40 years later . . .

November 2024
  • Mark Dennes
November 3, 1984 - it seems like only yesterday. They say the first 40 years are the toughest 😉
We travelled to Tasmania on our honeymoon and 40 years later we are returning to celebrate a few days in this special place.
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  • Mark Dennes

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  • Hobart Highlife

    November 3, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    What better way to mark 40 years of marital bliss(ters) than to leave behind ‘the northern island’ and revisit Australia’s mainland (Tasmania) - where we had honeymooned in 1984.

    It wasn’t possible to exactly replicate our itinerary from all that time ago (e.g. The “Abel Tasman” ferry on which we travelled across Bass Straight has subsequently sunk) - so we flew Qantas (which seems to be in the process of sinking) to Hobart instead.

    On arrival, we picked up our Budget hire car - a process which took an inordinately long time as ‘the computers were down’ . . . . and the one capable staff member was training a newbie on the computer malfunction induced ‘manual check-in process’. As it turned out, this didn’t really delay us at all, as it took even longer than this for the checked bags to arrive on the carousel - so we took a deep breath, relaxed and accepted that we were now operating on ‘Island Time’.

    The skies were relatively clear so we had no hesitation in deciding that a drive to the top of Mt. Wellington was immediately required as this window of opportunity could be short-lived. 40 years ago we never actually saw the top of the mountain as it was shrouded in cloud the entire time we were in Hobart. It seems that the ‘“Budget Rental Cars Computer Malfunction” has also somehow changed the Ferrari I had reserved (and promised Loss) into a Suzuki Swift (which it definitely isn’t).

    Nevertheless, the little Suzuki propelled us up the mountain in a willing (if not exhilarating) fashion. Up and up we went, seemingly back to the cruising altitude of the B-737 from which we had just disembarked. Anti-icing systems (i.e. the demister) were activated part the way up and we guessed that we were nearing the top when oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling of the car to assist with breathing - it seems that Budget had given us the unpressurised version of the Swift.

    We braced ourselves against the icy wind which assaulted us on opening the doors. Scurrying down to the viewing platform, we snapped a few photos then retreated to the haven of the enclosed viewing hut to allow our extremities to thaw out.

    Once we checked fingertips for possible frostbite and were able to move freely again, we coasted ‘swiftly’ down the mountain, found that the cloud and showers of rain had indeed closed in on the top of the mountain behind us, and then found our Mövenpick accommodation in Hobart where we played the ‘it’s a special day today as we’re on our 40th anniversary etc’ line to reception which resulted in a free room upgrade and complimentary champagne.

    It was now 6.45pm and time for our short walk to the highly recommended Italian restaurant ‘Peppina’ (well, recommended by one patient to whom I was chatting a few days ago and who has travelled to Tasmania on a number of occasions). It was indeed a fantastic meal - made even more enjoyable by the fact that Sam and Laura had given us a gift voucher as a ‘thankyou’ to both of us (well, probably exclusively to Loss) for our help over the past couple of months since the arrival of baby Jack.
    Having played our ‘it’s our 40th anniversary’ card again to the Sommelier who gave us complimentary dessert wines at the end of the meal, we strolled back through the chilly and deserted streets of Hobart CBD in good spirits.
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  • Natural Beauty meets Unnatural Cruelty

    November 4, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    A leisurely start to exploring today after a little local shopping saw us retrieving the car from the very top level from what could be Hobart’s tallest building.

    20 descending clockwise orbits from Level 10 to street level was doing its best to induce vertigo by the time we were ready to head to the Tasman peninsula for the bulk of the day. After just a few minutes of driving from the centre of the CBD we found ourselves in a rural setting - green pastures, many new lambs dotting fields and intricate waterways mark this as a special place.

