Last stop! Launceston

The 3 wannabe windmills

We started northwards on Tuesday morning and detoured in to Oatlands, as we were interested in the Georgian windmill operating there. It was partially restored as a Bicentennial gift and an English Millwright has just refitted the mill workings so it grinds flour again. Our tour guide was an ex-breakfast radio announcer and was incredibly good value! He took us to the top floor and explained the process of milling to us as we moved down to the ground floor. We tasted the fresh flour on the way down. Normally I don't think any of us would enjoy tasting flour, but as Marcus said, the flour was a proper and complete food group! The Miller was so passionate about his product that he wouldn't let us buy the flour we had selected, giving us instead the "perfect" flour for Gran's proposed scones!

Launceston wasn't much further and we stopped in at the first van park we found, where we set up under a lovely, shady tree. Gran and I managed to hang out two loads of washing in complete darkness before bed.

A 1948 Holden similar to the one Jessie and Arthur bought
when Gran was little

I was awoken very early on Wednesday morning by thunder and fat rain drops hitting the canvas, so I bolted up to rescue our mainly dry washing. The storm passed quickly and we headed into town to visit the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania, which the boys in particular enjoyed. Gran found her parent's first car and Dave found his grandparent's car (which was requisitioned by the War Effort) as well as the BSA Bantam motorbike his Dad rode whilst at university.

The kids got a model car each and Ella's Beetle, Marcus's Morris Minor, Lachie's Corvette and Jackson's Volkswagon had a race outside the museum. There was a dispute over line honours due to the race photographer standing on the wrong angle, but Marcus feels that he took the chequered flag!

Heading into the straight in the Launceston 500

Literally across the street was City Park and we enjoyed watching the Japanese Macaque monkeys. Lachie commented upon how like people they were. I had to agree - I'm certain I saw Jackson sorting through his Lego!

The suspension bridge over Cataract Gorge.
It has been washed away in a flood at least once!

Cataract Gorge is a remarkable forest area right in the middle of the city and we took a chairlift over the gorge, returning along the short track over the suspension bridge. The van park was three minutes from there, so we drove back for lunch. Pap elected to have a rest while the rest of us returned to the gorge. Dave and the kids enjoyed a swim in the huge, natural pool complete with floating logs to play on, while Gran and I walked the zigzag track up the gorge to King's Bridge and back along the other side on the beautiful Cataract Walk.

A tour along the Tamar Valley occupied us all day on Thursday. The Tamar Valley Wetlands provided a long boardwalk over the swamp which we wandered along whilst admiring the birdlife. We carried on a few more kilometres to Grindewald, billed as a Swiss Village, but disappointing after the fantastic, authentic German village of Hahndorf. It was very touristy and we only stayed long enough to swill our coffee. While doing so, we were approached by a family of ex-Tamborinites who have moved here. I had taught their daughter music and she recognised Mr. Church! The best thing about Grindewald was the cherry orchard just outside with farm gate sales. We munched happily on cherries as we continued up the Tamar.

The very windy but spectacular clifftop view at West Head Lookout

We had lunch at Beauty Point (which may have been beautiful before woodchipping and port industries claimed its foreshore) and continued up to the top of the estuary at Green's Beach, where we thought we would have a swim. It was very cold and windy, so after a short walk along the beach we took a detour to West Head Lookout in Narawntapu National Park, which was definitely the highlight of the day. Apart from the fabulous, freshly picked cherries! Crossing the Tamar River at Batman Bridge (the kids were happy with that name!) we drove down the East Tamar Highway and back to Launceston.

Trying to keep warm in Drizabones!

Friday was a fantastic day from start to finish. The sky was an amazing blue and it was a delightful drive out to Ben Lomond National Park. Pap was watching the temperature gauge with some dismay as we climbed up the mountain, losing degrees as quickly as we gained altitude. It was 9 degrees when we arrived at the ski village (but much colder if you counted the wind chill factor) and we were very pleased to find an indoor shelter to have our morning tea. Pap was so pleased that he was contemplating a thank you letter to National Parks and Wildlife for providing the life-saving structure!

