Saturday 13th March 10
We took it very easy this morning after yesterdays hike having slept well, especially Foxy.
Brian and Alice left this morning and shortly after that we met our new neighbours Roger and yet another Jenny. They have come in from Zeehan with a blown seal on their cars rear differential which is creating a few problems for them as there is no mechanic in Strahan, and definitely not a Mitsubishi agent. Fortunately it is just still under warrantee and his roadside assistance will take it back to Burnie for replacement of the seal and/or diff, and him with it and cover accommodation costs. We have offered to look after Jenny with respect to shopping, general chauffeur, etc, whilst he is away despite us moving next Wednesday to the local golf club where we can stay for as long as we like for $7 a night, so will still be around to help out. Jenny will stay here at $35 an night but has power and water plus amenities such as campers kitchen, toilet, shower and laundry. We will need to use our solar panels and/or generator which we can run between 8.00am and 9.30pm. We will take 180 litres of water with us and can top up from town with 70 litres at a time in the cars water tanks, plus we will be closer to the town sullage point than we are at present. We will still be as close to town as we are now, and Jenny has offered to look after Foxy on occasions when we can’t take her with us, such as when we drive through to Queenstown and Lake St Claire. Tomorrow we will be taking them into town to do the Gordon river cruise which we did in 2001, and will not be doing again as the only thing that has changed is the boat to much bigger and more enclosed.
After our easy morning we took Roger/Jenny into town to book their cruise and they took the 15 minute walk home whilst we drove along the Esplanade to Peoples’ Park and took the 20 minute walk each way to Hogarth Falls. This was not as spectacular as Montezuma Falls but a pleasant walk to loosen us up again and still has its own natural appeal. However, we may have to do this walk again as the afternoon natural lighting spoilt the photos to a large degree and a bit more water would be good, so a morning trip after the next period of rain could be on the cards.
Sunday 13th March 10
We took it very easy this morning after yesterdays hike having slept well, especially Foxy.
Brian and Alice left this morning and shortly after that we met our new neighbours Roger and yet another Jenny. They have come in from Zeehan with a blown seal on their cars rear differential which is creating a few problems for them as there is no mechanic in Strahan, and definitely not a Mitsubishi agent. Fortunately it is just still under warrantee and his roadside assistance will take it back to Burnie for replacement of the seal and/or diff, and him with it and cover accommodation costs. We have offered to look after Jenny with respect to shopping, general chauffeur, etc, whilst he is away despite us moving next Wednesday to the local golf club where we can stay for as long as we like for $7 a night, so will still be around to help out. Jenny will stay here at $35 an night but has power and water plus amenities such as campers kitchen, toilet, shower and laundry. We will need to use our solar panels and/or generator which we can run between 8.00am and 9.30pm. We will take 180 litres of water with us and can top up from town with 70 litres at a time in the cars water tanks, plus we will be closer to the town sullage point than we are at present. We will still be as close to town as we are now, and Jenny has offered to look after Foxy on occasions when we can’t take her with us, such as when we drive through to Queenstown and Lake St Claire. Tomorrow we will be taking them into town to do the Gordon river cruise which we did in 2001, and will not be doing again as the only thing that has changed is the boat to much bigger and more enclosed.
After our easy morning we took Roger/Jenny into town to book their cruise and they took the 15 minute walk home whilst we drove along the Esplanade to Peoples’ Park and took the 20 minute walk each way to Hogarth Falls. This was not as spectacular as Montezuma Falls but a pleasant walk to loosen us up again and still has its own natural appeal. However, we may have to do this walk again as the afternoon natural lighting spoilt the photos to a large degree and a bit more water would be good, so a morning trip after the next period of rain could be on the cards.
Sunday 13th March 10
Barry drove Roger/Jenny into town to catch their cruise on the Gordon and then drove up Tank hill to the lookout for an overview of the harbour and then round to the Heritage train that goes to Queenstown, for a look at the train carriages and photos of the harbour across the water.
Apparently you can take the train to Queenstown with a bus ride back or a bus to Queenstown and the train back. We repeated this trip in the afternoon on the way to the shops, and this time the engine was attached to the carriages. This was a diesel but we are led to believe the engines change part way to a steam engine that uses an additional central geared track.
The loco has 2 pinion gears rotated by 2 additional pistons that locate into the rack track to help it over the mountainous country, similar to the train on Mt Snowden in Wales. The 2 pinion gears are out of phase so that there is always 1one tooth located in the rack. It was designed by a Swiss guy, Roman Abt, who used to work for a company using a rack more like a ladder that was very expensive to make and maintain so started his own company with his own cheaper, more successful method.
