Home. The End.

As mentioned yesterday, home is not where I wanted to be heading today..... not all the way anyway. But as in all fair and equitable relationships, it didn't matter what I wanted. We were going home. And.... I wasn't allowed to drive the whole way myself. This was a big test for me... I like to drive. I don't like to be a passenger. And to set the picture clear, it has nothing to do with the suggestions that I just don't like Tracy driving. I just like to drive. It puts me in my comfort zone and I like to drive. So I had mapped out a 20 minute stretch where I would concede my throne and become a passenger. That 20 minutes did end up turning into a nearly 2 hour stretch, and for the record, I am going to publicly state that Tracy did a perfect job of driving, just like I knew she would. 

However, when we stopped at Nhill for lunch, I made sure that the car key managed to end up in my pocket so I could drive again for the rest of the way. 

A few more forced rest breaks on the way home and we finally got there. 

3,954 kilometres from start to finish, plus 2 ferry trips. 

Great memories and perhaps time to start planning our next trip?

(Funnily enough, we are actually booked to be at Holdfast Shores caravan park this weekend - 3 days away. Because nearly 4 weeks in Tassie just isn't enough). 

On the ferry - again

I was woken up early this morning thanks to other happy campers unable to sleep, and decided to wake everyone else up, pack up and get the %^*# out of here. It was 7am and we were in the car heading to the ferry ( which was about 800m away). I was sure we were going to be in the first 30 cars there, but alas no..... There was already a good 200 cars or more waiting in the lines to be the first on the boat. Oh how wrong that turned out. When we did finally see some movement at around 8am, it seemed pretty irrelevant what line you were in or at what time you got there. It was almost as if the ferry loading staff knew what they were doing, the way they loaded cars in depending on their size and whether or not there was a caravan attached. I was standing outside the car stretching my legs for most of the wait, mainly so the kids couldn't hear my comments as small cars that are just arriving at 7:58 were loaded straight into the ferry. The angst this was causing is due to the fact there is no reserved seating on the ferry, and the whole reason we got there early was so we could secure the lounge chairs on the top deck, of which there is probably only 50 available - not good odds considering it was taking about 600 people today. 

We finally drove on and I sent Tracy and Tyler running up stairs from our garage level 3 to top deck level 10 with a handful of bags and jumpers to spread over as many seats as they could, whilst I sorted out the rest of our gear with Dylan and Kayla. As it turned out, we once again managed to find a block of 8 chairs that were quickly rearranged so that we could spread out comfortably for the next 9 hours. All that panic for nothing. 

The smoke from the fires was still as thick as it could be and didn't clear up until well into 2-3 hours out to sea, and I was actually quite relieved to get away from it all. 

The trip across the notorious Bass Strait was once again as calm as we could ever expect, making the day pass without anyone reproducing their breakfast and trying to redecorate the floor. 

I never actually thought I would say out loud that I was happy to be in Victoria, but when we hit the mainland after 9 hours on the boat, I was happy. It didn't take long to pass though, as I quickly learnt that Google Maps doesn't always direct you to your destination via the best route for 12 metres of car and van...... Coupled with some navigation errors (by the navigator - because the driver is never wrong), we almost found our way to the freeway and on our way to Geelong instead of the 25km trip to the caravan park. A few corrective turns finally saw us get to where we needed to be and set up... Just in time for beer/bourbon/wine o'clock. 

Despite my best efforts at trying to make the family re-vote until the result went my way, the final vote remained at the decision to drive straight home tomorrow    I conceded defeat and went to bed. 

Deloraine - 50's style

This is it. We are today moving to our final resting place before the ferry home. Our route takes us through a little town called Deloraine, which also happens to be the current command post for all the Emergency Services personnel at the moment with the closest of fires being only 50km away. 

We were here to discover a little gem of a place called "Cruzin' in the 50's" diner. This place was awesome and was a scene directly out of Happy Days. There was heaps of memorabilia on display and for sale, but $4.5k for an old petrol pump that didn't actually work seemed a little excessive. 