    About an hour of driving saw us arriving at the Tessellated pavement near Eaglehawk neck. The slightly unpromising looking weather had improved but it was high tide and most of the rock platform was covered, so we decided we’d press on to Port Arthur and revisit the scenic features of this beautiful part of the island on our way back to Hobart in the afternoon. It was almost midday before we arrived at Port Arthur and once we had paid our admission fees, had a bite of lunch on the benches beside the harbour, had a visit to the memorial garden of the Broadarrow Cafe and reflected on those terrible events of 28 April, 1996 - it was time for us to take the 20 minute Harbour cruise out around “The Isle of the Dead” (the name speaks for itself) and “Point Puer” (where the children convicts were incarcerated).

    We didn’t feel the need to do a really thorough visit of all the buildings and features of the site as we remembered much of it from our previous visit. However, we revisited the Penitentiary, The Church and a few other buildings. We walked up the hill behind the main attractions to see the Motel we had stayed in 40 years previously and noted that it had been modernised a little.

    We headed back towards Hobart and called in to see the various points of natural beauty on this part of the coastline - the Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen, Blowhole and Tessellated pavement. The weather was mild and the scenery stunning.

    On arrival back in Hobart, we did 20 anticlockwise orbits of the carpark to deposit the car for the night then strolled down to the Salamanca precinct. Sir Douglas Mawson is prominently featured here as this was his launch point for his Antarctic adventures and we stood at Constitution Dock where the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race finishes.

    Back up the hill to Moevenpick for dinner at its attached restaurant (our second Italian meal in 2 days!) and now back in the room noting the late twilight at these southern latitudes..
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  • Emancipists - not Convicts

    November 5, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    It was my intention not just to indulge in nostalgia when planning our trip to Tassie, but I was keen to explore some new places as well.
    Today was a full day of one of these new experiences- Maria Island - which was also a former convict island but also has some extra layers of subsequent history.

    The alarm woke us at 6.30am and soon we said goodbye to Hobart and travelled northeast to Triabunna harbour which was our departure point for the ferry to the island.

    On the way we took a slight detour via the historic town of Richmond and its famous convict built bridge. Somehow this had evaded us on our original circumnavigation of Tasmania so we made a brief stop on a stunning morning and snapped the obligatory photos.

    Onwards to Triabunna with time to spare for our 10am departure. Once checked in and backpacks organised with supplies (no food or drink is available on the island so self sufficiency for the day is a must) we had time for coffee in the sunshine at the harbour.

    It was a sparkling day on the water with even a few dolphins checking out the boat briefly.
    On arrival at the island we checked out the info centre then headed up the road to the little settlement of Darlington with the intention of hiring bikes to explore the island.
    I had a chat with the proprietor about the renting of two such devices but he talked us out of hiring them, saying that we would be able to see everything just by walking and that the bikes weren’t really necessary. I can only conclude that he had sized us up and quickly established that we were elite athletes - and that the 2-wheeled contraptions would probably just slow us down.
    Although I was slightly uncomfortable with this revised plan which flew in the face of my mantra “Dad always says the faster you go, the more you see…” (yes, it’s a quote), nevertheless we set off by foot; and he was right - we covered everything on the island comfortably.
    Today Maria island is somewhat of a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for some endangered native Australian animals. Disease free populations of the Tasmanian Devil as well as Flinders island wombats, Cape Barren Geese and forester kangaroos have been placed here and are thriving without the threat of feral animal predators. So even though these species are ‘captive’ on the island, they are emancipated from the threats that their cousins on the mainland suffer.

    The island’s convict history is also well preserved and you can even pay for the privilege of staying overnight in the penitentiary cells. I had briefly considered this when planning the trip and we had a brief look inside one of the rooms. I’m pleased I didn’t book an overnight stay as our marriage might not have survived another 40 seconds let alone 40 years….. bunk beds, vinyl covered mattresses and a separate ablutions block down the hill.
    Not too bad if you were being incarcerated against your will, but not exactly Loriene’s preferred standard of accommodation - so I also felt decidedly emancipated as we backed out of the room in the certain knowledge I had dodged a bullet there. . .

    On our walks to different parts of the island we encountered some stunningly beautiful beaches, the ‘Painted Cliffs’ and an especially interesting cliff / quarry area that had millions of easily discernible marine fossils.

