This morning we attended a lovely ANZAC service in Wirrabara .
I also found some art while walking around town.
After the service we made our way to the Bakery and tried out their vanilla slices. Yes they passed the taste test.
The rest of the day was spent catching up with washing and odd jobs around the van. Then there was the trip planning and booking for the next couple of weeks. A bit of serious stuff going on here.
We were up and on the road early this morning, and gained an extra half hour as we crossed the border into South Australia..
The Bakery at Bordertown was our breakfast stop. The park there is one of the best we’ve been to.
As for the Bakery it is brilliant, a great big modern building, built over and around the heritage police station and goal. As well as being a Bakery it’s new building is full of old memorabilia, all beautifully displayed around the dining area, that has polished timber furniture. What a great idea.
The Toilets outside were the old lock up, painted black and white, with original lock up doors, including bars across the top, and the old systern toilet with pull chain. Well done to whoever had the inspiration to create this site, the old and the new under one roof. Only negative was the attitude of the lady behind the counter, maybe she had been locked up all night.
OK, moving on, I had a walk around town to get a couple more pics.
Driving on to Coonalpyn, the silo art is nice, but not very clear for photos.
The mosaic murals as we drove into Murray Bridge are colourful. The wind has become quite strong and it’s 25 degrees . So we pulled up for night.
We unhooked the van and went for a drive around.
Bridges across the mighty Murray, the first bridge to cross the river completed in 1879.
Today was a beautiful drive, we drove through lots of small towns in the valleys, as we headed for Adelaide, the Barossa and Clare valleys are very dry at the moment, but still beautiful with their autumn leaves
Most of my photos were taken while travelling , as we are meeting up with friends, tonight, who we have planned to travel onward up the Centre with, so only one stop for lunch, in a park at Kapunda.
We definitely need to come back and spend more time around this area, at some stage.
We arrived in Wirrabara caravan Park this afternoon and met up with Guy and Annie . And wow, sat down to the best baked dinner. prepared by Annie, and talked over the adventure ahead.
Spending Anzac day tomorrow in this little town, so a day of rest , and “Lest We Forget “, Those that gave their time and lives for this great country, that we have the privilege to be travelling around and live in.
We were a bit late getting into Geelong on Saturday night, Drove for about half an hour, before we pulled into a roadside stop, and got some sleep, after another calm crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania. Morning tea the next morning was at the bridge in Winchelsea.
We are trying to go on different roads to what we have been before, next stop was a lookout at Alvie. Not a bad view of the surrounding layout of the land.
A nice day and drive through the lakes area, before stopping at a camping spot in Cressy
Another one of those back roads. Hopefully we are not much over 5 t.
We called into the Devils Kitchen, near Linton, we have been there before, Chris went for a walk and I did some bird watching.
Next stop was brunch at Lake Bolac.
We have also been to see this little church before, but so worth having another look to share.
It’s in the little town of Glenthompson , and the walls are covered in beautiful murals.
Quick stop in Balmoral, then on to Harrow, an old town ,with a quirky sense of humour .
Lots of interesting things, that we haven’t seen before, and a nice way to finish the day.
Chris’s idea of fun, and not wanting to miss out on a bargain. Glad it wouldn’t fit in the van,!! Been a quick trip across Victoria. SA next.
We stayed in a lovely RV camp in Evandale, while we did a final day drive up to Port Sorell. Evandale is an old heritage town with lots of beautiful buildings and gardens.
The time is near. What a lovely time we have had over the last 10 weeks. However, we could have done with a few more weeks and slowed down a bit. Been very busy to say the least.!
Chris went into Launceston and got new tyres on the Triton while I did a wander around Evandale. Some lovely speciality shops ,hmmm.
I guess I had just better stick to taking photos on my walk.
As for Port Sorell, nothing happening around there. So just a couple of pics.
A Church in Westbury.
Well that’s just about it, a quick stop at the big cricket stumps in Westbury, then back to the van, which is near Devonport. We were both awake early this morning, and it didn’t take long to pack up and go down to board the Spirit of Tasmania for Geelong in Victoria.
A beautiful calm, sunny day to farewell Tasmania.
Just coming into Geelong, Many roads travelled, many towns visited and 7,000klm, clocked up. Been there done that. Hope you all have enjoyed the blog. Keep safe and well everyone. Regards Merelyn and Chris xx
A few murals and a lovely clean park, to greet another sunny day.
From Saint Helens to The Gardens in the Bay of fires, more colourful rocks to wander around and take happy snaps.
Next stop was to view some of the beaches and headland around Sloop Reef, Swimcart Beach and Cosy Corner.
