Tassie - Hobart, Bruny Island, Richmond

What an adventure we are having. In Tasmania, it is reinforced around every corner.

The historic old bridge at Richmond

As the goose bumps slowly settled from our visit to The Wall, our journey continued on towards Hobart, and on to our next base, the historic old English town of Richmond. The drive down through the Derwent Valley, kept begging us to stop and look, and we just kept making notes of where to come back to if we have time. The area around New Norfolk seemed really nice.
We skirted around the northern side of Hobart, past the infamous Risden Prison, home to Martin Bryant, the Port Arthur mass murderer, and soon entered the Coal Valley, a rich farming and wine area, and into Richmond. We found the Richmond Cabin & Tourist Park, and settled in. It is a rustic Park, set among the trees, run by a very friendly and helpful manager, and is only 2 minutes drive into town.
Being one of the oldest towns in Australia, it is full of history and some of the best examples of early Australian architecture you will see anywhere in the country. Most have been well restored and now house shops or other tourist attractions, or have been converted to B&B's, of which there are a host to choose from. Our timing couldn't have been better, with Sunday hosting the annual Scottish Festival. Time to rediscover my old family heritage. Now where did I put that kilt and sporran?

The Cruise Boat

Suited up and ready for adventure

But first we had to attend to other tourist matters, and our first priority was the Bruny Island Cruise, run by Rob Pennicott. If you haven't read about this trip, you should google it. It is one of the world's great adventure day trips, and we have now been lucky enough to experience it. I will try and do it justice in a few paragraphs. Lynne and Paul's dog Harley, had been put into Doggy Day Care for a couple of days. 

We went through the gap at speed!!

It is without doubt one of the best organised tours we have ever been on. From the time we met the bus driver at the beautiful seaside town of Kettering, we knew we were in for a great day. The bus driver was Mick, a man with saltwater in his veins, and a personality and well practised humour, tailor made for the job. Turned out he was also to be our skipper on the boat. The bus takes the car ferry across from Kettering to Bruny Island, and then on a 40 minute journey down the full length of the island to our cruise departure point at Adventure Bay. The whole thing is a well oiled machine. Arrive at Adventure Bay where hot coffee and muffins are waiting (for a fee), then order your lunch (for a fee) so it will be ready for your return from the cruise, then onto the boats. On our day there were 4 boats, each carrying around 30 passengers. The boats are amazing, purpose built things powered by three 300hp outboards, incredibly fast and manouverable, allowing access within centimetres of the cliff face, and patting distance of the seals!

Relaxation without a care

Our weather was cold (14 C) and overcast, and you needed the orange suit and every thing else under it, as we literally flew along the coast stopping all the while to see caves and countless other attractions always looking up at those amazing granite cliffs looming above, only metres from the boat. Huge gardens of giant kelp clinging to the rocks that in many parts are teeming with bird life.
We reached the Southern Ocean, and a group of islands covered in seals. You smell these buggers before you see them. There are thousands clinging to the rocks, resting, sleeping or fighting. It is quite a show! The return journey is further out to sea, in search of bird life, and we are not disappointed as we see albatross, gannets, gulls and terns, and plenty of the more than 19 million short tailed shearwaters (mutton birds), that make the annual migration from the Bering Sea in Siberia, to have their babies and then return home. Ain't nature grand!!!

Mick, behind John pointing out
the oysters nutritional values.

Back on shore it is time for lunch. We are glad we ordered soup, not because we are hungry, just so we can hold the cup and thaw out! Back on the bus for home, but we make a couple of stops. An Oyster Farm with the fantastic name of "Get Shucked". A small tasting box last seconds, the sweetest freshest Pacific Oysters we've ever had! One more stop at the Bruny Island Smokehouse, for a taste of their fabulous smoked salmon and ocean trout, as well as wallaby and rabbit, which Mick assured us wasn't road kill. It was all good, but the salmon was great, and went into the bag for later on. 
We were soon back in Kettering, and the fantastic adventure was over, but the memories will last forever. We decided to finish off the day with a seafood dinner around the buzzing waterfront of Hobart's Constitution Dock. Two cruise ships departing, made for a carnival atmosphere, and we opted for Mure's Seafoods, Hobart's version of Doyles, as the venue for our meal and a celebratory glass of wine, to finish a great day. Well almost finish the day. We found the ice cream bar on the way out, so wandered the docks with delicious home made ice cream for dessert!

Pipe Band on the village green
at Richmond

Next day we were back in Hobart, as it was Saturday, and the famous Salamanca Markets were on. Everything from fresh produce to souvenirs, clothes, crafts and jewellery, this market is well able to make claim to being Australia's biggest and best. The day just disappeared. Lynne & Paul headed off early to pick up Harley, so Carol & I decided to hag around and watch the transformation, as Salamanca quickly returns to being the vibrant night scene of galleries, bars and restaurants, for which it is equally famous. The whole area reminds us of Sydney's Rocks and Circular Quay, and we felt right at home. We enjoyed browsing the galleries, had a couple of drinks at a lovely bar and then had dinner at a lovely little Indian restaurant at the far end of Salamanca Place. We have another week in and around Hobart over Easter, and will really give the place a going over then.

Not Happy Jan!

Upside down Tassie Devil!

