Sad to leave Bruny Island, but a few stops first!

Friday 15^th September.

Heading back to Hobart today to spend the weekend at Cindy and Craig’s. Before we leave Bruny though, we have a few more stops to make, places that we haven’t stopped at yet, Bruny Island Chocolate Co. and Bruny Island Honey. At the lighthouse the other day, Adam told us how much he loved the honey mustard and I need some more creamed honey and have been waiting to be here to buy some, so we can’t leave without either. Stopping at the chocolate place was a big mistake, so many yummy things there, and fudge!! I bought way too much, because Trevor waited in the car!

It was weird being on the ferry again, this time because it was only half full. All the vehicles were loaded in the bottom level, leaving the top level eerily empty. I went upstairs to enjoy the air and the view and got talking to a couple of guys from Brisbane who had also had a couple of nights on Bruny. They were going back to Hobart and then on to ‘Lonchester’, which we figured out was actually ‘Launceston’; strangely, they weren’t the only people I heard say this.

We stop in again at the Margate tip shop for a more thorough look and also pop into the Margate Vinnies. Driving back through Kingston Beach again, a place we both really liked, we make a point of having lunch at the Salty Dog Hotel. The grumpy bloke at the takeaway can keep his burgers!   

Dinner at home with Cindy and Craig. No Aurora spotting tonight, instead we play ‘Cards Against Humanity’.

Chilling at Bruny Island Winery

Thursday 14^th September, 2017.

Very slow start today, it’s raining and miserable and the plan is to walk up to the Bruny Island Winery, taste some wine, eat some lunch and generally chill out there for the afternoon. Luckily, by the time we have to make a decision about walking or driving, it’s fined up and the sun is out. I’d already checked out the possibility of walking along King St and up onto the main road and there’s a little watercourse that an Olympic long-jumper could probably manage, but probably not us. If I lived here, I’d put a big plank across it! So, it’s the long way round for us, about 1.5km, but the road is quiet so it’s not too bad, again, a nice walk. We are greeted by a lovely lady who asks if we’ve come for lunch and suggests we take a table, whichever one we want. I ask if they do wine tastings and she says of course, would we like to order lunch and have a tasting while we wait for our lunch to be prepared? When I tell her we plan to stay all afternoon and are in no hurry at all, she smiles and guides us to stools at the bar. She likes our plan. We end up being attended by 2 very lovely ladies, both locals with lots of handy information. Shame we’re leaving tomorrow! But the one very helpful tip one of them gave us was about a shortcut home! Excellent! Across the road from the winery is a property up for sale and there’s a track, almost wide enough to drive along, which will take us back to Cemetery Rd, not far from our house! One to remember for next time! We enjoy the wine tasting, and also some cider tasting, there’s a particularly nice apple cider mixed with blackberry, the straight apple is not that impressive, nice, but not anything special.

We move to a table in a sunny spot and peruse the menu. Working backwards from dessert (as you do!), I decide I have to leave room for the cheese plate because it’s all cheeses from the Bruny Island Cheese Co. At some point, our waitress suggests we try the Wallaby San Choy Bow, one of her favourites. We don’t think we can fit it in and still have room for the cheese, so decline. Next thing we know, she presents us with a complimentary tasting serve, and she’s right, it’s really good. What a nice thing for her to do. The cheese plate is served on 2 pieces of an old wine barrel attached underneath with small metal plates, very rustic. I really like it and I ask if they sell them. Sometimes they do, but sadly, they don’t have any old ones they’re getting rid of today. 

By the time we finish up, it’s around 4pm, so we go looking for the shortcut home and find it easily. Much better! The property that’s for sale is called Heron Waters and it’s a little old house, past it’s best but in need of someone to love it again. And oh so handy to the winery! It’s turning colder but I’m keen to find the beach along Cemetery Road that the ladies at the winery told us about, so rugged up, I head back out. I’m surprised at how far Cemetery Rd goes, and I also see some of the holiday houses that I had considered when looking to find something on Bruny. 

Not needing much for dinner, we stay in and stick our heads out every now and then in the hope that tonight will be our Aurora night, but still she doesn’t appear for us.

Exploring South Bruny

Wednesday 13^th Sept, 2017.

I’d read that travel over the roads on Bruny is slower than many people expect when they arrive. I thought I’d allowed for that, but obviously not enough, especially when it’s been raining through the night and early this morning. Cape Bruny Lighthouse and an exploration of Cloudy Bay is on the list for today, lunch at the Bruny Hotel, drive up to Adventure Bay to try and find the elusive white wallabies, and hopefully be back up at The Neck after the council workers have packed up for the day.

I’m lucky to get over 40km/hr on the road down to Cape Bruny and I laugh when we approach a settlement and the posted speed limit is 50km/hr. We drive past some roadworks and the speed limit is 40km/hr, so I’m right at home.

It’s still possible to take a tour of Cape Bruny Lighthouse, and I’m keen. It’s not a particularly tall tower because it’s on a high cape, so shouldn’t be too challenging. It’s $10 per head, per adult, on top of the $24 park entry fee. Why $24? Why not $20? And why not put some of the $$ towards getting the road graded? It’s an honesty system, so it’s doubtful whether or not everyone pays, so why not round it down to $20 or less because it was hard scratching up the $4! Anyway, we paid, then forgot to put the ticket on the windscreen anyway!

Adam was our guide at the lighthouse and he was a bit of a character. He said he was a ‘Sydney boy’, turns out he meant he was a ‘Woy Woy boy’! Damned small world! I did all my schooling at Woy Woy! Cape Bruny was decommissioned and replaced by a solar powered light, but all the parts remain intact. In other lighthouses, the original mechanisms were replaced by the solar light, and they can never go back. Adam told us there’s a group who want to fire up the light again, and turn it red for Dark MOFO. That’d be pretty cool! 

We had no intention of walking down to Lighthouse Beach, but I wanted to visit the graveyard, and that was on the way to the beach. Graveyards can be very poignant places, but this one is especially so, some old graves having been rediscovered in the 1970’s. Priests and doctors were few and far between in the 1800’s, so children often died before they were baptised and therefore buried in graves with no name markers on them. And then over the years, when their family was posted to another station, they were forgotten. I find that really sad, but then I think we’re far more sentimental about these things these days. I am anyway…………. 