    At one point a ‘shortcut’ found us in the thick of the forested area in the middle of the island but this wasn’t of any great concern as I was pretty certain there were no deadly animals to worry about. We came across a mob of the large and impressive kangaroos which appear to be somewhere between an Eastern Grey and a Red - in both size and colour. It was only after we strolled back to the ferry terminal in time for our 4.15pm trip back to Triabunna and read a little more of the information about the island that we discovered that it is also replete with tiger snakes. . .
    Our watches told us we had walked about 13km today as we settled into our seats on the ferry.
    However, there was one more deadline to meet today - a date with the Bicheno Lobster shack (thank you TripAdvisor) for some of their seafood delicacies before their closing time of 7pm!
    The drive to Bicheno was picturesque and we arrived in good time to enjoy a magnificent meal.
    Finally after refuelling we drove a few minutes to Diamond Island Resort (which sounds way more exotic than it is).
    However, their special attraction is the complimentary guided penguin tour each evening so fortified with an after dinner coffee and some warmer clothing, we joined the tour at 8.45pm.
    Our expectation was to go down to the water’s edge and admire them majestically striding out of the gentle breakers up the sandy beach. The reality was strolling down the grass to a wooden viewing platform just below our room and struggling to catch brief glimpses of them huddling under bushes in the middle distance.

    Well, at least the price was right.
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  • Wineglass(es) half full

    November 6, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Wineglass Bay was our target for this morning which was new (for us) and spectacular. On the way back down from the lookout from this iconic spot , we decided there was no better way to celebrate enjoying that magnificent view, than by returning to return to Bicheno’s Lobster Shack for another lunchtime helping of seafood sensation - accompanied by a half full glass of local Tasmanian wine.

    Wineglasses half full on both counts? ✅

    The Diamond Island Resort proved to be a comfortable overnight stay, albeit with the (on occasions) disturbingly loud sound of nesting penguins punctuating the peace of the night.

    Today was forecast to be the warmest of our days here (28 degrees) so we set off early(ish) to drive down to Freycinet Peninsua ready to tackle the walking trails. A quick visit to the Information Centre (always a must IMHO) and armed with a map and some local advice, we headed on for 45 seconds of driving to the first vital stop - the very swanky Freycinet Resort (just inside the National Park) for a fortifying coffee with a great view.

    A quick stop at the very picturesque Honeymoon Bay was next before heading on to the main activity of climbing to the Wineglass Bay viewing point. The walk wasn’t as taxing as we had thought it may have been - just a constant climb (70 flights of stairs according to our watches) and the view was beautiful. It’s no surprise this is the most photographed view in Tasmania.

    Back down the same path then a drive and short walk to a couple of other scenic points including ‘Secret Bay’ and Cape Tourville Lighthouse. By the time we had reached this last one, a moderate sea fog had rolled in, partly obscuring the view. This also meant that the temperature stayed cooler than forecast.

    Even though Bicheno wasn’t quite enroute to Launceston (which was our destination for today), revisiting The Lobster Shack for lunch was definitely a non-negotiable activity. Fortified by its wonderful fare, we then set sail for Launceston which was about a 2 hour drive.

    Despite her best intentions to stay awake, Loss had a bit of a snooze in the passenger seat - but then opened her eyes at an opportune time and was immediately very excited! She saw road signs that said ‘Welcome to Perth’. Realising she must have slept longer than she thought, she insisted we stop the car and immediately visit Darcy and Jack pronto. After a short but fruitless search I was eventually able to convince her that she hadn’t slept THAT long and that yes, we were in Perth, but not THAT Perth.