Not a lot warmer inside!

Pap retired to the Prado to compose his letter, read his book and listen to the cricket as we headed off into the rocks to climb to a peak and admire the view. It was well worth the scramble up the rocks. You could see Bass Strait from up there.

One of the high points on Ben Lomond

Heading off the mountain, we took the scary gravel road through the 6 hairpin bends which none of us wish to ever drive in winter with ice and snow! This road is certainly not for the faint-hearted! By way of compensation, the scenery is utterly superb and the views magnificent; but the driver does not get to enjoy them as they concentrate on the tight bends and the loose gravel.

This photo needs to be 3D to display
the full horror of this road

It took another 40 minutes or so of gravel roads to join the A3 west of Scottsdale. We were all starving, so stopped in the middle of the forest to eat our lunch on a handy fallen log which was surrounded by dead possums, although we didn't realise that until halfway through lunch. We had just got back onto the road when the forest abruptly gave way to farmland and the most amazing view was to be had with handy picnic tables as well at Sideling Lookout.

Sideling Lookout - I think the kids were celebrating
no-one being carsick on the windy journey

 From Scottsdale we took another scenic route to the Bridestowe Lavender Farm. The lavender harvest was in full swing and we all enjoyed following the process from tractor and harvester, unloading with the gantries, the oil distillery and drying sheds through to eating lavender scones and icecream in the cafe!

Ella wore the right colour!

Couldn't resist tapdancing!

Our last day in Launceston began this morning with bacon and eggs and a later than usual start as we were all a bit weary. We drove into town to look at some of the outstanding Georgian and Victorian architecture and we found the famous Old Umbrella Shop, which is a National Trust building and is still functioning as it was in the 1860s. I was very happy to find a replacement for my music umbrella which was lost some time ago.

The National Trust was founded in Tasmania
 in 1960 to save this historic building.

Hitting the highway for more history, we headed south to visit Franklin House.

It was threatened with demolition in 1960, but a group of determined people formed The National Trust to purchase, restore and furnish this house, built in 1838. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through all the rooms, the adjoining kitchen, schoolroom and stables. Ella was very excited to discover some "glasses" for horses in the stable. Pap explained what a bit was to her! The gardens were fantastic, particularly the kitchen garden which has inspired us to get ours going again when we get home.

After a picnic in the beautiful grounds of Franklin House, we drove a little further south where we had to choose between visiting Clarendon House, Woolmer Estate or Brickenden Estate. Brickenden won and we were transported back in time to the 1800s on a farm which is now farmed by the seventh generation. Ella and Lachie had a lovely time feeding all the chicks and ducklings while we walked around the many buildings and sheds which were all convict built.

Brickendon's Pillar Granary - constructed on staddle stones
to keep vermin out and to circulate air to prevent mould in the grain.

A quick look at the Homestead and gardens finished our tour of Brickendon and we drove back to Launceston with rapidly deteriorating behaviour in the back seat. An early night was called for as we have yet to drive to Devonport and sail across Bass Strait.

Stay tuned ...

Richmond, Hobart and Port Arthur

A Hobartian told us at Queenstown that we would have trouble getting a site near Hobart due to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Taste of Tassie festival and a couple of other events, including a big music festival. We started to make phone calls the morning we were due to leave and were soon wondering where on earth we were going to stay as all options in Hobart were full. I managed to find a site in Richmond (to the north-east) and so we drove off to find Richmond.

