30th December 2010 to 9th January 2011

30th December 2010

The caravan park was almost constantly full over the Christmas period and is remaining so for the New Year, and unfortunately they have let squealing kids in also, so the noise level has risen. Despite being the middle of summer the weather is still more like winter with night time temperatures below 10 degrees and day time temperatures struggling to hit 20 degrees by late afternoon just in time to drop off dramatically for night time.

31st December 2010

We took a chance on the weather living up to predicted expectations and heading for Port Arthur region again to check out the other highlights in that area that allow dogs. We turned off down Pirate Bay Drive at Eaglehawk Neck for the view over Pirate Bay and then continued down to the car park at the Tessellated Pavement, but as there was no toilet available we drove on to the Blowhole where this facility was available.

The blow hole was not actually doing very well in the blowing department as the tide was low, but was an interesting feature. On the way back we detoured to the Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen. The Arch is an impressive sight but the Devils Kitchen doesn’t offer a view of anything special, only the ocean in the small but deep inlet.

We returned to the Tessellated Pavement but stopped at the ‘Dog Line’ for a photo of the statue and find out the history. The narrow neck was guarded by line of 19 savage dogs, all anchored by chains that just stopped them getting to each other but close enough to stop escaping convicts from getting past.

At the Tessellated Pavement we went down the steps for a close-up of the way the salt crystals have eaten into the rock to cause lines in three very specific directions, producing the tile like appearance. We had lunch in the car park and then drove on past Port Arthur to Remarkable Cave which is actually a tunnel from the ocean to a deep depression in the ground which has about 100 or so steps down to a viewing platform which allowed a view through the tunnel to the ocean.

The weather had been good up to this point but waited for us to get to the bottom of the steps and then decided to rain, but fortunately only a very brief shower. We actually did this spot on the 2000 trip and were just as impressed now as we were then. We backtracked to the loop road from Port Arthur and headed through Nubeena and turned off to Saltwater River and the historic coal mine and convict settlement.

We didn’t have time to see all of it as it is spread out with walks of over an hour to visit various different parts but we spent a good half hour going through the ruins in the closest area. We rejoined the loop road which joins the main road alongside the Tasmanian Devil Centre. We visited there on the 2000 trip so gave it a miss this time but is worth a look if you are the area. As we travelled back towards the Eaglehawk Neck we stopped at the Federation Chocolate Factory, for obvious reasons, which produce some interesting varieties, including sugar free options. We then continued our homeward journey but again deviated into Marion Bay which is currently hosting a head banging music festival for the New Year, but our intension was a visit to Bream Creek Vineyards to but a bottle of their excellent Pinot Noir, but they were closed or do not have cellar facilities. Either way the gate was well and truly locked off. So we again continued the journey home but as we passed through Dunally we deviated to see the unimpressive monument to Able Tasman who first discovered this island for the Dutch whilst looking for Australia, which apparently was too small to see on the way past. The curvature of the Earth gets you every time. We then continued once more with only one more stop at Eastlands shopping centre followed by a quick trip up to Rosny lookout for the views from that side of the river. We did eventually get home despite the deviations.

3rd January 2011

We had promised ourselves that we would drive into Hobart to get photos of a few things that we had seen on occasions as we passed through, and as the weather was fine headed into town. On the way there we noticed that the top of Mt Wellington was looking very clear, so we passed through Hobart and up the mountain first for a final look at the magnificent views and fresh flora. Unlike our previous visit it was not close to freezing point with only a gentle breeze, and the downward views were nowhere near as hazy as last time. We spent longer up there than last time and took a short walk towards the organ pipe area. When we came down we turned right rather than left taking us further from Hobart and found the Fern Tree Tavern and stopped and bought lunch, after which we crossed the road and walked for about 15 minutes each way to Silver Falls.

These were quite small but pleasant falls that and were, and possibly still are, part of the Hobart water supply. We then drove down the road beside the Tavern which soon changed into a dirt road and finally emerged near the roundabout on the Huon Highway near Kingston. From here we drove back into Hobart calling in to the Harbour and booked a cruise/adventure ride around the bottom of Bruny Island and then parked by the University Rose Garden on the Domain.

We walked through the gardens and around the University building to photo some artwork we saw a few weeks ago but it had been removed and turned into a construction site. We crossed back to the Domain and walked up to the Cenotaph for the views out over the river. We then headed home.