Sunday was Scottish Day in Richmond. The weather cleared after some heavy overnight rain, and the bag pipes were in full swing early. There was a pipe band contest, tents with Scottish Clan information, a grand official opening by the mayor, followed by a mass band showing, and a dancing dog display that seemed to be a bit of a work in progress. Nonetheless it was all good fun. With the sounds of the bagpipes still ringing in our ears, we headed out to a local zoo to see what it was like, and hopefully get up close and personal with some locals, the Tasmanian Devils. We weren't disappointed. The zoo had some beautiful white lions, including a new cub which was full of fun, as well as a couple of Sumatran Tigers. In addition there were some good bird displays, a farm animal nursery and an interactive area where you could feed the wallabies, goats and sheep. We did get close to the devils at feeding time, which was most interesting as the young keeper introduced them as some of the dumbest animals on earth, and then set out to prove his point!
We have also done a day at Port Arthur, but really did not get to see it all, so we have been given convict "tickets of leave", which allow us to return at a later time to finish our experience, so I will do a separate story at a later date. We will also be back in Richmond, as Carol still has lots of shops to explore!! 
So off to Bicheno we go. Last stop with Lynne & Paul. Can't believe how fast it has gone.

Tasmania - West Coast Wilderness

We left Ulverstone and headed for the West Coast, and our next stopover at the beautiful village of Strahan. By Tassie standards, this is a long drive at just over 200km. We had been advised to follow the B18 from Burnie, and approach Strahan from the town ship of Zeehan, thus avoiding the long, steep, and very winding approach, from Queenstown. For caravanners, this is excellent advice, and we were very grateful, especially for our big caravan.

The village of Strahan

The drive was lovely. Firstly heading through beautiful farming country, before hitting the hills and tall timber. Our morning tea stop was the small mining town of Rosebery, where the cheese & bacon sausage rolls at the bakery proved a huge hit! Washed down with a good (not great!) coffee, and we were soon on our way again. The active Zinc mine, looms above the town. The mines of this area are supposedly Tasmania's richest, having estimated revenues in excess of $8 billion!


We are soon at the next mining town, Zeehan, named after the explorer Abel Tasman's ship. Once upon a time "the Silver City" was Tasmania's 3rd largest city. Now it still hosts an active mine, and a small population. There are some great old buildings such as the 1000 seat Gaiety Theatre, and the West Coast Heritage Centre that tracks the mining history of the region.

On the West Coast Beach near Strahan

From Zeehan it is only a short distance into Strahan. The countryside changes dramatically into scrubby coastal plains, which really surprised me. I had expected tall trees and forest all the way!  We pulled up at the Strahan Holiday Park, where our booking had been lost, and they had to do some fast work to rectify the problem. Thank God for Lynne's thorough bookwork! We were unable to be together, but just a few sites apart. It proved to be a very busy, pleasant caravan park, but very tight for big vans, with very limited parking. There was a lot of car juggling as people moved in and out!

Gordon River Cruise

In Strahan, we were blessed by the most beautiful weather. Given what we had heard about wind and rain and cold, we were so lucky! The two big local attractions, are the Gordon River Cruise and the West Coast Wilderness Railway. There are two operators running the river cruises. We chose the "red" boat, as we had been advised it was more informal, allowing access to the wheelhouse, and freedom of movement around the vessel, rather than a reserved seat for the day. What  a day we had!

Hell's Gate Lighthouse

The cruise starts by heading out to "Hell's Gate", the entrance to the waterway, known as Macquarie Harbour. Once through those gates, the next stop is South America. That's right, not South Africa, which shows how far south we are! It is a huge harbour, but it has a narrow (8metre), shallow (5metre) opening, restricting the size of vessel that can enter. Consequently it is not a commercial shipping harbour, other than for fishing and tourism. There are a lot of fish farms anchored in the harbour, some 280 of them, each one holding up to 12,000 fish, either Atlantic Salmon or Ocean Trout. That Tassal or Huon smoked salmon you buy at Woolies or Coles, probably comes from here.
The first white "tourists" to the area, were in fact convicts, who arrived in 1823 from Hobart, to start a Penal Colony on Sarah Island, a small island inside the harbour. This was pre Port Arthur. Their job was to be harvesting the huge huon pine from the forests and to build ships. These were the ones who named the harbour entrance, for obvious reasons. We enjoyed a wonderful tour of Sarah Island, with an animated guide, who ran the show like a play, with members of our group assigned characters from the history of the day, all as we moved among the ruins. It was a huge amount of fun. We could not believe how many people were housed on this small island. It closed in 1835 and everyone was transferred to the new penal colony at Port Arthur.
From Sarah Island, we headed for the Gordon River, along the way enjoying a fantastic buffet lunch of among other things, local smoked salmon and cheeses, washed down with some lovely local wines. As we headed up the Gordon River, we were reminded of the protests back in the 1970's, that eventually lead to the stopping of the proposed Gordon/Franklin River Dam, and the establishment of this World Heritage Listed wilderness area. At a spot called Heritage Landing, we all got off for a walk through the magnificent forest, and a look at a 2500 year old Huon Pine, recently having fallen in a storm. It is hard to imagine trees this old. These monsters grow at the rate of 1mm per year, so it is no wonder they are now protected. Cut one down, and wait 15 generations or more, to harvest its replacement!!