Ella's "it's a good one!" photo

The first stop of the day was to walk in to the lovely Nelson Falls in a shady valley filled with lichens, moss and ferns. Gran and Marcus zoomed around identifying all the ferns while we rubbed our hands together to keep warm! Our route took us through the Franklin-Gordon headwaters and past Lake St Clair at Derwent Bridge. A picnic lunch on the Nive river was a pleasant stop and we read up on the hydro-electricity schemes in the area. Much of the work was done after the second world war with the influx of Europeans who could work in the cold, wet conditions. One incident amused us all: most of the work was done by hand, but a bulldozer was brought in towards the end. A work party was sent to clear its path before it arrived!

We carried on towards Hobart and exited the wilderness very suddenly, driving on through farmland, historic buildings and crops. Richmond far surpassed our expectations when we arrived there - it is a fabulous town full of Georgian architecture and convict built structures. We set up and got an early night, as we were itching to start exploring Richmond.

The Lilliputian models of Old Hobart Town

An option for controlling teenagers?

Richmond is home to an amazing 1:16 scale model of Old Hobart Town c. 1820. We thought this would be an excellent introduction to Hobart for the kids and spent a fascinating morning there, feeling like giants! We duly admired some of the beautiful Georgian buildings in town and the Anglican Church before heading to Richmond Gaol, which pre-dates Port Arthur. Ella was disgusted at the straw palliasse on the floor which the convicts slept on, and couldn't believe they had to put up with an "itchy" blanket as well! The kids were all keen to try on the leg irons but not at all keen to remain in them!

Richmond Bridge

Richmond Bridge is the oldest bridge in Australia with the foundation stone laid in 1825 so we stopped there for a wander along the river before heading back to camp for cricket, reading, Lego and an early night. Gran and Pap did not get such an early night because Marcus decided to read them a bedtime story - which involved Jackson and lots of laughter!

We were up early on Friday morning to drive out to Port Arthur, which we were all looking forward to. As we were about to cross the Denison Canal there was great excitement in the Prado as the bridge rotated and opened to allow a boat through. The next narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck was the site of the infamous Dog Line where 15 vicious mutts were chained to stop convicts from escaping. The sculptures there are sometimes adorned with roadkill we were told!

A friendly welcome at Eaglehawk Neck

A 45 minute introductory walking tour oriented us to the site at Port Arthur and we also enjoyed a cruise around the harbour on the ferry. We circled the tiny Isle of the Dead, where 1100 souls are buried (presumably on top of one another!) and sailed past Point Puer, listening to stories of inmates from the Boy's Prison there. Boys as young as 9 were incarcerated there, although they were offered a rudimentary education and learnt a trade if they were well behaved. Dave and I thought it a shame that it was in ruins - we could name 3 candidates to stay there!

The iconic Penitentiary ruins

The evil overseer and the hapless shingle carrier

The Port Arthur History Plays were running on the day we were there, so we watched all three plays with interest. The NIDA influence was obvious - one of the actors was a NIDA graduate - but all the actors were excellent and they really brought the stories of the Port Arthur characters to life. In between the plays we zipped around the site and explored as much as possible of the Separate Prison, the Penitentiary, the barracks, the churches and the commandant's cottage; and Pap had a little rest under a tree while he sat texting. The site closed before we had seen nearly enough ... we were all fascinated with the place. I visited Port Arthur years ago and couldn't believe how much better the site was interpreted now.

We stopped at the Dunalley canal bridge as Pap had spied a Fish and Chips sign and had a fantastic and very cheap meal there. The owners were quite keen to be rid of us so they could shut up shop, and delivered the meal with a smile and a "Hoover that up - you've got 15 minutes until we lock the doors". Needless to say the Church boys were up to the challenge!

Hot Hermits about to expire on Hobart's only sunny day!
Unfortunately, the 1930s hats do not stop sunburn.

