Wednesday 6th December 2017
Well, it is our last day in Tasmania. How much can we fit in to today? That is the big question. We packed up early and then had a chat for a bit with Paul, Ali and the Girls. We are heading on our way today as they are staying at Ulverstone one more day. We finally got on our way about 11am. A bit later than we expected but it was great to share a last morning with them as we will not be seeing them for Christmas this year.

First stop to Braddon’s Lookout at Ulverstone to see the farms. We learnt that the white flower we have seen growing around here is Poppy, which is very well regulated due to its narcotic properties.

Then on to our last adventure. Hike to the Summit of Mt Roland. We had a choice of a 20km return walk or a 400m elevation to 1200m elevation over 4km distance. We chose the latter as we were a little limited for time as we had to be back at Devonport by 6.30pm to board the boat. The estimated time for this walk was 3-5 hours. And the notes for the walk indicated it was a steep, tough walk. That was definitely not an underestimation. It was very tough. It took 2.5 hours to scramble up the rocky track with many stops on my part. Some of the time I couldn’t even stretch my legs far enough and had to grab on to a stick DB was holding for leverage. By this time it was 4pm which left us 2 hours maximum to get back down as we didn’t want to miss boarding time for the boat home as they are very strict and say if you miss the time you forfeit your fare.

The way down should be a bit quicker but the steep rocky sections were going to be as tough down as they were up. We really needed to knock an hour off our uphill climb to give us a little extra time. So off we went down the hill. Sometimes it was necessary to slide on our bottoms as the steps were very steep. We picked up the pace on the way down even though our legs were a little weary. We both had a couple of slips on the way down without any damage luckily. We finally made it down in one hour 20 mins which was fantastic. This gave us 1 hour to get to the boat which we did in 30 minutes so we were there in plenty of time. Mind you we were the 4th last vehicle to board the boat.

We were exhausted. As always we fit the maximum in to our last day. Now it is time for dinner and a rest for the big drive home from Melbourne tomorrow. (We thought this would mean we were last off, but our level was 1st off YAY on our way at 6.30am)

I hope you enjoyed our travels of Tasmania.
Lots of love Fiona and David xx

Tuesday 5th December 2017
Last nights camp site was quiet and beautiful. We packed up this morning and headed on our way. It was a comedy of errors today.

First stop Australian Axeman’s Hall of Fame – 1st dud – closed until next year. Moving right along we went to the Spreyton Cider Co for a taste test of cider and the girls taste tested some juices.. Next stop – Barrington Lake where there was an adventure park and also a 2 hour rainforest walk. Unfortunately a miscommunication occurred and Paul and Ali and DB and I ended up on different sides of the lake about 1 hour by road away fro each other – dud no. 2 – in the wrong place and no adventure park or walk could be found. We would have like to go to Devils Gullet which was about a 2 hour drive away with a 50min walk but on a quick search we found out that this walk had been closed since 2015 – dud no. 3. We then went to Leven Canyon Lookout, this was a 45min loop walk to a couple of lookouts to view the gorge This was quite spectacular. Then we enjoyed a quiet drive through the country to Ulverstone where we are camping tonight in the Big 4. Quite a nice campground but you always have to reset yourself to the changed conditions after spending a night in the bush. After a quick setup and dinner we headed to Lillico Beach to watch the penguins come ashore. This was a free activity with a couple of volunteer tour guides to explain about the penguins and help find them with their red lights. Unfortunately we had to wait a long time for them and there weren’t very many and we couldn’t see them ver well. A little bit of a dud but a good experience all the same.

Our tour guide for today was a little disappointed so many things didn’t work out but at least we managed a nice walk and the drive through the countryside was amazing. Oh well only one day to go.

Monday 4th December 2017
Well we woke today to a much better day. Thank Goodness. It was time to leave our warm, comfortable little farmstay at Rowella. We have had a lovely respite from the cold, windy and rainy weather. It is now time to brave the cold for the last couple of days of our trip.

After packing up we headed to Seahorse World at Beauty Point. It is one of two Seahorse Farms in the world. It was really interesting. They farm the seahorses. The male carry the babies in their bellies. Up to 1100 babies are born at one time. We then headed to Bakers Beach in Narawntapu National Park to setup camp. After finally choosing a camp we set up and headed for a bike ride to Griffiths Point. We finally managed to have dinner in daylight and also had a game of cards.