The ABT Steam Engine on the West
Coast Wilderness Railway

Along the banks of the King River

Next day, it was our turn to take the train. This time it was just Carol and I. We had booked the "Premium Class" carriage, which gave us better seating, and included all our food and lovely Tasmanian wines and beers, plus a pick up and drop off at our caravan park. We reckoned it was well worth the extra. It was another picture perfect day, we had some great company on the train, and had a ball. The journey is one way between Strahan and Queenstown by train, with return coach transfer. We opted to do the train from Strahan, with a coach trip back from Queenstown. We left under diesel power following the King River as we wandered through the rain forest. This is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, having had millions of tons of heavy metals washed down from the mines, up until the government finally forced the mines to build tailings dams. Some sections of the river bank still cannot support vegetation! When we pass the junction of the Queen River, the rocks turn a bright orange, further evidence of that pollution. There are stops along the way, and walks into the forest to view the bridge structures and other points of interest.

A stop along the Wilderness Railway

Lunch is at the station known as Dubbil Barril, where the engine is swapped to the ABT Steam engine. This engine uses a third rail that has a cog system allowing the engine to climb steep slopes, similar to what operates in Europe, and we know as fernicular railways. It is quite amazing to look out the window and realise just how steep the hills are. This is an unbelievable engineering achievement, and as we reach the station at Queenstown and look through the museum, we learn just what an achievement it was.

Tutts Whittle Wonders

Outside the big two attractions, we took a walk through the Peoples Park to Hogarth Falls, drove out to the west coast beaches and drove along the beach to "Hell's Gate". Not much to see except a few fishermen. We took a look at "Tutts  Whittle Wonders" a local eccentric guys look at life through driftwood and some 300 plus wooden sculptures he has collected and made. Most of them are just bits of wood he has added some eyes or slightly carved. It was a lot of fun, and if his wife is any guide, Tutt is surely an eccentric, with a warped sense of humour! For an entry fee of a gold coin, it was a very worthwhile stop!

Valentine's Day Dinner at Strahan

Last day in town was Valentine's Day, so four old romantics headed into town for a nice dinner at the local pub called Hamer's Grill. It was a lovely way to end a fantastic few days.


Next morning we headed for Richmond. We stopped in Queenstown for breakfast. It really is mining town. For those of you who know the beautiful Queenstown in New Zealand, this one couldn't be more far removed! Barren mountains of gravel, all scarred from decades of mining, still active mines belching dust and steam, tailings dams and their hectares of reclaimed sludge, and no trees. From town it is up that steep, winding climb, and back through the mountains and the Gordon & Franklin Wilderness Area, as we make our way towards Richmond.

Entry to The Wall.

At a little town called Derwent Bridge we come to one of the most amazing artistic wonders we, or anyone else, will ever see. It is called "THE WALL." Sculptor Greg Duncan has commenced, what will ultimately be, a 100 metre long wall of scluptured Huon Pine panels, each about 3 metres tall, depicting the rural, mining and construction workers of the Western Wilderness. At present, The Wall is 50 metres long, or in fact 25 metres back to back. It is housed in a new iron building, which from the minute you pay your $10, and step into the subdued lighting, takes your breath away. The sculptured wooden raincoat and hat are so life like you feel you could put them on! You then turn and look down the first side of the wall and are blown away by the scope of the work and the detail in it. It is like being in a cathedral, so quiet and reverent, as we all just stand and look at what is being created. We will have to come back, just to see the end result in 2015. What a remarkable piece of work.


We continued our trip to Richmond, knowing that we had just seen something very, very, special, all in the middle of nowhere! 

Tassie Here We Come!

Here we are back on the air again!!

January was a blur. After Gloucester, we spent the rest of the month catching up with family and friends. It would seem that absence does make the heart grow fonder, and we had some lovely times, celebrating a belated Christmas with John's family, as well as a few birthdays. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family, and our time in Sydney and surrounds, sharing time with you all is a wonderful memory we take on our continuing journey.

Here's to Tassie!

Driving on to Spirit of Tasmania 11.

February 2nd was departure day to leave the mainland and head to the south island of Australia, otherwise known as Tasmania. We spent the night and day before at the Big 4 Ashley Gardens. It is only 20 minutes to the pier, and is the park recommended by The Spirit of Tasmania staff. We had to make special arrangements to stay on our site after normal checkout time. The staff were very helpful, especially as the park was not busy. The GPS came into its own and we made it to the wharf easily. The loading was smooth, and quite exciting, as we made our way up the ramp to the top level, and disappeared into the bowels of the boat. On checking in, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we had been upgraded into a private cabin, which was extra nice. We found our way to our cabin, checked out the layout of the ship, ordered a couple of drinks and went out on deck to watch Melbourne disappear behind us and the sun set in the west. We enjoyed a light meal, watched a little TV (Carol and Desperate Housewives!) whilst John played the pokies and won $60!! Yay!!

War Memorial and Clock Tower
at Ulverstone.

