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Australia 2020

February - March 2020
  • Nick Stretton
  • Alison Stretton
A 38-day adventure by Nick & Alison Read more
  • Nick Stretton
  • Alison Stretton

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  • Australia 2020

    Freycinet National Park

    February 27, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Oh dear, slightly over did it last night so wont be doing much today. Ali, Lisa and Dave seem OK so I will hand blogging over to Ali for today, night night!
    Lisa packed a picnic for our walk to see the view of Wineglass Bay. It was quite a climb but it was really worth it. Remote white sandy beach and turquoise water. Such unspoilt beauty and stunning landscape. After a few photos we climbed down to a beach and sat on a rock, a perfect picnic spot. We watched as a wallaby wandered onto the beach and a baby Albatross landed nearby. We relaxed and enjoyed the sun then took a walk along the beach. Nick joined us later for a drive out to some other lookouts including Sleepy Beach and a Lighthouse, the sea stretching out in front of us where the next land you would come across would be New Zealand.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Coles Bay to Hobart

    February 28, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Got ourselves ready to go and had a coffee looking out over the bay for the last time. Started our 2hr drive to Hobart and made some stops on the way. Firstly Swansea a very pretty town with great views across the bay back to where we had come from. A quick stop at a berry farm from where we went to Richmond. An historic town, quite touristy but served the best curried scallop pies. Got an ice cream and walked down to the river to look at the ducks, quite an English scene. After a quick visit to the Lavender Shop we made our way to the cheese shop. More a cheese experience really. The Wicked Cheese Co make all their cheeses on site and after some extensive tasting we bought some for later consumption. Then on to Hobart. The increased traffic signaled our arrival in the Tasmanian capital and we found our way to our accommodation conveniently located in the CPD. The entry key pad didn't work so after a few calls the Locksmith turned up. His solution was to climb over the gate and open it from the inside which he did with a leg up from me. He then proceeded to "mend" the lock with some chewing gum provided by Lisa. The apartment is a good size with exposed brickwork and very well equipped. We settled in and then went out to Streeteats. This is an outdoor mini festival which takes place every friday in the summer in Franklin Park. Live music and a wide selection of street food freshly prepared as you wait. We went home via the Sydney Hotel, an Irish themed pub for a night cap before calling it a day.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Sallamanca Market

    February 29, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Another nice day, expecting temperatures around 24 degrees. Sallamanca Market is huge with hot food stalls and a variety of arts and crafts stalls. We walked around Battery Point a very English looking neighbourhood above the harbour where the cruise ship Arcadia had recently come in to dock. We sat and had a beer and then picked up some massive prawns from a floating fishmonger and then made our way back to the apartment. Because it was such a clear day we decided to take a trip up Mt. Wellington which dominates the skyline behind Hobart.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Mount Wellington

    February 29, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The views are stunning, broadening out as we drove up the winding roads to the summit. The air was so crisp and fresh and with clear blue skies provided an excellent finish to the day. Got back and made a Raspberry Cheesecake in honour of Dave's Birthday Celebrations.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    MONA (Posh Pit)

    March 1, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Lisa and Dave took us to MONA , a world famous Art Gallery built into the rocks just up the estuary from Hobart Harbour. We caught the Catamaran from the dock and were shown into the Posh Pit, a special treat from L &D consisting of a very nice bar with comfy seats and complimentary drinks and canapes. The gallery its self is very quirky set out over three subterranean levels. There is a mixture of traditional modern art, historical art and some very confrontational pieces which challenge the senses and the sensibility. These included a mechanical stomach which is fed at one end and then produces poo at the other. A man who has made his body a canvass and sits motionless for people to look at, as well as some stark video displays depicting some quite unpleasant and challenging topics. We spent four hours there, there is so much to see. We got the boat back to Hobart for a couple of drinks then back to the apartment with a takeaway. Early night as tomorrow we take a 4 hr drive to Cradle Mountain where the temperature is set to drop.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Hobart to Cradle Mountain

    March 2, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Today is Dave's Birthday. We checked out and went and had some breakfast at a nice bakery, picked because of the quality of the cakes. We chose three cakes and did our best to hide them away in the fridge in the car without Dave knowing. Did a bit of shopping as we were not sure what would be available at Cradle Mountain. We took a tourist route which took us past a couple of huge lakes / reservoirs used to feed the areas Hydro Electric plant. We stopped at Delaraine for lunch, a small town where everyone seemed to know everyone else. We had lunch in the Deli which was very good. We carried on to Cradle Mountain with the temperature dropping the closer we got. By the time we arrived it had dropped to 7 degrees the same temperature as Haverfordwest!!
    Cradle Mountain Wilderness Retreat is a development of small alpine chalets set in a huge National Park. There is a main reception with a bar and restaurant, so not quite the wilderness but very peaceful nonetheless. We stayed in and had sausage and beans on toast and played some cards. Steady night as big walk planned for tomorrow.    Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Cradle Mountain

    March 3, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    The National Park is in the heart of the 1.4 million hectare Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It provides a variety of landscapes from Alpine rugged peaks to moors, lakes and ancient forests. We went to the information centre and decided on our walk - a 3-4 hr circular walk starting at Ronny Creek, up to Crater Lake. At that point Lisa and Dave would go up to Marion's Lookout at about 1200m while Ali and I would go down to Dove Lake. The park is incredibly organised , we took the bus to Ronny Creek and then started our ascent to Crater Lake. Walking was relatively easy along a mixture of boardwalks and stone paths but with some steep climbs thrown in to get the heart pumping. The scenery was breathtaking, probably the best walk I have ever done. Got back to the information centre in one piece and had a drink of water waiting for Lisa and Dave who turned up about an hour later having made Marion's Lookout, We had a nice meal and then back to the chalet just about ready to crash.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary

    March 4, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Packed up and checked out, but as our ferry was not until the early evening we had some time to explore the park a bit more. L&D went off for a walk and we decided to go to the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary. The numbers in the wild have reduced by about 80% due to a face cancer which has ravaged the population over the last 10 years or so. No-one is really sure how it started and there is no cure, so breeding programmes like this are very important. They are quite vicious creatures with the males fighting face to face for supremacy and the right to mate with the female, often leaving scars on their faces. Some also have scars on their hind quarters caused by the females as the try to get away from the territorial males. We also saw Quols, very cute looking but equally as vicious dropping down on their prey from tree branches and paralysing them by sinking their sharp teeth into their necks.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Cradle Mountain to Devonport

    March 4, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We did a short walk through the Enchanted Forest and then met up with L&D. Managed to catch sight of some Wombats, a mother and its young and then a Wallaby. Started our journey back to Canberra. On arriving in Devonport we witnessed the first signs of panic buying with Supermarket shelves empty of toilet roll and hand sanitiser. Boarded the ship and went to the restaurant and had the all you can eat buffet. Filling the gap left by two days of walking through some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen.Read more

  • Australia 2020

    Melbourne to Canberra

    March 5, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Had a smooth crossing but when we arrived in Melbourne at about 6.00am the weather was pretty grim with some of the local roads flooded. Luckily not enough to close them but it did cause the level crossing gates to stay shut so after a bit of a detour we got on our way, ahead of us a 10 hour drive to Canberra. L&D took it in turns driving through the relentless rain but eventually it began to ease off and we arrived back in Canberra at about 4.00pm. Unloaded and had a Thai takeaway and a relatively early night given the nature of our earlier journeyRead more

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