Thankfully the rain had let up by the time we got to the lighthouse, but there was an unusual northerly wind blowing today. Unusual because Adam said it was. By the time we got to the Bruny Hotel, it was in time for a late lunch, but worth the wait. We had herb and parmesan crusted Tassie scallops, with chips and salad; and a lamb shoulder slow braised in local honey and Bruny Island beer, served with steamed veggies. Both huge serves and very delicious. 

Quickly ducked back home to light the fire, then we’re off to Adventure Bay. Had thoughts of calling in to the Chocolate place on the way in, but it’s just on 4pm by now and they close at 4. Another one to add to the list for on the way back to the ferry. We get fuel, and then head of in search of the white wallabies. There are Bennett’s wallabies all over the place, some very skittish but many will stand and pose for a photo. There was a sign pointing to the Mavista picnic area and bush walking track, so we figured maybe there’s be wallabies up there. We slowly cruised along the road, wallaby spotting on the way, finally spotting a white one. Then of course, as we drive around to the point, there’s one sitting out in plain site! We’ve spent an hour on the hunt and the sun is slipping behind the hill. Thankfully, The Neck is on the other side of the hill, so the sun is still (just) up when we get there. We just have to find a way to get the car off the road and into the semi completed carpark. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We didn’t come all this way not to climb the many, many stairs to the lookout at the top. Anyway, I didn’t make it to the top, it was a lot windier and colder the higher you went and the view halfway up was very similar to what I expected to see from the top, so halfway was good enough today. I need to leave something in the tank, there’s a strong possibility that the Aurora might make an appearance tonight. 

After dinner, we gather up all our warmest clothes, torches, cameras, tripods and whatever else we think we might need out in the cold tonight. All along the road, there are signs advising that between dusk and dawn, it’s wise to limit your speed to 45km/hr. Both to protect the local wildlife and your vehicle. It is Sooo dark out here at night. There are no street lights, or maybe one at an important intersection, you only have your headlights to light your way, so high beam is the go, everywhere. Again, I’m lucky to be doing 45km/hr and am prepared to quickly get out of the way of cars behind me. Not that there are any! There are very few cars even during the day, although we very nearly got cleaned up this afternoon by an absolute idiot who thought cutting a blind corner would be ok. Lucky he/she was able to avoid us, but I think they may have needed to change their pants! Absolute. Bloody. Idiot. And that was in the daylight! So, out tonight, I notice headlights well back behind us, so I find a likely spot to pull over to let the car catch up and pass us. So what happens? Another bloody idiot! This one stops behind us with the driver’s side headlight blaring into my side mirror. I start cursing about this idiot when the red and blue flashing lights turn on. Oh. It’s the local copper! I didn’t do anything!! His name is Justin and he’s doing breathalysers and sees me as a likely suspect, indicated by my slow driving! We get talking, we’re obviously not from around here, with our NSW rego plates and space pod on the car roof. He asks us what we’re doing and when we tell him we’re out Aurora spotting, we hit a good topic of conversation. Justin tells us he got some good photos last week and his camera is in his truck. Do we want to see his photos? Are we in a hurry? Yes, we’d love to, and no, we’ve got all night! He runs back to grab his camera and turns out he took the photos at the Alonnah pontoon, back in the other direction to where we’re headed. He says he’ll drive in front and that’ll be enough to frighten off the wildlife so we should be ok. He takes off like a scalded cat and by the time we pass by, the wildlife are all back at their posts! One particularly smart wallaby runs in front of the car 3 times. He’s just lucky that I had already stopped. We possibly saw a Tassie Devil, but then definitely saw what looked like a black cat running into the scrub and I don’t think there are any cats on Bruny, so that must have been a Devil. We also saw a possum, not sure what sort, not one that we’ve seen before. Not a brush tail and not a ring tail. 

Cloudy Bay was very nice in the daylight, windy, but nice. Tonight it is bloody freezing and the wind is howling. Maybe not one of our better  ideas. Justin has driven the full length of the beach and all the way back before we decide it’s too damn cold. Next stop south from here is the Antarctic! There’s no sign of any colour in our photos, but the stars are amazing! We figure that it might be more protected at Alonnah, so pack up and crawl back along the road and find the jetty. I recommend reconnaissance is performed in daylight hours. It’s much harder at night. No joy at the jetty either so we head back to our cottage, where we have a southerly view anyway, so if anything happens, we’re as likely to see it from there as anywhere. And it’s warmer, sheltered from the wind, and we can have a glass of wine while we sit watch. Still nothing.  Bummer.  Time to give up.

North Bruny

Tuesday 12 Sept, 2017.

Slow start this morning, we need to catch up with ourselves. The plan today is to head up to North Bruny and explore around Dennes Point. A bit of drizzly rain rolls in, so we take it easy on the gravel road that takes us back to Alonnah, where the road is sealed again. Back through the roadwork at The Neck, past the Bruny Island International Airport, LOL, we skip past the BI Honey and pull in to the BI Cheese Co and BI Beer Co, the cheese being the big drawcard. Trevor’s not keen on boutique beer, so we pass on the tasting paddle, 4 beers for $12. Around the back of the building there’s a big window where you can watch the cheesemakers at work, all very interesting. Back inside, you can see into the cheese room, where there’s a man vacuum cleaning the cheeses and turning them on to clean shelves. Oh, to be turned loose in there!! Of course, the obligatory tour arrives right after us, so the tasting counter is engulfed, and we don’t want to get caught up in that, so explore the other items on the shelves, mostly goodies in jars. Relishes, pickles, honeys, pickled walnuts, it just went on and on. Eventually, the tasting counter cleared and we were able to taste all the cheeses without the crowd. No surprise that I liked the soft ones the best and Trevor preferred the hard ones. Problem was that the soft ones only came in one size for purchase (large) and Trevor didn’t really want to buy the hard ones. Maybe we’ll just go back for another taste another day! 

We’d already decided that we were going to have lunch at Get Shucked, the oyster farm and oyster bar. Best decision ever! We started with the mixed dozen oysters, 4 natural, 4 kilpatrick and 4 Asian Fusion. The Asian Fusion were out of this world and I could have eaten them all day! Crumbed and fried oysters, topped with a sprinkle of mustard seeds and chilli, served in the shell on a bed of thin rice noodles, finely chopped veg (carrot, red cabbage, spring onion) with an asian dressing made from soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, mustard seeds, (bit odd but good) something else …………………………… can’t remember.

