Feb. 19th - FINAL BLOG FOR TASSIE - BACK TO DEVONPORT

SAT. 19TH FEB. -  SHEFFIELD IN THE POURING RAIN

Well, what a disappointment today started out to be ...... pouring rain from the time we woke up. Had great plans about a few of the smaller towns we wanted to see on our way back to Devonport (mostly Sheffield), but all we got was Grey, grey, grey and lashing rain on and off.

Still, we went to Sheffield, renowned for it's famous murals all over town.  It's something you really need to be able to walk all around town to see, and that was impossible with the rain being so intense.  We spent most of our time in this wonderful old ''wares'' place callled ''Incense'' Emporium ..... absolutely fascinating...  Everything from old pedal organs, to you name it, he had it. I bought some old LP's in perfect condition for $1 and $2 each, some of my fave singers, but albums and songs I haven't heard.  Had a cooked picnic in the park to use up all our food from esky and to use up the 2 butane gas cartridges in the stoves, rather than chuck them away before boarding tomorrow...... they served beautifully as hand warmers and 'mini gas fires' as we ate because the wind was so chilly. 

battered old piano outside the great old shop in Sheffield that we looked

around in for couple of hours at least.

one of the wall murals that are all over town in Sheffield

even the kids skate park is covered in murals

sign even states in bottom left hand corners -

''put your bloody helmet on''

Decided to go straight on to Devonport and find an abode for the night early for a change and joy of joys, we got a motel only couple of hundred metres up the road from the Spirit of Tasmania, which we can see from our bedroom window which looks out on the river which is opposite us, so that makes it way easier for us to get up there in time for it. We are supposed to be up there by 6.30am,  but coming over, it was 3 and a half hours from the time we got there till we left, so we are going to get up there about 7.30 instead. 

Michael , very tired, waiting for me so we could go for our pizza

from our bedroom balcony, Spirit of Tasmania right hand side, just above blue sign.

directly opposite our bedroom and lounge window in Devonport

looking to the left from our window balcony in Devonport

Went up the road and bought a nice wood-fired pizza and brought it back to our room to have with a nice bourbon and coke, then a lovely long spa bath.

Just fnishing this off now then into bed.... we will be back at Pauline and Midge's by this time tomorrow night.  Love to all - this is the end of our great Tassie adventure. xxx

17th & 18th Feb - Great Lakes & Deloraine

THURSDAY 17^TH  FEB -   ARTHURS’ LAKE  (Great Lakes District)

Had latish brekky at our Sunset Beach cabin and yak to the owner, then headed off back to Richmond to pick up my video camera.  The policeman there had taken it around to the lady ‘Sue’ s home (we had been yakking to her in her shop at Richmond 4 days ago)…. However, she wasn’t going in to work that day, but brought my camera back there for me ….. Gee, there are some lovely people over here …. Nothing is too much trouble.

We went from there to Sorell, then on towards the Great Lakes (inland)

Arthur's Lake, our campsite 17th

 

Michael on his bike after dinner, down at the boat ramp and Pump house.....

Me at edge of Arthur's Lake around 7pm

Camped at Arthurs’ Lake…. Was amazed at how many vans and tents were there !!!! This is pretty wild country but evidently world famous because of all the trout.   The lakes are treacherous and many lives lost because of the freezing water and the sudden mists that roll in (as they did while we were there…. One minute kms across the lake, and less than two minutes, completely fogging the camp site where we set up.  Friendly ‘’neighbours’’- seems like everyone makes friends with each other as if old buddies.

from our campsite looking into the heavy mist across the lake.

FEB 18^TH  -  GREAT LAKES,  DELORAINE, & GOWRIE PARK WILDERNESS

After a late brekky there, we headed off for The Great Lake itself and couldn’t believe the hill billy country -  crappy ramshackle houses in the tiny villages sparsely interspersed in the crappy terrain, non-productive wasteland (I would call it)…… I know it’s just a big high plateau, but after such lovely old homes and beautiful forests and fertile valleys, this crap rocky, swampy, heath-type country, was a depressing surprise……

Leaving the Lakes District behind on our way to Deloraine.

we were so happy to leave it behind as we headed back into the wilderness and high rugged mountains again as we neared Deloraine, which is a beautiful suburb or Town.