    Exactly 13 minutes after leaving Perth we arrived at our accommodation in southern Launceston. It is an impressive house that was built and occupied by the original owner of James Boags brewery and would have been exceptionally grand all those years ago and is still beautifully maintained today. Once we had deposited our luggage in the room, we decided that seeing it was still quite early (4.30pm) we’d visit Launceston’s No. 1 attraction immediately rather than in the morning. A couple of minutes drive, we paid the requisite parking fee which was measured in increments of 10c (!) and enjoyed a nostalgic ride on the chairlift just before it was closing for the day and we noted that the chair itself was still as uncomfortable as it was 40 years ago. We then wandered about the grounds, traversed the suspension bridge and generally enjoying the beautiful environs of this gem of a place. The numerous peacocks also performed admirably in the warm afternoon sunshine.

    On the way back to ‘The Dragonfly Inn’, Loss had decided that seeing as the room had a basic kitchenette (and because we’d had a substantial lunch) perhaps we’d just stay in tonight and she’d cook up something.
    Loss: “What would you like for dinner?”
    Me: “Just something small and simple would be great, thanks - I’m still pretty full from lunch”.

    See the photos for the result . . . .
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  • Disappointing weather? Hardly.
    Heading into Grindelwald bakery for a coffeeThe view was not quite the Swiss alps, however...Reliquaire in the town of LatrobeLoriene sitting in Santa's chair in the room beyond the Medieval foregroundCradle Mountain with a tiny patch of snowAt the old boathouseLoriene inside the boathouseFrom Glacier RockLook Josie*, no other animal can produce this...Cuboid shaped scats! So there really are wombats here !!On The Enchanted WalkAbandoned mine, Queenstown'Thar's copper in them thar hills!'

    Weather, Wilderness & Wombats

    November 7, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I wish I could be well paid to be wrong as often as the weather forecasters are.

    As we had freed up time today by visiting Cataract Gorge yesterday, there would now be enough time to make a visit to Cradle Mountain on our way to Queenstown - but the weather forecast indicated it would probably be a waste of time.
    “90% chance of rain, cloudy, strong winds” were the salient features of the unpromising forecast, so we made plans to fill in the bulk of the day in other ways that didn’t demand clear skies and sunshine to make it worthwhile.

    I couldn’t help but think this was a real shame, because I had promised Josie* (one of our staff at work) that I would send her photos of wombats from Cradle Mountain . . .

    Confused? Let me explain.
    While assisting me in the surgery a week or two ago and discussing the upcoming trip to Tasmania (well, TELLING a patient who was temporarily unable to take an active part in the conversation due to us having fingers and instruments inside their mouth), Josie* had confided that she had always wanted to visit Cradle Mountain because . . . she wanted to see a real live wombat.

    This comment of course prompted a sideways glance from me towards Josie* across the recumbent patient, and also a sideways change in direction of the conversation as we worked our way through the treatment. From the corner of my eye I could also detect the patient’s eyes widened a little at the same time.

    I suggested to Josie* she only need travel about an hour out of Sydney to be in ‘wombat central’ - the Southern Highlands. This was a surprise to Josie* who had grown up in New Zealand and Fiji and had obviously developed a fascination for meeting a wombat face to face. She had heard (somehow) that the best (and perhaps only) place to do this was Cradle Mountain in Tasmania.

    So I promised I would do my best to meet a wombat there on her behalf and send photos etc. to satisfy her curiosity about these furry creatures.

    The discussion about the wombats must have been agonising for the patient who couldn’t respond. When finally he had his mouth back in communicating order he advised Josie that he himself had a house in the Southern Highlands and that not only were the wombats prolific - they were quite the pest - but I had to cut him short on his description of things they would sometimes do to wombats to remove them from under houses etc. The details would have been way too distressing for Josie* . . .

    On reading the weather forecast this morning I was sad for Josie* that I wouldn’t be able to fulfil my ‘Cradle Mountain promise’, but upon opening the curtains we were greeted with magnificent blue skies and just a zephyr of wind. Hmmm. Perhaps the bad weather was arriving a little later, so we left Launceston enroute to our ‘Plan B’ destinations without getting our hopes up too much about Cradle Mountain and wombat possibilities.