It really is a beautiful area of the State. Binalong Bay is also pretty.
A bit further to the North is Eddystone Point and one of the Nicest lighthouses we’ve come across. Built in the 1800S.
And that my friends is one very yellow boat….
We hadn’t given much thought as to where we would stay that night., and we were travelling on pretty rough gravel backroads, so as the sun went down we made our own free camp on the edge of the road.
The next morning we arrived in Scottsdale and parked the van in an unused railway yard ,right in the middle of town. from there we could do more forestry drives.
We are seeing so many wood carvings around the small towns up North. Very clever to be able to make them with a chainsaw.
Next was a drive out to St Columbia Falls…the road was so overgrown , narrow and little more than a walking track.
It wasn’t until we got to the falls carpark, that we realised we had been on a no through road. Had a laugh and started on the walking track to the falls.
No different to the road in, really!!
Again, the forest walk was lovely, lots of tree ferns, and another interesting sign.
The falls were flowing well, especially as there has been very little rain.
So green and fresh
After the falls, we drove out the way we should have come in. The next stop was lunch at the Pub In The Paddock .The best hamburger and chips.
The paddock is a lovely setting,very picturesque, and plenty of seating options from inside , the veranda or outdoors.
The swinging bridge at Derby
The next morning, we went for a walk along a disused railway track and came to a tunnel. We didn’t walk through it but the entrance was more evidence of the great construction work done in the 1800S.
We drove on to George Town and then up to Low Head, seeing more timber carvings along the way.
We were lucky enough to arrive at the museum as a caretaker was just leaving, so he allowed us to go in and have a look at the display . Quite an array of former sealife.
Low Head Lighthouse.
This old castle caught my eye as we were driving back from Low Head . Also a lot more timber carvings here.
How about the detail on this Eagle.
One of a few channel markers around George Town.
The art on the water tower and views from the lookout over George Town and surrounding areas
The Batman Bridge across the Tamar River is quite a sight, and the surrounding park is well kept
We only have a couple of days left in Tassy, so yesterday we spent the day in Launceston.
The day started off a bit cloudy, but that didn’t distract from the beauty of the landscape.
We decided to go into Cataract Gorge for a look. Seemed like the only touristy thing left to do .We took the chairlift over the river, taking in the sights from above the park.
When we got to the other side, it was starting to sprinkle with rain. However, we did the walk along the river almost to the Kings Bridge . What a great park to see on our last venture.
We had a chat and a coffee in the Cafe as the rain had become a bit heavier.
Instead of taking the chairlift back out, we waited till the rain stopped and walked across the swinging bridge.
The pool in the Gorge Park.
That was a great way to spend our day, we’re staying at Evandale, and so last night we drove back into Launceston, about half an hour drive, to have dinner out.
We had Mexican at the Prickly Cactus, which had flowering Cactus on a wall outside. A nice way to finish the day.
I updated my blog app today and have had a hard time using it tonight. Not sure how this post will show. Xx
Still using Liffey School as a base, we headed out to do the walk to Liffey Falls. What a beautiful Forrest, big tree ferns, big trees and magnificent water falls.
There are 3 areas on the way down that you can look out from
The walk in was easygoing, with plenty of interesting things to pause and look at, like this hole in a tree stump, and I didn’t stick my hand in to see if the occupant was home.!
Looking up you can see how thick the forest is, and what a perfect day to be doing the walk.
once we reached the bottom of the falls it was brilliant. Without getting our feet wet we were able to get up close to the water. I like the pic of the sun peeking through the trees.
Before we left the forest we did a short walk in to see this big tree. I’ve seen bigger in WA, but this is a big one.
Next we drove around the lakes, and did the conservation board walk. Again another beautiful place, but the wind was freezing so we didn’t hang around long.
To finish off our day out we drove up to the power station lookout, nice views from up there. Then back to the van and put on our Diesel heater. Best investment before coming to Tassy.
We moved camp and are now back in the R V park at Campbell Town. We had a nice dinner at the Ross pub and planned a day out in the Ben Lomond National Park
OK, let’s go and do Jacobs Ladder, a good day for the climb, no rain or snow. And we’re told it’s a must do.!
We stopped in to the Ski base Cafe for a coffee before doing the climb
Up… Up..
The rocky cliffs were amazing and the gravel road was very steep and narrow and winding.
Surprisingly at the top there was nothing open, and not all that cold..I was able to get some photos of the bush flowers that are there.
There’s only about half a dozen chalets at the top .
I liked this little water garden on the edge of the road.
Then it was time to go down to the base again.
A pretty good day out, and we didn’t have to exert ourselves. The next day we visited Bicheno a pretty little coastal town.