We hoped to busk in Salamanca Markets on Saturday (New Year's Eve), despite the luke-warm reception Dave got on the phone to the market organiser. We drove into Hobart and found ourselves in a long traffic jam where everyone was trying to get into the parking building. After a long while we got close enough to see that we wouldn't fit anyway - 2.2 m height restriction. None of us were keen on a repeat of Adelaide, where we had to lug all our gear uphill for blocks before we got to the pitch. Luck was with us and we got an outside park just before Gran, Pap and Lachie took the next spot in the parking building. The market guys were very helpful and we soon had our costumes on and took our instruments a small distance downhill and onto a lovely grass patch which was one of the main entry points. Gran and Pap enjoyed watching the kids busk and we did two, short, sets as the sun was beating down and frying us. It was the hottest day we've had for weeks. Amazingly, Marcus spotted one of his class-mates from school who was on holidays in Hobart with his family. Micah took some photos to prove that he'd seen us! We spent the rest of the afternoon watching some other buskers and wandering through the huge markets.

We had a double celebration on New Year's Eve as it was Mum and Dad's 45th wedding anniversary. As we had celebrated their 25th in Queenstown, NZ, we suggested a trip back to Queenstown, Tas, but the thought of all that driving to a rough mining town was not terribly appealing! Another miracle was forthcoming from the broken oven (although we did scare ourselves with a minor gas explosion!) and we had a very pleasant evening.

Morris, having a good ol' scratch

After a sleep in on New Year's Day, we left Gran and Pap reading their books and visited Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a community run service, where injured and orphaned wild animals are cared for. The kids were desperate to see a wombat and we lucked in. The first animal we met was Morris, the two year old wombat, rescued as a baby from his dead mother's pouch on the roadside. The guide explained many interesting details about wombats to us, while Morris made a nest in his lap and wombled around the enclosure. We didn't know that wombats do square poos!

Devils fighting over food.
We see similar behaviours on a daily basis

The next enclosure held Tasmanian Devils and they are very entertaining little creatures. 80% of the wild population is infected with an aggressive facial tumour, so many places are breeding an emergency Devil population, as they are here. Apparently the baby devils are called imps before progressing to joeys as they get older. We saw a few imps feasting on day old chickens and the older ones tucked into some rabbit. They have incredibly strong jaws and eat their prey fur, bones and all.


We have all seen koalas before, but the male koala brought out for us was the most animated koala we've ever seen. First, he tried to escape by swinging himself around and climbing down the branch. His next bid for freedom was executed in a similar manner and he was again returned to the viewing branch. His third attempt got him into the guide's arms until the guide got tired and placed the koala back on the branch. The koala's attitude the fourth time was do or die: he launched himself into the air at Lachlan and landed at his feet before trying to scamper away! As koalas spend 20 hours sleeping, 3:55 hours eating and 5 minutes moving, we were pretty lucky to see all that activity!

Let me go! I can smell freedom!

We spent time feeding the kangaroos and checking out the other rescued animals. If possible, the animals are returned to the wild, although some have been too badly injured so they are kept at the Sanctuary. It was a fabulous few hours and we all thought it a highlight.
We decided a tour of the city on the Red Double Decker Bus would satisfy everyone on Monday morning. We caught the first bus for the day and spent an interesting hour and a half driving around some of Hobart's attractions. After viewing the attractions from the bus, we voted to head to the Museum to see the Antartica displays and have lunch at the Taste festival on the waterfront. The museum was full of interesting Antartica expedition history and equipment. The kids particularly enjoyed the sound bites from the Aurora Icebreaker as she churned through the ice. I was enjoying it too until Tasmania's - and possibly the world's - most talkative security guard cornered me for a chat for an hour. I just couldn't get away from him, even when I hid behind an exhibit when someone came and asked him a question!

Ella with something cute and fluffy? Hard to believe,
I know.

The Taste of Tasmania Festival provided us with an absolutely fantastic lunch, but it was the dessert platter which caught Lachlan's eye!

It was quite difficult to stop all those spoons
so I could have time to take a photo!

A long way down

A drive up to the top of Mt Wellington completed a very full day and was unfortunately undertaken on very full stomachs!On a fine, clear day you can see one third of the island from up there. Although it was hazy while we were there, the views were still comprehensive!

