Monday morning we had a stroll around Straun, in particular enjoying the wood gallery and timber sheds which carry huge quantities of natural Huon planks that artisans can purchase and turn into some magnificent furniture. Then we drove on along the windy, mountainous scenic roads to Queenstown. Even though it was only 40kms, we took it very slowly and carefully and stopped to take in the magnificent scenery.
Queenstown is dominated by the Mount Lyell copper mine. The Mining and Railway Company was founded in 1893 and after changing hands a few times, the mine is now in the hands of the giant Sterlite Industries (India). The mine has produced more than 1.4 million tonnes of Copper and 43 tonnes of gold to date.
Queenstown has the look of a ‘wild west’ film set with character 19th century buildings surrounded by the hills and still some bare tailing areas looking like desert dunes. I visited the Galley Museum and Information Centre and was told about the infamous sports oval in town which is made of gravel not grass and is open for motor homes to stay overnight. So having somewhere interesting to stop we decided to stay and explore the town.
We saw the old train that travels between Straun and Queenstown come in on the restored original Mount Lyell Mine Railway and we walked up Spion Kopf look out - named by soldiers returning from the Boer war, it gave us a fantastic view of the city and surrounds. We then went into the Federation Empire Hotel for a drink. The hotel featured a carved Tasmanian Blackwood staircase built in England in 1901 from wood sent over, and then returned to the hotel for installation. Apparently there were no local craftsmen of the required calibre in Tasmania at that time!
Our night at the sports oval was fine and we had a quick walk in the morning which turned into a tug of war between us and the dogs as the streets around were full of rabbits running madly around. Our dogs went mad, barking and straining on their leads so we all got lots of exercise. We were almost inclined to just let them go and see what happened!
We drove back towards the railway station as Paul had booked himself on to an Enviro-mine tour. So off he went to find his group whilst I found the local laundrette and did a bit of washing. Paul came back and said he got a look at the mine from the top and also the open pit and got a good understanding of the devastation that was caused by the mine at the turn of the century resulting in terrible deforestation that has still not properly recovered after 80 years. Apparently the environmental damage was caused by sulphuric acid leached from the tailings and disturbed rocks. Before and after pictures show some growth of new trees but there are still huge areas of white chalky hills.
On we drove towards Derwent Bridge, stopping for the night at a boat ramp on what appeared to be a river, but was actually a connection between two lakes. Again we were confronted by an ‘awful’ sight – as far as you could see, vast areas of trees had been cut down along the water’s edge, leaving a barren muddy coating on the banks littered with poor dead tree stumps. It looked like an end of the world scenario or a Mad Max backdrop. We were amazed as this seemed so out of context with our view of ‘green’ Tasmania. We found out later that water is regularly taken from the lake and so the level goes up and down and this has killed the trees.
We stayed the night there along with 4 other mini-me camper vans, and Tia and Paul enjoyed a dip in the water. We walked along the river bank the next morning trying to work out what had happened to the landscape and then drove to the famous ‘Wall in the Wilderness’, just a few hundred yards from Derwent Bridge. This is an amazing Huon wood carving by artist Greg Duncan and is a work in progress. Currently it is 50 metres long, 3 metres high and has taken 5 years to create. Eventually it will be 100 metres long, depicting the history of the harsh Central Highlands from indigenous people to pioneering timer harvesters, Hydro workers and miners. The sculpture is housed in a timber and iron building along with other works by the artist. We were quite fascinated by the whole project and the talent of the artist.
Our next stop in our journey to Hobart was another 80 kilometres along the Lyell Highway (called Rivers Run Tourist Route) when a succession of rugged mountain ranges, towering forests and winding hills overheated the van brakes and a horrible smell emanated from the bonnet. So we had a forced rest stop to allow everything to cool down. Paul decided to take over the driving and we limped slowly and carefully into the Hobart Showground at Glenorchy pretty exhausted from the drive and ready for a rest and dinner.
The Showground proved to be a pretty bad place to stop. We had to pay $15 for a powered site – cheap you may think, but the site was sloping and very crowded with other motor homes. There was just one ladies toilet and one shower (same for men) for everyone to use and it was very dirty, and hot water cost another $1.00 in the shower. So we moaned but it was too late to move anywhere else and we had to make the best of it. However, I did take some photos of the ‘facilities’ and wrote a very stern email of complaint, with the damming photos attached, to the people in charge – and felt better afterwards!