Our holiday is almost over. Only a couple of days to go.

Sunday 3rd December 2017
Well if we thought the weather was bad when we went to sleep, it wasn’t. It continued to rain harder and harder and the winds got stronger and stronger. But we were safe and sound in our little house. The place we are staying in was previously a cellar door but when the farm was bought by Craig & Jinya the vines had been let go so they decided to change it into a farmstay. The living area is huge, the kitchen very modern and it has one bedroom. We were lucky to have the main bedroom and Paul, Ali, Emma and Kate had a slumber party in the lounge room.

It was still raining this morning and only 8′. Paul did a fantastic job of keeping the fire going overnight but the rain is still tumbling down. The girls, Paul and Uncle David still went on their egg collecting, farm animal feeding in the rain. They have chickens, sheep and alpacas.

Later in the day we all went and fed the alpacas and were shown around Jinya’s garden. The alpacas were very friendly and their wool was so soft. We then spent the rest of the day just hanging around playing games, watching some TV and enjoying the warmth of the house as the temperature only got to 12′. Are cry fro the 26-29′ we have been experiencing.

DB had a trip to Launceston to buy new brake pads and instal them as they have worn right down whilst we have been away. Whilst out he went to Launceston City Park.

We also enjoyed a baked lamb and vegetables dinner and finished the night off with a game of cards with all of us and then another game once the girls went to bed. We have enjoyed the respite of our home the last couple of days and are looking forward to continuing our adventure tomorrow. The weather is set to improve for a couple of days tomorrow.

Saturday 2nd December 2017
Well we woke to the forecast rain this morning. Timing is paramount to a successful wet tent pack up. We sorted out the inside of the tent and once all things were put in to the car we managed to deconstruct the tent from the inside out. Meaning only the outer lining remained wet, everything else was dry. Yay for us!!

We headed to the blowhole at Bicheno which was working quite well considering there wasn’t too much surf swell. We then went to the lookout which was windy, cold and wet. Great view all the same.

We then headed to St Helens, Binalong Bay and the Bay of Fires. The views were great but could have been amazing.

Due to the weather today and tomorrow we made the decision to stay in an Airbnb Farmstay at Rowella, just north of Launceston. With that decision made we had about a 3 hour drive, so we got on our way in the early afternoon. We drove on A3 via Weldborough, Derby, Branxholm, Scottsdale and Lilydale. It was a beautiful drive through farmland, rainforests, up about 650m above sea level.The road for the first 30-40km was very winding and a lot more difficult for Paul with the camper trailer than it was for us. We finally arrived at our farmstead at about 6.30pm. It took a bit longer than expected due to the roads, the wind and the rain.

Everyone was feeling very happy with our decision to stay in a house tonight as the winds are 70kmh and the rain has been consistent all day and is getting heavier as the night goes on.

Another benefit to our new home tonight besides the fireplace is the hosts wife is Thai and is cooking our dinner tonight. We had a beautiful meal. Pad Thai, Pad See-ew, Thai Fried Rice, Chicken Curry and Stir fry vegetables. All delivered to out table in our new home. After dinner it was lovely to sit around and chat in front of the fire as the weather continued to deteriorate. Yay! What a fantastic decision.

As I finish this post, the wind is howling, the rain is pouring down and I am feeling ever so grateful to be inside. Our little tent would have blown away.

Friday 1st December 2017
Well we were expecting to wake to rain but lucky for us the forecast has changed and we should get a little activity in before the rain arrives.

We went for a walk with the Broadbent’s back up to Wineglass Bay lookout. Again it was very beautiful. Would love to see it on a perfect day but we put on our rose coloured glasses and did some imagining.

We then had lunch at Honeymoon Bay and the girls and Paul had a swim. PB reckons the water was 2′ colder today. After lunch we headed to Cape Tourville Lighthouse and Lookout, Sleepy Bay and Gravelly Beach, Friendlies Beaches and the back to Bechino.

We had fish and chips for dinner at Gulch on the water at Bechino. It was very good.