We could easily have filled another couple of days in Hobart, but we packed up on Tuesday morning and left the caravan and Buss while we drove back to visit the Cadbury factory. The "tour" was disappointing as we didn't get near the factory, but the DVD and talk were interesting. Somehow we got carried away in the chocolate shop there and ended up with bags of rapidly melting chocolate in the hot car!

No, Lachie, we won't eat it to stop it melting!

A quick drive back to Richmond saw us hitching up the caravan ready to depart for Launceston. Our trip is rapidly coming to an end and we realised that we were basically starting the long drive north to get home.

Stay tuned ...

Queenstown

More miners than Queens here, let me tell you!

After a faster than expected packup in Somerset on Boxing Day (after 6 days there we had strewn stuff everywhere!), we hit the road heading southwest for our West Coast Wilderness adventures.

Lachie couldn't resist wetting his line
in the Murchison Dam

We drove through some very rugged country and turned off to visit the Murchison Dam just outside Tullah, where Lachie couldn't resist the fishing lure while we had morning tea. He didn't catch anything but nor did he fall over the edge of the dam so it wasn't a completely disastrous expedition.

We drove through lots more gorges and wild forests - Tasmania does wilderness very well! - before the bare, rocky hills around Queenstown came into view. We were worried about getting a site for a couple of nights, but the park was absolutely empty and we managed to set up before a late lunch in the rain.

It was very cold so we occupied ourselves inside for a while. Pap drove the Prado over to the TV room where he and Dave watched the cricket and Lachie followed them when he caught a whiff of a pool table. The others were still absorbed in the Christmas Lego.

Ella, Lachie, Gran and I went for a walk in the evening when the rain had cleared. The late afternoon sun on the surrounding hills was lovely and we paused to take some photos. Some bloke took exception to us stopping outside his castle (read tiny fettler's cottage surrounded by rubbish and dead car bodies) and gave us some very graphic suggestions on how to fill our time in Queenstown. We declined his kind offers and hurried back to camp, suddenly realising that it was a dodgy looking area and no-one else seemed to be around.

The hills around Queenstown, laid bare by 100 years of copper mining

Taking on 1500 litres of water at Lynchford ready for the
climb up the rack and pinion section of the track

We were booked on the West Coast Wilderness Railway the next morning, an amazing steam and diesel locomotive rack and pinion journey through the steepest and wildest country to have track laid in Australia. At one stage in the journey the gradient is 1:14, which is the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere. The Church Engineering Department were in heaven at the first station where the engineer explained the workings of every lever and gauge to them. The excellent tour guide gave us non-stop commentary about the railway and the area, which was really interesting. Some of the passengers tried gold panning at Lynchford, but even the thought of a gold nugget could not induce us to put our hands into the water. It was utterly freezing! We could not imagine how the navvies lived long enough to build a railway in this wilderness.

Tree Ferns at Rinadeena Saddle

The train made another stop at Rinadeena Saddle Station where we admired the King Billy Pine trees and tasted Leatherwood honey. The Leatherwood trees were in bloom and easily recognisable in the gorges. The railway line followed the King River Gorge from this point and we had fabulous views of the gorge and the river.  At Dubbil Barril Station we changed trains and the kids were fascinated watching the engines turned by manpower on the turntable. After lunch, the Diesel locomotive took us through the rest of the gorge, across quarter-mile bridge and down towards MacQuarie Harbour.

King Billy Pine and Leatherwood
honey

At the end of the line we arrived at Strahan (pronounced Strawn, we discovered!) and had an hour and a half sightseeing in the lovely village.

Strahan scenery

We took a tour of the Murchison's Huon Pine sawmill, being run by the fourth generation. A reclaimed huon pine log was being sawn on 100 year old equipment which was rather interesting. The boys found that they had to have a piece of huon pine and spent ages choosing an offcut from the $1 box. Marcus thinks he will make a boat with his, although we think it will make a far better chock for the caravan! The timber workshop next door was full of timber carvings, furniture and artefacts and did not have a $1 box! The bus arrived at 4 p.m. and we took an hour to drive the 35 kms through the tight curves to Queenstown.