Monday 14th March 10
Roger returned to Burnie with the truck carrying his car and later rang to say the 2 diff seals have to be ordered from Hobart so will be in Burnie at least a day longer. Household chores took care of the morning for us but decided to book tickets or the train trip in the afternoon as Jenny had offered to look after Foxy. When we arrived at the station we discovered that the 2 regular class carriages were full of coach tours, and movement within the carriage would be impossible. Yesterday we noticed there were only ten people between the three carriages.
We considered transferring to the next day that was less congested but that could change at the drop of a hat, so Merry upgraded us to fPrewium class which gave more comfortable seating for the eight occupants in that carriage, therefore more room to move around for photographs. It also had an open balcony at the back and provided chicken and camembert pies, salmon or ham rolls, a fruit platter, a cheese platter, tea, coffee, and as much beer or wine that you can manage. There was a running commentary as the train followed firstly the King river and then the Queen river into Queenstown with the history of the mine which was originally gold but as that run out they turned to copper, and the railway which was the only way to get the copper out to Strahan and the sea. It took 2.5 years to build the track and the locomotives that arrived from Scotland in kit form with no instructions.
Monday 14th March 10
Roger returned to Burnie with the truck carrying his car and later rang to say the 2 diff seals have to be ordered from Hobart so will be in Burnie at least a day longer. Household chores took care of the morning for us but decided to book tickets or the train trip in the afternoon as Jenny had offered to look after Foxy. When we arrived at the station we discovered that the 2 regular class carriages were full of coach tours, and movement within the carriage would be impossible. Yesterday we noticed there were only ten people between the three carriages.
We considered transferring to the next day that was less congested but that could change at the drop of a hat, so Merry upgraded us to fPrewium class which gave more comfortable seating for the eight occupants in that carriage, therefore more room to move around for photographs. It also had an open balcony at the back and provided chicken and camembert pies, salmon or ham rolls, a fruit platter, a cheese platter, tea, coffee, and as much beer or wine that you can manage. There was a running commentary as the train followed firstly the King river and then the Queen river into Queenstown with the history of the mine which was originally gold but as that run out they turned to copper, and the railway which was the only way to get the copper out to Strahan and the sea. It took 2.5 years to build the track and the locomotives that arrived from Scotland in kit form with no instructions.
76 years later, after the mine changed the transportation method to a fleet of trucks once the road was built, the train system fell into disuse for many years. Much later, to restore it for the tourism trade, using modern technology and equipment, it took 4 years to bring it up to the new safety requirements. It is a great train journey with three stops, the first of which was for honey tasting and to view the river and three different types of pine trees, including a Huon pine, which usually all grow at different altitudes, not side by side.
The second stop was to change trains so that we now had the oil fired steam loco, and watched them turn the diesel loco round to take the Strahan carriages back.
The steam loco uses the geared third rail to assist it on the 1 in 20 metre incline as regular trains can only manage 1 in 40 inclines, plus they found that the steamer can haul twice the weight of copper that the diesel locos can haul over these inclines. 
This stop also provided a ten minute bush walk through rain forest and under the bridge that the train is about to cross on departure from this stop.
The premium class carriage was now at the front so you could stand on the balcony and look into the engine, and take forward looking photos. 
The next stop was at the apex of the journey where the loco was inspected to ensure a safe descent and also the engine driver has to swap batons (like in a relay race) by locking his baton into box and then unlock another box to get the baton for the next stage. If the baton isn’t there the train waits until it arrives on the train coming up the single track on the other side of the mountain. This is the only section of double track where they can pass, and they require the baton from our train to proceed beyond this point, just as we need their baton to continue. A safety procedure to avoid a head on collision with another train as no other train can come up the section track we are about use until they have the baton we are about to acquire. The baton we required was in the locked box so we continued on our journey after the loco was checked and all passengers accounted for (not a Queensland tour). There are toilets at all 3 stopping points. Once the train is off the steep incline it is able to release the pinion gears that also regulate speed on the downhill stretches, and then safety travel at 30kph on the less steep slope into Queenstown. This is the fastest the train went all day as the track is also not so twisty, but it is advisable to hold whatever drink you have to stop it falling over.
In Queenstown we transferred to a coach for the trip back by road to Strahan which is a slight anticlimax to the overall trip, but necessary as the trip back by train would have taken too long. The train journey was over 3.5 hours whereas the coach trip was about 45minutes.
Foxy was pleased to see us back home but had been in good company during our absence.
Tuesday 15th March 10
As we will be leaving the caravan park tomorrow to go to the Golf club camping area which doesn’t have power and water laid on, we used today to do our household chores whilst we had those facilities plus some shopping. One interesting point we noticed about this town, there is no pharmacy but it has two bottle shops. If you need a prescription filled you hand them in at the supermarket who pass it on for processing in Queenstown and you collect it the next day, with a bit of luck. In the late afternoon we did the pre-packing of as tables, chairs, etc in the annex.