Wednesday 30th November 2017
We had a really nice start to today. A very leisurely stroll along the beach at Lime Bay, a nice breakfast in the bush, a pack up and then a great swim and play with Emma, Kate, Paul and Ali. It was a lovely morning.

We then headed on our way – destination “Bicheno” – near Freycinet National Park. Looks like we are in for some hairy weather over the next couple of days. We called in to a Coal Mine site, and then drove the dirt road north which was a definite short cut. A quick stop at Marion Bay. A view of Maria Island from the mainland, but that is definitely a place we will go to at another stage.

We then went to the Freycinet National Park and went on a quick hike up to Wineglass Bay lookout before heading to our campsite at Bicheno. The view at the lookout was fantastic. We did a quick pitstop at Honeymoon Bay. Also beautiful. Then on to Bicheno East Holiday Park.

Wednesday 29th November 2017
Well this morning we woke to the beautiful sounds of the bush. The birds were tailing in the trees. It was a peaceful way to start the day. We packed up again and headed to do a little sightseeing. First stop was Maingon Bay Lookout, then the Remarkable Caves. The coastline was spectacular and the cave was quite remarkable.

We then headed to Fortescue Bay which was to be our camp for the night. Unfortunately the good sites near the beach and protected from the wind were closed due to construction and upgrading of the facilities there, so we decided to head to Lime Bay Campground. First things first, DB and I decided to go for a hike to Cape Huay which is part of the Three Capes Coastal Walk which is a 3 day hike from Fortescue Bay to Pillar Cape.
The track was absolutely amazing, well graded and the steps were well formed all the way. It took us about 3 hrs 20 mins to hike about 11km return. The views were amazing. The flowers were colourful. The cliffs spectacular and the steepness cannot be shown in our photos. The rocks were a variety of colours. The walk was a pleasant climb and meander through the bush. It was a great day.

We then headed to Lime Bay Campground.

Tuesday 28th November 2017
Today we went to the Port Arthur Historic Site. It is the best-preserved convict settlement in Australia and among the most significant convict era sites in the world. It has won many awards and has been called one of Australia’s great tourism destinations. The Site combines rich history and scenic beauty to tell the stories of the harsh discipline and determined industry of the settlement. It is a place to discover Australian history and connect with the origins of Australian culture.It was a very informative day, teaching us a lot of early Australian history.

Although the grounds are picturesque green gardens all of this area was actually buildings from the settlement which were all built by the convicts. The convicts were set to work at the age of 4. It was very interesting hearing about the early settlement and how they tried to reform the convicts and teach them a trade. As always some were ready to take advantage of this and others were not and became repeat offenders receiving further sentences. Some of the crimes were as little as stealing a handkerchief or a loaf of bread. The repeat offenders received lashings and extended sentences and many of them eventually ended up in the asylum.

Monday 27th November 2017
The rain fell quite heavily during the night but we were cosily in our little B&B room. This morning we woke to improved weather, overcast and a chance of rain but at least it was not pouring rain like yesterday.

After a lovely cooked breakfast, we drove down to Salamanca and rode our bikes south to Battery Point, then headed back to Hobart city where we rode around Constitution Dock, past the museum and art gallery, the wharves, the Cathedral etc. The old sandstone buildings were amazing although quite a number appeared to have been refurbished. The parks in the city were also lovely. We then rode back to Salamanca to the car. We managed about 15km cycling.

By this time the weather had cleared considerably and we could see the top of Mt Wellington so we decided we would head up there before we left Hobart. The drive takes about 30 minutes to get to the top and luckily for us the weather stayed clear. The view from the top is fantastic. It is amazing to see the shapes of all the peninsulas  from such a height. It was a bit cooler up there and a little windy but quite pleasant all the same.

We then headed on our way to Port Arthur. Along the way we stopped at Tasman Bay National Park Lookout, Tessellated Pavement, The Blowhole and Fossil Bay Lookout, Tasmans Arch, Devils Kitchen and Waterfall Bay. By this stage it was about 5.30 so we headed to camp at Port Arthur Holiday Park. A lovely campground frequented by pademelons. They aren’t shy here either. We had a mother and her joey come right up to where we were sitting. We have really enjoyed the experience of seeing the wildlife up close.