It was nearly 21am and we had been in the car for about 30 minutes, so of course the kids were STARVING. We ordered some milk shakes and fries, with the shake being a true 50's style shaker and almost one litre glass with a straw to slurp out the last dregs, but unfortunately with a price tag much more resembling today's economy. 

I was casually walking around snapping photos of all the stuff, when it was pointed out to me all the signs saying "No Photos Please". So I took the last few and put the camera away to enjoy the fries and drink. 

It was then off to East Devonport for our last night in Tassie. It was also only another 30 minutes drive away so we  were there and setup by 1pm. After a very light lunch (which is now just clearing out all the food from the fridge), I took the kids down to the river to check out the Spirit of Tasmania 1 that was docked ready to depart tonight. They were more interested in throwing rocks in the water and just being kids, so we let them be for an hour before heading back to get stuck into the cheese and wine we bought yesterday. 

As tonight was our last, we had promised the kids a night out and Tracy needed a night away from the camp kitchen, so I treated them all to a night at the local pub. Weirdly, the place chosen only had chicken schnitzels (no beef) and the other standard pub grub, but it was great to see Tracy smiling whilst out of the kitchen. The place also had a great kids setup with a huge indoor playground and arcade games in a separate area, which also made our night so much more enjoyable with them not complaining about how bored they were. 

We are planning on getting in early (7am) to the ferry in the morning so we can secure a good set of seats on the top deck, so we called it quits while I was still able to drive and headed back. 

It has been a great holiday and the memories are starting to be discussed and shared... Back to mainland tomorrow and away from this stinky smoke. 

Beaconsfield

The fires are still burning uncontrolled and have now managed to close most of the walking tracks around Cradle Mountain, including the path to Liffy Falls which was going to be our destination today, so we decided to head North and check out the Beaconsfield museum and heritage centre. 

First though, we stopped at a local winery called Goaty Hill and had some tastings, followed by some purchases that were well above our normal price point, but we are in holiday mode still and needed something for tonight. 

The museum at Beaconsfield was much more than just artefacts from the mine. It had a working telephone exchange of the old relay and contacts type that was still working and had a few of the old telephones hooked up that actually called each other. I was fascinated by this stuff, as it is still my work life and unfortunately I actually remember using some of the items!

Downstairs there was an incredible tribute to the miners who were trapped underground for 2 weeks, 10 years ago. A very moving display that explained the entire drama and how it all unfolded. 

Another section of the museum was dedicated to displaying some of the old machinery and tools from the very early 1900's ... This I didn't remember!

On the way home, we called into some local cheese and berry farms. The first stop didn't have any blackberries and the strawberries were the same price as Woolies, which sent Tracy into a spin and then subsequently told the poor lass behind the counter that it just wasn't acceptable and we were going to punish the farm by not buying anything from them.... not even an ice cream! And so we left. 

Luckily there was another farm up the road.... These guys thankfully did have some berries.... that were also the same price as the other place. And they didn't have any ice-creams. But they did have cheese. And we bought lots. A mix of Truffle infused Brie, smoked Onion cheddar and others. Yum. 

Another fascinating day spent exploring and finished up with an ice-cream stop at the local shops on the way back. The smoke was thicker than ever today back at camp and was not pleasant to be out in, but I managed to suffer through with some drinks to help wash the smoke away. 

Cateract Gorge - Launceston

Literally 5 minutes out of Launceston yet still in the suburbs, an amazing gorge unfolds with one of the best public pools I have seen.... And it is free!  We arrived late morning with our best hiking thongs on and a bag of food and towels. We found a nice shady spot under a great big tree and went for a ride on the chairlift followed by a walk along the edge of the gorge. We came across a group of youths that clearly had too much adrenaline and watched them jumping off rock edges that were at least 40m above river level while their sour-faced girlfriends sat hunched over on benches playing crap music thru their portable speakers and not saying a word to anyone, even those other miserable felines in their group. 

We decided to head back and have lunch, only to see from our vantage point on the chairlift the sun moves from East to West in Tasmania just like in the rest of the world, and now our lunch bags were the only things perched in the sun in the middle of a vast grassy area, looking more like an abandoned suitcase waiting for the bomb squad to come and diffuse. 