    Our first stop was even more distant than yesterday’s time travel to Perth. 20 minutes after leaving Launceston we were in Switzerland - specifically the Swiss town of Grindelwald.
    Yet another patient had suggested that Grindelwald was a worthwhile diversion on a ‘wet weather’ day and so we duly arrived. It is indeed a fully functioning, quintessentially Swiss village. All the houses in the town must be constructed in Swiss style and the little village area was quaint and authentic looking.
    Sounds kitsch? Sure, but it was all rather enjoyable.
    We basked in the morning sunshine while sipping our coffee, before climbing ‘Tamarhorn’ (as opposed to ‘Matterhorn’) for excellent district views of the Tamar valley and beyond. I scanned the horizon for dark clouds but everything remained calm and blue, however we still persisted with our ‘plan B’ and drove further away from Cradle Mountain to the town of Latrobe.

    In one of the tourist brochures Loriene had spotted a fascinating looking giftware / toy shop called ‘Reliquaire’ and she had expressed clear interest (several times) last night in visiting it. Of course I had no hesitation in agreeing to this as the inside of a shop is not a bad option during inclement weather. After about 50 minutes’ driving from Switzerland, we pulled up at ‘Reliquaire’ noting that the day’s weather seemed to be improving rather than deteriorating.

    I have to admit that Reliquaire was a pretty amazing store with cleverly themed rooms of magical content. I got off fairly lightly with only a couple of purchases completed for the grandkids.
    Our track to Queenstown was loaded into Waze and as it was only a short diversion to Cradle mountain from our route we could make a decision at the last moment if we felt there was a chance the weather could still hold out. If it turned bad as expected, we would drive on through the circuitous Tarkine region to eventually arrive at Queenstown.
    On reaching the turnoff, the blue skies prevailed so in we went.

    40 years ago the road into Cradle mountain was gravel and we drove right to Dove Lake. There was no visitor centre and all we remember was one tattered sign at the edge of the lake pointing out a few directions for walks. Today we were greeted by a very large carpark and visitor centre part way in. A shuttle bus then transported us to a second visitor centre at the edge of the lake, cleverly designed to hide the spectacular view until it was perfectly framed through glass to be revealed at the last moment. Think winding down the siq at Petra before the grandeur of the The Treasury Building explodes into view.

    The photos paint the picture of our enjoyable time there. 600m one way took us to the Boatshed, 600m the other direction to ‘Glacier Rock’. All very stunning with just one patch of snow remaining on the mountain’s right flank.
    There was one major disappointment though. We scoured the area for wombats - but nary a one was to be seen. We saw echidnas and wallabies and lizards - we even thought we’d spotted a Tasmanian Tiger at one point but that sighting turned out to simply be a foreign tourist in designer clothing - but no wombats. However, just as we were thinking that the existence of wombats at Cradle Mountain was a myth, we found unmistakable evidence, documented in the photos for Josie*.

    A coffee at the visitor centre “cash only sir, as the EFTPOS is down - it might be fixed next week, or possibly the week after”, back on the shuttle bus to the Ranger’s station and the 20 minute “Enchanted Walk” before bussing back to the car then driving on to Queenstown through stunning mountain scenery.

    After settling in to our 3.5 star accommodation there was time to do a little local exploring around this stark, gritty copper, gold and silver mining town. Up the hill to the ‘Horsetail Falls’ and lookout over an abandoned copper mine, then back to Queenstown for dinner.

    Arriving at our first choice restaurant, we were unceremoniously refused a table - ‘Fully booked tonight, sorry. It’s because of the Shutdown” even though we could see 3/4 of the tables were unoccupied.
    We toyed with returning to our motel room to change into hi-viz, as that seemed to be the ticket to being accepted at the restaurant.
    But we persevered in our street clothes and tried another restaurant around the corner - “Yes, we can look after you - but there’s a limited menu because of The Shutdown”.
    Enquiring whether ‘The Shutdown’ was some sort of miner’s strike or a West Tasmanian version of ‘The Troubles’ that plagued Ireland for so long, the lady at reception smiled and explained that periodically all the mines are shutdown for a week for essential maintenance and a hundred or more maintenance workers descend on the town for this purpose. This certainly explained the sea of hi-viz we had encountered and also why accommodation had been hard to secure.

