Making memories one road trip at a time. Baca selengkapnya
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  • Hari 1

    Albury NSW

    12 April, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    On the road again, heading south. Destination Tasmania. Very excited as none of us have ever been before.

    It’s a different kind of adventure for us this time leaving the caravan behind and taking our chances on a range of motel, short-stay rental and cabin style accommodation.

    It was a slow roadwork riddled start, but once out of Sydney we cruised down the Hume Highway stopping briefly for lunch at Sutton Forest, fuel at Yass, and a quick detour to view the HMAS Otway at Holbrook.

    Tonight we’ve made it to the Albury Manor House in central Albury. Let’s just say it would have been stately in its day 🤣

    Despite the room being twice the size of our caravan we do miss the convenience of having everything on hand - it sure beats unpacking and repacking the car for short overnight stops.

    A quick drive up Monument Hill for a beautiful sunset vista over town before dinner at the Commercial Club - recreating a memory from our 2016 Great Ocean Road trip. The boys were disappointed the all-you-can-eat buffet died out with COVID but were more than happy with their mega schnitzels instead!

    Looking forward to really starting our Tassie odyssey as 'spirited travellers' tomorrow.
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  • Hari 2

    Geelong VIC

    13 April, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    A quick detour leaving Albury this morning to peruse LuftWasser 2024 in the park opposite our morning coffee stop. Advertised as Australia's leading independent Porsche event, the festival showcased cars that are driven not polished. The boys at least were impressed.

    Moving on we caught up with Dan & Helen and arrived promptly in Geelong around mid afternoon excited and ready to board the Spirit of Tasmania, only to find it had been delayed and boarding would not commence until 9:30 pm. Hence we are now intimately acquainted with the Geelong waterfront!

    On the plus side, I did find the best raspberry muffin ever at a cafe on the foreshore and we all enjoyed a yummy dinner at Hecho En Mexico, a happening little place on the beachfront.

    We’re now playing ‘spot the SOT’ as we patiently await its arrival in Corio Bay.
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  • Hari 2

    Spirit of Tasmania

    13 April ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After a long wait for delayed boarding we eventually sailed out of Port Phillip Bay in the early hours of Sunday morning. Happily we were able to sneak a cheeky port on the port deck as we left port 🍷😁

    Our cabin was cozy with all five of us in it but much better than the complimentary recliner option. In fact, once in bed it was quite comfy. I could even get accustomed to the quiet hum and vibrations of the ship’s engines while being gently rocked to sleep.

    Big thanks to Helen’s forward thinking and loan of an inflatable hiking mattress, which fit like it was made for the space between the bunks. And bless Lachie for graciously accepting this as his bed for the night xx

    We had a lovely calm voyage and were even welcomed to Tassie this morning by a spectacular full rainbow just outside our porthole window. Let the adventure begin!
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  • Hari 3

    Launceston TAS

    14 April, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today we can claim to have visited every state in Australia within the past 12 months! Pretty impressive.

    We disembarked the Spirit of Tasmania in Devonport around 10:30 am and headed south, stopping on route at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for the most delicious punnet of fresh raspberries ever. We took only a few hundred metres to completely devour them as we continued down the Midland Highway towards Launceston.

    Here we explored Cataract Gorge, a unique and unexpected urban wilderness wrapped around a dramatic gorge, just a stroll from Launceston’s City Centre. The highlight was the First Basin Chairlift which spans over 457m, including a central span of 308m making it the world’s longest single span chairlift. It was a delightfully slow retro ride with stunning views over the reserve.

    After a few short walks around the grounds we headed for the east coast and our first real destination, Binnalong Bay. The Lazy Waves Beach House will be our home for the next few nights as we explore the Bay of Fires and northwest region of Tasmania. The house is superb, with a generous balcony overlooking the beach - perfect for our first Tasmanian happy hour 🥂
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  • Hari 4

    Binnalong Bay TAS

    15 April, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Making the most of a beautiful Tassie day exploring along the Great Eastern Tourist Drive.

    First stop Eddystone Point lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Fires Conservation Area and marking the easternmost point of the Tasmanian island. Here we experienced the iconic granite rocks splashed in orange lichen against a backdrop of clean white beaches and clear azure seas. A truly stunning landscape, exactly like the brochures. Bucket list ✅

    Next stop, Little Blue Lake - a natural phenomenon resulting from the pioneering mining days of South Mount Cameron and the surrounding areas of the far northeast of Tasmania. Originally a mine hole, the lake reflects a vivid aqua blue from the minerals in its base. It was slightly overcast when we arrived and possibly lacking its sparkle, but an impressive sight nonetheless.