Next morning we were up at 5.50am for our 6.30am landing. We found out that our deck was to be first off. We were the 4th vehicle off the van, did our quick quarantine check at the gate, and were out in the streets of Devonport at 6.35am!!! We headed for our first stop at Ulverstone, some 30kms to the west, and at 7.05am were sitting in a lovely cafe in Ulverstone having breakfast. Couldn't believe how smooth it had all been.
After breakfast we found the Apex Caravan Park on the western side of town right beside the ocean. Our site was large and grassy, and once we had shooed the rabbits away, we set up camp for the week. Our friends Lynne and Paul were arriving on the 5th, so we spent a couple of days having a look at the local sights.


Lynne & Paul have been to Tassie a few times, but for us it is all new. Our plan is to do a circuit of the island together, and from that decide where to go in more detail after they've headed back. They will be with us for about 4 weeks, after which we have another 8 weeks.

Port Sorrell at low tide.

We took a drive out to Port Sorrell, which is a lovely beach side area to the east of Devonport. Being a lovely day, the water sparkled, and there were lots of locals at the beaches. We called in at Ghost Rock Winery on the way, and sampled some of the delicious local wine. A couple of bottles went into the fridge. Not cheap at the cellar door, but excellent wines. We found our way over to Latrobe, another quaint town, and home to platypus and the Axemen's Hall of Fame, beautifully located on the banks of the Mersey River. It was well worth a visit, though 50 axemen wouldn't have been heard above the noise of 100 women having a luncheon in the function room!! Back in town is the amazing store called Reliquaire. It is unbelievable, with over 20 rooms crammed from floor to ceiling, with dolls, stuffed toys, teddies, toys, furniture, produce, hardware, and much much more. You could spend a week here. We lost 2 hours, and then couldn't find the front door!!


Nearby is Anvers Chocolate Factory, and also the Cherry Shed. Believe it or not, Carol opted for the Cherry Shed. It proved an excellent choice, with the plumpest fresh cherries and raspberries to buy, and a fresh cherry/raspberry ice cream where a guy put a handful of each plus a scoop of ice cream into a machine, and the most delicious soft serve arrived in a waffle cone. Yummmo!

Poppy crop.

The Forth Valley is a rich vegetable and fruit growing area. You cannot believe how much is grown here. I am convinced from what I have read, that Australia would starve if not for this region. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, beans, peas, all kinds of berries and cherries, fresh flowers, tomatoes, and they grow heaps of poppies to produce codeine. In addition, the white daisy that produces pyrethrum is grown here in such volume, that 30% of the world's supply comes from this region. How about that!!

Lynne, Paul, Harley and the camper trailer

On Sunday 5th February, the day Lynne & Paul were arriving, the weather took a huge turn for the worse. We had taken a lovely drive and walk up to Leven

Penguin's big penguin.

Uniting Church at Penguin.

We took a leisurely trip along the coast to the quaint little town of Penguin. Guess what it's famous for? That's right, seals! Only kidding, the cute little guys nest all along the coast around here. The town street scape is all about penguins. The garbage cans are even covered in penguins. There are some nice cafes, and we had a lovely lunch at one called Renaessance, a play on the owner's name, not my bad spelling! There is also a terrific old wooden Uniting Church. Further west along the coast are the port of Burnie, and the town of Wynyard. We will cover theses in more detail later in our travels, as we are now in the middle of plans for a visit by John's sister Jenny and BIL David, when we will explore the north west and Cradle Mountain in greater detail. We did visit Table Cape just out of Wynyard, where the Lighthouse sits on the point of the cape surrounded by the tulip farms. Alas it isn't tulip time. The photos we saw were spectacular. We just saw more dead poppies!

Carol, Pedro and the bushranger!

Sheffield, the mural town.

A trip to Sheffield, Mole Creek and Deloraine, was another great day out. Sheffield is the Mural Town. The buildings of the town are adorned with some amazing artworks, and they are regularly refreshed and/or replaced. They are well worth a visit. In the middle of town we found Pedro the tame alpaca. His owner, an enterprising Dutchman with a surprising similarity to Pedro, eagerly invited you over for a pat or a photo, for a gold coin. I reckon by the time he went home he'd have weighed 200kgs he was collecting so much gold! Guess that's when Pedro earns his dinner! There is also a fantastic marble shop. Round marbles, all painted and showing some incredible designs, and there is The Emporium, a shop you could spend weeks in, full of memorabilia or just plain junk, call it what you will. 


At Mole Creek, the area is famous for its caves. We have seen a lot of caves, so didn't do any spelientology, just had a great lunch at the Guesthouse and Cafe. One of the best Ploughman's lunches John's ever had! Carol had a fantastic spicy tomato and red lentil soup, which was equally delicious. Further on was the town of Deloraine. We stopped for an afternoon coffee at the famous deli, and it was good. The town looked very interesting and will warrant a more detailed examination at a later date.

The Nut looking across Sawyer Bay.

On another day we headed out to Stanley, a beautiful village nestled under the quite famous landmark called The Nut. We were absolutely blessed with a gorgeous day, so saw Stanley at its absolute best. This is a quaint fishing village famous for its lobster and fish. Unfortunately our timing was bad, being the most expensive time of the year to buy lobster. The new quota season starts 1st March, when the volume increases and the prices come down. We'll see, when Jenny and Dave are here!