4th January 2011

We drove down to Harbour for the cruise which took us to the North Bruny Island landing area where the Ferry docks and then went by bus to Adventure Bay where we had stayed a while ago, and boarded the smaller boat for the trip around the bottom tip of the Island and into the Southern Ocean.

We followed the coast for stops at some of the more remarkable pieces of coastline, including the Breathing Cliff (rather like a blowhole where the compressed air as the water enters the hole in the cliff face blows the water back out as the ocean level drops after each wave) and the Totem Pole rock formation and then visited some islands that were littered with male fur seals.

Apparently the females and young all live and bred north of Tasmania.

On the way back we were joined by the largest pod of Dolphins that the boat crew have ever seen in many years of doing this trip. There were literally hundreds of them with many jumping out of the water simultaneously, but getting photos whilst travelling reasonably fast with a 1.5 metre swell was not easy, especially as you don’t know where they will appear next.

There were also albatross and shearwaters in flocks like they had never seen before, so we had picked the right day for our trip. We had lunch on the South Island, which included wine with some local cheese and fudge tasting. The wine was not good, so IconWines is off our favourites list. We drove back to the landing area and rejoined the Cruise boat back to Hobart and then drove round to say our goodbyes to Stu and Be as we leave for the journey up the East coast in two days time. On our return to the caravan park we found our neighbour Doug fast asleep in his director chair with Foxy happily lying on his lap. Over the weeks that we have been in New Norfolk he has become a great friend of Foxy to the point that he gets a visit from Foxy at every opportunity. It has been good for us as well, as each time we have left her at home we know she will have someone keeping an eye on her.

6th January 2011

Finally, we left New Norfolk and the Hobart area and started our journey up the east coast with the first stopping point being Triabunna. The journey there was hilly in places and with the extra load of the caravan the squeal noise we thought we were rid of reappeared, but at different RPM and volume (not so loud). After setting up the annex, etc we took a walk to the marina, visitor centre and small shopping strip and discovered that yet another boat trip to Maria Island is ridiculously expensive and when you get there you have to walk everywhere. That is okay but one point of interest requires a seven hour walk there and back, and unless you run some of that trip, and don’t stop to look at anything, you will miss the ferry back. The other point of interest that did interest us is the Painted Cliffs that are sandstone strata, coloured by the effects of rain soaking through the cliffs that have to be seen from the beach which therefore has to be when the tide is out. This means finding out the low tide time that coincides with the afternoon sun on the cliff face, apparently the best viewing time, and being able to book the ferry for an appropriate day to do this trip. It is obviously better to camp on the Island to have the time to do all this but we can’t as they don’t allow dogs, and it costs way too much for a few photos. The township is on the estuary of a small creek running into the Prosser Bay, but is not a particularly attractive outlook with only a narrow channel through stony outcrops. It may look better with a high tide.

7th January 2011

Barry attacked the squeal by cleaning the filter in the gas injection unit and also altering its mounting method.

8th January 2011

We took a drive through the town to look at a few areas along the coast but both roads ended with a just a jetty or a locked gate to keep you out so we headed for Orford, a small place that we drove through on the way to Triabunna. Orford was much larger than we thought, residentially, but we only found one shop. The shop is tucked away behind the modern looking hotel on the corner as you come over the bridge across the Prosser River.

We drove on to Buckland to get a photo of the Old Buckland Hotel and then came back to Orford to explore a few of the beaches along the coast line. The last one was quite a way out of town and offered the option of returning via an alternate route, which we took, and then turned off up the small mountain to Three Thumbs Lookout which potentially offered 180 degree views, but much of it was wooded so you only got to see through small windows. On the way back into Triabunna we noticed the tide was in which improved the appearance greatly.

9th January 2011

As the weather was predicted to be sunny we decided to drive up to Swansea despite the sky starting to cloud over but were willing to take our chances. The cloud cleared and it was a pleasant day. There is little on offer in Triabunna but on the way to Swansea there are several gravel roads that take you down to small beaches, some of which had interesting rocky outcrops with a coating of orange lichen. Almost opposite the first beach turn off to Spiky Beach is a remarkable Spiky Bridge, giving the name to the beach. It is a very unusual stone bridge as the stonework is somewhat different, but more amazing is the array of large stones mounted in the mortar capping.

Apparently the reason for this is not known, but it does acts as a barrier to stop people, or cattle, falling over the low bridge wall and also stops idiots kids walking on the walls, although I don’t know if that happened in those days and especially as it is about 10 kilometres from any form of civilisation.

