Reset search
Our time in TassieOur time in Tassie
SatelliteEdit route
A 24-day adventure by Trevor and Robyn Read more
  • 26footprints
  • 1countries
  • 24days
  • 123photos
  • 0videos
  • 5.4kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    1
    Day 1

    The Longest Day

    March 5 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We arrived in Tasmania just before 11:00 local time and we were feeling very tired - not much sleep at Nick's, the usual excitement I suppose - had to be at the airport by 4:30. We were late leaving Auckland as the flight before us out of the same gate, was going to Rarotonga and a number of passengers were late. And had to wait on our plane on arrival at Hobart because a flight from Melbourne arrived shortly before us and they didn't want to mix international passengers with common old Aussies. And then the car rental place was verrrrry slow at processing and we were the last.
    So not really moaning, they just made the day feel long.
    We chanced finding a place for food and coffee in an outlet area nearby and had a very welcome toasted sandwich each with an average, but welcome coffee. We bought some supplies there and set out to find our homestay. We got a little lost and arrived at seven mile bay so got out for a walk along the beach - we both agreed the sea air just removed the stress and tiredness we were feeling. We weren't far from our house and soon arrived.
    Essentially we are in a new area for new rural properties - our place is set in a typical aussie rural scene.
    We were told about and earlier met a bandicoot called Gavin, see photo, and has just come up to our window as I write this. We sat outside while the sun went down and watched/listened to all the birds settling in for the night.
    As I ready to post this there are rabbits on the lawn!    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    2
    Day 2

    Its easy to get lost in Tassie.....

    March 6 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We had a great day today! A beautiful day dawned and after breakfast and showers etc we hit the road, but first coffee at the Grocer near here. And the coffee wasn't bad either.
    Our plan was to head inland to the two historical towns of Richmond and Oatlands.
    There are so many roads - many main arterials and lots of link roads known as junctions. We made the early mistake of getting onto Highway 1 heading in the opposite direction to where we should be heading - on a busy highway in a new car with traffic travelling at over 110 it was a bit confronting.
    But we managed to find a special U Turn spot (just for us??) and got going and with the help of Google got to Richmond.
    This was a very busy town with lots of tourists - the cafes were buzzing and tour groups everywhere. The town had lots of restored houses from the mid 1800's - mostly stone. And a manificent stone bridge that was built by convicts. We walked the main street and visited the bridge and walked along the river.
    We decided we would lunch at Oatlands so headed in, what we thought was the right direction, but soon realised our mistake, so turned back and found the correct turnoff.
    The route to Oatlands was some 60 or 70 kms of rural farmland with very few animals. We have realised that Tassie is suffering from a severe drought. Everywhere is dry yellowy grass.
    Oatlands was not what I expected - it was a quiet town, no tourists and few cafes. But the buildings were magificent - probably 100's of Georgian style buildings from 1800's. We had lunch at a simple looking cafe, that was quite busy - I had a crepe - with bacon and mushrooms, salad, tomatoes, coleslaw - the crepe was swimming in a sauce. The whole thing was large, but very tasty. Gran had a hamburger which was quite large with the same salad and coleslaw as me. It was 26/28 degrees in town with no wind. We walked the main street and visited a magnificent windmill used to grind grain - I took some photos and then we decided to see if we could navigate our way home - and we did with the help of Google going cross country as we got near to the outskirts of "our area". We thought we'd get a coffee and check out some of the other beaches.
    We went to a cool beach - Clifton Beach, a surfing beach and there were swimmers and a surf school for young people that was getting set up - we watched them all run to the far end of the beach and back. The squad had to be 25 or 30 teens and boy did they get some exercise. We watched them paddle a long board out to a buoy about 500 to 600 metres out and back then up the beach around a marker then swim the same distance and back then repeat the about sequence again.
    The evening was just lovely - calm and warm. Then we drove out to Opposum Bay. This too was a lovely bay but it was lined with beach houses right to the shoreline. We walk from one end to the other were the beach ran out to rocks and then turned back. Back to our house as the sun was just setting.
    Yeah I think we had a great day - tomorrow we plan the first of two days at Port Arthur.
    I will post the beach photos on a separate post.    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    122
    Day 2

    Clifton Beach and Opposum Bay

    March 6 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    I took a lot of photos at Clifton Beach (as mentioned in the other post) - it was just so pleasant at the beach and with so much happening.