We went back for more Asian Fusion oysters and also tried the oyster wontons, which were a bit disappointing, they were deep fried and we were imagining that they’d be steamed. The guy behind the counter who served us was very knowledgeable about oysters and their cultivation and the amount of oysters they shuck per day over summer is staggering. There is an indoor seating area as well as an outdoor undercover area, and the grounds are home to some interesting metal sculptures, made from old bits and pieces; horseshoes, big drill bits, old chain, car springs and pick heads. Very creative.

From there we head north again to do a lap around the northern end of the island, out to Barnes Bay, Quarantine Bay, Killora, Nebraska Beach and Dennes Point on the northernmost tip. It’s at this point that the submarine cable comes across with electricity from Tinderbox, on the Tasmanian mainland. I looked at an Airbnb place at Dennes Point. I’m glad I decided against booking in there. It was only because it was so far to one end of the island, Lunawanna is fairly in the middle, always a good choice in my opinion. The old quarantine station would have been an interesting spot to have a look at but, of course, it’s closed today. Only open Thurs – Mon. Not sure what’s so special in there that they keep it behind a locked gate, but anyway………….. their loss! Nebraska Beach is interesting. On the way down the hill, it looked like bathing boxes on the foreshore, but when we got there, we weren’t really sure what they were. Maybe they were boatsheds?? Who knows? 

It’s been very slow going around this end of the island. The roads are mostly gravel and even though in good condition, they’re windy, hilly and narrow, and it’s a wet day, and we barely see another car all the way around. We find a good spot to pull off the road and take some photos across the channel to the mainland, there’s a left hand hairpin bend past the quarantine station and the spot is before you get to Killora. The weather is still drizzly rain, but the view would be fantastic on a good day. It’s not looking good for Aurora spotting tonight. And there’s nothing we need to come back to Dennes Point for. 

Surprisingly the council workers are still on-site at The Neck when we come through at 4.30, we thought they’d be gone by now, so we plan to try again tomorrow and hopefully the weather will be better. By the time we get home and start the fire, it’s nearly 5pm but I take my glass of wine out onto the front verandah anyway. It’s not all that cold, and the view is worth it.

Back to Bruny

Monday 11^th Sept, 2017.

We’re heading back to Bruny Island today, this time for 4 nights. No rush to get going, we just need to be out of our hotel room by 10am but I think we’re out by 9.30. We walk down to the shopping centre to buy the groceries we need to be self-sufficient for breakfasts and dinners on the island. We buy Tassie salmon steaks, pork chops and a butterflied chicken, so that’ll be enough for 4 dinners, with ingredients for salad accompaniments. 

We spotted some shops yesterday that we wanted to stop off at on the way to Kettering today, added to by talking to a lady at the Bruny Island Café yesterday who gave us the head’s up on a few off the main road. We possibly spent a bit too much time poking around because we just made the 3.30 ferry, so didn’t get to our temporary home till nearly 4.30. Doesn’t matter, we explored a bit and picked up some op shop bargains. Salvos and Vinnies at Kingston; Lifeline ‘Chosen Pieces’ at Kingston Beach, and the 2^nd hand store at Kingston Beach, all worth a look. Lunch was at the Kingston Beach Corner Takeaway, good burgers, but the fellow behind the counter could do with some customer relations training. We didn’t see the Salty Dog Hotel across the road, that might have been a better option. Heading to Margate, we drive through Blackman's Bay, recommended to us by Casey, wife of Jeff's nephew.

When we were in the 2^nd hand shop, I was reminded of the Tip Shop at Margate, we had to stop in there! Somehow, we had it in our head that the next ferry to Bruny was 4pm, so we called in at the tip shop and had a decent look around then headed to the ferry in case it was busy. No, the next ferry was actually 3.30. We made it with 10 minutes to spare! We were on the bottom deck on the way back yesterday and it was so tight where we were that we couldn’t even open the door to get out of the car. We were on the bottom deck again today, but further forward, so there was a bit more room and we could get out and watch where we were going. 

The drive to Lunawanna is fairly easy, and we don’t stop off on the way. It’s always busy straight off the ferry but the cars eventually turn off at different places, so eventually, we have the raod to ourselves. The biggest disappointment so far is that the lookout at The Neck is closed for improvement work, so there is no chance of stopping in there and getting the iconic photos from this place. Although, if we are in the right place at the right time, ie after the workers have left for the day, we might be able to sneak through the barriers. Problem with that is that the workers don’t leave till nearly 5 o’clock, not your typical council workers! We’ll see………………… 

Our accommodation, Aisling, at Lunawanna, is just perfect! There is a combustion fire that we start up straight away although the house isn’t as cold as we expected it to be. While Trevor unpacks and gets settled in, I go for a quick walk up the road to see if there’s a way through from the end of our street, King St, onto Bruny Main Rd. It’ll make the walk to the Bruny Island Winery much quicker. The map shows that the road joins the main rd but we didn’t see it on the way in. It doesn’t join up. There’s a bit of a gully between the end of our road and the main road which wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for the big wet bit in the very bottom. Nothing that a thick wooden plank across it wouldn’t fix! Mustn’t suit the locals to have people going through that way. So it looks like if we walk to the winery, it’ll be the long way around. About 1.5km.

Walking back down to the waterfront and along to the left, I find the track down on to the beach that our host told us about, and also a spot to collect pine cones for the fire. This house is fantastic, I can easily see us coming back here.

Bruny Island cruise and a special dinner.

Sunday 10^th Sept, 2017.

Part of the planning for the birthday weekend, was a Bruny Island cruise, which involved crossing over to Bruny Island on the vehicular ferry, then driving to Adventure Bay to the departure point of the Pennicott wilderness cruise, the same company we did the Tasman Island cruise with last week. For the less mobile, the Tasman Island cruise would probably be better. For this one, we parked about 100m down the road from the office, then walked another 150-200m to the jetty, whereas with the TP cruise, we parked practically at the door and were bussed to the jetty and didn’t have to walk very far at all. Not a problem for us, but might matter to some. The locals probably know to expect brown’s cows wandering down the street at whatever time it was!