Swansea is smaller than we anticipated but has an inviting entry to the town with a park alongside a small river leading to the beach. 

 Here we found a black breasted Doterall which had a young chick.  When we approached the chick it put on a distraction display making itself look injured, but walks away when you try to check it out and successfully lured us away from the chick.

We followed the river road rather than the main road, along the beach front to the end of the road at the headland.

Here we took the walk along the low cliff top around the headland until it ran out on the town side. When we arrived back at the car we had our packed lunch before driving into town where we did a small amount of shopping. It appears that there are only IGA stores on the east coast and the 2 that we have used so far leave a lot to be desired, especially in the vegie area. It also means that there will not be a Coles or Woolworth sponsored garages to get an 8 cents reduction of fuel. We drove slightly north of the town to the old Bark Mill and museum, which has been restored but not actually working. The museum part nothing special but the Bark Mill is interesting.

Apparently the bark is stripped and ground to a powder to extract the tannin and sent for use in tanneries. There is a cafe using the Bark Mill to entice you in. The beach immediately in front of the town is quite pleasant but a beach slightly north seems to collect some black rubbish so that the beach looks like it is covered in coal dust, and stinks like rotting kippers. On the return trip to Triabunna we called into a couple more beaches, one of which has free camping but not suitable for our size caravan, but great for camper trailers and tents. It has a toilet block but no water or power available anywhere so you have to rely on your own generator, or solar panels, and bring a heap of water if you intend staying long. Three weeks is supposed to be the maximum length stay but some look like they have been there much longer, although there is supposedly a caretaker on site.

We noticed a sign as we pulled into the entrance saying ‘Three Arch Bridge’ which we assumed to be a rock formation, but when we walked to it found it was a bridge under the main road. Like most bridges in Tasmania, it was obviously convict built, and like Spiky bridge was unusual in design, with 3 narrow arches for the water to pass through. They are both on the same road so may have been the same building crew despite the different designs. When we arrived back in Triabunna we drove to the end of the shopping strip to the war memorial for a few photos to finish the day off. Two days of car use including some healthy hills and we are now totally confident that we have cured our noise problem, except for the odd squeak, whimper and panting from the fluffy package on the back seat. She prefers to travel on the passengers lap but we insist that she uses her safety harness which happens to be attached to the back seat.

December 12th to 25th 2010

12th December 2010

Due to inclement weather we haven’t done any tourist activity but intend going to Port Arthur when the weather is more suitable. We visited there in 2000 but the new camera that we had at the time was one of the first video cameras that also took stills to a separate card at $3500. The still photos were only 0.8Mp resolution and the video tapes had to be processed via a computer program to be able to be put on to  disk. Good still cameras in 2000 had a resolution of 1.5Mp so the video combination didn’t seem too bad at the time. The current cameras that we are using have a resolution in excess of 10Mp, and we don’t have to process the videos. The memory card that came with the video camera was a 4Mb capacity so we looked big and bought another card that was the biggest capacity made at the time of 16Mb. Once both cards were filled the still photos had to be saved on the mini video tape.

15th December 2010

We left Foxy at home and drove the 120kms to Port Arthur as the weather forecast was for sunny weather for a change. It was overcast all day just to prove the Met office wrong again, but at least it didn’t rain. We arrived at about 9.30am and had a cuppa in the car park and then entered to spend most of the day inside. We didn’t do the organised tour as we did that in 2000 and didn’t want to listen to some dude yapping on as that means standing around.

We visited the old original Cafe first, which is now screened off by shrubs that were only 30cm high in 2000. The screening is because the locals do not like the memories attached to it but other people like to visit and ponder.

We then attacked the penitentiary, law courts, guard tower and the Commandants more fancy accommodation.

We walked through the Government gardens to the cafe and bought a take-away cuppa and retreated to a bench by the Government Cottage, where we had our pre-packed lunch.

After lunch we took photos of this cottage and the shell of the original church which in 2000 we could go up the stairs in the tower but not so on this occasion. A lot of the buildings that are in ruins is due to 2 bush fires through the site and then material being removed for renovating the houses of locals, etc.

We took our photos of the building and the church and moved on to the new smaller church that is still used, and the parsonage before taking a hike up to Scorpion Rock Lookout to get an overview of the site.