    The ‘Tassie Devil Schnitty’ was enormous and satisfying and we retired to our motel room hoping that one of the workers for The Shutdown hadn’t put in a higher bid for our room in the meantime.

    And the sun was still shining.

    The weather forecast for tomorrow is (I kid you not) wind and rain, with snow falling above 900m turning to hail in the afternoon.
    But perhaps we’d better pack the sunscreen just in case.

    * Josie is a fictitious name to protect the identity of my innocent assistant :)
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  • Approaching Hell's GatesDisembarking at Sarah IslandOur guide in full flightA few minutes before there had been lightning and hail!A 2600 year old Huon Pine 12 km up the Gordon RiverHogarth FallsLittle did she know she was soon to star as a jellyfish In the playMembers of the audience are dragged in to participateI thought she was sensational but the producer cruelly said her jellyfish performance was spinelessHighlights of the star jellyfish performance.

    For the Term of Her Natural Life

    November 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Sunshine, Rain, Wind, Hail, Thunder and Lightning - we got it all today. However, none of this interfered with the enjoyment of the day in one of the most remarkable of places on the planet.

    The alarm at 6.40am had me reaching for the phone to silence it, at the same time noticing that there were some messages from the children castigating me for running a much too ambitious and busy program for their mother, for whom I had promised that I would give a restful experience in Tasmania. Hmmm - no problem. I’m sure they will be pleased with the 10 minute sleep-in we’ve had this morning.

    A 40 minute drive down a very windy road to Strahan saw us arriving for check-in and thence a 9am departure on our Macquarie Harbour / Sarah Island and Gordon River cruise. We had already driven through some heavy rain but I wasn’t feeling particularly perturbed as a cruise on these amazing waterways cocooned in airconditioned comfort on our ‘World Heritage Cruises’ purpose built boat would be pleasant enough anyway.

    The rain cleared, the sun emerged and we set off on a really professionally run and informative day trip. First stop was ‘Hell’s Gates’ - the entrance of Macquarie Harbour to the might of the Southern Ocean. The history and significance of this treacherous inlet was explained, where ocean swells can sometimes reach the height of 27m under the influence of the ‘Roaring Forties’.

    We then headed further up Macquarie Harbour past the numerous fish farms that have become a vital industry in recent decades. Atlantic Salmon and Ocean Trout are the two species, with Ocean Trout simply being freshwater Rainbow Trout grown in these brackish waters where the rainfall is sufficient to create a fresh layer of water on top which allows these fish to grow and thrive. So Ocean Trout on top, Atlantic Salmon below!

    Next stop was Sarah Island - the most feared and brutal of the penal settlements well and truly predating Port Arthur. A guided tour of the Island was undertaken and the commentary was informative. The thunder and lightning added a dramatic backdrop to the final part of the tour and we were congratulating ourselves on taking an umbrella to help avoid getting drenched in the final part of the island visit.
    Sarah Island was the setting of Marcus Clarke’s famous novel ‘For The Term of His Natural Life’ and the place from where the convict Alexander Pearce and his ‘cannibal’ companions escaped.
    Perhaps most remarkable of all was the fact that a young couple seated two rows in front of us chose today to become engaged on Sarah Island, where she agreed to stay with (her now fiancée)for the term of her natural life!
    It’s probably best not to overthink the choosing of this location for their engagement 🤔

    Heading upstream, we entered the Gordon River and enjoyed an excellent onboard lunch with much of the history of the controversy in the early 1980’s about the proposed dam / hydro proposal being recounted on the screens. Loss and I remember well the still simmering intensity of feeling when we were here in 1984 and seeing cars with bumper stickers declaring ‘Do the environment a favour - bulldoze a Greenie today’. Of course sentiments are now very much in favour of the wisdom of having preserved this pristine Wilderness which would have been irreversibly damaged had the scheme gone ahead.