Wednesday 16th March 10
We packed up the annex and left the caravan park by 9.45am and moved to the golf club which was relevantly clear of campers from the previous night which gave us the pick of choice spots. By midday we had finished setting up camp in time for lunch and the rain to arrive. We took 180 litres of water with us in the van’s tanks plus 56 litres in the tank in the car with an additional 20 litre jerry can which will see us through for a while, and can top up with the car tank and jerry can from the side of the golf club. The generator is full of fuel and ready to go if necessary but we are using our solar panels to keep the battery charged. In the evening we use an inverter to watch TV which copes easily through the main TV time slot and starts recharging at daybreak. Whilst in the queue in the Visitor centre, Merry heard the couple two places ahead of her book the only remaining accommodation in town at $300 a night. The next couple were turned away empty handed to sleep in their car or drive to Zeehan or Queenstown to try their luck. Everywhere is fully booked and in the late afternoon the Golf club accumulated nine motor homes along with the 4 tents and 3 caravans already here. Unlike caravan parks, there is no outside lighting so that when you turn your lights off at night it is pitch black and ideal for sleeping. The weather has turned decidedly cool with the rain and Foxy asked to come into bed with me at 3.00am despite having one of her jumpers that Dale gave us because her dog Scooter didn’t like it. Foxy isn’t too impressed with it either if she is in public, as it is coloured stripes like a rugby jumper, which is why they are deemed only to be her pyjamas.
Thursday 17th March 10
Roger called round to show off his repaired car and thank us for looking after Jenny (it was such hard work) and is now set to do the train trip to Queenstown tomorrow.
We are having a rest day despite the weather drying out temporarily as the weather forecast for tomorrow is not the best. Barry has set up the solar panels to take advantage of today’s sunlight but tomorrow may be a generator day.
Friday 18th March 10
It rained throughout the night and particularly hard at 7.15am this morning so nothing of interest happened as it hasn’t cleared up. The solar panels have been superseded by the generator.
Saturday 19th March 10
Still wet and miserable.
In Queenstown we transferred to a coach for the trip back by road to Strahan which is a slight anticlimax to the overall trip, but necessary as the trip back by train would have taken too long. The train journey was over 3.5 hours whereas the coach trip was about 45minutes.
Foxy was pleased to see us back home but had been in good company during our absence.
Tuesday 15th March 10
As we will be leaving the caravan park tomorrow to go to the Golf club camping area which doesn’t have power and water laid on, we used today to do our household chores whilst we had those facilities plus some shopping. One interesting point we noticed about this town, there is no pharmacy but it has two bottle shops. If you need a prescription filled you hand them in at the supermarket who pass it on for processing in Queenstown and you collect it the next day, with a bit of luck. In the late afternoon we did the pre-packing of as tables, chairs, etc in the annex.
Wednesday 16th March 10
We packed up the annex and left the caravan park by 9.45am and moved to the golf club which was relevantly clear of campers from the previous night which gave us the pick of choice spots. By midday we had finished setting up camp in time for lunch and the rain to arrive. We took 180 litres of water with us in the van’s tanks plus 56 litres in the tank in the car with an additional 20 litre jerry can which will see us through for a while, and can top up with the car tank and jerry can from the side of the golf club. The generator is full of fuel and ready to go if necessary but we are using our solar panels to keep the battery charged. In the evening we use an inverter to watch TV which copes easily through the main TV time slot and starts recharging at daybreak. Whilst in the queue in the Visitor centre, Merry heard the couple two places ahead of her book the only remaining accommodation in town at $300 a night. The next couple were turned away empty handed to sleep in their car or drive to Zeehan or Queenstown to try their luck. Everywhere is fully booked and in the late afternoon the Golf club accumulated nine motor homes along with the 4 tents and 3 caravans already here. Unlike caravan parks, there is no outside lighting so that when you turn your lights off at night it is pitch black and ideal for sleeping. The weather has turned decidedly cool with the rain and Foxy asked to come into bed with me at 3.00am despite having one of her jumpers that Dale gave us because her dog Scooter didn’t like it. Foxy isn’t too impressed with it either if she is in public, as it is coloured stripes like a rugby jumper, which is why they are deemed only to be her pyjamas.
Thursday 17th March 10
Roger called round to show off his repaired car and thank us for looking after Jenny (it was such hard work) and is now set to do the train trip to Queenstown tomorrow.