 We came back down via a different track which led us to some more cottages that had been occupied by magistrate, Roman Catholic Chaplain, Junior Medical Officer and on to The Separate Prison which was the original asylum (1849) and the Museum that was the newer asylum (1868). We then made our way across the site to the dockyards before heading to the carpark for another cuppa and the journey home.

It was well worth the return trip for the better photos and lots more of them.

18th December 2010

The weather has been wet again since our Port Arthur trip but it did allow Barry to do some maintenance on the Patrol which has been a slight worry since our stay ion Bruny Island. It developed a high pitched squeak when under load at around 2100rpm, or 2800rpm if it had changed down a gear. We asked for this to be checked out when we had the service done a few weeks ago but they reckoned we would need to book it in again as they needed it for four hours as they had to take all the turbo covers off to check for Manifold leaks. If this proved positive they would need to keep it until the manifold was removed, checked for warping and machined if necessary, and then all refitted with new gaskets at a cost of anywhere from a minimum of $400, to a possible $1600. We couldn’t relate the noise to their diagnostics as a gasket leak would be present all of the time, not specific rpm, so we cancelled the booking that we had made as our logic said it sounded more like vibration or air squeezing in, or out, of a hose. Barry tighten all of the hose clamps that were visible, especially on the air intake hoses, and also repositioned the plastic Intercooler cover that has a slight split at the rear. He thought the cover was touching the Gas injection control unit and might be a cause of vibration. We have had two short runs into town, which is uphill and therefore under load, and held 2100rpm without any noise then or any other time. It is looking good at this point in time but will wait for a longer trial.

19th December 2010

We used the excuse of needing to go to a market in Gormaston Road, Moonah to drive the car for a reasonable distance over a journey were we know the squeaky noise is always present to see if we had really been successful, and came out with flying colours, so the Hobart Nissan agent will not be seeing us again.

22nd December 2010

We drove down to Dover where had originally booked to be for the last three weeks but changed our minds and should have just been moving back to 7 Mile Beach, but we changed our minds about that also as we like it here in New Norfolk.

We stopped off at Geeveston on the way down as we had been here before when we went to the Tahune Air Walk but didn’t have time to visit the Timber Industry Museum. It was actually much smaller than we expected and probably could have done it last time; however, we have done it now and checked out the rest of the small country township.

We continued on to Dover and had a look at the caravan park which was close to the edge of the bay on the way out of town with nothing make us wish we had stayed there as originally planned.

The town was also very small but not as compact as Geeveston. We moved on with the intention of going to Southport (the most southern township in Tasmania, and therefore in Australia) and it felt a bit like the Antarctic. However before reaching Southport we saw a sign to Hastings Caves and turned inland to check them out. It involved a 45 minute stroll in the caves at a constant 9 degree temperature which isn’t too bad as there is no wind with it. It also involved 200 steps to go in and move between the various chambers.

It was good but we have seen better, especially with respect to the lighting arrangements which show up the colours better in other caves We didn’t come out feeling it was totally worth it.

We had a late lunch in the carpark and then headed back to the visitor centre and Merry walked down to the thermal pool whilst Barry stayed with Foxy rather than desert her again.

We then called into Southport which is a small township along the edge of the bay with Dover being the nearest shopping facilities and that didn’t amount to a great deal. On the way back as we headed uphill after passing through Huonville the mystery squeak re-appeared suggesting that the dirt road vibration have moved some of the pipework that Barry moved a few days ago, so another attempt is called for, but we are convince we are on the right track to cure it permanently. We stopped at a roadside stall and bought some cherries and raspberries on the way back home.

24th December 2010

Barry re-adjusted some of the pipework under the bonnet of the car and tightened the cable ties to hold the gas injector unit away from the wheel arch and then we drove into Glenorchy and proved the squeak was properly dealt with.

25th December 2010

This was treated as a genuine rest day with the only energetic action being a 40 minute stroll that took us alongside the river for about six minutes and then turned up the hill and into the top end of town, through the town centre and the park at the bottom of town and back to the caravan park. In the afternoon scrubbed up and drove to New Town to have Christmas dinner with Stu and Be with the addition of Stu’s parents, Dick and Val, and had a great meal with great company.

20th November to 2nd December 2010

20th November 2010

We visited The Salmon Ponds about 10km out of New Norfolk and walk around the large of the ponds and along part of the adjoining River Plenty, then had lunch in the cafe called Pancakes by the Pond which offers an         excellent range of both savoury and sweet pancakes, plus burgers.