Our itinerary for the next couple of weeks was going to be pretty complicated - we had decided to spend a couple of days exploring the city sights of Hobart and then make a run to Port Arthur for another day or two before meeting our friends Stephen and Christine in Sorrell. They were flying in from Sydney and renting a van to travel with us round the east of Tasmania. So we had decided to leave our three doggies in boarding kennels for the next 9 nights to simplify things for us and give them a rest from the travelling. After much internet research we decided upon a Canine Country Club near Hobart Airport, so the next morning we left the Showground and delivered the dogs to their holiday venue! It all looked very luxurious and we felt comfortable leaving them, they of course didn’t look back but trotted off happily...
We drove on to Hobart Information Centre and with the help of a parking inspector found a central parking place for the van for the day. Then off I trotted to the Mall for a haircut and Paul did some computer work and shopping and we met up at Salamanca Place along with a lady from the Tasmanian RSPCA for lunch at a trendy venue close to the wharf area.
I had bought a new bag and dumped my old one in a bin in the Mall and half-way through lunch I remembered that I had taken off my ear-rings when having my hair cut and put them in a little pocket inside by old bag. Oh no! So after lunch we both rushed back to the Mall and I rummaged in the bin and luckily found my old bag with ear-rings still in it. What a relief. Paul said he wished he had taken a photo of me bent over the bin like a bag lady...
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around, having a drink and then a wonderful fresh fish meal at Mures on the wharf. We walked back to the van and drove up the road to Treasure Island Caravan Park for the night.
We were up early the next day to have our Swine Flu jabs at the Hobart Travel Centre and then we boarded the red double-decker explorer bus for a 90 minute orientation tour with commentary around Hobart. The driver/commentator was a lot of fun and we heard about the early convict days and main historical sights to see. We then wandered the town, having curried scallop pie for lunch at Salamanca Square before driving to the Aquatic Centre for the afternoon so Paul could have a swim and shower.
Paul had arranged to meet a Tasmanian friend and his family that he had got to know when skiing in Whistler, and so we drove back to the wharf to wait for them. After a little confusion regarding the meeting place, we had a wonderful evening with dinner at the famous and quirky ‘Drunken Admiral’. The fish dishes and Tasmanian wine were delicious and the ambience very congenial! As we left the restaurant it started to rain a little but we made it back to the caravan park in one piece.
We had planned the next day to drive down to Port Arthur, stopping at placed of interest along the way. A highlight was the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park which was half-way into the Tasman Peninsular. We enjoyed seeing and hearing these little black fierce carnivorous marsupials being fed and chasing and growling at each other. They are being decimated by a fatal face cancer and many are killed on the roads, so it was really good to see the efforts being made to ensure their survival. We also enjoyed seeing Tasmanian birds of prey, quolls and a special species of Kangaroo – all unique to Tasmania.
The drive on to Port Arthur was lovely with water views never far away. We pulled into the caravan park just before the famous historical settlement and booked in for one night, along with a scary ghost tour, starting at 8.45pm. Whew! Our days are just so full and there is still an amazing amount that we miss through lack of time, but at least we are getting a good feel for Tasmania and it is certainly a wonderful place.
The ghost tour was great and gave us a good night-time preview of Port Arthur and its convict history. Our guide was good at telling the scary tales and Paul was designated as the lantern bearer for the front of the group. The atmosphere was only slightly spoilt by a young child who chattered and gurgled during the silent bits when we were anticipating the appearance of a wailing spirit...
The next day we did the full tour of Port Arthur, whole books have been written on the subject so I won’t try to tell you too much here. The old brick and stone buildings were amazing – some were in ruins and others were completely restored houses from the 1850’s that we could walk around – the lunatic asylum, the barracks, the Commandant’s house, the Penitentiary, the church and many homes. The place had a restful aura and the grounds were covered with beautiful deciduous trees 150 years old that had been planted to remind the free men and convicts of home in England. It was all fascinating.
We left the site in the afternoon, anxious to meet our friends Stephen and Christine who had flown in from Sydney to spend the next week travelling with us in their own rented motor home. We were going to have us a ‘convoy’!
I have managed to get Stephen to recount the last couple of days - from when we all met up at Sorell just outside Hobart - and so give me a rest from writing the Blog...
Visiting Author Stephen Rust writes...With severe trepidation and high anxiety we inched closer to the Sorell RSL, or more correctly the rest area at the back-end of the RSL, commonly called the meeting place for grey, greying and pretend (us) nomads. Would they (the Archers) be there? Would they be excited or would they be dreading our appearance? Well both parties risked it and at the agreed time Kath and Paul crawled around the corner of the RSL in Sorell, some 15mins north of Hobart Airport. They were smiling; what a relief!
