The 6th Sojourn: Penstocks Final Chapter

Dawn painted Campbell Town in gentle watercolours as we prepared for departure, our brief overnight respite concluding with the familiar ritual of securing the bus interior for travel. The morning air carried that distinctive Tasmanian crispness that had become so familiar over our year-long island sojourn. With a swift but thorough check of our surroundings, we merged back onto the highway, southbound once more toward Hobart's metropolitan embrace.

The journey unwound before us like a well-read narrative, each landmark triggering memories of previous passages along this arterial corridor. The kilometres dissolved beneath our wheels until the gradual densification of buildings announced our approach to the capital. Navigating toward the shopping centre where Sal's appointment awaited, we were immediately struck by the car park's congested chaos—vehicles circling like mechanical predators seeking elusive prey. Fortune smiled upon us, however, as a space materialised just as we approached, our substantial bus claiming territory amongst conventional vehicles.

"I won't be long," Sal promised as she departed, leaving Anth to monitor our temporary urban anchorage. Time stretched languorously in her absence, the interior of our mobile sanctuary feeling simultaneously familiar yet subtly altered when occupied by just one of us. Upon her return, we succumbed to the siren call of Banjo's—that quintessentially Tasmanian establishment whose raspberry pies had achieved legendary status in our personal culinary mythology. The sweet-tart filling cradled within perfect pastry represented small indulgences that punctuated our otherwise frugal existence.

Our return to the bus delivered an unexpected milestone in our nomadic chronicle—an official parking ticket fluttered beneath our wiper blade like an unwelcome autumn leaf. Fifty dollars added to our pie and coffee consumption provoked not frustration but rather philosophical amusement. "Well," Anth observed with characteristic optimism, "it took us over a year of full-time travel to receive our first parking fine—I'd say that's rather impressive." We both agreed the deliciousness of our Banjo's feast justified this unexpected surcharge.

With the immediate future beckoning, we consulted our digital oracle—maps unfurling across the screen as we contemplated appropriate sanctuary for the coming fortnight before Sal's Queensland flight. The imminent convergence of Easter celebrations and school holidays cast shadows across our planning, promising crowded campgrounds and diminished tranquility. After careful deliberation, our eyes were simultaneously drawn to Penstock Lagoon—that magical highland waterscape we had visited five times previously, each experience deepening our attachment to its particular magic.

Decision crystallised, we pivoted northward once more, retracing our recent journey with the anticipation that accompanies return to beloved territory. Along the way, curiosity directed us toward Kempton's free camp—a location we had glimpsed repeatedly from the highway yet never explored directly. The modest camping area, though situated uncomfortably close to the highway's constant percussion and embedded within the town's modest grid, offered one compelling enticement: electrical outlets freely available for traveller use.

This unexpected bounty triggered practical recalculation—our bus's power reserves had been gradually diminishing, and the opportunity for complete replenishment seemed providential. As our batteries drank deeply from municipal generosity, we ventured into Kempton proper, pursuing a geocaching adventure that promised historical revelation. The town's colonial architecture told silent stories of Tasmania's complex past, each building a physical chapter in the island's ongoing narrative.

Our wanderings brought us to a heritage structure adorned with climbing roses whose fragrance halted us mid-stride. As we bent to appreciate this sensory offering, an elderly gentleman approached with unhurried gait, a spotted dog trotting faithfully alongside. "That's Dottie," he announced by way of introduction, gesturing toward his canine companion. Conversation unfurled with the unhurried pace that characterises rural encounters—his knowledge of local horticulture intertwining with personal anecdotes about Kempton's evolution across decades. These unexpected connections with place-keepers—those who maintain both physical gardens and community memories—had become precious touchstones in our travelling life.

With our power reserves rejuvenated, we returned to the highway, urban density gradually receding as we ascended toward Tasmania's central plateau. The Highland Highway carried us upward through transforming ecosystems, each altitude gain revealing subtle shifts in vegetation and landscape character. Excitement built within us as familiar waypoints appeared—this journey had become something of a pilgrimage, each visit to Penstock deepening our connection to its particular wilderness.

Our steady progress was interrupted by the digital summons of Sal's online tutorial schedule. Without breaking stride, she transitioned to the bus's rear compartment, technology bridging geographical distance through Starlink's orbital constellation. This remarkable capacity—to participate in formal education while traversing remote highlands—represented one of modern nomadism's most liberating aspects. Anth continued our journey as Sal's voice mingled with her distant classmates', her academic and wilderness lives temporarily occupying parallel dimensions.

Daylight gradually surrendered to dusk, bringing with it the emergence of Tasmania's nocturnal citizens. This transition provided perfect opportunity for Anth to evaluate our newly installed thermal camera—that technological enhancement acquired during our separation. The device proved immediately valuable, revealing small wallabies completely invisible to conventional headlights, their heat signatures glowing distinctly against the cooled landscape. This addition to our travelling arsenal represented more than mere gadgetry; it promised safer passage through wildlife-rich territories, particularly as winter's early darkness approached.

