Going home...

Spent a quiet wandery day driving around some villages near Launceston and visiting Clarendon at Nile. When the State was gifted this property in 1962 it was in a very sad state, subsiding and filled with rubble. Under the auspices of the National Trust it has become a showcase property illustrating colonial life. There are many examples of early prosperity in Tas, some remaining in the hands of descendents of the original entrepreneurs and visionaries. 

   The front of Clarendon from the parkland.

The house restoration is impressive and unlike many such properties guests are permitted to sit on the furniture and even to lie on some beds!

The dining room has stunning purple wall paper and the portraits are from the State Art Gallery. 

Built for James Cox and his second wife Eliza in 1838, this is a grand Georgian house surrounded by agricultural buildings and parkland planted with elms and oaks. James had 8 children with his first wife and 11 with Eliza and four generations lived here until the Closer Settlement Act of 1913 reduced the land holding to less than 700 acres.

Eliza nee Collins, was 19 when she married Cox, 39.

                          Eliza's piano.

An enthusiastic Vollie showed me around and told me the story of the house - it has many treasures illustrating the way life was lived in the 1800s.

There are several pianos in the house mostly Broadwoods.

Eliza loved gardening and was responsible for the plantings. The walled garden is peaceful and pretty with pink windflowers, dahlias, roses etc.

Looking through the window of James's study to the garden.

The magnificent elm entrance, fortunately still free of elm disease.

   Can't resist one more of the walled garden.

Well my adventure is over - I return to the mainland (North Island?) tonight. It has been wonderful exploring old favourites and visiting new ones. The highlight of course, has to be the 3 Capes Walk with Alastair, it was beyond fantastic! I have made "a memory" just as I wanted. 

Stanley and The Nut!

The Nut dominates this coast line - it is the solidified remains of the lava lake of a long extinct volcanoe and rises 152 metres above the little town of Stanley nestling below.

Stanley is like a step back in time. Stone fisherman and weatherboard cottages, festooned in iron lace and fret-worked barge boards,  line the streets. Charming shops line the single main shopping area displaying mostly art, craft and local produce.

 It remains a fishing port although tourists enjoy it's old world charm, wild life attractions, (penguins and seals) and taking a chair lift to the top of the Nut. Most of the catch - abalone, crayfish, scallops - is exported. At present because of the health crisis local crays are available starting at around $75. 

Stanley has a long history: the Van Diemen's Land Company, established in London in 1834 to take advantage of pastoral opportunities in the new colony, took up land here to farm sheep and prospered over the next decades. The centre of the operation here was named Highfield and it saw many violent contests between the Company and the Indigenous people. From the establishment of the VDL Company the whole of the North-West of Tasmania was opened up.

                      Highfield House.

Threatened with bull-dozing by the last unsympathetic private owner, Highfield was acquired thirty years ago and has been restored. The house, chapel, stables and walled garden present a substantial pastoral property, lovingly cared for, illustrating life in the 1800s. 

The chapel provided services to Stanley before the erection of churches in the town.

                   The walked garden.

            Flagstoned floor in the stables.

Highfield is run by Tasmanian Parks. It is informative and reflective rather than replicating life in these early days. Well worth visiting.

After breakfast at Moby Dick's reading the local paper of 1872 I took the road for Launceston exploring small communities such as Penguin and Ulveston along the way.  Coastal views were fabulous. Burnie remains quite an industrial town with port and transport facilities but less obviously than in previous times. 

Dairy farms, green paddocks and contented cows are interspersed with the chocolate soils of ploughed land waiting for crops. Log trucks abound - transporting plantation timber mostly - the Information Centre informed me upon inquiry " not our beautiful forests".

Sprinkled with rain most of the day but not cold.

Last 2 nights in Launceston - full of quirky and vintage properties clinging to hilly streets. My hotel is overlooking the Park I walked through every day on my way to school - still a green oasis in the city.

Cradle and all.

Blue sky, sunshine! Headed to Strahan so I  wouldn't backtrack over yesterday's road. Today there's plenty of traffic - every second vehicle is an RV or caravan. 

Strahan is the most prosperous town I have seen on the West Coast. The Gordon River Cruise and Wilderness Railway are big attractions. It is a pretty town.

Travelling towards Cradle Mountain National Park the weather changed again - cold and grey. The old mining towns of Zeehan and Roseberry didn't tempt me to stop although views of the rugged mountains did.

Cradle Mountain has changed enormously since I first saw it in 1974. Tourism is alive and more then well and everything is geared towards nourishing the day visitor.

     The brand new, not quite completed VIC.

The only access to the Park now during the day is via bus - operating at 15 minute intervals - which takes you to Dove Lake, stopping at Ronny Creek. There are many walking tracks available from 10 minutes to overnight and the beginning of the Overland Track (very regulated), still the jewel in Tassie's bushwalking crown. The car park under development will likely provide more than 1000 parks.

Rangers are not as friendly and helpful as our Nam/Tid people - it is all business! Despite a lot of signage a number of people are wearing thongs and inadequately dressed - it is 7 degrees!

 I caught the shuttle to Dove Lake and walked around a little.

This is Hansen's Peak - I walked up there in 1975 - it was hard then. Can't imagine doing it now!

The iconic view of the boathouse and Cradle Mountain - brooding against the grey sky.

                         Buttongrass

How could you not be enchanted by The Enchanted Forest walk?

There are people everywhere! I am torn between pleasure that people are using the Park and regret. Still the mountains and landscape are as compelling as ever.

into the Wilderness

As I have been on the Gordon River Cruise from Strahan I wanted a completely different experience so booked the last seat on the Pieman River Cruise from Corinna. Corinna is at the southern end of the Tarkine, perhaps the last true Tasmania wilderness and it is  under threat.  