From there we went up into the ranges and did the rock climb up to the Sisters lookouts . The steepest climb I’ve ever done. Not only hard on the legs but on my arms as well as I had to pull myself up with the rails.
Higher and harder, till we reached the top. but the 360deg views were worth it.
Some of the rock formation was pretty good as well
On the way down I stopped to take some photos of some of those fungus plants I like.
Last night we camped at Lagoon Beach camp grounds. I was looking forward to some beach walking after all the hard yards we’ve been doing.
It was beautiful on the beach this morning. The weather is glorious.
After our beach walk we hooked up the van and started heading further North..We had brunch at a little jetty on a river. Think someone got their high tide levels wrong as the jetty was under water .?
We fuelled up at a interesting service station, this afternoon.
We are now at Saint Helens. This afternoon we went for a drive to the beach. So let’s go for a walk…
It started out easy, and ended up challenging to say the least
No longer a beach walk it turned into another rock climb!!
Anyway it was another nice day . This time next week we will be back on the mainland. Night for now,xx
our drive to Ben Lomond National Park, a few days ago, was a real highlight for me, small mining towns here and there, most deserted and when we got to the village of Rossarden, there was a group of fallow deer just wandering around an old tip site. It was great to see them in the wild , and that they just hung around while I got some photos
We drove on ,eventhough it was misting with rain. The bush track up to Stacks Bluff was very rough and narrow, we couldn’t drive all the way to the Bluff, and it had started to rain heaver, so opted not to do the hour or so walk up.
Back down on lower ground we found an unused oval of some sort, there was a cricket pitch and monkey bar there, as well as a fire pit and an old kettle with water in it.
Again the roads were no more than bush tracks as we headed into Craggy Peak, water rushing down the hillside and going under the road. Made for a special sight, on a rather wet afternoon.
We passed a nice little church at Mangana, then some old convict lock up cells at Fingal.
Then it was back to Campbell Town, to stay the night, and catch up with travelling friends again. Campbell Town is a nice little town, with a red brick bridge and tree carvings in the park.
As for the R V park, it’s great, a big level area beside the river, with a walkway into town.
Next day we drove into Liffey and left the caravan in the old School yard. The weather was fine again, and it was a convenient spot to camp and have a look around the centre of the State. All the shades of blue looked lovely as we travelled through the area of Perth.
Liffey school and grounds was our next camping spot for a few days.
A lovely church in Westbury. Then further on up to the central North Coast and the Marintime College Marina at Beauty Point. What a beautiful day to be on the water.
It’s a nice area, so we had some lunch and then went for a bush walk around the historic site of where the town of York was settled.
A few flowers, a bit of fun and a beautiful R V water wheel park.
Then we moved on to visit Beaconsfield and the historic old mine site. It brought back many memories of the mine collapse , that traped workers underground for two weeks and the rescue that saved two of the three that were trapped.
There is a museum fitted out with lots of interesting old machinery. Also different areas dedicated to showing how living in the 1800s was like.
((P
The outside area still has all the rubble from the original buildings as well as some remains still standing. Some of the old buildings have been shored up so you can walk through giving you an insight to what miners working conditions were like
on the way back to camp this little church at suffly river looked nice in the afternoon shadows. That’s it for now.
Not a bad spot for a boat ramp, or an overnight stop…
We are still down the South of the State, in the Coals Bay area. A nice quiet overnighter, then into Swansea for a morning walk around.
A quick stop at the Pondering Frog Cafe. frogs everywhere, before we made camp for the next few days at the Lagoons in Freycinet National Park
This is a good area to access some of the walks and beautiful scenery around the south, and also a nice place at the end of each day. No one else around and fun with the camera.
The next day we headed into Wineglass Bay, a very popular spot, but very chilly that morning.
To warm ourselves up we did the walk up to the Cape Tourville lighthouse.
We did the full Cape circuit, taking in all the little bays
Even going down the rocky cliff face and onto some of the beaches, it was a beautiful day and a great walk. Sleepy Bay was especially nice, and gave us a chance to have a rest.
Looking a bit like rain when we got back to the van. The next day we had a leisurely day as it did end up raining most of the day. The first full day of light rain, in 7 weeks, and they sure needed it. Albeit a whole 20 ml I’m thinking.
After our day off, it was back to some serious walking. A two hour, 600 step, trail from Wineglass Bay to the Wineglass Bay Lookout.
There was plenty of cute seating along the well maintained track, just as well, as there wasn’t really any views, only lots of rocks as the walk takes you up and inland.
But when we finally got to the top , what a view.