It cooled down again quickly in the valley and we were all pretty pleased to be zipped up in warm sleeping bags. Pap thought it was so cold that he expected to find a glacier creeping down the hills but we were a couple of million years too late for that experience!

Stay tuned ...

6 months on the road!

Boxing Day marked 6 months of travelling for us. Six months of packing and unpacking, living in a tent and caravan, driving vast distances, navigating with far less calm than Karen (the GPS lady), sightseeing and wearing thongs in the shower!

We have travelled over 28 000 kms. I can't be bothered adding up the cost of all the petrol, but a quick glance at the (non-existent) bank balance tells me that it has been a lot of money. Accommodation costs also have added up alarmingly.  Despite our free camping earlier on, we have been in paid camp site territory for ages now. The cheapest camps have been fantastic $7.70 National Park sites. The dearest thus far was a horrible night spent in Karratha, WA for $89.

We have a few additions to our Road Kill Tally. Sadly, we have seen 3 wombats and 3 Tasmanian Devils. And many, many more kangaroos and wallabies. Quite a few possums too.

The kids are sick of not having any space. We all are. If they put something down, someone else takes it and it ends up elsewhere. The boys have been commandeering the Milo tins as fast as we can empty them so they can safely place their treasures inside. Even Ella has labelled a tin "Do Not Come In" so she has a small space of her own!

When things go wrong, as they do on a monotonously regular basis, Jackson gives me a wry smile and says "But all is well in Blogland!" We try not to bore you with the minutiae of all our problems  - unless they have a funny side! - but let me assure you that travelling is not all holiday fun and games. We are all a bit roadweary and the kids have started to talk about - and list! - the things that they are looking forward to about getting home. For Ella, it is definitely getting her hands on Bonnie and Clyde. Lachlan misses his bike. Jackson misses his mates and spreading his Lego designs over his room. Marcus is looking forward to much more sleep and much less car travel. Dave can't wait to play the piano again and I am looking forward to wearing something that isn't these 4 outfits! Fortunately, having Gran and Pap join us has given us all a bit of zip and renewed our enthusiasm!

Do the good bits outweigh the bad? Definitely.

Are we there yet?

NO!

Stay tuned ...

A Tassie Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning started early. Way too early. Marcus, in the sleeping bag next to me, was trying to surreptitiously import his Christmas goodies through the zipped tent door way before the sun rose. Even Biggles would have trouble unzipping a tent without the Germans knowing about it. Marcus didn't have a hope.

Santa, to the delight of the kids, brought LEGO!

At the slightly more decent hour of 6 a.m. the kids got to open their gifts and were all in heaven to have some Lego to take into the Blunderbuss to build. We didn't hear from them again until they got hungry at 10 o'clock!

After brunch, Dave and the boys went off to play cricket in the rain with the campground family, who always have a game at 11 o'clock in the camp gardens. They had a brilliant game and the rain didn't last the whole time. It seems that the weather changes every ten minutes or so here in Tassie. Four seasons in one hour!

Pap had to hold the oven button for
half an hour to ensure roast potatoes!

Gran and I performed a Christmas Miracle in the kitchen, producing a roast dinner out of the oven which hasn't been working since about Townsville! Pap offered to hold the gas button down to ensure he got to enjoy roast potatoes! Duct tape and many other options failed, but Pap's thumbs came through!

The kids were looking forward to playing euchre with Gran and Pap so we had a rousing session of cards, which reminded Mum of Christmases with her family many years ago.

The kids had to be forcibly removed from the Legobuss at bedtime!

Ella is pretty pleased with her
first solo build!

We head southwest into the West Coast Wilderness on Boxing Day.

Stay tuned ...

