Hobart next month.

Staying at caravan parks can be very expensive but this one isn't too bad at $25 a night. Some are nearly double that. In some ways that balances out the fuel costs which are less if I stay in one place for a while. My budget would blow out if I travelled with other people for long. Just last night and tonight there were shared meals and wine - and more to come tomorrow and tomorrow night. I have decided I can't afford to be a park based traveller. Although there is always happy hour on the road, it is just as likely to be a cup of tea as a glass of wine. For me, if I do have wine, I take one glass along and sit on that for an hour or so and then people disperse to their evening meals.

Always Take the Weather With You.

I'm sure there is a song about that. And I think that must be what I am doing. I'm carrying the rain with me. Someone told me that I couldn't possibly do that as most areas of Tasmania cling to their weather, especially the wind and rain.

Rocky Cape

 Yesterday was a long day. I had another drive around Wynyard with Chris to look down on the town. I then stopped for an hour or so in Somerset to have coffee with Merlene, a Red Hatter, who is organizing a get together on Sunday in Longford. Merlene and some of her fellow Red Hatters meet the cruise ships and welcome visiting Red Hatters to Tassie. I stopped again in Burnie to buy a few nibblies, then headed south.

A couple of times during the day the lights on the dash stayed on when I started the car. Eventually I decided not to risk driving on and stopped in Waratah and called the RACT. With a new battery and a new alternator recently, I couldn't believe I was having trouble. The mechanic tightened the bolts on the battery and all seems to be well. He said both battery and alternator are fine and I can expect trouble-free travelling.

I was running out of options for somewhere to stay by then as it was pretty late but decided against the caravan park at Waratah and went on to Cradle Mountain. There were several rigs in the parking area at the visitors centre so stayed the night.

This morning when I got up, it was Autumn. The van is warm during the night so it was a shock to step outside and be hit by icy air.It has rained all day. People are asked not to drive into the national park unless they are lodging there. Instead a shuttle bus takes you in and drops you at different spots. I went on a paid tour to get the historic and geographic background so there was nothing much to see, scenically - just rain and fog. It has been quite different type of country. The basic area is volcanic and the plants don't have much soil to get rooted in. Even huge trees have shallow root systems and grow slowly. In other places there are large areas of dead and dying trees as though drought stricken. Tomorrow has been forecast as a fine day so I will sleep over and hope for better weather and scenery tomorrow.

This morning (Friday) it was Winter! I had ice on the windscreen which didn't clear for about 3 hours. Once again, I was surprised by the crisp air as it was so warm in the van. But what a beautiful day! I was up very early, before the sun, I think and caught the first shuttle into the national park. The bus was full of walkers making the most of the great weather. I had done a couple of short walks yesterday (500 - 800 metres) and another two this morning about the same length. There weren't many walks available between that length and half day treks which I was not about to embark on. So by 10.30 I was on my way again.

I wandered around the small town of Sheffield which is known as the Town of Murals. The idea came from Chemainus on Vancouver Island which I have visited a couple of times. Ten years ago the town was dying and someone who had been to Chemainus suggested this as a way to revitalise the area. It has worked well. Buildings all through the town have been decorated and each year at Easter there is a competition with good prize money to prepare more.

 

The next town Railton has grown topiary sculptures and has many more under way. Once again it has been a community attempt to build a tourist base for the town. I didn't stay long as I had just had lunch in the previous town. There is only so much coffee a person can drink, even to support the towns which make us welcome.

Tonight I am in luxury (well, comparative luxury) in a caravan park at Longford. I will probably stay here for a couple of nights as I have met up with some Red Hat ladies. We have just come in from dinner after an afternoon drink at one of their on-site vans. They are part of a group meeting on Sunday but making a weekend of it to tie in with the Penny Farthing Festival at Evandale tomorrow.

Too Far From Coffee

Not that I am addicted to coffee, but I do need my regular fix. So for the past few days I have been far from coffee and out of range for blogging. Someone asked me how I was handling the trip by myself. I got a bit of a shock because I hadn't really thought I was alone. I've been out and about among people, having access to the internet and phone most of the time. When I was reminded, I realised I didn't have any routine or anything I needed to be doing - and it didn't worry me at all. It may be hard to get back into things again when I get home.

I headed west from Wynyard, spending the first night at Peggs Beach campsite. I was so proud of myself - a long walk on the beach several times a day. As usual I met up with a few people. There is always someone to talk to. Just like my parents and grandparents, some of them always have the kettle boiling.

Nighfall at Murrawar, my annex at the side

Next day I moved on to Montague where I met up with Chris's friends and got the promised fish which lasted me for five meals. There was more than enough for me but once it was out of the freezer, I had to use it quickly. I had dinner one night with a couple of young fellows, one from Hobart and one from Melbourne. I supplied and cooked the fish and they tossed in the veges - what a feast!

Arthur River - Edge of the World

Whoever coined the phrase 'as changeable as the weather' was probably thinking of Tasmania. The rain had driven me from Peggs Beach but the weather was beautiful at Montague. However, there were several kilometres of dirt roads and when it looked like closing in, I moved on to Marrawar to a small free camping area. Once again, lovely long beaches and rugged rocky areas. Unfortunately I had rather noisy neighbours with unsavoury vocabularies so decided just to stay the night. I have been moving faster than I had planned, just keeping ahead of the rain when possible. I had hoped to go on the Arthur River cruise but it was pouring with rain and decided against it. I did go as far as the plaque at 'The Edge of the World'. I stayed over at the Rocky Cape Tavern which provides free camping. This has been the first time I've had an afternoon drink since I left home. I also had dinner at the Tavern. Nice!

