Mount Wellington Hobart
We have had a good week here in Hobart and it is an interesting place for the tourist.There doesnt seem to be too many obese people here probably due to the town and surounding suburbs being very hilly !! We ventured to the top of the mountain and Annie drove up AND down and at times it was a little scarey with all the twists and turns and very,very steep gradients !! Once up there the views were magnificent ! Photo were difficult to take of the city below due to low hanging misty clouds. One forward looking firm actually drives people to the top with a trailer load of bicycles in order the paying customers may free wheel down the mountain (takes all sorts I suppose) The Aboriginal name for Mt Wellington is Unghbanyahletta or Poorawetter. (say that when Ive had a few !!)Rising 1270 metres (around 4,000 feet) above Hobart’s harbour and the wide Derwent River. The 21-kilometre (13-mile) drive to the summit takes you from temperate rainforest to sub-alpine flora and glacial rock formations We leave Hobart in the morning heading towards Port Arthur……..
Richmond,a model Village an a Lovely Model Train exhibition
We day tripped out to Richmond today approx 20 kms out of Hobart Richmond Bridge (1823). Originally named Bigge’s Bridge, Richmond Bridge is Australia’s oldest bridge still in use. It was built by convicts The bridge is said to be haunted by several ghosts, including Grover, a cruel flagellator (he lashed people !!) It has a replica model village of Hobart dating back to the early 1800s and well worth a visit (they even sell CONVICT shirts ) We travelled toward Hobart and stopped at another Model shop displaying an electric train display based on the the Swiss Alps ( the owner was born there) took 30 yrs in the making and he is now in the process of selling ( Potential buyers? it needs a lot of work doing !!) It was a great day for tourists an it made our travels all the more interesting !!
Hobart and average top of 21%C !!
Its absolutely lovely here BUT the average temperatures (for me) spoil it !!tis mid Summer and we have had average 14% these past days and we are here for a week !!! Just a bit of info on the place for those interested people
Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia’s second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as a “Hobartian”. The city is located in the state’s south-east on the estuary of the Derwent River. The skyline is dominated by Mount Wellington at 1,271 metres (4,170 ft) high.Violent conflict with the European settlers, and the effects of diseases brought by them, completely destroyed the aboriginal population, which was rapidly replaced by free settlers and the convict population. The harbour has lots of cafes and touristy stuff BUT a bit on the expensive side Annie LOVES the cold BUTme being a Pomm had enough COLD in my English past life !!
The above images were photographed in Hobarts Dockland
Tarraleah & Derwent via Lake Sinclare
We have travelled onto a small tourist place named Taalleah where the rivers comw together to form the Islands hydro power station Population was around 1600 while the hydro was being built BUT has had its town status down graded now all the workers and engineers have gone Pop now is FOUR The owners have tried very hard to establish this place as a major tourist centre and it also boasts an 18 hole Golf course plus a pub and the caravan park The course is well kept and tired me out very quickly !! Lake Sinclaire is also a huge bush walking tourist attraction with lots of walks around the lake However fee s are around $25 per person for entry !! So no photos of the lake! The surrounding country side is beautiful and Cradle Mountain is also in this area and NO we didn’t climb it !! Our next trip will probably take us to Hobart where all being well will stay a few days to rest up from the hectic pace We are committed to see as much as Tasmania as we can !! The weather has been very windy for the pas few days and COLD no wonder people compare it to England !!
Queenstown and old mining town
Queenstown was quite interesting and like a town from the early 1900s Main product was Gold, Copper and Silver. One of the streams running thru the town actually flows a dirty brown and pebble stones have been permanently stained from years of factory work The is a tourist train from Queenstown to Strahan that boasts of being the steepest locomotive mountain climber in Australia,it looks very quaint and probably great to ride BUT the 4hr return fee of $129 per person was just a wee bit too much Parts of the town are very run down with tumble down what can only described as shacks and are still inhabited,some of which are painted in AFL colours i.e Collingwood and one house in particular has 100s of Garden Gnomes on display !! .The cold winters here are obvious by the huge amount of firewood stacked outside each house. There is a unique AFL football ground here that is entirely covered by gravel !!! Falls from hard tackles would most certainly HURT ! The town is nestled between mountains and we took the mountain climb/pass out of town and WOW !what an experience and at times a bit scarey !! The Empire Hotel has a world heritage listed wooden staircase made in England (wood supplied by Tasmania) The meal was quite good and they serve a great pint of BOAGs beer on draught !!