View looking west from The Nut

The iconic thing to do is take the chairlift to the top of The Nut, which we did and were rewarded with some amazing vistas. The village itself is a wonderful collection of restored cottages, many with historical significance, and may of them   B & B's. There are some lovely cafes and restaurants. It seems a lovely area to spend a few days, and we will later on. We enjoyed a huge feed of fish 'n chips at Hurshey's down by the docks. It was excellent. You can't miss it, it has a huge lobster on the roof, and even if you don't want to eat, it is worth a visit to see the live tanks full of "pet" fish, friendly examples of what they sell commercially, including gummy sharks, striped trumpeter and a huge crab!


Our last day was spent having a look around Ulverstone, which is a lovely seaside area, surrounded by rich agriculture, and home to one of the worlds most modern potato processing plants. The next time you have a chip, think Ulverstone. It probably came from here! I must give a  plug to the Visitor Centre. It is always our first stop in town. The lady we spoke to was so full of passion about the area, in fact all of Tasmania, and she gave us a bag full of ideas and places not to miss. What would she be like if she got paid?? Thanks for all the help.


The afternoon was spent packing up, and the evening was spent at the pub where we had a great farewell dinner. On to the West Coast, and our next stop at Strahan.

Gloucester

Carol, Lindsay, Myrelle, John & Rex.

We were glad to see the Palmwoods sign shrinking in the rear view mirror, as we set sail south, en route to Sydney, with a farm stopover on the way. We are going to catch up with John's cousin and his wife Myrelle, on their dairy farm at Tibbuc near Gloucester.


We chose the scenic route again, heading out from Beerwah, to Esk and the beautiful Esk Valley. We found a gorgeous place for lunch, the Nash Cafe & Gallery, situated in a wonderfully restored old Queenslander. We sat on the wide porch soaking up the history of the home which was built by our distant, great, great, great, uncle Lars Andersen from the Swedish side of the family, who had a lot to do with the history of the Esk Valley, and absolutely nothing to do with our family! Lunch was a terrific home made bacon, egg and spinach pie with chips and salad. Excellent fare!


From Esk we headed to the beautiful garden city of Toowoomba, which we only drove through, again vowing to come back. The journey now looks like it could stretch into 6 years, with all the comebacks, and we've still most of the country to see! Our stopover in a drive thru site, was at Stanthorpe, at the Top of the Town Caravan Park. It looked a nice park with heaps of birds attracted to the bird feeders through the park. This is another come back place. The area is a rich wine growing and food bowl area, with apples and stone fruit the specialty. There is a big Italian influence in the area, and each February there is a Sicilian Festival, so that will most likely be our come back time, one year.


From Stanthorpe we crossed the border back into NSW and the beautiful town of Tenterfield, made famous in a song by Peter Allen, so yes we were humming and singing "time is a traveller Tenterfield Saddler........" all the way into town, and our coffee stop and another excellent carrot cake. We found the world's most awarded sausage making butcher shop, winning the New England district competition every year since 1999, so we stocked up, and they are pretty good. The best part was that we ordered 5 each of about 6 different varieties, and when we got them home the butcher had packed them individually and put a name tag in each pack so we would know which was which! Now that is good old country service! We drove on to Armidale, and 2 nights at the lovely Pembrokes Caravan Park. We have stayed before, and really like it. It has won a number of awards, and you will never get a friendlier welcome anywhere. We always like Armidale, and just had a good 2 days rest.


We left Armidale, and set a new record for shortest drive before stopping for coffee, 16kms to Uralla, because Carol saw "The Galloping Gourmet", where we had an excellent coffee and shared a rhubarb cake to die for. Parking in Uralla, like many country towns, shows total disregard for caravanners. Everything is angle parking. I swear that one day I will angle park the caravan and block the highway! We are the guys and girls spending the kid's inheritance, and if there is any parking set aside for caravans, it is usually way out the back or closer to the next town! Come on country councillors, think about our dicky knees and hips, show some leadership and stop telling us how the towns are dieing. Give them a chance at life! Soap box retired!


Uralla to Gloucester along the Thunderbolt Way, is a spectacular drive. The road is currently in very poor condition, and the way south down the mountain is very steep for a big van. There is one 12 kilometre stretch of steep gradients, that I was very glad to get to the bottom of. But the scenery through Walcha and Nowendoc is well worth it. The police helicopter is a reminder of the search for Australia's most wanted man, Malcolm, who has become somewhat of a folk hero. He is an amazing bushman, having eluded police for 6 years. In fact, the search headquarters has now moved to Gloucester, as there have been sightings in the area, including one on Woko, the property next to Lindsay and Myrelle's. Everyone wants a slice of the $250,000 pie on offer!

The farm at Tibbuc.

Our stop is at Tibbuc, on the dairy farm owned by John's cousin Lindsay, and his wife Myrelle. The farm has been in the family for generations, and it is currently run by Lindsay & Myrelle in conjunction with Lindsay's brother Jim & wife Dianne. I first came here in my early teens on school holidays. I will never forget those years of hunting and fishing and working on the farm.They were such wonderful times and are so clear in my memory, and ever since, I've had the bush in my blood. Lindsay and I have been great mates ever since. I've known Myrelle almost as long as Lindsay. My own family came from Gloucester, but not on the land. We have many relatives here, and I love coming back to this beautiful country, meeting distant cousins and family friends. Everyone makes you feel so at home.

What a view!

Milking time.

Feeding time for the new calves.

