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Tasmania and back 2019
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Tasmania and back 2019

We are going to spend about 6 months on this trip,
Take about 4 weeks to get to the ferry in Melbourne cross Bass Strait to Tasmania.
We will tour Tassie for about 10 weeks then cross back to Victoria and start a slow trip home exploring as we go! Meer informatie
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  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    Kay outside the factory that produces her favorite pickled onions
    Ulverstone clock towerSeems the Doctor was in Penguin todayThe driver gave us a nice toot

    Smithton

    2 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After leaving Devonport we travelled west along the coast passing through Ulverstone, Penguin, Burnie and Wynyard each having great coastal views although not many beaches as it’s mainly a rocky coast.
    We stopped off at the Tasmanian Pickled onion factory.
    We filled up with fresh water at Penguin which allows us to stay off grid longer, (we drink bottled water so the tank water is for washing up and showering).
    We finished this trip at Smithton to stay for the next 3 nights at the Tall Timbers free camp there are strict rules here about being self contained, nothing must be allowed to drain onto the site but we are set up for this with our grey water tank.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    A selfie at the Edge of the WorldThese trees float down the river from as far as BurnieThere were heaps of these trees

    The Edge of the World.

    3 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Woke up this morning to a cloudy drizzly day but as the say a change is as good as a rest so we carried on regardless.
    We did some shopping in Smithton (it’s amazing how many times we end up shopping! anyone would think we were eating it).
    Then we went on a coastal sightseeing drive to Redpa, Marrawah and Arthur river where we arrived at the Edge of the World. Just after this we about turned which was probably a mistake as we could have carried on a bit further then returned via another route and got to see some more sights but we didn’t know this at the time, (maybe Kay will let us go tomorrow via the opposite direction).
    We got to see a new road sign one that you would only see here in Tasmania.
    When we got back to Smithton we viewed the Murals which were quite impressive.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Tarkine Drive

    5 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    After a lazy day yesterday we headed out for some more sightseeing!
    We first travelled through Scotchtown on the way to Irishtown a couple of very old towns which have seen better days and seem to be winding down.
    We then followed the Tarkine drive which is a scenic route through what remains of the old north west Tasmanian forests. Most of the forest was logged long ago and new plantations grown which are now being harvested.
    The Tarkine travels through these plantations to small pockets of the old forest that must have been saved due to their beauty no not really it was probably more about it being too hard to get the logging equipment in.
    We did take a few wrong turns something I seem to be good out, and spent awhile driving down old disused logging or quarry tracks.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    Pups had a run on this end of the beach

    Stanley 2

    7 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today I started to think everything was falling apart, I seem to have bent the tow hitch from probably trying to put too much load on the weight distribution bars, this we will try to get bye with.
    The 12 pin connection has shorted out maybe from getting wet which set up corrosion, I had to go back to Smithton to get a couple of anderson plugs then retired the connector.
    Then I found that the cable that joins the caravan batteries to the battery in the back of the car had been damaged so I had to shorten that cable.
    Then after a really cool/cold night 10/11c the diesel heater didn’t start up correctly it went into error mode, this I thought was going to be real bad as it’s only going to get colder from here but after a bit of googling I found a solution and it now seems to be working (touch wood).
    Yesterday was very showery and blowy today the wind had reduced a bit but it seems as though the showers are back aiming for a top of 19c.
    Eww had a walk around the old part of the town then gave the pups a run on the beach.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Stanley 2.5

    7 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Just because it’s there it must be climbed!! So I saw the Nut and therefore I climbed it! Well actually I walked up it but man was it a steep walk, I’ve seen sides of buildings that were less steep.
    So after 3 stops on the way up and my heart nearly bursting out of my chest I finally made it to the top where there are some lovely views on a 2kms loop trail.
    After finishing the trail comes the descent which although easier on the heart is a bit of a strain on the calf muscles as well as being quite slippery.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    Penguin viewing platform
    Looks like they grow big crays in TassieKay going for the pick

    Stanley 2.8

    8 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Last night we went down to the penguin viewing platform at around dusk hoping to see the little penguins come ashore, well after an hour or so there was a crowd of eager visitors then a ranger came along and the first thing he did was tell me I had picked the only spot where I should not park our car, so off I went to move it ! The ranger came along as he wanted to move his car into that spot. It seems that the Penguins have been known hide under cars that park there and he worries about them getting squashed if the driver does not notice them before driving away.
    On the way back to the viewing platform I asked him where would be the best spot to view them, to which his answer was you probably won’t see any as they are already ashore in their burrows as its their moulting season. So I collected Kay and went back to the caravan disappointed that yet another native creature has evaded us.
    This morning we took one last drive around town emptied the cassette filled up the tanks with water, Kay bought a tea towel as a souvenir then set off to our next stop.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    1

    Hellyer gorge reserve camp area.