We then walked around the remaining ponds and along the more of the river, but this time we feed the fish to film the mad scramble for food. The ponds contain rainbow trout, brown trout, albino trout and Atlantic salmon as the original salmon farm experiment didn’t work but they retained the name. They now produce trout to supply the highland lakes and rivers of both Australia and New Zealand. The park surrounding the ponds is very well manicured and creates a very relaxed, calming effect.

21st November 2010

We visited the largest Antiques and collectables that we have ever come across, not because we are into antiques but because it is advertise on TV and the building appeared interesting. There are at least three other antiques establishments in town so where does it all come from.

The one we visited also claims to be a museum but there is no entry fee which is not normal for a museum, however there was some museum like articles but no written history with it as it was all for sale. This included several restored English motor bikes with two 650cc Triumphs, two 650cc BSAs from the early 1950s and an earlier 500cc Vincent. They all had aluminium mudguards, which were not original equipment for any of those models, and one BSA had Siamese exhaust pipes which is also a bit non-standard, but had a rev counter implying it is a sports version. If that is the case, why does it have sit up type handlebars rather than lowered sports handlebars? However, they looked good but the $32000 price will ensure they retain custody of them for a long time. The rest of the items resembling junk consisted of furniture, crockery, books, stereo amplifiers, farm equipment, pictures, etc in no orderly fashion but covered a huge area inside this building.

Outside was a display of “cars of interest” which included a Mercedes, a Lotus Esprit, another sports car with no name but Italian designed; both of which had rear engines and required a shoehorn to get in to, and a few other sedans plus a few ancient relics and “bring and buy” stalls with the usual contents of peoples garages that they think everybody else needs. Down the road was the usual Sunday market which also offered a collection of junk, cheap jewellery and clothing, but no vegetables.

24th November 2010

The Patrol had to go into Nissan for its 90000km service so we took the opportunity whilst in Hobart to use the courtesy car and drive up to the upper level of the Queens Domain for view of the city.

This proved almost useless as the trees have been allowed to thrive and block out the view unless you walk out to the tree line, but there are no defined paths for those so you have to walk through long grass. It had rained all night and was still showery so the walk in long, wet grass didn’t happen. However, we get to see the low cloud around the mountains.  We drove back into the CBD and parked by the Museum and walked through the city centre for some retail excitement but were passed off for a walk up Elizabeth Street to succeed in our mission. On the way back to the car we stopped for an Alfresco lunch in the city Mall, as we had Foxy with us, and then went to Parliament house but the tours are at very specific times which didn’t fit in with our timing.

We also walked to the harbour to have a look at the two anti-whaling ships that are alongside restocking in readiness to do battle with the Japanese whaling ships again. The third ship, a tri-hull is on it's way from Fremantle to join them We eventually returned the courtesy car and collected our Patrol and returned home.

28th November 2010

We met Stu and Be at the Salmon Ponds for lunch to celebrate Barry’s birthday with some friends, and they fit the requirements perfectly. It had rained nearly all day yesterday and through most of the night so the water in the ponds was rather stirred up and muddy which spoilt the view of the fish, and the water level in the river had turned it into a torrent where it had been rippling over the rocks. The changes from last weekend were quite dramatic but the meal was just as reliably good and the company were great. On the way back to the caravan park we led them into the town for a short tour and then into the park for a final drink before they left for home. The weather when we arrived at the Salmon Ponds change from dubious to pleasantly warm which made it easier to tour the gardens and ponds.

We went into Hobart to do the tour of Parliament house which was interesting but quite small, and then walked around the gardens attached to the area and photographed the various monuments. On our way home we drove round to see Stu and Be to pick up some mail and celebrated Barry’s again before returning to New Norfolk.

30th November 2010

We took a drive through the local tiny village of Lachlan, which lived up to the tiny bit but was quite pretty and then continued on over the bridge to explore the other side of the river and in particular, have a look at the golf club, The area out here was suburban for a kilometre or so and then very rural with blocks that looked good but beyond what we would know what to do with The Golf Club looks really good and challenging, and also allows us to take Foxy round with us, so it will be given the benefit of our presence in the very near future.

1st December 2010

We drove into Glenorchy to the shopping centre to have a link removed from the bracelet on Barry’s watch and also hoped it had a Kmart but it didn’t. It also didn’t have an eye clinic for Merry to get some new glasses. We found an eye clinic in Moonah that suited our needs, and a Kmart in New Town which didn’t have what we wanted but Bunnings did, so we achieved everything we set out to do.