Myrelle again, and every time I ask myself why does it take so long to get back here? It is paradise. A quick lunch to catch up on family things, and to learn what Lindsay has in store for the next few days. Every stay is an adventure, filled with fun, people, beer wine and lots of food, and this was to be no exception. We then all headed up to the dairy to do the afternoon milking. 


Friday we were off to Laurieton to see the addition that has transformed the cottage Lindsay & Myrelle have had for a long time, into a modern, contemporary home, with the new upstairs dedicated to their family as a holiday home, and downstairs still available for holiday letting. It is really lovely. We met Al Hardy the builder, and great mate of Lindsay, who was coming up to the farm for the weekend's activities, and generally had a drive around. We called in at Ron & Julie's new house, but unfortunately no one was home, and we only had your home phone number with us. Sorry we couldn't give advance warning but we didn't know we would be visiting, but don't be surprised if one day a big smiling ginger haired dairy farmer called Lindsay Fraser, comes knocking at your door! We also picked up some school river prawns at Taree Co-Op, for tonight's entree. All the big prawns were in scarce supply.


Back to Gloucester. We were having dinner at Margo and Adam's (daughter and son-in-law) new home. Last time we saw them, son Alby had just been born. This time it was new born daughter Ellie to meet. Lindsay and Myrelle count their blessings, as both their daughter Margo and son Michael have settled in Gloucester. They each have a son, six months apart and now each has a daughter, only a few weeks apart. Margot and Adam are teachers, whilst Michael and Wendy have a dairy farm south of town. Michael & Wendy have done an amazing job of setting up a very new, modern, computerised dairy, which is something to see. So different to the traditional method. Michael and son Andrew joined us for dinner, whilst Wendy and new daughter Samantha were on their way back from a shopping trip to Newcastle. We would catch up with them later in the weekend. Dinner was fantastic, with the flash fried prawns to start and a lovely pork belly roast dinner to follow.

Let the fishing begin!

There must be trout here?

Saturday was to be a boys fishing trip. So it was up early for Lindsay, John, Al, Michael and Adam, as we headed to the mountains and the headquarters of the Barrington River. The scenery was beautiful. This is beef cattle country, and the country and the cattle looked in great condition. We ran out of council maintained roads, and were on private properties mostly owned by families Lindsay knew and had made arrangements with. We were soon at the right spot, and the fishing began. Al had two in his bag before Lindsay reached the river! The competition was fierce, as the older experienced guys took on the young men armed with all the latest gear. I now know that trout fishing is not my game. Walking in a boulder strewn river lined with weeds called wonderful names like "wait a while", that cut your legs to bits, and falling arse over head in the river whilst balancing a fishing rod, proved beyond me. My contribution to the day was getting the beer out of the esky! But I wouldn't have missed it for the world. By lunch time, the old guys had the most fish, but the young guys (Michael) had the biggest.

Our lunch spot.

At lunch time, as if by a miracle, two guys arrived in their ute, with the BBQ plate we needed to cook lunch. These guys turned out to be Andrew and Robert, both off the local properties, and in no time, they had it set up and were cooking steaks and sausages. What a scene! A large steak between two slabs of bread, smothered in fried onions, a stubby in the other hand, sitting beside the most beautiful river in the world, wishing that the other guys fish would shrink, so you could brag about having the biggest one!

Not a bad days fishing!

After lunch, it was back on the river. This time we were headed for the mythical "Towers". We started in the ute, but ran out of road, then took to walking. The river got steeper, the boulders got bigger and the "wait a while" weed got thicker. To make things worse, the fish got scarcer! So after a couple of hours we gave up and headed back to the camp, which by now had been taken over by more visitors, this time James and Sandy and their two boys, from the neighbouring farm. They had bought their swimming gear and dinner to cook on the BBQ. So it was time for more beer, more steak and sausage sandwiches and more yarns around the campfire. Soon it was 8.00pm and time to head for home. By the time we got home, the girls had thought we were lost, but when we showed them the bounty we had provided, all was forgiven. A new member to the team was introduced. It was Dominic, Al's future son-in-law, a chef by profession. He had forgone the fishing in favour of a day's wedding planning, and once the bounty was shown realised the folly of his choice. Still, all could be retrieved, as Lindsay promised to take him out on Sunday, as long as he agreed to cook all the fish for dinner on Sunday night.

Dom got his trout.

That night there was much snoring, as the fishing, the food and the beer all took hold. The men awoke refreshed on Sunday whilst the women complained about faulty ear plugs, and a new days fishing was planned, back at the same spot. This would be a shortened version, with the girls invited and a BBQ lunch with the property owners James & Sandy. It was another fantastic day, but the fish were not co-operating. Dominic was mortified that he still had not caught his trout, but on the final cast of the day, the god's smiled and Dom got his trout. We finished off the day with something you don't get to do often in Sydney, unless you live in Greenacre, a spot of clay pidgeon shooting. James and Sandy's teenage boys had been given the launcher and a whole lot of clay pidgeons for Xmas. Bet you city kids didn't get one of them!! It was great fun, and we all hit a target!