The Tassie Adventure begins

A baby bandicoot near our camp site

After our picnic breakfast on Tuesday morning, we carried on along the A2 to Penguin, where, not surprisingly, we hoped to see some penguins. The friendly fellow at the Visitor Information Centre advised us to head further west, so we carried on to Burnie and then Somerset, where we found a van park that looked good. As we were setting up, the owner came over to ask if the kids had seen a baby bandicoot, so we all trooped over to see it. It obligingly said G'day before scurrying away.

We had a quiet afternoon - everyone was tired - and the girls went out to replenish our supplies. We stopped at the information centre to find out about the penguin viewing and met a local felt artist who was working there. She made a fantastic felt hat while we watched and explained the process to us. The boys had a great time playing pool all afternoon. We left camp at dusk, just before 9 p.m., to go to the Penguin Centre. Volunteers told us about the Little Penguins and we saw 8 chicks in the nests, awaiting their parents and the arrival of their dinner. The viewing platform was utterly freezing - we waited for the arrival of the penguins for a while until we decided to head home before hypothermia set in! We were talking in the car about coming back - well rugged up - another evening, when Pap said "I've had about enough of penguins. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. They all dress the same." which gave the kids the giggles all the way home!

Little Penguins peeping out of their nest

Table Cape Lighthouse

On Wednesday morning we decided to head out westwards on a day trip to explore the North-western corner of Tassie. We drove out to Table Cape and walked through to the lighthouse, admiring the tulip and poppy farms. The soil here is the most fertile in Tasmania and they grow 50% of the world's legal medicinal poppies. Boat Harbour Beach was nearby and we enjoyed a quick stop there, where the kids explored the rock pools and Lachie found a lovely blue tongue lizard.

The rest of the drive took us through fertile farmland, with huge dairy herds and lots of haymaking in progress until we started seeing temperate rainforest and arrived at Dismal Swamp in The Tarkine Forest in time for lunch.  Dismal Swamp is a natural blackwood forest sinkhole, believed to be the only one in the world. Formed over thousands of years by dissolving dolomite, the 40 metre deep sinkhole is a unique forest habitat supporting a range of plant and animal species. Also unique is the manner of entering the sinkhole ... you take a 110m slide down into the forest. Gran joined us in sliding but Pap decided he'd seen enough forest from the top and went to read his book.

Dave about to plunge down the slide

Jackson roaring down the slide at top speed!

One of the sculptures at Dismal Swamp

Ella said she had tears in her eyes as she slid down but didn't make a squeak. The boys let out whoops of excitement, Gran was pretty quiet and I screamed all the way down. Twice. The walk at the bottom of the sinkhole was a maze of pathways and hidden artworks from local artists and was very enjoyable.

We detoured in to the beautiful town of Stanley on the way home. The village was a picturesque fishing town anchored in the 1800s with beautiful timber homes and gardens lining the streets. Very little had changed in the Main Street since then. The jetty was full of colourful crayfishing boats and Ella was thrilled to find a boat named Ella. We trundled home and everyone was happy to head off to bed!

Two Ellas in purple

Dave and I took advantage of the Gran and Pap babysitting service on Thursday morning and went in to Burnie to do our Christmas shopping. Although we wrote to Santa before leaving home, advising him not to bring anything big for Christmas, I think the kids would be very disappointed with him if nothing was forthcoming! It was our first "time out" away from the kids in almost 6 months! Shopping complete, we realised we had a dilemma on the way home: Where the hell were we going to put the loot? We ended up asking for help from the park owners, who happily let us stash a couple of bags in their home! Reading, playing pool, music and beachcombing occupied everyone for the rest of the day.

Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain

A day trip to Cradle Mountain was planned for Friday morning. We almost didn't go as it was raining as we left Somerset, but as we drove through forest and plantation areas the rain cleared. It was fantastic weather when we reached the park. It snowed there last week, and the rangers said they'd put the brilliant weather on just for us! The walk around Dove Lake was as stunning as the photos in the brochures. I was absolutely thrilled to return to Cradle Mountain, twenty plus years after I completed the 80 km Overland track. I looked up at Cradle Mountain and wondered how on earth I got up there with a 23 kilo pack.