Even though it is a very rocky area, I still found it interesting and took lots of photos. When I’m under some of these towering rocks just balancing there, I can’t help but think it’s like life itself ,just one big balancing act.
Oh and I’m told there was 1000 steeps back down to the car park. It was well worth doing. Down is good for me, it’s the incline that gets me overheated.
The next morning we moved on to a Park in the paddock, going through some small towns and doing some shopping in Campbell Town. This little church was in Cranbrook .
Renovations on a house near Aspley
We had a lovely day in Oatlands. Such a lovely town, home to the Callington flour mill ,that is now a Distillery and all the old buildings are open to look through. So well restored and set in a nice leisure park.
Another beautiful sunny warm day to be wandering around, we have been so lucky with the weather.
A pretty sheep and a idiot goat !
These trees took my eye in a school yard, with their autumn colours.
I couldn’t help but notice, one flag at the Cenotaph in Oatlands. Well done.
Today we met up with our wandering friends again.They are staying not far away and came to check out Ross. We were having a quite day also. Ross is a great town ,so many specality shops Wool, wood and antiques to look through.
And how about the workmanship on this old church.
Guess these 3 are solving the problems of the world, or Tasmania at least.
Take a good look at this wedding dress. Yes they are Zip ties.!!
How lovely is the lace iron work on the Post Office in Ross.
Below is the Bakery we had our vanilla slice, morning tea at, before we went our separate way
it was just sprinkling with rain as we stopped for some photos of the Ross Bridge.
Now back at the paddock for a night of footy. We move on tomorrow.
Us and our travelling companions drove down to Port Arthur in time to catch the tour ferry and do a short cruise around the waterways and the Isle of the dead. So many were buried on the Isle, both convicts and early settlers in the 1800S.
Once back on shore we had a wander around the foreshore , before going to explore the old settlement and buildings. Some restored and some just how they were left.
The buildings would have been magnificent in their day, again, all built by convicts, shipped out from England.
We caught up with a couple of the tour guides, who showed us through some of the renovated homes of the well off .
We met up with our friends for a picnic lunch, and a bit of a rest before heading out to see more.
The restoration and upkeep of the gardens and memorials, make for a pleasant day out, especially on the warm sunny day like we had.
By the end of the day, we were pretty well exhausted and managed to catch a groundsman in his buggy, who gave us a ride back to the entry point.
On our way back to camp, Chris and I called into a lookout and walk down into the remarkable cave. The sea breeze down there was freezing, but worth the treck down
That night the 6 of us went to the historical Dunalley Pub for dinner, well, another dozen Oysters kilpatric for me!
The next day was not so full on, we just went for a riverside walk .
We walked out to the mouth of the river, watching the boats coming and going from the lovely bay.
As we got back to the bridge we were fortunate enough to arrive just as it was swinging open to allow a boat go through .
Easter Saturday we were up early and drove down to Triabunna to catch the cruise boat over to Maria Island. It took about 40 minutes.
There is lots of friendly wildlife, that greeted us as we got of the boat. The Island has the remains of another 1800S settlement. No cars , no shops, just lots of walking to do. The whole Island is very dry at the moment, as is most of Tasmania we’ve found.
Hopefully the photos will show what it was like, nice scenery, fossil rocks, wombats everywhere, and a very hot day.
We were lucky enough to come across a bench seat to have our picnic lunch at, would of been about 5 kilometres into our walk. Yes , we look a bit hot and bothered, haha.
One of the old cottages, that is being restored.
You can stay on the Island, in accommodation, which is very basic or bring a tent. We sat on the verandah and had a breather, before going on to see the painted cliffs?
Now this was easier said than done, it’s supposed to be a walk, but my legs were starting to get a bit tired and shaky, so I ended up bumming it or crawling, it was a long rocky drop if I fell.
OK so that is painted cliffs? And that’s as far as I’m going, time to get back on firmer footing and do the bush track back.
Don’t you just love the wombats.?As for this goose, it posed like this for about 10 minutes. strange!!
After 6 hrs and about 12 kilometres of walking/crawling, we arrived back at the jetty and caught the boat back. A bit rougher ride than the morning crossing.
Looking back on Maria Island from a lookout on the way home. My watch also told a story haha.
We arrived back at camp to find someone pulled up right next to us, apparently nowhere else on the 2 acher vacant block suited them. There’s always gotta be one!
One very happy old girl, after going back down to Triabunna warf the next day to meet the ferry and retrieve my purse, which I had left there the afternoon before. I won’t go into the rest of the saga, only to say it was a very stressful night.
After the retrieval, we drove on ,stopping to look at a few places, including the spiked bridge?
A couple of nice small beaches, before we made camp at a boat ramp for the night.
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