Tassie - New Norfolk, Port Arthur, Hobart Town.

Along the Derwent at New Norfolk.

After a wonderful stay along the Huon Trail, we headed out to New Norfolk along the Derwent River west of Hobart. It is a lovely little town and our caravan park is right beside the river, and very close to town. We plan to have a lazy few days. John has managed to get an infected ingrown toenail, and needs to see a doctor, and New Norfolk has a very good Medical Centre. It isn't long before Dr. Jenny has sliced, diced and wrapped the toe, and now just a couple days of rest with no shoes, and all is well.

Along the road to Lake Pedder.

Gordon River Dam.

We have come out here, mainly because it is a good base to explore one of the only other wilderness areas we haven't been to, Lake Pedder, the Gordon River Dam and Lake Gordon. It is a lovely drive out to Lake Pedder, through the forest areas around Medina, and the Mt. Field National Park. The scenery is spectacular, with vast forest areas giving way to flat plains, and those huge granite mountains. It is one of the last bastions of the forest protesters, and we pass one of their roadside tent camps. What a mess!! But I guess it is all made from recycled materials and solar powered!! Maybe Bob Brown will return now he doesn't have a job!!. All along the road in the forest areas, are large quantities of bee hives, placed in openings in the forest. The bee industry is very big in Tasmania, with lots of honey produced here. The hives are moved all over the place, to take advantage of which forest trees are in flower. When we reach Lake Pedder, there is a magnificent lookout that also provides some of the history surrounding the lake's establishment. 

Bee Hives along the
road to Lake Pedder.

The original Lake Pedder, is now deep below the surface of the new much bigger lake, and there is still an active movement trying to get the lake drained and returned to its original form. Good Luck!! We drove all the way out to the Gordon River Dam. Gone are the glory days of protest. We have seen only 3 other tourists all day! The dam is quite amazing. It is built across a very narrow section of the river, and holds back a huge volume of water. The Power Station at the dam, is operated by remote control from Hobart!!

Hop fields near New Norfolk.

The area around New Norfolk is lovely farming country. The Derwent Valley is big for hops, a crop you don't see a lot of. Apparently it requires a lot of sunlight.  On the fantastic tour of Boags Brewery I did, I was surprised to learn how little hops are used in the brewing process, and how they need 16 hours of sunlight a day to reach maturity, so places like Tassie are perfect. This years crops have all been harvested, but the fields were being prepared for the next crop. They grow on a vine, and it can be really long, supported by wire trainers and poles. Looks like really tall grapes!!

The Salmon Ponds at Plenty.

Another great attraction to visit is the Salmon Ponds, at nearby Plenty. This is the home of Australia's first trout hatchery, with the eggs being brought out from England, which was no mean feat given there was no refrigeration. It took a few attempts, but they finally succeeded,  and now the place is a wonderful picnic area set among beautiful gardens, beside the Plenty River, as well as still serving as a trout hatchery, to replenish the rivers and lakes of Tasmania, and as a museum showing the history of trout fishing. We spent a lovely afternoon walking among the trees and ponds, feeding the fat trout and salmon.


With the toe now fully healed, we packed up and headed for the Hobart Airport Big 4 Holiday Park. We had booked here for a week, months ago, to avoid the Easter Holiday rush, and allow us time to relax and spend time in Hobart, and complete our unfinished tour of Port Arthur. It is a lovely new park, with large concrete slabs, and fantastic new facilities, and the manager, John, is very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, on our first day, we got a bit of sad news. John's Aunt Mary, his dad's only sister, had passed away at the grand old age of 91. John had a long family association with Aunty Mim, and wanted to go to the funeral, which was to be on the Wednesday after Easter. So on the Tuesday he headed for Sydney, and was home on Thursday night. It was good to see mum and the family, albeit briefly. Thanks Keith and Nancy for putting me up,and looking after me. Carol put the time to good use, with a bit of spring cleaning, and a trip into town on the courtesy bus, for bit of retail therapy. Judging by her success, she must have missed me a lot!!

Tessellated Pavement
near Eagle Hawk Neck.

Over the Easter break, we made the most of our available time. Saturday, we were back at the famous Salamanca Markets. It was cold and windy with some showers, but we enjoyed our walk around these fantastic markets. We found a wonderful bakery nearby, called "Daci Daci". Great coffee and goodies, and excellent wood fired breads. The place was packed.