We had to leave Hobart by about 7.45-8am to be at Kettering in time for the 9am ferry, to be at Adventure Bay for the 11am departure time of the cruise. BTW, ‘cruise’ is a term used very loosely. They both have the potential to be very rough! We make the 9am ferry with no problem, except for a slight navigation problem, which sees us turn off one street too soon before the ferry terminal. It’s a bright, sunny day and it looks as though we’re going to have a terrific time. We board easily, apparently at a place where Captain Cook landed back in the day, and head east around Penguin Island, out into the open seas. The captain of the boat is again, very professional and takes no risks during the day, thankfully! The Fluted Cape is something special, topped only by the sea cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula for the title of the southern hemisphere’s tallest sea cliffs. I’ve got to say, the scenery along this coast is pretty much all beaten by the coast along the Tasman Peninsula. If I could only do one of these cruises, the TP would be the pick. The captain, sorry, I forget his name, was a very informative and interesting guide, with enough humour thrown in to keep the info from being dry, and he was also a very skilful navigator, taking no unnecessary chances with his cargo. 

We stopped to look at the Arched Cave, which funnily has one golden arch curved over it. The gold colour is caused by iron oxide. Thanks Trevor for reminding me. 2 sets of ears on the job is much better! There’s another spot that we stop at where there is a rock stack called the Madonna and if the sea is really calm, they drive the boat between the mainland and the stack, but today there is a bit of a swell running, so is not safe. We also stop to see a Blowhole pumping, that’s always fun to see. 

The run down south to the Bridge Rock and The Friars takes about 15 minutes and it’s tough going. We’re running headfirst into a 3 metre swell and it’s like we’re on a roller-coaster! The squeals of some of the passengers are really funny, you can tell when we hit the crest and the water drops away from under the boat. Sometimes the captain backs off the throttle, that’s when you know the drop is going to be bigger. Fun at first, but 15 minutes worth becomes a bit tedious. The payoff when we get as far south as ‘The Friars’, the edge of the Southern Ocean, is the fur seal ‘bachelor pad’ on the rocks. This is also the point at which we meet up with the other 2 boats running the cruise today; being Sunday, it’s in high demand. The other payoff is that we’re sheltered here from the swell coming from the south, so it’s a great relief from the ups and downs. 

From here, we head back to Adventure Bay, stopping whenever an interesting seabird flies past. With a following swell, it’s a much calmer trip, but several people finally succumb to motion sickness. The rest of the party group are sitting at the rear of the boat, the most stable part of the boat, also the part of the boat the sickies head for because of the stability. So glad we opted for the middle section! 

Back to dry land, a toilet stop and time to head back to the ferry. We’ve got a 6.30pm booking for dinner at a very nice restaurant, so we need to be on the 5pm ferry at the latest. Seeing as we’re coming back to Bruny for a few days, we don’t stop anywhere on the way back, but the others do and, long story short, they miss the ferry. Arrangements are made to push the restaurant booking back to 7pm, so we have a bit of breathing space to shower and change before going to dinner. It’s at Mure’s, not that far from where we’re staying so decide to walk.

We don’t arrive much before the others, just enough to check out the wine list and see that they mark up the Frogmore Creek wines by 100%. Not a good first impression. Trevor and I both order the seafood laksa and it’s really good, but I don’t think it matters where we eat, it’s the company that makes the meal. We can see ‘The Drunken Admiral’ across the dock and Craig tells us that it’s a really good place to eat too. Maybe we’ll find out when we come back to Hobart next weekend.

Dessert is an ice cream downstairs, and I have a lemon gelato, which unfortunately doesn’t compare to Anita’s in Sydney. Turns out, all the ice creams are Streets, which is a bit disappointing, when you would expect Mure’s to showcase the local Valhalla ice creams. Out in the carpark, there is a fabric item on the ground. We assume it’s a t-shirt, but on closer inspection, it’s a black bra. Crikey!! It must be a 20DD!! No-one is game to go near it, it might be booby-trapped! We walk back with Tarasa and Shane as far as the Woolstore and say our goodbyes, they’re flying out early in the morning. We’ve had a fun time with them.

There's got to be a morning after.

Saturday 9^th Sept, 2017.

Cindy has told us she’ll pick us up at 11.30 today, so we’re in no hurry to get going. We need a few things from the shops, so head off to find them. Just 2 blocks away, again, very handy. 

Looks like Craig has pulled up alright after last night, he’s in the car with Cindy, which is nice. I wasn’t sure if he was going to be coming with us today. Everyone has friends that are so dear they are considered family, and Cindy has Jamie, a lovely guy who we saw at the party last night but didn’t actually get to meet. Turns out he and his wife Lutzea are scientists who work at the University of Tasmania and Mt Pleasant, so they took us on a guided tour. It’s such interesting stuff, they monitor  ‘noise’ from space and different observatories around the world monitor the same part of space at the same time and they can deduct all sorts of interesting conclusions from the information. Things like the rate at which the Earth’s rotation is slowly yearly and the rate at which the tectonic plates move. Jamie explains the observatory as being one ear on space, and (say) Hawai’i is another ear and between them they ‘hear’ space.

On site is the Grote Reber  museum showcasing the life and work of Tasmanian radio astronomer Grote Reber, the father of radio astronomy. He was born in the USA but came to Tassie in the 1950’s because of the location, being high magnetic latitude in the southern hemisphere. Google the guy, he’s incredibly interesting. 

Very conveniently, just down the hill, is one of the Coal Valley’s vineyards, Frogmore Creek Winery, so we have to stop in a have a taste, which turns into a bit of a session, and why not, when you’re in the comfy lounge in front of a massive fireplace chugging away nicely. We buy a bottle of the Pinot Grigio because it’s the pick of them, in our opinion. The reds are not as sturdy as the reds we’re used to from the Hunter, so we pass on them. Tastings are available at the cellar door, for just a couple there is no charge, but if you want to sample the whole list (8 wines, 1 sparkling, 3 whites, 3 reds and a dessert wine) there is a charge of $5, refundable with purchase. There were 5 of us doing the whole list tasting, and when we bought our bottle, we were only charged for 2 tastings, so that’s pretty good. The cellar door is expansive and beautiful, full restaurant facilities, or you can do what we did and just sit and have a bottle. For the warmer weather there is also a very nice outdoor area overlooking the vineyard, but that damn radio dish spoils the view somewhat. LMAO! Apparently some bigwig with a property across the road complained when the dish was being relocated from closer to Hobart due to light pollution. It’s now out a bit past Cambridge, 12 kms from Hobart but could be 100kms away, so lovely, not unlike the Murrumbateman wine area, outside Canberra.