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    1
    113
    Day 3

    Port Arthur

    March 7 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today we drove the 80km to Port Arthur - we are not staying there, but a pass gets you 2 days visit.
    When we awoke and checked on the weather forcast it was for highs of 17 or 18 so we dressed for a cooler day. But it was quite warm at Port Arthur and the sun was full on - so really it was a nice day weather wise.
    The drive was threw typical aussie outback, lots of gums everywhere - the road was pretty good - great surface, and quite winding in places.
    Got to Port Arthur at around 11:30 and there was quite a crowd then.
    We started in the tour centre and learned about the site, British prisoners in Oz and the wider world. We all got a card that represented an actual prisoner and learned about his/her life at Port Arthur, why they were there and their life at PA.
    Standing at looking at the world map and all the convict sites around the globe (every continent and island groups everywhere) - established by the British I realised that these prisons were not just about punishment - but really a way to provide labour and manpower to assist the Brits colonise their way around the world. So many of the crimes were petty - "off you go and build roads, bridges, dig mines in Australia".
    And there was a prison for children there too on a smaller island - mostly teenage, but as low as 9. And of course they were all there to "better themselves" and this included religion. The church (which was burned down a century ago - but the stone and brick walls were faithfully restored) held church for 1,100 people.
    The prison was only functioning for just over 40 years, and as the convict shipments slowed and eventually stopped it closed.
    And so it all fell into rack and ruin. Now a lot of the area has been restored to what we see now - not completely restored but you get the idea what it was like.
    The main penitentiary building was orginally a mill and probably a grain store - it was converted to the main prison. We walked through it and it is mostly a shell - we could see the small cells, one prisoner per cell - they were probably 1.5 metres by 1 metre - so it was solitued. Kitchen, ablutions etc
    We had a quick bite for lunch - cost $20 for 2 sandwiches. Then we did the harbour tour - last about 45 minutes - we saw where the childrens prison was and also an island known as the "Island of the Dead" where apparently 1,100 prisoners and prison staff were buried - a tiny island - the prison staff got headstones.
    Back on land we then explored areas were staff and families lived - the hospital, asylum, Post Office, and a range of normal town facilities.
    By then our legs were telling us that they'd had enough and it was time to head home.
    Bought some groceries for tonights dinner and that's the day.
    A normal evening here - saw Gavin in the garden, the rabbits we see most nights and morning, the assortment of birds and a few wallabies.
    Tomorrow we will probably head in the same direction - there is quite a lot to explore off the beaten track.
    I just remembered that some of you would be old enough to remeber the massacre of 1996 when 35 people were killed by a madman. Such a sad event and we saw the memorial garden.    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    Day 4

    A non-day

    March 8 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Of course it had to happen one day, but we were hoping it wasn't on our holiday.
    I awoke this morning with a serious headache, but nothing else - and it was after breakfast that we thought I should test. And it was positive for Covid.
    The rest you can imagine - we notified the bnb owner and she said her husband worked for a health centre and he recommended we get some anti viral medicine and gave us a national covid centre number. I spoke firstly to a clerk who took all my personal details, then next a nurse rang me and took more medical details and after that call I got a call from a doctor. She prepared a prescription and sent that to a local pharmacy - and we went and got the drugs. The nurse said they would send out to us a cellphone and some monitoring equipment - I thought that was a bit excessive.
    Good ol aussies - they have been very kind to us and pretty efficient in my opinion.
    We need to pick up the campervan on Sunday - so we are counting on the drugs to allow this to happen.
    Also we are hoping Robyn doesn't go down next.
    Tomorrow the temp is heading to 34.    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    3
    Day 5

    A new day

    March 9 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We decided today to get out and do some stuff, even if it was just some quiet activity.
    We bought a takeaway coffee and drove to Seven Mile Beach to sit and enjoy. There was a large crowd on the beach and the sun was fierce, with an aftermoon promise of 35, the early birds trying to beat the heat.
    Then we drove over the Hobart bridge and went into the Botanical Gardens - it was lovely to just stroll and sit in the shade. We had lunch there and had a visit from a mother duck and 4 little ducklings.
    Then we came home and went to Roches Beach which is just down the road from our house - it was quite busy too, but extremely hot and decided that was enough exercise for the day.
    Tomorrow we get the campervan!    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    Day 6

    Camping is fun !!!!!!

    March 10 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today was a new experience day for us - Robyn has at times labeled this as her worst nightmare. But here we are sitting across from a tiny table with no internet and people all around us and it's 9:00 - I think we should be drinking alcohol like our neighbors.
    We left our house in the countryside at around 9:30 and made it to Crusin and I dropped the car off.
    We loved our time at the Wombat Studio - lots of wild life in the mornings and especially at night.