Queenstown is around 2 hours drive from Corinna so I left at 7.20 anticipating slow and narrow roads not to mention wildlife.

The morning began well but I quickly ran into fog, mist and rain but absolutely no traffic. Turning onto the Corinna road shortly after Zeehan, sad, empty and seemingly deserted, the road narrowed ( generally there are no verges in Tassie) and the Bush closed in. As if things couldn't get worse, the bitumin  became potholed and corregated white gravel.

               Note time not K's to get there!

Still no other cars! I reached the river and "the punt" - the last cable operated car ferry in Tas. After parting with $28 I was guided onto the 2 car ferry by a young man who said "My "office" is the best in the world" - he may be right!

   This van nearly exceeded the weight limit!

Corinna began as a gold town and in the 1860s quite a lot of gold was mined. It is a very remote, adventure and bushwalking centre now offering camping and the Arcadia II  cruise to the mouth of the Pieman.

            Licensed for 35 passengers only.

The river today was very still, reflecting the rainforest to the north and the euclalypt forest to the south - a division caused by the angle of the sun and the rainfall to the north.

The only word is pristine! Water in the West coast is peat coloured because of the tannins washing.out of the Buttongrass plains which are everywhere. The rainforest, thick and impenetrable reaches right to the water edge. It certainly impeded surveyors, development and settlement  initially.

Along the river edge is Tasmanian Ribbon grass: so enticing to the wallabies they will swim out to get it.

After 1.5 hours we disembarked, collecting a lunch bag, at the heads. Today the ocean swell is only 3 metres but this very dangerous bar has recorded 29 metres!

There's a number of fishing "shacks" here and as the ocean is far away there are several tractors , some very venerable, to drag the boat trailers across the sand.

                     This is a "gum" tree!

The mouth of the river is littered with huge tree trunks and driftwood - generally washed down river in flood.

This is true wilderness -  access is for the determined,  narrow, slow roads, little accommodation and very basic facilities. The  Weather is harsh and unforgiving, changing by the minute, the nearest petrol kilometres away and emergency services even further. But it is so beautiful - untouched, clean, bursting with life, every turn a visual treat. 

With my little lunch bag, Park Care beanie and rainjacket - sunny one moment and wet the next!
Still no cars on the way back! 

Travelling on.

Started early at Salamanca Markets in the heart of Hobart. These markets have been going for years and sell quality goods, produce and foods. At 8.00 it was bustling.

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Check out these beautiful locally grown flowers.

Bought these luscious Tassie cherries - $3.0 for 500g. Best I've had! Munched all day.

Many of the stall holders were upset that today was the last market - will close because of Corona-virus. Two cruise ships docked wouldn't let passengers land. Left to get on the road with coffee and donuts.

Traffic was light as I drove out of town heading for Lake St Clair. Autumn is on it's way: Hawthorn hedges are loaded with berries, and intertwined with glossy blackberries, Willows and Poplars are changing colour.

In the tiny town of Hamilton I had a quick lunch at the 1836 General store - town full of gorgeous stone cottages and flowers.

     Pink Icebergs and mellow sandstone.

After the strangely named Ouse the road left civilisation behind and began to move into forest then into the wilderness. There's something exciting about seeing the road stretch ahead, the Bush changing from Rainforest to Buttongrass plain and back and the mountains drawing in around, curtained in mist and rain. Again the palette of green changes every moment - Sassafras, Myrtle, Cypress,  Blackwood, Blue gum, Tree ferns and Brackens.

The central plateau, famous for its hydro-electricity features many lakes and dams making it popular fishing territory.

By the time I  reached Lake St Clair I had abandoned the idea of camping: 4 degrees and raining! A motel in Queenstown seemed a good idea.

At the Visitors Centre piles of packs outside and cold hikers huddled around the fire inside. Trails and tracks offered many different experiences from 30 minutes to multi-day trips.

I continued on - the road is quite slow because it is narrow with many bends and turns. Famous names like Frenchman's Cap NP pass by and lots of bee-hives take advantage of the flowering bushland.

                    Buttongrass plain

It rained all the way to Queenstown where denuded hills remind you of the damage years of mining has caused. The mountains are bare and rocky, Queenstown itself, full of older style cottages, some derelict and falling down and grey in the rain. It has warmed up - it's 8 degrees! I booked into a motel, I have the heater on high - AND - there's an electric blanket!

Bruny Island

Woke to rain! So glad we had good weather for our walk - would have been tough on slippery ground. Tried another tiny breakfast venue this morning - Hobart has amazing food.  Bruny Island for the day. 

The car ferry goes every half hour from Kettering. We were the first car to drive on our ferry so we had a good view for the short passage to this surprisingly large island.

Bruny is famous for food and produce with cheeses, wine, oysters, chocolates, cider and honey drawing crowds. There's also great bushwalking and wildlife including penguin rookeries. 

We stopped for lunch at an artisan cheese shop where we shared a Ploughman Platter with Raspberry Chilli beer! 

Drove on in heavy rain to the far end of the Southern island intending to walk up to the Bruny lighthouse however gave it a miss - rain torrential. The lighthouse was the third to be built in Tas in 1838 after 2 terrible shipwrecks on this rocky coastline. It stands high on the cliff top but has been replaced with a smaller automated structure . The former lighthouse keeper's cottage has a great little museum - vollies look after the care of the lighthouse. 

Took Alastair to the plane - I'm sorry to see him go. Tomorrow I start new adventures - on my own!