We can’t spend all afternoon out here though, Craig has another 50^th birthday to go to, so we get dropped back at our hotel and Tarasa and Shane are going to pick us up later and take us out to Cindy and Craig’s for dinner. There’s quite a bit of food that never made it out at the party last night, so it’s our task to help clean it up! Tarasa and Shane have been hiking up on Mt Wellington this afternoon while we’ve been lounging around at the winery,and boy, did they see some dumb-arses! It’s no wonder people go missing or turn up with frost bite! The top gates were closed due to snow so it wasn’t possible to drive all the way to the top, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Tarasa and Shane have all the right clothing for the conditions, as they hike a lot, but they saw people in runners, lightweight clothes, shorts even! They were sensible enough to realise they weren’t going to make the top before it got dark and on their way back down they tried to talk others into turning back, but they wouldn’t because they figured it was better to continue on and walk back down the road. Didn’t hear about anyone being lost up there that night, so it all must have ended well. I really like Tarasa, she makes me laugh.

Party time!

Friday 8^th Sept, 2017.

The big day has arrived. It’s party time! We’re meeting Cindy, Tarasa and Shane at the Mount Nelson Signal Station for lunch at midday and it’s about a 2 hour drive to there from Taranna, and we’ll also be glad to see the back of this place, although once we got used to the bits we didn’t like, it wasn’t totally awful, and the owners were really nice. And we really cranked the fire up last night!

We stopped off on the way to lunch at Rosny Hill for our first look at Hobart. There’s a really good view from up there, especially in the morning, as you’re facing west and the sun is behind you. We had to drive through the middle of Hobart and out the other side to get to Mt Nelson, but it was nothing like driving in Sydney or Melbourne! Lots of streets have been made one way to improve circulation, in the same way as Perth. Must be a pain for the old time locals, but for us, it wasn’t a problem.

The signal station was used back in the day to send semaphore signals to various parts within line of sight and then relayed further. The signal was sent from here, either back to Hobart or across the Derwent to Mt Augustus and on to Port Arthur, the convict settlement. The views would be spectacular with a bit of judicious tree pruning, but that seems to be the way with a lot of lookouts these days. 

Lunch was pretty good, Trevor got his first taste of Tassie seafood in a huge bowl of seafood chowder.  I think Cindy will be glad when the surprise is sprung tonight and she can relax again. 

After lunch, we could check in to our hotel, the Fountainside in Hobart, a handy location as it turned out.

Check in was simple and we were quickly up in our room, number 56. Close to the elevator and with a nice view over what was known as the Railway Roundabout. I can’t figure out why they stopped train services in Tassie. Anyway …………….. I need to stretch my legs, so go in the direction of the International Tennis Centre, the venue for the party, to see if we can walk there, but it’s up a big hill, and when I get close to the top, I spot the Cenotaph near the waterfront, so head back down the hill in that direction. I walk for half an hour, but it’s enough to get a feel for the place. I like it. The only thing that would make our hotel room better would be access to a washing machine. I really have to remember to book that in future. Talking to Tarasa later, we find out that they have a washing machine in their studio at the Old Woolstore, but we couldn’t book in there because Craig works there and we couldn’t blow the surprise. As far as he knows, we’re coming down for a visit next month! That was the ruse Cindy and I used so we could discuss things for Trevor and I to do!

It was so nice to walk in and the room be warm already and there’s carpet underfoot! Before we know it, it’s time to get ready and get ourselves up to the Tennis Centre. Craig is brought there under false pretences, of course, and we spring the surprise. He says later that he had no idea until he got near to the top of the stairs. Gotta love a successful surprise party! Everybody has a really good night, it’s a great success. Well done Cindy and her co-conspirators! I considered walking up and back because it’s not far, but it’s all uphill on the way there, and add to that, it’s raining, so we arrange an Uber ride. Turns out to be $7.50 each way, which seems expensive for the distance. Tarasa and Shane get a taxi from the Woolstore, only a block or so away from us (and the venue) and it costs them less. Go figure. Maybe there’s a minimum charge for Uber??

Cindy has arranged for us to have a private tour of the Mt Pleasant Radio Astronomy Observatory and Grote Reber Museum at Cambridge tomorrow, thankfully not till midday, so although it’s after midnight when we get to bed, we’re not in any hurry to get going in the morning.

Tasman Island cruise.

Thursday 7^th Sept, 2017.

The plan is to leave home around 8.45 to be at the Port Arthur office of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, the operator of our Tasman Island cruise. You’d expect that an operator who has run these tours for many years to have everything down to the minute, and they do. I’m incredibly impressed by their operation. Already this morning, a coach has travelled in to Hobart, picked up some customers, brought them over to the TP, fed and watered them with morning tea and rendezvoused with the local passengers bang on the appointed time. We jump in the coach and Phil drives us back past our accomm to the jetty at Pirate Bay where our boat awaits. When we checked in at the office, the staff ensured that we were suitably layered up and had beanies and gloves. Apparently it can be up to 15 degrees colder out on the water. We take all that is offered, even though we think we’re sufficiently dressed.

Appropriately safety briefed and itinerary explained by our guide, Ange, we board the boat and don our full length red rain coats, another layer to cut the wind. VIP lounge is behind the captain’s area (recommended for those with back or neck injuries, your pregnant ladies, or those who suffer motion sickness) this is the most stable section of the boat. Forward of the captain is the next most stable, the mid-section of the boat, also under cover, 4 seats across so everyone gets a good view. There is also ample opportunity to get up and walk around when the boat stops at photo opportunities at which time the captain (today it’s Kane) will rotate the boat so that everyone gets the best view. Up at the front, the first 4 rows are where you will feel the most motion and the thrill seekers sit there. The tour is not at full capacity today so there is plenty of room to move on board.

The ideal tour goes as far south as Tasman Island to see the lighthouse and the station where the provisions (and people) were delivered to the island. I can’t remember exactly when people stopped manning the light, but I know it’s now run by solar power, and once a year, as a fund raiser, people are helicoptered onto the island for a tour of the 3 x 5 bedroom lighthouse keeper’s cottages and the lighthouse. Not so many years ago, a heavy sea mist rolled in and the visitors couldn’t be transferred back and had to stay the night at the lighthouse. They got their money’s worth!!

We didn’t get to see any whales today, it was a possibility as it’s their migration season, heading south again, but we did see fur seals and sea lions, albatross, gannets and white chested gulls. Certainly enough to keep everyone happy. I clicked away madly with the camera and I think I got some good shots.