    8 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The drive here was interesting as we travelled back along the coast road which we had used to get to Smithton originally, so we got to see the sights from a different angle, but when we got to Wynyard we turned off towards Yolla, here the road became more demanding to drive for it dropped from an A class road to a B class and so it was a lot narrower with lots of acute bends and steep hills to climb and the descend (I at times had to switch to manual override to use 2nd gear to get up the hills and also to slow the descent as it seemed there was always a sharp bend at the bottom of the hills.
    But when we finally got here we were very happy to find a lovely spot to spend a couple of days. (We are in the trees over the road from the car park).
    It is completely off grid here no power no water no phone reception so no internet either but there are toilets (so not fully feral).
    We took a couple of walks down to the river to get some photos.
    The nights are cool in the trees not cold but cool and very dark.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    The evergreen Arch
    Waratah Falls and waterwheel

    Zeehan Waratah Rosebury, Evergreen arch

    10 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We moved on from Hellyer Gorge reserve first stop was to have look at the evergreen arch which was made of trees that have formed an arch over the road. Then we went to view the falls at Waratah and the old waterwheel, as we are travelling through the west coast forests we see many old mining towns that have had better days when they were obviously quite vibrant with many businesses and townsfolk to work in the mines but as the mines have closed the towns have virtually shrunk back to nothing with only a few odd houses remaining. The roads are very hilly and windy making Kay nervous that there might be a massive truck coming the other way around the next bend..
    At Rosebury we stopped for fuel and a rest break and a photo of another one of Kay’s streets.
    When we got to Zeehan we saw a strange looking chunk of wood mounted on poles in the Central Park turns out if was a dilapidated small replica of the Zeehan a ship that Abel Tasman was sailing in when he named the mountain in 1642. (The guy in the rock shop told us what it was and that they will probably take it down soon). We purchased a couple of souvenir pendants for Kay.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Strahan

    11 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We arrived at Strahan after driving from Zeehan, Strahan is on the Risby cove which is part of the Macquarie harbour a large inlet from the Southern Ocean, we are staying at the golf course for $10 per night off grid but we can refill out tanks with fresh water before we leave.
    We had a bit of rain while we were here and the ground was a bit swampy so I had to use 4 wheel drive to back the van in to our site.
    We spent 2 nights here and had a bit of a sightseeing drive, they have a wilderness train tour here that travels alongside the river to Queenstown, we would probably have gone except we had nowhere for the pups to stay and it is around a 4 hour tour.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Queenstown

    12 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    The drive from Strahan to Queenstown was only about 50km but again along narrow winding roads up and down hills where we saw many groups of motor bikes who must love these curves and the narrow gorges which must accentuate the roar of their exhausts. What is truely amazing is the cyclists who you have to admire their stamina but the flip side is that they put themselves and other road users at risk as coming around a tight bend to discover a couple of slow moving cyclists can be a bit off putting.
    But we just love the scenery here the tall trees the steep drop offs from the side of the road (I’m not that sure Kay is as keen as me as she worries we are going to end up going over the edge).
    We arrived at Queenstown which again is a very old mining town on the slopes of Mount Owen and Mount Lyell. We had a couple bouts of light hail which seems very strange.
    They started out mining here for gold at Iron Blow but at some stage changed to copper.
    We parked the van at the local footie oval called The Gravel as that is what the pitch is made of, they must has special technique for playing as you definitely wouldn’t want to slide on this surface. This is at present a free camp but will soon be charging $5 per night.
    We went shopping and sightseeing, we saw the old gold mine at the iron blow look out, we saw the horsetail falls and the Spion hill which overlooks Queenstown and has a great view of the Gravel. Also we visited the miners siding which is a great structure in the middle of the town with lots of statues and carved metal plates which tell the story of Queenstown, we spent sometime in the museum gallery which had various rooms set out to display old photographs and memorabilia of Queenstown and the other west Tasmanian mining towns history. (We actually enjoyed our time here) Kay got to try on some strange hats I had a chat with a young mine worker and a bagpipe player.
    The road we travelled up to the horsetail falls was steep with very sharp turns that made it hard enough but all the time I was thinking that I have to do it again the next day with the caravan on the back, should be fun (hopefully).    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    The Wall and the sculpter

    Ellendale Bethune campground

    14 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We thought the drive had been quite scenic so far but today it was at times unbelievable, we had a break at the Wall gallery near the Derwent Bridge this is a galley of outstanding wood carvings we were unable to take photos as it is not allowed due to copyright.
    We stopped again at the site of a hydro power station.
    We took a look at a campsite next to the Bronte Lagoon but decided not to stay there and travelled further to where we are now at Ellendale.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    A Big RaspberryA Big CherryOur site at Southport