Ladies Walk Campground eventually welcomed us with familiar embrace, our headlights illuminating the track around Penstock Lagoon until we reached our preferred position. Despite expecting holiday crowds, the area hosted just one other camping setup—a solitary witness to the tranquility we had hoped to find. We settled into our spot with the practised efficiency that comes from repeated homecoming, the darkness beyond our windows holding the promise of beloved landscape to be rediscovered in morning light.

Dawn revealed Penstock's highland splendour—misty waters reflecting eucalyptus sentinels, the particular quality of light that had drawn us back repeatedly to this elevated sanctuary. Anth undertook a reconnaissance mission, exploring the campground's further reaches to discover it remained largely uninhabited despite the holiday period. This unexpected solitude presented opportunity for positional optimisation, and we relocated our bus to a previously unexperienced site, claiming fresh perspective on our favourite landscape.

With settlement completed, we surrendered to the wilderness rhythm that represented our preferred existence. Daily wood collection became meditative practice—searching fallen branches of appropriate dimension, Anth processing them with the handcrafted bucksaw whose simple efficiency had proven itself across countless campsites. The resulting timber fed our Pomoly hot tent stove, the same apparatus we had inaugurated in this very location nearly twelve months prior. The stove's elegant simplicity—providing smoke-free warmth while simultaneously offering cooking surface—represented perfection in functional design for our nomadic requirements.

Our culinary existence mirrored the adaptability of our nomadic life—a harmonious blend of modern convenience and timeless tradition. Inside the bus, our compact kitchen housed the technological marvels of induction cooking and air-frying, allowing sophisticated meal preparation regardless of our remote location. Yet it was the outdoor cooking that truly elevated our wilderness experience, connecting us to ancient human rhythms. The Pomoly stove's flat top transformed into a versatile cooking surface where cast iron skillets sizzled with morning breakfasts or evening meals, the same flames that warmed our bodies simultaneously nourishing them. Our collection of firebox stoves—those clever contraptions designed for efficient combustion—provided yet another dimension, their glowing charcoal or crackling wood imparting distinctive smokiness to our creations. Every morning began with the comforting ritual of coffee preparation, the percolator bubbling away with promise as dawn light filtered through eucalyptus branches. This diversity of cooking methods became not merely practical but deeply satisfying—each meal a small celebration of self-sufficiency in this highland sanctuary.

Tasmania's autumn weather performed its characteristic symphony—clouds gathering and dispersing across cerulean canvas, occasional raindrops pattering against our metal roof, morning fog drifting ethereally across the lagoon's mirrored surface. This meteorological variety enhanced rather than diminished our experience, each atmospheric shift revealing new dimension to the landscape's character.

We embraced outdoor existence with wholehearted commitment—mornings beginning with Anth's flexibility routine performed on a groundsheet beneath eucalyptus canopy, afternoons devoted to resistance training with bands and gymnastics rings secured to sturdy branches. The fireside became our evening focal point, flames dancing hypnotically as we reflected on our Tasmanian sojourn—nearly complete after eighteen transformative months.

The eucalypt forest surrounding Penstock had become emblematic of our entire Tasmanian experience—its resilient beauty, ancient presence, and quiet dignity representing what we had come to treasure about this island. Unlike mainland forests we had known, this highland woodland possessed distinctive character—trees spaced with natural precision, undergrowth minimal yet diverse, light filtering through canopy with particular luminosity that seemed exclusive to Tasmania's central plateau.

As our days at Penstock dwindled, practicalities of transition demanded attention. Our adult children's imminent return from Japanese working holidays necessitated coordination across multiple schedules. We secured flights that would reunite our family constellation in Queensland—Sal departing first to fulfil rescheduled university workshops previously disrupted by Cyclone Alfred. The unfortunate alignment with school holiday conclusion inflated her fare considerably, a financial reality we accepted with resignation. Anth would follow days later when standard pricing resumed, a pragmatic separation to minimise travel expenses.

After 11 nights immersed in highland serenity, the moment arrived to bid farewell to Penstock—not merely concluding this particular stay but marking the final chapter of our extended love affair with this location. As we secured the bus interior for departure, emotion coloured our efficiency. This place had witnessed our seasonal transitions, hosted our experiments in wilderness comfort, and provided sanctuary when urban existence became overwhelming. Now, with mainland return looming barely two weeks distant, this departure carried additional weight—the conclusion of not just a visit but an era.

Steering our home down the familiar track toward the highway, we remained mostly silent, each privately cataloguing memories and impressions gathered across multiple visits to this highland haven. The significance hung unspoken between us—Penstock had become more than geographic location; it represented something essential about our Tasmanian experience, something we would carry within us long after the ferry delivered us back to mainland shores. Now, Hobart awaited once more, Sal's flight marking the beginning of our gradual farewell to this island that had transformed from destination to sanctuary over twelve extraordinary months.Read more