Better than any caravan park

Back at the farm, we broke out the beer and wine, and started the cleaning and preparation of the trout for the Sunday night feast. Dom reckoned he had never worked with such fresh produce. He went through the garden and Carols spice cupboard, and made up a delicious herb butter to go with the trout. Some fish were BBQ'd some were pan fried and some were baked in the oven. All were excellent. Margo and Adam, Michael and Wendy and the four grandkids all joined us, and it was a fantastic occasion with family and friends. The girls gave Dom a break and whipped up an upside down cake using the fresh stone fruit we had brought down from Stanthorpe. The perfect end to the meal.

Gloucester's crepe myrtle.

All too soon it was Monday morning and we were on our way to Sydney. What a fantastic few days it had been. Yes, Tibbuc is always on the come back list! We drove out of the farm and headed into Gloucester which is very gentrified these days, with lots of small acreages and new homes around the area. The town itself is full of crepe myrtle and they are all in bloom. The streets are lined with them and it looks a picture. As you leave town you can't help but notice the Buckets Mountain Range looking over the town. It really is a beautiful area. We will always come back to Gloucester. 

Palmwoops!!!!

ALERT!  


Some of you may have received a Palmwoods post. Unfortunately it would appear that someone  has gained unauthorised access to our blog,  and removed this post only. We currently have Blogger investigating this security breach.


If you didn't receive this post, read on. Even if you did, read it again, as there have been some changes.


What started as a wonderful family Christmas at Palmwoods, sadly all went pear shaped, and those that know us well will guess the cause. We did have some wonderful memories though, and these are what we will salvage from the wreck.

Mandy, Steve and Ethan.

It was great to catch up again with Mandy, Steve and little Ethan. Having a small child around at Christmas does make it extra special. Dressed as Santa's helper, he crawled around everywhere, more interested in the reams of paper than the presents!


On Christmas morning, we had arranged with my brother Neil, for a Skype hook up at John's mum's house, as a surprise. Mum is constantly amazed at the new technology, and the look of surprise on her face as Neil led her into the room was fantastic. She was so overcome, that she could actually see us and talk to us, she burst into tears! We repeated the whole Skype thing again on Boxing Day, at the Anderson family traditional get together. It was wonderful to be able to see and talk to all the happy family. How we wished we were there.

Carolyn with Santa's Helper.

On the day after Boxing Day, Steve and John were joined by John's good mate Peter Taylor, for a game of golf at nearby Nambour Golf Club, which must be the most mountainous course in Australia! Thank God we had a cart, well except for Pete who mumbled something about needing the exercise. I'm sure having a face that red isn't good for you?

Ethan and Uncle Bear.

The next morning we farewelled Mandy, Steve and Ethan over breakfast at Mooloolaba, as they headed down to the Gold Coast for a couple of days before heading out to Pitsworth near Toowoomba, the venue for Steve's family New Year gathering this year.


We had a couple of lovely dinners with Pete. Thanks for your support and sorry about the ear bashing! We value your friendship, and will always stay in touch, and one day I will beat you at golf! We loved your new place at Coolum. Almost as good as a caravan!


We have always loved the Sunshine Coast, and will always come back, just not to Palmwoods. We were left in no doubt we were not welcome back. Sad really. For them, not us.

Kid control Nanna McGinn Style

We had prepaid our accommodation at Palmwoods Caravan Park, and at the Christmas holiday rates, were not just going to pack up and leave. The park has new owners, and it is better run and much friendlier than before, and we had a great site down the back looking out over the hinterland. It became our sanctuary. We took drives up to Noosa, one of our all time favourite haunts, and on another drive discovered the quaint little village of Kenilworth, where we sampled one of the best carrot cakes ever made, at Nanna McGinns Cafe.


Today starts a bright New Year. Palmwoods is already a year behind us and forgotten! On to new adventures and new places, carrying a lot less baggage!

Maryborough

A classic Queenslander home.

From Woodgate Beach we headed to Maryborough for a long weekend stay, before heading for Palmwoods and Christmas with Carolyn's family. What a wonderful surprise is Maryborough. Full of so much history. We were quite frankly amazed at how much there was to see and do, and quickly realised a long weekend would not do it justice.


Most people know about the beautiful old Queenslander homes that are all over town, many magnificently restored, but equally as many with peeling paint and run down. There is a lot of maintenance with a Queenslander! But what we did not know, was the rich history and industry that has been, and still is, such a major part of the town.

Inside City Hall's Theatre

We checked in at the Wallace Caravan Park. It wasn't much. Very unkempt and tired looking. Still the amenities were clean. The other 3 parks in town looked just the same. We think that most caravanners bypass Maryborough, and stay at nearby Hervey Bay, which has a host of excellent caravan parks.


Our first day started with a FREE guided walking tour, that started at 9.00am out side City Hall. It runs every day but Sunday. It lasted 1.5 hours and was excellent. If you are ever in town, this is the perfect introduction to Maryborough. The guide, dressed in 19th century workman's clothes, was knowledgeable and passionate, a wonderful combination. We started with a tour around the magnificent City Hall building, a gift to the city from a wealthy guy named George Ambrose White. Grand old building in wonderful condition, and still in use today. There is so much history to be told.

Bollards depicting the
 history of immigration.