    Just before we disembarked at ‘Heritage Landing’ about 12km up the Gordon River for a boardwalk tour of the pristine rainforest, we were treated to a hailstorm which cleared as quickly as it came. This is as far as commercial vessels are now permitted to travel, whereas in 1984 we motored right up to the Franklin River itself.

    Of particular interest on the guided tour was seeing and touching a still-thriving Huon Pine that was estimated to be 2,600 years old.

    A leisurely cruise back to Strahan in the early afternoon concluded with a visit to an historic Huon Pine mill and a poke around inside the woodworking artisan shop.

    With an hour and a half to kill before the commencement of the locally produced and acted play “The Ship That Never Was” (which is a comedic take on the last ship built by convicts at Sarah Island which was stolen by 10 convicts and sailed to Chile!)
    we took a drive out to Ocean Beach and watched and felt the roaring forties in action; then a drive out to Macquarie Heads (Hell’s Gates); back to town to fit in a quick drive and 30 minute walk to Hogarth Falls on the outskirts of Queenstown which left just enough time to purchase some fish and chips (delicious) from a local vendor before taking our seats for the play.

    Audience participation was required - I became John Barker (one of the convicts who was a gunsmith) and Loss played a sensational, cameo role as a jelly fish.

    A forty minute drive through the steep and winding mountains that separate Strahan from Queenstown brought us to our accommodation again - which I have now downgraded to only 3 star, as they forgot to service our room.
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  • The Wall - truly amazing
    The sculpture / carved panels run the entire length of the buildingLake St Clair visitor centre - lots of hard core hikers hang out hereLoss thinks we might do The overland Track (6-7 days) 'next time'With the eye of faith you can see some snow on the distant mountainsGeographic centre of TasmaniaScallop pies!

    West to East then North

    November 9, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We had promised ourselves on our way to Hobart 6 days ago that we wouldn’t leave Tasmania without having again experienced its most quintessential cuisine - the scallop pie.

    It was 40 years since we had first tasted this delicacy at St. Helens in the northeast of the island and its taste and memory lingered. Today was our last chance to revisit this exquisite treat for the first time since then, and we successfully tracked one down and savoured it for lunch in New Norfolk enroute to Hobart. Now we could happily head home.

    This morning was cold and damp in Queenstown as we started heading east. First stop was a 1hr 20 minute drive (encountering a total of 9 other cars on the entire leg) to Derwent Bridge and a welcome morning tea stop at ‘The Wall’ - an enormously long, intricately carved wall of Huon Pine panels house in a purpose built shed literally in the middle of wilderness bushland. The workmanship is amazing, depicting some of the story of Tasmania in a series of carved images. It was sorely tempting to photograph the carvings but we respected the ‘no photography’ signage and refrained.

    A quick backtrack to lake St. Clair, where the view was marred by low cloud and strong wind on the lake. A dusting of snow on the mountaintops could be seen through the passing clouds.

    A little way further along we pulled off the side of the road beside a very unassuming plaque and cairn which marked ‘the geographic centre of Tasmania’. For reasons that are difficult to explain, this was also on our ‘Tasmania Bucket List’ as we vividly remember stopping at this unremarkable landmark on our way across Tasmania on our honeymoon, being amazed at how quickly we had travelled from coast to centre on that occasion.

    The weather cleared, we crossed the famous Franklin river at the one and only place this river is crossed by a man made structure and continued to New Norfolk for our scallop pie encounter.

    Before we knew it we were entering the outskirts of Hobart again, noting that there were still a number of attractions to this wonderful island that we would love to explore at some point in the future, God Willing.

    Hobart airport is a busy little terminal but I have found a quiet corner to finish this blog as we wait to board our flight home.
    Thanks for following us along and hopefully the text and photos have helped give you a little taste of the beauty of this wonderful part of God’s creation.
    Loriene and I feel very blessed to have shared an amazing 40 years of married life and look forward to the next phase(s) of our life together.
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