A snow gum provides pause in the walk

Pap had a rest with his book after lunch and we returned to walk two more short walks. The Pencil Pines forest and waterfall track was hauntingly beautiful and the Enchanted Walk had the kids in paroxysms of delight as they found several large wombat holes. Ella, as animated as we've ever seen her, came running up to Marcus: "Sparks! QUICK! Wombat poo!" Both of them cite the wombat as their favourite animal, so that explains their excitement over excreta! We hardly dared tell them that we saw two dead wombats on the side of the road, but it was slightly compensated by a very much alive echidna waddling across the grass at Cradle Mountain, and we saw another crossing the road on the way home.

Marcus - or perhaps Lachlan - took this photo

We are travelling in the Prado for day trips - the eight of us fit in as well as a school of sardines at a sharks' convention. This sometimes makes for a volatile trip home when the kids are tired, but it was a fairly quiet car load as we returned to Somerset after all that exercise.

On the beach opposite our van park,
with Table Cape in the distance.

We have spent Christmas Eve getting last minute supplies in town, rock-hopping on the beach (while Dave did some surreptitious wrapping!), dodging showers, reading and playing pool. I beat Lachie, Lachie beat Gran, and Dave, Pap and the boys had so many games we've lost track of the tallies! We also managed to enjoy some Tasmanian wine and cheese this evening. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

As I write, the sky is cloudy and the light is fading, but the clouds are still catching the last rays of the sun and glowing an orangey-pink colour. There are carrots out for the reindeer (but Ella is worried about the resident rabbits gaining the upper hand) and there is a mince pie out for Santa. Jackson is reading in the Blunderbuss, which is his night-time domain; Ella and Marcus are giggling in the tent and Lachie is in the caravan with Gran and Pap. We expect Santa to arrive any time soon so we should really all be in bed!

Wishing you a wonderful, safe and joyous Christmas.
May the gods of overindulgence smile fondly upon you all.

Stay tuned ...

Sea Leg: The Spirit of Tasmania

Queueing to board The Spirit of Tasmania

Following the ever-helpful and never flustered Karen's GPS directions we found Station Pier at Port Melbourne. Despite Dave driving through red lights and making wild, last minute lane changes in peak hour traffic, Pap and his car-load found it too!

We queued up and were loaded onto the ferry by efficient stevedores. Excitement had hit fever pitch in the kids - they were really looking forward to the sea leg of our journey. Pap was happily looking forward to dinner and Mum, Dave and I were dreading sea-sickness! We had two adjoining cabins right at the front of the ship with small views out of the portholes, where we settled in. The ferry left right on the dot at 7:30 p.m. as we were enjoying dinner in the Captain's Cabin. Mum and Dad retired to the cabin while we took the kids to the theatrette to see Kung-fu Panda II ... they enjoyed it and I enjoyed a snooze on the comfy seat! There are so many amazing kids' movies - Kung-fu Panda is not one of them, in my opinion.

Jackson was way too excited to sleep and had smuggled the GPS in to our cabin, where he spent ages observing our position at sea. He was so pleased with himself that he photographed many stages of our trip - proving to me how little sleep he had! Marcus and Lachie were similarly excited, but contained in the other cabin. Ella passed out from sheer exhaustion, cuddling her soft toys which she had arranged in her bunk. Although the swell increased overnight when we hit Bass Strait around 11 p.m., to everyone's surprise, no-one was sea-sick. We watched the sun rise and Devonport come into sight early next morning. The ferry docked and we disembarked, met the friendly quarantine dog and reclaimed our gas bottle before heading off to eat our first breakfast on Tasmanian soil.

A chilly breakfast on the river at Ulverstone

Stay tuned ...