Then there was Stanley. What a gorgeous town! It helped that it was fine and clear by the time I got there. In my ignorance, I thought that the Nut was the only reason to go there. I don't think I have ever seen so many variations in the colour of the sea, from pale aqua to almost purple.


The town itself is quaint and old fashioned with dozens of beautifully restored or maintained homes. It seems to cater well for tourists with many gift shops, coffee shops etc. I was ready for coffee as soon as I arrived and another before I left in the afternoon. I had left Ye Olde Chocolate Shoppe till last - and then forgot to go back. Can you believe I forgot chocolates!   I spent a couple of hours roaming around Highfield House which gave a great look at the early history, good and bad, of the early settlement days. The displays were extremely varied and imaginative and I got glimpses of life from the point of view from the administrators, the women, visitors from the olde country and indentured servants. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes I think the historic places are too repetitive and uninteresting. This was very well done.


I have come full circle. I've arrived back in Wynyard tonight. I have had a few things I wanted to do to the van. I wanted to anchor a couple of boards which needed to be screwed down. Chris did that for me so they won't be sliding around. There's always something to do - just like housework (if I can actually remember how that goes!) Lovely fresh veges for dinner again tonight and home grown apples with ice-cream to follow. I may need to return! Many thanks to Helen and Chris.

Wynyard

Lovely weather in Tasmania. I love the cool days and chilly nights. I only did a few hours yesterday, from Devonport to Sulphur Creek. I stopped at a little camping spot right on the water. I went for a walk from one end of the beach to the other when the tide was out. At full tide, the water was right up onto the rocks. The sound of the sea helped me to sleep well. Apparently several trains went by during the night but I don't think I heard them at all.

As usual there was an interesting mix of campers. An older single lady (Joyce) from Victoria camped next to me and made me a cuppa. She invited me to join her for dinner, a steak and egg sandwich, but as I don't eat much meat, I thanked her nicely and declined. I had a drink later with two other couples. I was just about to settle down later to my biscuits and cheese, when one of them arrived with a curry and veges. I was told it was for either dinner or breakfast so I couldn't very well say no. So that was my lunch today. There were probably nine or ten vans there during the night.

After Sulphur Creek, I had a look around Burnie then went on to Wynyard to visit Nikki's parents. I arrived with photos of our mutual grandson, Cooper. Helen cooked up a meal of lovely freshly-picked veges and meat, followed by an apple crumble - just in case I'd forgotten I was in the Apple Isle. Chris is going to take me for a drive around this area tomorrow. He has also rung friends who are camping at Montague. They have promised me fresh fish when I arrive there on Saturday.

Infant child of Lighthouse family

Lighthouse at Wynyard

Some of the family history of Lighhouse keepers

Fossil Bluff

Opium Poppies. Pyrethrum also grown nearby.

From Canberra to the Coast

I have had a leisurely trip down from Canberra. I stayed at a service centre last night. These have their good and bad side. The good side is cafe style food and generally good coffee. They also have hot showers, usually free. The bad side is that the truckies stay there as well and they come and go all night. But I have learned where to park to escape most of the noise and lights. The previous night I stayed at a nice little road side place. The southern states do 'roadside' well with the stopping areas well back from the road, toilets and covered tables and varying standards of amenities. There is usually an interesting mix of travellers who introduce themselves, a good safety measure.

 I made a quick detour through Gundagai to see the Dog on the Tuckerbox and the story of Bill the Bullocky. I'm not sure how true the story is but I guess it is as good as any other. While I was on the way, I couldn't resist calling in to Glenrowan where Ned Kelly still stands tall in his home-made armour and weapons.

I made my first visit to Wangaratta. I love the name. It's one of those Aboriginal sounding names which is typically Australian. The town itself is full of interesting contrasts. The Anglican cathedral is traditionally styled, right in the middle of town. Near it is the war memorial. Over the road, completely different is the ultra modern cultural centre. It was well worth the trip into the town.

Today I put my trust in my navigator (GPS Jane) and she took me on the metropolitan ring road to Port Melbourne, missing most of the traffic but going through three toll booths. I had over estimated the time it would take so spent some time at a shopping centre waiting for the ferry. I must say I am impressed with Jane. She accepts whatever I do and calmly gives me a new route when I ignore her. Not that I do that often! My problem is when she tells me to do something in 500 meters and I do it in 400, then she has to get me back on track.

When I got to Port Melbourne, I asked her to find me a ferry. I had a choice of five but the Spirit of Tasmania was at the top of the list and less than a kilometre from where I was. I roamed around a shopping centre for a while as I waited for the ferry to start loading.

The overnight on the ferry was quite okay, very little swell and clear skies. I thought the loading was bit slow. I was comparing with the Vancouver Island ferries which really have loading down to fine art. However the off-loading was much quicker. When I booked, I wasn't given the option of a recliner seat, only a cabin. That worked well. I had a good night's sleep. I had been given a top bunk so I tossed my stuff on it and went down to the bar for a couple of hours. When nobody else had arrived in that time, I took a lower bunk. I bought a 2 month National Parks pass at the on-board tourist office.

Now I am in Davenport. I will ring Marilyn Robinson (O'Rourke) and see where she is before I go much further. Then I'll decide where to go tonight. It is so good to just go as the spirit moves.