After lunch, it was the time the kids had been hanging out for - The pool. 

It was split in two halves with one side being a maximum of 400mm deep for the toddlers, and the other half was the normal shallow to deep design. It looked so much fun that I couldn't resist. I figured no-one here knew me anyway, so if anyone fainted at the sight (or thought?) of me parading around without my shirt on, then it wasn't going to bother me next week. So stripped off and jumped in. Luckily the river was just on the other side of the grass, enabling the wave I produced to diminish to just a trickle a kilometre or so down the gorge. 

An hour or so later, the kids were ready to go and I was getting tired of all the wolf whistles as I rolled out the pool, so we dried off and went for one last look and walk to the swinging bridge. The smoke had cleared up thanks to a wind change and helped with the views. 

I still can't get over how amazing this place is and that everything is free and open 24/7 (except the chairlift). 

We headed back with a quick stop at the local Woolies, and it was now a reality that we only had a few days left before we were heading home. I am not overly happy about that, mainly because it means I have to try and squeeze into my work pants and shirts - that is not going to be a good look! 

Launceston - or near enough

The road to Launceston from St Helens appeared to be another one of Tassie's great winding trails and it didn't let us down. It was about 180km but a travel time of nearly 3 hours. I have learnt to really enjoy these drives and the sights they offer, along with the forest walks and lookouts that are generally on the way. And this drive was as every bit windy as suggested. And more. 

Our target stop was to be Scottsdale, but it was momentarily interrupted with a walk through one of the many forest walks to stretch our legs and relieve some pressure. It was also during this road trip that we first noticed all the smoke in the air and it very quickly became more dense and pungent. There are apparently 70+ bushfires burning out of control at the moment in Tasmania, most of them in the Northwest of the state, which was where we had started this whole trip some 3 and a half weeks ago. We started to realise that if we had chosen to tour in a clockwise direction, we may have actually been forced to dtour or even turn around due to the fires being very close to some of the spots we had visited already. 

Scottsdale was a great stop, but we moved on pretty quickly to get to a suburb of Launceston called Longford where we had booked in for the next 3 nights. This next section was almost as un-straight as Tracy's hair in 80% humidity, and meant we averaged only about 45 km/hr for most of the way. However, as we got closer to our destination, we realised that being out of the hills and in the flats meant the smoke was going to be a real nuisance

We didn't do a lot after arriving, other than set up and watch the sun trying to burn through the smoke and finally disappearing with an almost blood red glow that just couldn't be captured with the camera. 

Bay of Fires

We set off this morning on a quick 1 hour trip north to St Helens. This was to be our base to go and visit the world renowned Bay of Fires. Our visit was at the southern most part at a town called Binalong, and the scenery certainly lived up to its reputation. The water was perfectly clear for as far as you could see, the sand was a brilliant white and the waves were perfect for the kids to body surf and jump. 

After an hour or so of swimming, Kayla and I took off to visit the granite boulders that had the striking orange colouring throughout them, apparently caused by lichens from the ocean. 

My little model princess managed to stop and pose at any moment she glimpsed me with the camera ready to shoot, but this gave me the perfect reason to take a heap of photos of this gorgeous place. (And my gorgeous girl). 

Freycinet

This Natiobal Park had been on our hit list since we arrived. There was also Wineglass bay on the other side of the mountain that we were determined to go to. So Rob donned his best hiking thongs again, Dylan put on his best mis-match of clothes that he could find, and the rest of us put on out bathers to set off on a 45 minute climb up the mountain, to be followed by a 40 minute descent to the bay for a well earned swim. Sounds good in theory anyway. Magnificent views on the way up as you would expect as you climb up 400m above sea level along gruelling rabbit paths and mountain goat rock steps in our bathers and thongs with a bag full of towels and sunscreen with barely a litre of water between the 5 of us. I was slightly amused at some of the looks from other hikers in their $1500 outfits as they powered past us. 