    Moving on we headed to the Pyengana Dairy, home of Australia’s heritage farmhouse cheese, continuing 135 years of tradition producing handcrafted dairy products. While Anthony and I enjoyed a Tasmanian tasting platter, the boys made a big call confidently declaring their ice creams to be the best ever - all eaten before I had time for a picture!

    Down the road we indulged Priscilla the beer drinking pig at the Pub in the Paddock. I was a little conflicted by this tourist attraction, but they assured us she only drinks a “specially watered-down” brew. We were amazed how quickly she guzzled it!

    A bit further down the road we ventured out to St Columba Falls - reportedly the tallest in Tasmania and one of Tassie's top 60 short walks. It was a lovely stroll through the rainforest down to the falls and back up again.

    All in all, a fantastic first full day in northeast Tassie.
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  • Hari 5

    Bay of Fires TAS

    16 April, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    This morning Dan was up bright and early to capture the beauty of sunrise over the Bay of Fires. I was keen to join him but succumbed to the warmth of bed for some precious extra minutes. His images are spectacular, thank you for sharing xx

    The five of us did make it down to the beach later in the afternoon where we discovered it's not called Bay of Fires for nothing, with large smoke plumes visible to the north - planned hazard reduction burns, so we believe.

    Once named by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s ‘Most Beautiful Beaches’ there’s no doubt the Bay of Fires lives up to this reputation.​ It was absolutely stunning, with super fine cool white sand and crisp turquoise water. If only it was 20 degrees warmer 😍
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  • Hari 5

    Bicheno TAS

    16 April, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Twelve months ago we enjoyed a delicious seafood platter beside a sparkling blue Indian Ocean at the Lobster Shack in Cervantes WA. Today we repeated the experience on the opposite side of the country beside a brisk Tasman Sea in Bicheno TAS. A very different setting, but equally memorable. Dare we say east coast lobster for the win 🦞

    To wash it down, a few kilometres down the road we visited Devil’s Corner Winery with its magnificent views over Great Oyster Bay. We enjoyed a private tasting and a new found favourite - Pirie, named Best Sparkling and Wine of Show at the 2023 Global Fine Wine Challenge. Of course the soundtrack to our drive home included a few clinking bottles 😉🍷

    Somewhere in between, we also managed to explore the quaint little town of Bicheno and the blowhole for which it's somewhat famous. Such a simple thing, but curiously entertaining to stand and watch water erupting out of a hole with each wave. Miraculously, in spite of teenage bravado, we all managed to stay dry.
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  • Hari 6

    Freycinet NP TAS

    17 April, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Tassie is really turning it on for us. Another cracking day in shorts and t-shirts exploring Coles Bay and the Freycinet National Park.

    First up (and I mean literally up) we hiked to Wineglass Bay lookout for one of Tasmania’s most celebrated views. Our efforts were rewarded with an amazing panoramic view over the headland and glistening turquoise waters of the curvaceous white beach below.

    Next on the tourist trail we checked out Honeymoon Bay and Sleepy Bay, both interesting contrasts on opposing sides of the isthmus. Last but not least we drove out to Cape Tourville Lighthouse and explored the cliff-top boardwalk with views back into Wineglass Bay.

    It was a long slow drive to our next accommodation, but not without some beautiful scenery and a few interesting finds along the way - such as Spiky Bridge near Swansea, made in 1843 entirely out of field stones without any mortar or cement. The ‘spikes’ are said to protect the bridge from harsh winds. However, some people claim they were put in place to stop cattle falling over the sides.

    We ended the day with dinner at the Dodges Ferry Hotel before returning to Beachside Family Surf Retreat in Carlton, our quirky home for the next few nights - and by quirky I mean who doesn’t love an indoor banana tree and a bathtub in the ping-pong room 🤪
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  • Hari 7

    Tasman Peninsula TAS

    18 April, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we ticked off another bucket list experience as we explored the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site. We also checked out the other attractions on the Tasman Peninsula including the Tessellated Pavement, Blowhole, Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and Remarkable Cave. Plus a Lavender Farm and Chocolate Factory for good measure.

    We started our Port Arthur experience with a boat cruise around the Isle of the Dead including some great commentary about the origins of the penal settlement and life of the inmates. Back on shore we made our way around the grounds absorbing the history and reflecting on the horror and tragedy of 28 April 1996.

    The grounds were beautiful and except for the descriptions and accounts of inmates living conditions, Port Arthur could be mistaken for a lovely village in which to spend a few years. We were especially surprised at the size and grandeur of the old church and government residences.

    It was definitely a day of four seasons where we busted out both our ‘Tassie tuxedos’ and rain jackets before shedding them all in favour of t-shirts again.
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