After warm greetings of hugs, laughs and handshakes we got straight into the serious business of where to go for our first night? After debating for an eternity we settled on Triabunna, a little settlement on the East Coast, 60kms from Hobart. Why? It had a caravan park. Options were Triabunna, Triabunna or Triabunna. I could already see that decision making was going to be a highpoint of our week together.
We drove out of the RSL and turned left, in the opposite direction to Triabunna! Kath had, unbeknown to us, spotted a must do activity of picking strawberries at Sorell’s Berry Farm. This turned out to be a good thing as we used this opportunity to take our first photos with the feature rich TZ10, Lumix’s latest traveller camera. And we also got our first view of Paul and Kath’s bums as they furiously picked strawberries in the late afternoon and under the threat of a 5pm closing time. I can report to their family and friends that their bums are in good order and if anything are slightly tighter after 9 months in the Kea saddle!
We chose to purchase some goodies at the Farm including jams, chutneys and an assortment of locally brewed beers.
Finally we head off to Triabunna along a sealed but definitely small Tasmanian country road. The trip is a pretty one with many parts of windiness and flat stretches. Everywhere the countryside was dry, parched in many places and sheep aplenty. Sadly native road kill including a Tasmanian Devil was all too common.
We wound our way into Triabunna to the caravan park about 6:30pm and in the drizzle quickly claiming our spots.
Next task? Choosing a gourmet restaurant for dinner no. 1. We selected the best on offer and headed to the nearest hotel where Paul had an altercation with the waitress over his order of mussels. I listened on the sideline and was impressed by Paul’s articulation of his needs. It went something like this: “Madam, I would like a main course size of your mussels on the Entree menu. Is this possible at this outstanding establishment and what incremental charge would apply?” The waitress went off to consult Chef and returned enthusiastically declaring to Paul that Chef could add veggies to the entree serving, thus expanding the dish to “main” size and she suggested an extra $8. Paul initially accepted, but I could see that he didn’t really grasp the concept. Slowly his brain was churning and then he spluttered: “No, no that’s not what I mean. I want a main course size of mussels.....you know, bigger than entree size”. Now this really confused the waitress. She couldn’t get a grasp of Paul’s idea at all and declared that his request simply was not possible. Paul was perplexed and after some attempts to seek out the underlying cause to Chef’s inability to add a few extra mussels, he gave up and spitted out “fish & chips”. Ordering all meals and first round of drinks took 15 minutes. I am happy to report that the restaurant was near empty and we were the only guests placing orders.
Food arrived, was eaten and we left after a few laughs. We headed back to the caravan park and after a very welcome ‘horny blonde’, Paul and I called it a night. Yes you guessed it, the horny blonde was a cheeky beer Paul had collected on his travels. I went to bed drifting off to sleep thinking Day 1 was full of fun and looking forward to Day 2.
As with Day 1, the weather was not kind on waking with a drizzle and very heavy sky. We breakfasted at 8am and hit the road in the direction of Swansea, a quaint seaside village with spectacular views across a large bay to Freycinet Peninsula. We stopped for coffee and cake and pottered around looking at the tremendously peaceful views and very attractive buildings. Real estate is so much cheaper than in Sydney where we live. The highlight on this front was a 2500sqm property on a rise from the beach, with beach frontage and a jetty, fully developed gardens and a substantial house. Just 50m from the village centre and only $1.5m. In Sydney, this would be more like $25m!
We left Swansea determined to reach Bicheno for lunch on scallop pies Paul had purchased in Swansea. Paul swore to me that cold scallop pies are delicious. This did not receive a sympathetic response from Kath or Christine and I must admit I was not too keen either. On the way we came across Freycinet Vineyard and stopped for sampling and acquisition activity. We bought a delicious sparkling wine we hadn’t tried before and also an enjoyable pinot noir and Riesling. I noted Kath and Paul did not participate and I noted a keenness to depart.
Returning to the highway, after a short while Kath pulled into the turn off to the Freycinet Peninsula and stopped. She told us she was “ravenous”, couldn’t wait until Bicheno and must eat. So we did. The scallop pies were luke warm and frankly, a surprise. With chutney acquired yesterday the pie was fantastic. Kath and Christine had sandwiches.
Still overcast we drove down to Coles Bay and sussed out a spot at Friendly Beaches for our two vehicles. Then a 1 hour stroll along beautiful pure white beaches separated by granite outcrops was a prelude to settling into Kath and Paul’s “front porch” for drinks and dinner.
Pity about the weather, but Paul and Kath’s continuous good humour is ending a wonderful day and it is with regret that I close off this guest blog and hand back to the maestro of traveller blogger, Kath.