We finally reached the summit and couldn't help but admire the view as we started contemplating having to get the kids down the hill for a swim, and then the hour + trek back to the car later. It was at that point we managed to convince the kids the only way to get to the beach was to drive and not let them comprehend that we had reneged on our plans and we're taking an easier option. Thankfully the trip back down was a little bit easier, as you would expect, as the sweat had stopped leaking out of my thongs which meant I didn't have to implement my downhill slalom skiing skills. When we got to the car again, we found a nice little bay called Honeymoon Beach. It looked a bit suspect at first with the sand looking more like the gravel at the bottom of a fish tank, but the water was crystal clear, warm(ish) and shallow enough in places for the kids to stand. We stayed there for a couple of hours before heading back to camp. 

We are leaving here a day early tomorrow, to go to a place called St Helens so we can visit the Bay of Fires without too much car travel. 

Beer O'Clock. 

To Bicheno

We are now on the homeward run and heading up the East Coast ready to meet the ferry next Sunday morning.
One of our must do's was to visit Freycinet National Park. In order to do this in our rapidly diminishing time frame, we had to go a couple of hours north of Pt Arthur to then come back down the coast a little to visit the National Park.
We had our mandatory playground / lunch stop at a town called Swansea, where the boys also took the opportunity to lay down after an hour and a half sitting in the car, then doubled back a bit to get some fresh berries from a berry farm that we roared past on the way into town.
As usual, I was a little wary about going down a very narrow bitumen road that soon turned into a dirt road / driveway, knowing that i had 16 foot of van on the back of the car and dreading the day i have to reverse 150m around corners due to having no turn-around bay at the end of the road. Luckily this place had a full circle driveway, making it very easy to get the van out. They also had some pretty yummy ice-cream that we gorged down whilst sitting outside on the chairs overlooking the acres of berry bushes.... with thousands of berries on them.... It was about this time that we discovered they didn't have any berries for sale... because it was a Sunday and they didn't have a picker working. I am yet to start up my own business, but I am starting to think there isn't a lot of brain cells living on this farm. Tourists are generally out exploring on the weekends... did they not think on the Saturday that it may just be wise to pick a few extra for the hungry masses that will roll up the following day wanting to taste and more importantly contribute to the farm's profit margin? Or maybe even freeze a few Kg if they don't keep fresh too well? At least they have ice-cream... like the other 20 shops in the main street of town.
We arrived mid afternoon at our new stable at Bicheno, where the only thing the kids were interested in doing was going for a swim. It was blowing a gale but they were going for a dive regardless, so Tracy took off to the shops to get some essentials for the next few days whilst I went down the beach with the rugrats and let them play in the surf. Despite the wind, they had a fantastic time and the water and surrounds just looked amazing.
An hour or so later, and we headed back across the road to settle in for the night and start pondering the last few days that are left of this trek of ours.

Port Arthur Ruins

Today was the whole reason for visiting Port Arthur - to check out the site of Australia's largest mass shooting.... and the convict ruins.
This place was ginormous. The ticket gives us 2 days entry, but I am sure we needed at least 3 to see everything there is to see, so in true fashion, we crammed it all in less than 6 hours. The kids were fantastically semi-interested in what the tour lady said for the first 50 minutes, and then managed to smile and nod at the appropriate times we pointed out some bits of the ruins.
Our ticket included a cruise around the bay and a stop at The Isle of The Dead, where there was apparently over 1400 convicts and officers buried. The lady that was giving us the tour of this tiny little island ( less than the size of half a footy oval), was trying her hardest to be slightly humourous and even managed to laugh at one of her own jokes once. I tried to smile and acknowledge her a couple of times but was just secretly wishing she would just stick to the facts, as that was actually very interesting.
We got back onto the boat and continued walking around the ruins, just being fascinated by the history we had heard abnout earlier in the day, and seeing what conditions the boys and men had to endure, simply for punishment of simple crimes such as stealing a couple of loaves of bread, or some silk scarves. (For those historians reading this, you may know that Port Arthur was a prison for repeat offenders, but it was for very simple crimes that today would barely get a policeman off his chair and put his packet of Twinkies down).


We finally ambled out and headed back to base camp.You guessed it..... beer o'clock.