Seeing some of the geography from the water that we saw on land yesterday added a different perspective and really, there’s nothing better. If you ever get the chance to take this ride, do it!! You won’t be sorry.

Yesterday’s tour had to turn back once they had reached Cape Hauy due to the deteriorating weather. We were very lucky to be able to go further and on to the Tasman Island and see the lighthouse, but the weather quickly closed in and we then had to hightail it back to Pirate’s Bay. But, hey, I was more than happy! We got sky blue photos at the Candlestick and Totem Pole, a big tick off my list!

The trip back was less than pleasant, but we knew that a change was on the way with 40 knot winds and due to hit between 11 and 1. Once we had seen the best view of the Tasman Island lighthouse, Trevor heard Ange ask Kane “where to now?” Kane replied “we have to get out of here now!” The rain had started and the open sections of water we had to cross were a trial but still fun, we certainly knew we were alive!! Most of the time, we all sat, heads down holding on to our hoodies, occasionally sneaking a peak at the passing scenery. By the time we reached the shelter of Pirate’s Bay, the sun was trying to push through and it was a nice drive back to the office.

Of course, that didn’t last long and soon enough, it was raining again. We headed home for lunch and for some thinking time about the afternoon’s plans. We had talked about going to the Coal Mines Convict site and also going to Slopen Main to see Cathryn’s holiday ‘shack’. We figured we might as well give it a go, who knows, the sun might be out by the time we get there.

It seems a long way out to Slopen Main, but of course, it’s quicker on the way back. There’s a beach that would be nice in summer, but not today. It’s a total getaway location. I think once you got here you wouldn’t be running to the shop because you ran out of milk. Bring everything with you and totally relax for a week. Nice!

We found the Coal Mine site easily enough and it even stopped raining long enough for us to walk around the ‘main settlement’ site. That’s where we figured the best ruins would be. It was interesting and I hope I got some nice photos.

From there we drove out to the point at Lime Bay where there’s a camping ground and some hardy souls were setting up to camp for the night. Brrrr!

We headed home, cranked up the fire and cooked our Tassie lamb chops that we bought at the butcher’s at Sorell. Very tender and tasty.

Life on the TP - the Tasman Peninsula.

Wednesday 6^th Sept, 2017.

I can put up with a lot when it comes to travelling, but when everything seems to go sufficiently wrong to annoy and it all piles up, I crack it! The bed was comfy and I was warm all night, so on that front I’m good. But is it too much to ask for a shower that functions like a shower? You know, with water at a comfortable temperature? Seems like it. The shower here has taken some figuring out. Turn the hot tap on full, then add in a tiny amount of cold to prevent scalding. Too much cold, and it takes over, very tricky and not constant. Also very annoying.

At least there’s a teapot, so I can have a decent cuppa with breakfast. I usually only have one, but a big mug size. Here, there’s little teacups, so I constantly refill from the pot. I’ve read reviews of this accommodation, people rave over how nice it is. I’m not seeing it, and although I’ll be polite, I’d never come back and stay here. It’s just so annoying that I took such pains to find somewhere nice for us to stay. I’m a very practical person, and there’s so much here that’s not practical.

One thing I forgot to check on before I booked was access to laundry facilities. Big mistake, there are none, so we have to locate the laundrette near Port Arthur village. Big chunk of our morning used up doing washing. Again, not terribly happy. The water trickles slowly into the machine, like an old man with a prostate problem…………… So, once we’ve got this sorted, it’ll be back to the shack to drop it off and have some lunch. Hopefully the sun will stay out this arvo so we can do some tourist stuff.

Back out and about, we decide to hit the main tourist spots, starting with the Pirate Bay Lookout, where of course, it started to rain. It didn’t hang around long though, so with a bit of patience, we saw a spectacular view, right down the coastline to Cape Raoul, shrouded slightly by more rain. It was cold and windy, so gloves and beanies were the go, along with warm coats. We watched some Superb Fairy Wrens jumping around on the grass and managed to get some photos, then there was a little red breasted bird, still don’t know what it was. Next attraction south was the Tessellated Pavement, self explanatory and quite a large area, although lots of it was covered with that slimy, slippery green mossy looking weed, so carefully placed steps were needed.

On to the Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen, impressive but not on the scale of the coastline along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Back through Doo-Town, where many houses have ‘doo’ names, eg Doo-Little, Much Adoo, Doo F**k All (our favourite) you get the idea, to the Blowhole which was underwhelming, we saw a better one later near the Remarkable Cave. After all that, we decided to do a lap around the peninsula which is when we made the fortunate decision to visit the Remarkable Cave. Many steps down to the viewing platform, but well worth the effort. There were rocks down there the size of your head that had been rubbed smooth by the action of the sea. Think river pebbles on steroids.

Back to base and got the fire going, all ahead full tonight, stack the wood up and get it really raging! Much better. Still a bit of smoke around, but not as bad as last night. I guess that’s the difference between the slow combustion heater that we’re used to and an open fire. Early start tomorrow, we booked the Tasman Island cruise yesterday while we were near the office doing our washing.

Fresh Tassie salmon for dinner tonight.

A chilly welcome.

Tuesday 5^th Sept.

Very early start this morning, 5.45am. Time to get dressed and pack up our stuff and wait in one of the lounges till our car deck is called. We’re sitting in our car by 6.30 or so and wait a short while until the person who is late to their car (isn’t there always one?) arrives to move and unblock the disembarkation procedure. It’s probably the guy we sat near in the lounge. He said he didn’t remember where he parked his car! The crew were very specific and said to everyone near us, ‘remember, deck 5, blue, port’. Not a lot to remember! Leaving was a much quicker process than boarding, thankfully.

It’s more than a bit chilly outside and as we leave Devonport, we find out why. There’s snow on the nearby mountains and when we get to the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm for breakfast, there’s a heavy frost on the ground. Trevor has seen frosts like this, but I haven’t, probably because he’s up and off to work earlier and goes to places where the frost hangs around all morning.

Breakfast is delicious and we’re glad we waited to eat there. Once we’re done, Trevor heads for the car and I go for a walk around the farm lake and to check out the grounds. There’s a couple of Alpacas near the fence and I’m not sure if they’ve come over for a pat or just to look at the crazy lady walking around in the cold. By the time I get back to the car, I can’t feel my fingers…………   that’s ok, right?

