Tassie 2023 - Final Days

 3rd - 5th March - Stanley

We are camped at Peggs Beach/Black River near Stanley. The first place we visited was Highfield house, an estate owned by the Van Diemans Land Company.  The property overlooks Stanley and a rock feature called The Nut on a windy promontory. Construction of the house began in 1832 and was completed in 1835. The house and the surrounding farm buildings were built entirely by convict labour.  It was the first European occupation in North-West Tasmania, its purpose was to graze sheep for wool, however, the weather conditions were so harsh the wool enterprise failed.

Highfield House & the Nut

The next day we went to the Trowutta hill climb run by the North West Car Club. A free event for spectators that we really enjoyed. It's proper grassroots motorsport that anyone can have fun with regardless of their budget. 

We had a lucky escape when a Honda Integra lost control and spun right in front of us, we were showered in dirt and gravel but no one lost an eye.

After the hill climb, we went back to Stanley for a drink at the local and ran into some fellow travellers that we met at Derwent Bridge a week ago, and have been bumping into ever since. We ended up at the local seafood restaurant for a slap-up meal.

Stanley (reminds us of Cornwall)

On our final day at Peggs Beach, we did the beach walk, as there is little access to the beach from the campground there was no one on the beach so it was great to have it all to ourselves.

6th - 8th March - Riana and surrounds.

The weather has turned cold and wet, we took the opportunity to do some washing and a bit of shopping in Burnie before returning to our camp in Riana.

We were hoping the weather might improve so we could ride our bikes along the bike trail in Penguin, but it was just too windy and showery so instead, we did the scenic drive to Ulverstone and some lunch there and returned to Penguin for a drink at the local.

The locals want to Heritage List the Bins 

The next day we went out to Leven Canyon and walked to Cruickshank's lookout which looks out over the Canyon and has spectacular views we then walked down 697 steps into the rainforest and back to the car park.  

697 Steps into the Rainforest

9th - 12th March - Longford Motorama

We visited the historic town of Evandale which was established as a military post in 1811.  Evandale today is a National Trust-classified Georgian village.  Our next stop was Perth where we stopped for lunch at the local.

Bronze of John Glover, Landscape Artist

At the weekend, we went to the Longford Motorama. On Saturday, they displayed the historic cars and motorcycles at the Woolmers Estate.  The Woolmers estate is also home to the Longford motor museum.

Of course, they interviewed the Jag owner.

On Sunday we went out to Symmonds Plains Raceway to watch the historic cars doing laps of the circuit. 

Then into Launceston for a last look around before we head home.  It was so quiet on a Sunday afternoon, just like Melbourne back in the 1980s.

Tassie 2023 The West Coast

 18th February Bushy Park Show & New Norfolk

It was off to the show this morning just down the road from Mount Field National Park.  A great little country show with some woodchopping, equestrian, sheep, and cattle events.  There were a couple of sheds that had the crafts, preserves, and baking. The fire brigade were doing some rescue demonstrations using their younger members who were a little rough with the rescue.  Four of them ran to collect a fella and place him on the stretcher, they picked him up and just dropped him on it, they weren't gentle at all.  We spent a bit of our time there watching the woodchopping which we found interesting.

Fancy Hairdo.

After having a Sausage in bread, we left the show and headed into New Norfolk dropping in at the big Antique Centre there which is in part of the old Asylumn complex. We then wandered down to the Barracks (also part of the Asylum) and visited an art display that was using recycled plastics.

Recycled Plastic Art.

   

19th February Styx Forest & Marriott Falls

We went out to the Styx Tall Trees conservation area in the morning to see the giant ash trees some are 90 meters tall and you do not appreciate the size of them until you walk passed the ones that have fallen over. We then did the Styx Riverwalk, which was peaceful and the water was crystal clear.  

After lunch, we headed to the Marriott Falls Reserve and did the 2-hour return walk to the falls.  Even though they weren't falling to their full capacity the walk in was beautiful with tree fern gullies. Just when you thought the rainforest couldn't get any prettier it does.

Prickly currant. Tiny and sweet.

Marriott Falls.

20th February Hobart Intercity Cycleway

We cycled along the Hobart Intercity Cycleway which starts at Claremont about 15 Km's from Hobart. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too good with drizzly rain on and off so we had to keep stopping when it got too wet.  We made it to Moonah and stopped in at the pub for lunch. When we were leaving the rain started again so we decided to leave it for another time and headed back to Claremont.  About halfway back the sun appeared. We'll leave this one for the next trip.

21st - 22nd February Derwent Bridge and Lake St Clair NP.

After a week in Mount Field National Park, we are now in the Tasmanian highland lakes. We camped at the Derwent Bridge Hotel just outside the entrance to Lake St Clair NP. After setting up camp we went into the national park and checked out what walks we wanted to do, we did the short walk to Frankland Beaches that afternoon and booked the ferry to take us to Echo Point the next day. On the way back to camp we stopped off to see if we could get to the Pumphouse which is visible across the lake. Unfortunately, unless you are staying there you can't get down to the Pumphouse as it's an exclusive hotel with rooms starting at $685 per night.