Maryborough was first settled as a port to allow the shipping of timber to the cities, as the overland route was long and arduous. No coastal road existed. When gold was found at Gympie, this was also shipped out through the port. It became a major ship building centre, which continued up until the 1990's. Many warships were built here during WW11. In 1859 it became an official port of entry into Australia, and between then and 1901, 22,000 immigrants arrived into the country through the Port of Maryborough. There are some wonderful old buildings and museums around the port area. Our tour ended at the old Bond Store Building which had some wonderful exhibits depicting the import and export of produce as well as the history of immigration. Manufacturing industries grew and the town prospered. Even today some rare manufacturing in a country town occurs, with the building of the High Speed Tilt Train, taking place in Maryborough. The Tilt Train runs daily between Brisbane and Rockhampton.

Band Rotunda in Queens Park.

The city is full of wonderful old buildings and parks such as Queen's Park which has a lovely Rotunda and fountain, both gifts to the city, as well as a magnificent Banyan Tree, and other exotic species of trees. The last Sunday of every month the local band plays in the rotunda, amid a party atmosphere. Every Thursday is Heritage Market day complete with Town Crier and Steam Train rides. Unfortunately we arrived on Friday!

Mary Poppins in bronze.

One of the other great stories in Maryborough is that of Mary Poppins. The author, PL Travers was born in Maryborough. There are personalised tours with Mary through the streets of town, and a beautiful bronze statue. July each year, the Mary Poppins Festival is held, and they tell me the place is really poppin!!!!

Brennan and Geraghty's Store.

Another really unique place was the Brennan & Geraghty's Store Museum. This is one of only 3 preserved retail stores in the world. Talk about a step back in time!
Apparently the owners just shut the doors and left every thing as it was. The shelves are still lined with those iconic brands now owned or lost by multinationals. Out the back are the barrels, tea chests and wooden crates full of bulk goods. There is even an old piano that was never bought. We think we were the only visitors for the day. The dear old lady at the counter followed us and described every item in the store, as if she had purchased it. Come to think of it, she may have!

Military and Colonial Museum

The last museum we called at was the Military & Colonial Museum. We arrived at a couple of minutes to 3.00pm, just as they were turning out the lights. There were 2 guys on the counter, who were most offended when we said we'd come back tomorrow. They said they were staying to do some work anyway. They were two of the many volunteers responsible for one of the best military museums we have ever seen. Talk about passion! It begs the question of who will keep up the work when they are gone? It has been described as the best in Australia after the Canberra War Memorial, and we could believe it. You could spend a month there. They even have a research library where many war historians come to work, or get the volunteers to do the research for them. The medal displays were amazing. They have 4 Victoria Crosses on display, and the detail surrounding them is very moving. We spent an hour and a half there, and only scratched the surface. The caretakers kept an eye on us and made certain we saw the best of the best. We would love to come back and spend some real quality time here. As we left, we were told that we were the only visitors for the day! Those two guys had sat there all day talking to each other, and doing things around the museum. No wonder they were glad to welcome us!

Mary River Cruise

There are so many other sights it is impossible to list them all. The oldest working Post Office in Queensland. The oldest family owned and operated Ford Dealership in Australia, started selling Henry's first models and only recently sold the dealership outside the family. Some grand churches. St.Paul's Anglican Church has a huge freestanding stone bell tower, a gift from a wealthy parishioner. It has 9 bells, which are soon to be removed, transported to England, and re tuned. The process is both time consuming and costly and has already been postponed once due to a high demand for bell tuning because of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee next year! 


Last must do, is a cruise on the mighty, muddy, Mary River, to look at all the port history from the river, as well  as take in some of the exquisite Queenslanders built along the river banks. It is the most casually run cruise we've ever done, with a Captain who walks and talks at a speed somewhere between stop and a tortoise, but it was fun despite some of the worst jokes we've ever heard!

Workers and Bicycles. 

Maryborough is quite flat, and has a long history of transportation by bicycle. Some of the stories our guide told us about the hundreds of workmen all leaving work at knock off time at 5.00pm, on their bicycles, racing to the pub which closed at 6.00pm, were priceless. "The 6 o'clock swill", was the term given to  getting as much grog into you as possible between 5 and 6! Apparently the cops closed off the streets to cars to give the bikes right of way. Maryborough became known as the City of Cycles, and there is much evidence of it still being a cycle friendly town. Unfortunately, being flat, it also has a long history of getting flooded! There are signs on buildings all around town, showing the levels for all the major floods. The biggest was in 1875, and the last one was in January 2011.  Much of the town goes under, including parts of the CBD. The interesting thing is that they get to prepare well in advance, as Gympie is upstream, and they monitor the level at Gympie to determine how bad it will be, then have two days to prepare!

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There are dozens of pubs all over town, resulting from its working class history. It must be very competitive. We loved the Post Office Hotel's innovative approach to increasing customers. Check out the sign in the photo! We thought it was priceless!


Somehow we managed to fit in a drive out to Hervey Bay and surrounds. We even got out to Tin Can Bay as well. All of it has really gone ahead since we last saw it about 6 years ago. We will have to come back to do it all properly.


As we hadn't stopped since arriving in Maryborough, we decided to try the RSL Club for a leisurely dinner on our last night. We arrived around 7.00pm, sat down to have a quiet drink, and were met by the PA announcement that the club would be closing early for the staff Christmas party. Last orders would be at 7.30pm and all patrons were  asked to vacate the club by 8.00pm! It seemed only fitting that as our time in Maryborough had been a blur, so would be our last dinner! It was tasty though.