    We got given the usual contractual stuff and then shown around the van. We felt it was pretty rushed.
    But we got going heading north to Coles Bay - our first camp.
    It was showery for most of the way.
    We stopped at Sorell, where there was the last supermarket for miles and stocked up. Had hamburger and chips at a nearby McDonald's.
    Arrived at Coles Bay motor camp at around 5 and given our park.
    Had a wee woopsie while backing into the park - being guided back by a helper I didn't hear him call me to stop and we hit a log bank. A bit of damage to a bumper - covered by our agreement, so no real damage. Must keep an eye out for those situations.
    Driving wasn't too difficult - but the roads up here are very narrow - I figured we had about 12/18 inches either side of the van.
    We've stowed away our gear and it's quite tidy, but it is small inside and we will need to be kind to each other.
    The weather forecast looks good for the next 3 to 5 days. Last night Hobart had its hottest over night temperature for 115 years.    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    2
    11
    Day 7

    "It's getting better all the time"

    March 11 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    To quote Paul McCartney and Robyn Plunkett "Its getting better........." And we had a pretty cruisie day.
    Our first night was pretty good, the bed was cosy and warm and we didn't fight about not having enough bed. Sometime during the night an animal scurried across the roof top and at another time a couple of animals had a very loud fight.
    It was misty in the morning and after breafast and a shower we went for a coffee at the jetty - coffee was great. Then we had a walk around wineglass beach - there were lots of people doing the same thing, some had bikes, some with fishing rods - a few swimming - the water looked great - but we will wait for a few more days until we are sure Covid has gone.
    We came back and sat for a while then had lunch. Nothing exciting, some wraps.
    In the afternoon it was quite warm, we headed up hill to a town area - the plan was for afternoon coffee, but the cafe with the reputation was closed for coffee, but we found some at a icecreamery.
    Then we walked home via a beatiful walkway along the rocky coastline - we dropped down into sandy bays and admired the colourful and rocky scenery.
    Gran is cooking her first meal of the gas stove - I cooked porridge with fresh dates this morning.
    We have booked a camp site north of here at St Helens - so will make our way there - but not until we have walked up to the Wineglass Bay lookout - see photo. It could be a tough climb, but we want to give it a go.
    Not a lot to say other than we did enjoy relaxing and getting more comfortable with this way of holidaying.
    The park has filled up from empty this morning and the internet goes so slooooooowww. Got 4 imaged up will try for a couple more later.    Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    Day 8

    More pictures from yesterday

    March 12 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    These were taken on our coastline walk on Monday - later in the afternoon. Today the calm beaches were wild with larger waves and white caps - a real contrast.
    Have better internet tonight so should upload todays photos.Read more

  • TravelerOur time in Tassie
    11
    Day 8

    A big climb day

    March 12 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We are pretty happy with things today. We planned to get up earlier so we could start the climb to the Wineglass Bay lookout.
    We had breakfast (porridge and fruit) and showered - packed up the van, putting things safely away - took care of all the van things that needed turning off, packed away cables. Yesterday I topped up the water tank, delivered the black water to the dump site.
    So we were off in good time, found our way to the carpark and set off. The lookout is 220 metres above sea level and the track winds it way up through natural bush and trees and heaps of HUGE red, marbled rocks that seem to tetter over an edge or look like they are about to roll down hill.
    The track start off easy and was a sandy track, then we got to steps made of rocks and some very larger steps. It was hard going from about half way.
    It took us 50 or 60 minutes to reach the platform. And it was a pretty good sight - the wineglass image you see in promotions of the site is taken from higher points or a drome. But it was still pretty special as is most of the scenery here.
    The thing about the walk is the fun that you have with the people going up and down and there were 100's - all ages, all different nationalities.
    Of course coming down was quicker, but you had to be careful on the rocky steps. Gran and I took it easy, with many stops and felt a level of achievement, as it was something we wanted to do and see.
    When we got down to our van the car parks were very full, if not full.
    We drove back down the hill into town and stopped for coffee and a bit to eat as it was now 12.
    Soon we were back on the road, it was cooler, about 20c and heading towards St Helens where we are tonight. We booked this place last night and it is practically brand new - modern facilities - clean and tidy and great internet.
    Todays travel was mostly in or near the coastline and the seas were pretty rough, which turned out to be a good thing. The first town we came to was Bicheno and on the outskirts I saw a small sign pointing to "the Blow Hole" and we parked up there and it was spectacular. See photos - there is a 1-2 series so you see the action. We couldn't find anything of interest in Bicheno and kept driving. The roads are so narrow and as a driver you must stay alert, not too close to the centreline and not to close to the edge cos the wheel could easily drop over the edge. We had a couple of beach stops to stretch our legs and arrived in St Helens.
    Couldn't find a decent coffee shop so settled for an average one at a bakery - the barista would have been 14 or 15 and had just come in from after school!
    We have just booked a site at a town called Bridport which is on the north coast towards Launceston. But tomorrow first we will drive up as far as we are allowed into the Bay of Fires.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English