Back on the road, heading for the Tasman Peninsula, I’m a bit concerned about the road conditions vs speed limit signs. There’s no way I would consider travelling at the posted 100km/hr on these single lane roads, and I do my best to get out of the way of those who fancy their driving skills enough to go faster. There’s inconsiderate drivers everywhere I know, but these guys are a special kind of inconsiderate! When there is an overtaking lane, I pull into the left lane and even slow down, even though this bit of the road is better quality and I could go faster. So what happens? They sit on my tail until there’s 500m before we merge again, and then they go for it! I had to hit the brakes on several occasions to let them by before I merged. Happened nearly every time! Made for an even more stressful day!

We stopped in Campbell Town to see the Red Bridge, built by convicts in the 1860’s, and discover some tree stumps in the adjacent park that have been carved into ‘stories’ by one of the locals. Are they still called stumps when they’re 20 feet tall? I knew about the bridge but I didn’t know about the carvings, so that was a nice surprise.  2 ‘wide load’ escort vehicles roll down the road pushing both lanes of traffic onto the verge. Whatever is coming, it must be big! Looking up the road, there’s 2 low-loaders with buildings on them, quite new looking. “Extreme caravanning” I joke to the man next to me who is also taking photos.

Next stop is a little place called Ross, where the convict built bridge is the oldest one left. Very photogenic it is too! And there’s an old church on top of the hill, and also the Australian Wool Centre, which is worth a visit. Lots of gorgeous clothes, from high fashion to kids jumpers and cardigans, all made from Aussie wool. And out in the back room, is a display of the story of wool in Australia, along with a large John Olsen ‘Tree of Life’ tapestry. Basically, I’m stopping in everywhere to avoid being out on the damned road! The Ross Bakery has a rather strange claim to fame. It’s alleged that it was the inspiration for a Japanese anime film called “Kiki’s Home Delivery’. I’ve seen it and it’s basically about a pretty, young witch who does home deliveries on her broomstick from a bakery in a quaint little seaside town. That’s all I remember. How a little town in the middle of Tasmania inspired it, I’ll never know, and guess what? Closed Tuesdays, so we couldn’t go inside! Japanese tourists flock to Ross all year round to visit the bakery, hopefully they know it’s closed on Tuesdays! I’m sceptical about the link, but it’s a great tourist drawcard!

We eventually make our way to Sorell, the town to stock up on groceries before we head over to the Tasman Peninsula. The Sorell Café makes burgers, so that’s lunch, and we’re very impressed with them. We buy enough food for a couple of lunches and dinners, and luckily we’re in the habit of taking our green bags with us to the supermarket because I forgot that here in Tassie, plastic shopping bags are not given freely like at home.

More shit roads and shit drivers with a few showers of rain thrown in, and we eventually arrive at our base for the next 3 nights, Taranna Cottages. Sounded really good when I booked – cosy, rustic, open fire, self contained accommodation, except when we get there, we’re told we can’t leave the fire burning overnight, and the little fan heaters which are the alternative heat source can’t be used overnight either. Ok, we can live with that, the bed looks comfy and there’s an electric blanket and Trevor intends to leave his on all night! It’s just after 4pm when we arrive so we get the fire going straight away. Might as well while we can. Most of the smoke goes up the chimney but the smell doesn’t go with it and it irritates my nose which I really don’t need on top of the cold that I still have. The fireplace is so shallow that you can’t get a really hot fire going to draw the smoke up the chimney efficiently. The owner told Trevor that there’d been a house fire in one of the cottages which is why they ask guests not to burn the fire overnight or while they’re out during the day. If I owned these 3 cottages, I’d suck it up and put in slow combustion burners so there’d be no risk of another fire. And maybe chuck in some column heaters, surely they’d be more efficient than these little buzz box electric heaters.

After a big breakfast and a big lunch, we don’t need much for dinner, so that’s easy. I go for a walk around the front paddock and Marje (host) spots me and explains the extent of the property and suggests I might like to go for a walk up the back, past the neighbour’s dam and potentially spot some wildlife. Keen to stretch my legs after a day of driving, I head up there but soon realise I should have brought the camera, so go back for it, carrying some sticks with me for tomorrow’s fire. Back up at the dam, I see a little black wallaby hopping about, actually thumping about, you hear them before you see them! I wait and wait at the dam, hopeful of seeing a Tassie Devil, but no luck.

Back at the cottage, the place smells like smoke………. Not happy.

First impressions of Tassie? Don’t ask………..

Heading for the Spirit of Tasmania.

Monday Sept 4^th, 2017.

Not far to go today from Nagambie to Melbourne, about a 2 hour drive. First thing though, I want to take another photo of the Black Caviar statue down by the lake, due to the setting sun yesterday, I didn’t get the angle with his name plate on the plinth.

Melbourne is very different to Sydney. One minute, you’re out in the bush, the next, you’re on a 4 lane highway! The original plan had been to go to Savers at Footscray and look for a cheap Thermos, but we picked one up in Albury, so Trevor thought we no longer needed to go to Savers. Really??!! Pass an opportunity to go to Savers?? I don’t think so!! Anyway, he’s the navigator and I’m the driver, stressed to the max, driving in a city where I’ve only ever caught a train or tram, or be driven by someone who knows what they’re doing! We get to Footscray and it’s blowing a gale, there’s a strong wind warning for most of Victoria today and we hear later that it’s snowing in parts of Tassie! Brrrrr! Savers is really busy, probably due to the weather and I’m not really in the mood for it after the stresses of the drive, so, with hunger calling we head off back to the car and eat our picnic lunch. Yes, in the carpark of Footscray Plaza!! Liquorland at FP is out of both the bottles of spirits that I was going to take to Tassie, so after some thought, I remember that there’s a Liquorland at Yarraville, Patrick’s local supermarket. It would have been nice to go into the village, but parking is always a challenge, so we settle for the newer centre. Must be a different demographic over here, both the spirits I want are on the shelf, and both on sale. Score!! Way too early to be anywhere near the pier, so we sit at Antipasti Deli and Café and have a coffee. That kills a bit more time. Grab some fuel and bite the bullet to cross the Westgate Bridge and get closer to Port Melbourne. I know there’s a Bunnings close by, and also having read that parking around this neck of the woods close to the pier is all ticket parking it’s happy days when we find we can park on the street across the road from Bunnings for as long as we want, for free! I head over there and walk a few laps just to get my steps up for the day, and it feels good to be walking instead of sitting in the car. I got a text message from SpoT to say that boarding would commence at 5.30pm, not 5pm as advertised due to ‘unforseen circumstances’. Something involving a fire truck we discover later.