The Dog Line at Eagle Hawk Neck

Sunday was back to Port Arthur. We had our "Tickets of Leave" from our first visit. This is a great idea that allows you to get back into Port Arthur on future visits for 2 years. You pay a small fee up front, then come and go as you please. Along the way we called in at Eagle Hawk Neck, to see the tessellated pavements. This amazing geological event, just looks like pavers! We also read about the "Dog Line".  For those of you who know the area, Eagle Hawk Neck is a very narrow piece of land, that you cross to get to the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur. To stop convicts escaping by land, a number of savage dogs were chained in a line, across the entire width of the land, and just so they could not reach each other, but so close that a man could not go between! It proved very successful!!
We also went out to see the Blowhole and the Tasman Arch. The sea was benign, so the Blowhole was a non event, but the geology around the area is fantastic.

John & Carol at Port Arthur.

Port Arthur ruins.

The Old Catholic Church, Port Arthur.

Part of the Commandant's Cottage.

Port Arthur is a wonderful part of Australia's history. For those who haven't been for a few years, there is now a great Visitors' Centre, with fantastic interactive displays, and a good restaurant/cafe. The grounds are beautifully kept, and when you see and read what was at the site in the period from the 1830's to the 1860's, it is a hard to comprehend. Thankfully, that horrible atrocity committed by the madman Martin Bryant, is remembered in a very low key way, with a remembrance pool and cross, and the old cafe has never been restored. Your admission includes a tour with much of the history explained, and a cruise out to the Island of the Dead. It is unimaginable that so many people are buried on such a small rocky island. It is a huge area, as is evidenced by the fact that this is our second day. Much of the wooden work, such as roofs and windows, have gone from the stone buildings, but they are doing a wonderful job of restoring and maintaining the history of the place. Many of the old buildings have interactive displays, and staff on hand to explain who lived there and what daily life was like. It is very well done. As you read about the lives and times of those convicts, you cannot help but be moved. The suffering they went through, and the things they achieved, were quite extraordinary.

The Remarkable Cave

Leaving Port Arthur we decided to drive around the southern part of the Tasman Peninsula. We saw a sign that said to Remarkable Cave, and it was! We saw some fantastic scenery along the way, and when we reached the end of the road, we followed a track and a steep timber stairway down to the Remarkable Cave. It was an opening that had been cut through from the sea to a small beach. You could peer through to the sea. A local arrived, and was really unhappy that there was no sand!! We didn't understand what he was on about, but he explained that at really low tides, a lot of sand is washed through the tunnel, and you can walk through to the beach on the sea side!! Today wasn't that day. We drove back to the caravan park through a host of small seaside villages full of holiday shacks, and because it was Easter, full of holiday makers.

John freezing on Mt. Wellington.

Heading for the viewing platform
Mt.Wellington.

Monday was John's mum's birthday. Can't believe my mum is 88. It dawned really cold, but crystal clear. We had arranged with brother Neil, to set up a Skype call to surprise mum on her birthday. We heard that there would be snow up on Mt. Wellington, so headed up to see how good the weatherman was. He was spot on! It was snowing and it was freezing!! How amazing it was. We left the cold, bright sunshine behind in Hobart and soon arrived in Antarctica!! It was unfortunate that Telstra spoiled the party. Our Internet connection was poor, and unsuitable for a Skype call. It is unfortunate that we have had the same problem throughout Tasmania too often. Talking to the locals, it happens all the time, so Telstra needs to get their act together. The other providers just need to get an act! Would you believe, that tour providers ask for a phone number and carrier. If it isn't Telstra, they say they will take no responsibility, if they can't contact you in case of change!! 
We headed back into Hobart, in search of a hot lunch. We found the China Town part of town, spied a dumpling house, and were soon tucking into delicious steaming dumplings and noodles, just what the doctor ordered. That evening we even took in a movie. It was the first movie we've seen in 3 months! We saw "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", and had a real good laugh.
Back at the Airport Big 4 Holiday, life was a moving feast of people and camper vans. It seems that heaps of hirer's use the park as a first or last stopover. In addition we had a a Chinese Junior Badminton Team staying in the cabins, as well as a few caravan owners just like us. There was always something going on. We enjoyed our stay, and on Friday morning we packed up, and headed for our last port of call in Tasmania, Bridport, on the far North East Coast. It is time for John to indulge in a little golf, at the world famous Barnbougle Dunes golf course, just out of Bridport.