Feral Cats and the destruction they cause in the bush
Passing thru the pristine mountains/forests and babbling streams/brooks of Tasmania I saw an exhibition of what cats can do,so Cat lovers ? be very aware of what YOUR Cat is capable of IF not controlled ! In my view they should be licensed same as dogs and not allowed to roam streets etc. freely !!
Hellyer Forest and Strahan
We travelled deeper into Tasmania on our way to Queenstown via the rainforest in Hellyer and this was a magical night .It was deep in the forest not far from the rapid stream (very cold and pristine clear) We decided to stay the night and were without power supply or water BUT the internal battery was enough for the lights (will last up-to 3 days if needed) Battery Power will only feed the lights plus the telly ( ah such jungle luxury) We also have sufficient water for a few days and of course the obligatory gas cylinders .I told Annie before retiring I would put twigs around the bus in case of any mad axemen roaming around in the night and she would hear them snapping ( Gawd I’m turning into a bush man !) The surrounding area is magnificent and darkness lasts from around 9.30 pm till 5 am and just to keep the theme of mad axemen going we watched True Blood !!! There are SO many photo opportunities and it is impossible to fit them on one blog . I might do a part 2 when we reach Queenstown It was sad to notice the forests that have been hacked down for the sake of wood chippings ( to throw on the garden !) Hopefully on our travels thru out Tassie we will do more of these free camps
Arthur River and Brilliant scenery
We travelled on from Stanley and passed by Arthur River and against our rules of NOT going on dirt roads ,we did!! The trip wasvery well worth it with some of the rawest scenery I have the pleasure of seeing !! Men were seen fishing in a tin can boat in very swirly rapids and both were standing (obviously a skill developed over a lot of years )The sea was fairly rough and therugged ,rocky terrain was awesome to see.Some time in the past the storms must have been terrific by the amount of huge (now dead ) trees dumped there by massive waves .The beaches are used by horse riders whih is probably the only way these prisine areas can be reached (viewed from afar via telescopic lenses) Tomorrow we head into the dense rain forest and blogs may be sparse due to lack of a signal
Stanley Tasmania and a Plug named The Nut
The Nut’ is the most significant landform in Stanley and of all the north west coast of Tasmania.
This huge rock is the plug of an extinct volcano, which stands approximately 150 metres high. and our campsite is nestled at the base People can either walk (climb)up or use the chairlift (which incidentally is for sale!) The view are breathtaking and well worth a trip to the top !! The local Fish n Chip (with a huge Lobster displayed outside on the roof )shop sell their latest catch and are very tasty Annie tried to kill me by taking me walking then playing Golf !! The small surround of shops are quite eloquent and unique in their olde worlde styles The local beer is BOAG and very tasty too !! We have had a couple of days here now,during the nigh the wind (outside ok?) was very high and at one time I was fearful the Bus would blow over This unique place called Stanley is off the beaten track BUT well worth a look .Next we move onto the Arthur River
What NO Hippies in Stanley?
On our first day we travelled down (or across) to Stanley and on the way We drove through great crops of POPPIES !! I think they are for the medical industry tho !! There are signs warning of Death if used illegally !! Surprisingly we didnt spot any drug addicts ! The sign into the fields says it all HELLYER think it should have been HELL YEAH !! So? for all my friends (and NON friends ) sorry we wont be bringing samples back !! The weather today has been great ,the sea is very flat and the pub is good too !! More on Stanley in my next blog it really is a lovely place and we are metres away from the beach
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 