    Southport at the bottom of Tasmania

    16 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The campground at Ellendale really filled up last night, there seems to be so many people out on the road touring around that it makes me wonder whose taking care of all the essential work that needs to be done to make our life so pleasant while we are out here enjoying not working.
    Tasmania is so beautiful to travel around but the amount of fresh roadkill that you see everyday is staggering, and a lot of it is the same specie the Bennetts wallaby or the Pademelon.
    So we stopped off first at a spot where Platypus have supposedly been regularly sighted but as per usual we didn’t see any while we were there.
    Next we stopped at the outer Hobart suburb of Montrose where we were able to refill our water tanks so it will be shower night tonight.
    We passed through Hobart as we made our way down to Southport to stay at the most southerly caravan park in Australia.
    We parked the caravan on our site, then had a quick drive out to sightsee.
    The pups got to have a run and chase on the sand at Lune river.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Geeveston and Franklin

    17 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a nice breakfast of toasted hot cross buns we left Southport travelling alongside the Huon river again seeing some amazing vistas as we come over the crest of hills looking down into valley covered in mist or low clouds or it could be the view across the river with the bays full of yachts or just the sunrise on the water.
    We stopped in Geeveston to have a walk around looking at the woodcarvings the shops and the displays in the information bureau.
    Then next we site up for the rest of the day and an overnight stop at Franklin a $10 off grid site that has toilets water and waste bins.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    Snug bayHobart bridge

    Snug

    18 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We have booked into a caravan park for 5 nights at Snug, this will allow us to explore the Hobart area get some washing and vacuuming done (car and caravan) maybe get the pups a haircut.
    Snug is a nice little town which suffered a horrendous bushfire in 1967 when 62 people died, there is a memorial to those people adjacent to the caravan park.Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger

    Signal Station Mt Nelson

    19 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We decided to do a bit of sightseeing today by car looking at the sights rather than say going into Hobart and walking around the city, we may do that another day.
    So we set out for Mount Wellington the mountain backdrop to Hobart, but while we were driving along the hwy we noticed a sign to Mount Nelson so thought we would give it a look see, and we are so glad that we did as the sights from this place are spectacular and I’m starting to believe that there is no city in Australia that could claim to be more scenic .
    The signal station is from the days before radio so that the only way to communicate with the ships coming close to Hobart was to use signal flags raised up the jolly old flagpole.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    See the clouds covering Mount Wellington

    Mount Wellington

    19 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    So carrying on with our sightseeing we then travelled to Mount Wellington which takes quite awhile as the road winds up the side of the mountain it takes about 10kms from the base to the top but its well worth the trip as the sights you see on the way up are fantastic but when you get to the top we could see virtually nothing as the top of the mountain was blanketed by clouds, but again on the way down as we got below the clouds we had the sights.Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    Scary stepsWatch the viedio to hear the truthBlackman's Bay

    The Shot Tower and Blackmans Bay

    19 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We again carried on with our sightseeing driving along the coast, we went to the Shot Tower at Taroona, the tower was built by a Scotsman named Joseph Mair in 1870 to produce lead shot balls for muzzle loading sport guns.
    They have a small museum and souvenir shop at the base, so we purchased our tickets watched the short film about it history then entered the tower to climb to the top!
    As soon as we stepped through the door I said to Kay that there was no way she was going up the tower the steps are made of wooden slats which only seem to be about 12mm thick and with Kays fear of heights and her vertigo she wasn’t going to get far, so Kay went back to the shop to await her big brave Peter’s return from his heroic climb up the tower!!! Well about 3/4s of the way up big brave Peter decided that his concerns for how Kay was now feeling alone in the souvenir shop (not about how much she was spending mind) changed his mind about reaching the summit of this tower so turned around and descended the tower again (passing the 2 very brave ladies that had already made it to the tower top.

    After this we had Devonshire tea scones with jam (I had probably the worse cup of coffee ever).
    Then we travelled onto to Blackman’s Bay and move views of the coastline before heading back to the caravan we picked up some shopping.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
  • kayperTasmania and back 2019Reiziger
    The water is so clear
    Bruny Ferry terminal.Kay loves these treesA free booking lending station we have seen a few of these

    Flowerpot, Egg and Bacon bay sightseeing

    20 maart 2019, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we set off in opposite direction from Snug to have a look and see what we mind find lurking around the next corner. We found bay where the water was so amazingly clear, we found a town with trees that had been craved by some brilliant artists the details were so clear.
    We went to the Bruny Island ferry terminal where we will go to on Saturday to cross over to Bruny. We saw miniature free book lending stations.    Meer informatie

    Zie vertaling
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