The days were warm and sunny but at night time the temperature dropped to below zero.

Derwent Bridge Camp.

Lake St Clair. Australia's deepest Lake at 166 Metres

On Wednesday we caught the ferry to Echo Point and then walked the 11 kms back to the visitor centre.  The track was quite rough with lots of tree roots to navigate but the forest was beautiful.  The track follows the lake although in some spots you are looking down steep slopes at the lake. We met a Canadian couple on the track and their comment was that it was like Jurassic Park.

Ferry to Echo Point.

Mt Ida

Sometimes the track was hard to follow.

23rd - 25th February Strahan

Our next port of call is Strahan we are camped at the golf club and got the Best spot. We rode our bikes everywhere in Strahan as most of the town is flat and the golf club is close to the town.  On Friday we rode the esplanade bicycle trail stopping off at Hogarth Falls and then on to check out the Wilderness Railway down at Regatta Point, we dropped in at the old Cemetary and then rode back into the main part of Strahan along the esplanade to a small beach where we saw some old Jalopies that were doing a rally.  We followed them back into the main part of town where they were gathering to show off their old cars.

Hogarth Falls

Strahan Esplanade.

Strahan Camp

Strahan Cemetary

Out the Van Wondow.

Saturday started off ok weather wise and we did some chores then the rain started and it pretty much rained all day and night. So it was a lazy day.

26th - 27th February Zeehan

This morning we moved on to Zeehan and are camped at the Zeehan Golf Culb. The weather wasn't too good, misty rain and windy.  

Zeehan Main Street

Zeehan Theatre

Zeehan Poppet Heads in Town.

Treasure.

It did fine up later in the day so we walked to the Spray Tunnel. A long-abandoned train tunnel leads to what was the Spray Silver Mine. The tunnel was carved through the hill so that ore could be moved from the mine. The tunnel is unusually shaped like a keyhole, approximately 3 metres high and 2.2 m wide and 100 m long.

 

The weather improved so we took the bikes for a ride around Zeehan.  We ended up on the rail trail from Zeehan to Melba Flats.  We followed a 4WD trail that runs next to the old railway line which has been out of service since 1963.  

At one point along the way we went onto the railway line and rode between the rails, it was a very buuuumpy ride. We didn't do the whole trail as it was very rough and it comes out on the main highway.  

We returned to Zeehan and rode around the opposite side of town.  Which appears to be the Paris end of Zeehan with larger tidier houses than the ones on the railway side.  The town reminds us of Iron Knob with trees and ferns.

Rickety Bridge.

28th February - 2nd March Arthur River

We left Zeehan and headed towards Arthur River in the Arthur Pieman Conservation Park.  The first stop was Corinna where we caught the Fatman Barge across the Pieman river, we made it onto the Barge with 0.1 meters to spare the barge will only fit a combined vehicle with a wheelbase of 9 meters.

Fatman Barge

Just Squeezed on.

The road to Arthur River was slow going as its unmade, twisty, and hilly with many potholes it took us 3 hours to do 100km's, the rain forest for the first part of the trip is beautiful, it then takes you up to the top of the hills where the landscape is low and scrubby with a view of mountain ranges in the distance.

We arrived at Arthur River and did a short walk along the beach from the river mouth to where it meets the Southern Ocean. The beach is covered in timber which gets washed down the river and then ends up on the beach.

Driftwood.

On Wednesday we drove to Nelson Bay and did a coastal walk which took us to Sundown Point where there are some petroglyphs that were made by the local aboriginal people and are around 2,000 years old.

Nelson Bay.

Nelson Bay.

Petroglyphs

Camp visitor.

Today we did the Tarkine drive, the drive takes you through temperate rainforests with stops at interesting places on the way.  Our first stop was Sumac lookout which is surrounded by rainforest and tall eucalyptus with views of the Arthur River.  The views were spectacular even though it was quite misty with rain.  The next stop was Lake Chisholm Forest Reserve, there is a 30-minute walk that takes through Myrtle Beech forest to the lake, which is a sinkhole filled with water.

Giant Tree Fern.

Lake Chisholm.

Then it was on to Milkshake Hills, this area was logged back in the 1970s. The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service has taken over the site as it has unique undergrowth. We walked to the summit of the Milkshake Hills which takes you through a eucalyptus forest and then up to moorlands with low-growing banksia trees, and button grass.  The views from the top are beautiful.

Milkshake Hills.

Manuka. Native to Tasmania

View from Milkshake Hills.

Our final stop was Trowutta Arch another sinkhole that opened up under a cave system and the caves collapsed into it.  The walk to the arch was through a rainforest with huge tree ferns and sassafras trees.  When you get to the arch there is a pool that is surrounded by collapsed caves.

Trowutta Arch.