According to Google maps it’s about a 5 minute drive to the pier from where we are, so allowing a bit extra for traffic, we set off about 5.15 and find ourselves in the queue, but fairly close to the pier, so in 2 hours, we are on board, bags dumped in our cabin (8010) and glasses charged! Not a bad effort. Dinner is quite good in the restaurant, I forget the restaurant name, but options are limited if you don’t eat there. $24.50 is the price for an adult and you can help yourself to one plate of food. Plenty. Good vegetarian options too.

It’s been a long and stressful day, and looking at a very early start tomorrow, so by 10pm we’re in bed. The Captain announced that we should hit Bass Strait around 10pm and then we’ll notice the swell. The seas are forecast to be 3-5m, so should be a comfortable crossing. At 10.15 I was awakened by the pitching of the boat and a couple of times I thought I wasn’t in contact with the mattress! But still felt like I slept ok.

Off the beaten track. Gundagai to Nagambie.

Sunday, Sept 3^rd, 2017.

I read in the motel info booklet about Dr Gabriel, the local man for whom the motel was named. He lived downstairs from what is now the IGA in town, and when he died in 1927, his residence was boarded up and left untouched until 1957 when someone decided the town needed a supermarket. So, in they went, into a 1927 time capsule! Amongst Dr Gabriel’s belongings were multiple small boxes, each containing glass plate negatives of all the photos he had taken around town. What a find! Apparently they are on display somewhere in town, but being a Sunday morning (cue the crickets) nothing is open, so we have no hope of seeing them. Something for next time! We drive around to have a quick look at the “historic” train station and snap a few pics in that area.

Couldn’t help myself, I had to go back and see those historical bridges again in the morning light. And, it’s sort of on the way back to the Hume. The cows are closer to the bridges today, so not wanting to disturb them, I give them a wide berth.

Once back on the highway, it’s south to Albury with a few pit stops on the way, and lo and behold, we drive right by a Bunnings, so duck in and buy a thermos (to add to the collection we have at home!!) Ruth had mentioned there were nice spots to picnic along the river so we found a picnic table at the Mungabareena Reserve. Bit windy and cloudy, but did the job. Good day for driving today, overcast and threatening rain. I’m feeling a little better today, but realise I’m not going to manage all the driving, so about 30km from Violet Town, I give up and let Trevor take over so I can have a bit of a nap. He makes sure I’m awake coming in to Violet Town.

I made a point that we drive through Violet Town to take a photo of the name sign for Miss Violet and I was amazed to see the sign was an artwork by Michael Leunig! I read he lives in the Strathbogie area, so maybe he’s in V. Town! Trevor thinks he has the navigating sorted, he just has to get us onto the 365, a nice straight run to Nagambie. He even comments as we drive through Violet Town about how many turns the satnav is taking us on. Turns out we’re making really good time………….. on the wrong road! Lucky I didn’t go back to sleep or we’d have ended up in Queensland! We needed to be on the 345, not the 365!! Crisis averted and we’re son back on the right road. Nice place this Violet Town. I thought it the first time we drove through, it was even nicer the 2^nd time!

Our room tonight is in Nagambie, a small town off the main drag, quite a fair bit off actually, but we’ve stopped in all the usual places people stop along the Hume and I wanted to see somewhere new. We’re at the Centretown Motel, a short stroll from Nagambie Lake, where recently a statue of Black Caviar and jockey has been erected. There’s also a big statue of a pelican, wings spread, catching the breeze off the lake. Big wide streets with a big verge up the middle, part of the charm of a country town, although it’s really difficult to get a handle on a town in these parts on the weekend.

We arrived shortly after 3pm, and by 4pm we were settled in and ready to explore the main street, scout possible dinner locations and go for a stroll around as much of the lake as we could. It’s a massive lake, so going all the way round would be impossible. And of course, there’s a new land release for sale, a waterfront estate. It would be interesting to know how much they’re asking. Seems the horse industry is big business around here, so if you’re not a ‘horsey’ person, I don’t know what you’d do for work.

My head is about to explode!! They have schooners in Victoria! Finally, they’re coming around to our way of thinking! We have dinner at the local rowing club, roast du jour for me, and wanting to blend in, a chicken parma for Trevor.

On the road again.

Saturday, Sept 2^nd,2017.

After 35 years of waiting for the right time to visit Tassie, we’re finally on our way. I wanted to go to Tasmania for our honeymoon, but the travel agent asked if I liked the cold and I replied that I didn’t mind, but my fiancé hated it. So he said, ‘don’t go in May’. So we didn’t and never got around to it in all the years since. Until now!

The first rest stop off the end of the M7 was very busy, complete with coffee/food van, because, you know, coffee!! There was also a fruit and veg truck selling the yummiest looking produce, but as we can’t take anything with us to Tassie, we don’t even look. We crack out our carrot sticks and hommus and it’s then that Trevor confesses to thinking about bringing a thermos so we could make a cuppa on the road………. Grey nomad fail!! I didn’t even think of it!! So, we might have to try and buy one along the way. It would be very handy.

We had lunch at the General Store in Marulan and were surprised by the food. We had first stopped at the Meridian Café, but it was a bit highbrow for what we were after, so we wandered down the street and stumbled upon the General Store. Basic sandwiches (on Turkish) and burgers, run by a lovely Malaysian man who noticed my Georgetown t-shirt and struck up a conversation. Small world!

It’s been months in the planning (as all our trips are!) and tonight we are ensconced in a motel room in Gundagai. The Gabriel, cheap and cheerful, comfy enough. We ate dinner at the Criterion Hotel just down the road, and really, can you beat a country pub for a plate of food you can barely jump over, for under $30?

Gundagai is famous for ‘The Dog on the Tuckerbox’ just north of town, but as we’d stopped off there many years ago with the boys in tow, we pass on it today. I think I’ve got a cold, hit me like a tonne of bricks last night, I crumpled like a cheap suit! So everything today has been a bigger effort than usual. I had to stretch my legs though when we arrived in town, so I went for a walk down the main street, along the beautiful, newly laid tiled footpath. I bet the locals would have preferred better roads! Down the other end of town there’s a sign, pointing to ‘historical bridge’, so I have to continue on and check it out. I’m so glad I did. There’s the old wooden vehicular bridge and close by is the old rail bridge, both looking about ready to fall down! Makes for some good photos, hopefully!