We are having a rest day despite the weather drying out temporarily as the weather forecast for tomorrow is not the best. Barry has set up the solar panels to take advantage of today’s sunlight but tomorrow may be a generator day.
Friday 18th March 10
It rained throughout the night and particularly hard at 7.15am this morning so nothing of interest happened as it hasn’t cleared up. The solar panels have been superseded by the generator.
Saturday 19th March 10
Still wet and miserable.
Sunday 20th March 10
It rained really hard during the night and was still raining in the morning and became the first day for more than half a lifetime that Barry stayed in bed beyond 7.30am. It does appear that the cloud may break up and let the solar panels do their job, but there is no guarantee. The ground has become almost water logged and when you walk on it water oozes out like squeezing a sponge. Fortunately we have picked a slightly raised are to park on. The lack of guarantee showed s why as it rained for almost all of the day. The next trip to Hogarth Falls should be quite a lot more interesting than the previous one.
Monday 21st March 10
Weather still not the best.
Tuesday 22nd March 10
The weather is marginally better but we have now had to swap gas bottles which involves the use of a dubious changeover valve, so having done that we drove to Queenstown in the hope of acquiring a replacement valve as Strahan has nothing like it. It turned out that the one and only hardware shop in Queenstown doesn’t either, nor the garage but they were able to put me onto a plumber/gasfitter who did have one, so the journey over the mountains wasn’t wasted. Before we returned to Strahan we elected to drive out towards Hobart to check out the road in case we choose to progress to Hobart rather than return to Burnie and Stanley whilst we are on the west side of the country. The road in or out of Queenstown in the Hobart direction is a long, steep zigzag on the side of a substantial mountain with nothing on the outside but a long way down into a virtual moonscape. We drove down it 10 years ago in a hired motor home on the outside lane which didn’t impress us as there where virtually no guard rails then. Now there are guard rail all the way down but how effective they would be if a high vehicle like a caravan hit them is debatable. However, we decided that it would be possible to take the caravan that way if we so desire but extreme care would be needed on some of the bends to avoid rubbing the van on the side of the cliff face.
It rained really hard during the night and was still raining in the morning and became the first day for more than half a lifetime that Barry stayed in bed beyond 7.30am. It does appear that the cloud may break up and let the solar panels do their job, but there is no guarantee. The ground has become almost water logged and when you walk on it water oozes out like squeezing a sponge. Fortunately we have picked a slightly raised are to park on. The lack of guarantee showed s why as it rained for almost all of the day. The next trip to Hogarth Falls should be quite a lot more interesting than the previous one.
Monday 21st March 10
Weather still not the best.
Tuesday 22nd March 10
The weather is marginally better but we have now had to swap gas bottles which involves the use of a dubious changeover valve, so having done that we drove to Queenstown in the hope of acquiring a replacement valve as Strahan has nothing like it. It turned out that the one and only hardware shop in Queenstown doesn’t either, nor the garage but they were able to put me onto a plumber/gasfitter who did have one, so the journey over the mountains wasn’t wasted. Before we returned to Strahan we elected to drive out towards Hobart to check out the road in case we choose to progress to Hobart rather than return to Burnie and Stanley whilst we are on the west side of the country. The road in or out of Queenstown in the Hobart direction is a long, steep zigzag on the side of a substantial mountain with nothing on the outside but a long way down into a virtual moonscape. We drove down it 10 years ago in a hired motor home on the outside lane which didn’t impress us as there where virtually no guard rails then. Now there are guard rail all the way down but how effective they would be if a high vehicle like a caravan hit them is debatable. However, we decided that it would be possible to take the caravan that way if we so desire but extreme care would be needed on some of the bends to avoid rubbing the van on the side of the cliff face.
Taking this opportunity to check this road proved to be a good idea as the last stretch of the climb offers a view of ‘Mad Meg’ an impressive waterfall that is only present for a short time after a lot of rain, and we got to see it . On the way back down in second gear and still touching the brakes, we pulled into a slightly widened spot on a bend next to nothing, other than gravitational pull, and stopped to take photos of ‘Mad Meg’. The name was given to us by a guy in the local garage but we suspect its real name is 'Horsetail Falls'.
We also stopped on another bend that had an information board and lookout over Queenstown, before continuing to the bottom and proceeding to Strahan. Even with the guardrails it is still a hair-raising experience. On arrival back in Strahan we drove into the town to see if there was a bakery which proved successful as it is part of the alfresco café. We bought some hot pies for lunch (2 pepper steak and 1 beef and Guinness) which we ate at a table on the small park across the road looking across the bay as the weather had clear slightly. The pies were absolutely delicious (the best we have experienced) and will ensure that we return for more. We then returned to camp for a cuppa, and to fit the new gas valve.
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