 

Statue of a famous local champion ourside the visitor's cente

Very quaint B&B place with Laurel & Hardy on the front verandah, Deloraine ....hahaha

We had lunch down at a lovely park with lots and lots of ducks, but sadly, , within half and hour of us videoing the bubby ducks with their mummy, this guy came along with his 4 dogs, and even though I jumped on my bike and rode up to where he was screaming at his bloody dogs, 3 baby ducklings were gone !!!!  I found one little bloodied body, 2 still missing, and I could hear the frantic shrill peeping of one other, but couldn’t find it. The mother went ‘’bush’’ with her surviving little bubs.  I was bloody ropable and Michael really upset, but too late ….. I had a gut feeling all along that those bloody dogs would get the ducks, but the guy kept telling me (before it happened) ‘’Nah, my dogs won’t touch ‘em’’

Feeding the 'mob' when we had our lunch Deloraine park before our bike ride

 Mummy duck and bubbies - 8 of them ..... half and hour later it was only 5 of them  (bloody dog attack) ...............!!!!!! grrrrrrrr......

ichael standing under a MASSIVE pine tree in Deloraine

After we left there, we drove all the way to Gowrie Park Wilderness Village, which is situated under the impressive craggy mountains, which are looming up in front of us under a veil of mist.   We’ve just had nice hot showers and I’m sitting up in bed (in the van) typing this, while Michael sleeps.

Heavy mist hangs over the craggy mtn behind our campsite here at Gowrie Park Wilderness village

Tomorrow’s plans are to visit Sheffield with all it’s wonderful street murals, etc and maybe stay  at Latrobe or Devonport itself  that night,  as we have to be at the wharf at 6.30 am the next morning.  If I get a chance from wherever we stay, I might try and do a final blog, or maybe even on the ship perhaps ……

But in the meantime, hope  some of you enjoyed our pics and some of our travels. x x x x x

Feb 16th - EAGLEHAWK NECK (The Blowhole, Tasman Arch, & Devil's Kitchen)

When we got to Eaglehawk Neck, we diverted off to Tasman Arch, The Blowhole, and Devil’s Kitchen.   Realized that these places we had already seen from the water when we went on our Bruny Island cruise, and we could see the islands we had visited.

Tasman's Arch

View from top of Tasman's Arch across to where we went on our cruise.

Got to our next cabin site (Sunset Beach) mid afternoon, and walked along the beach, watching all the little crabs coming out of the sand and running like crazy across the sand bars….. gee they were cute. Michael picked one up, and all the others frantically start to bury themselves when they knew we were watching them.

Ive just edited all our pics from last couple of days and will get this blog and the pics away tonight.

Tomorrow night we will probably ‘’bush’’ camp so may not get a chance to get online.  We are hoping to go to the Great Lake district and stay the night there, after picking up my video camera that I lost in Richmond.  So bit of a detour first.

Hope you are getting a bit of an idea of our adventure, even if it’s only patchy.  We are both getting tired, from constantly on the go, but we’ve seen lots and done lots, and my knees, and Michael’s hip are making us walk like old farts  (don’t you dare say that we ARE old farts !!!!!)

OK, going to get this all posted now ……  be good …… back as soon as possible.

X x x xx  hugs

The Blowhole

Devil's Kitchen

Our Cabin site.. Michael going for a stroll

Our cabin site looking other end.

Feb. 16th - PORT ARTHUR - Day 2

WED. 16^TH FEB – PORT ARTHUR, day 2 & EAGLEHAWK NECK

 (looking across the Govt gardens

Set off back to Port Arthur as soon as we checked out of our cabin site.  This time, we explored all the houses and the old church where we had visited last night during our Ghost tour. Michael in front of old massive church. 

 Different atmosphere in the daytime, and it was strange to see that the part of the verandah of the Parsonage (which is notoriously haunted) actually had a seat. Loz with giant hollyhocks in Parsonage

Last night when our guide sent me into the garden and up the steps by myself and told me to wait at the end of the veranda, I couldn’t make myself go right to the end. I stopped at the big double doors to light the way for all the others. 

Michael looking in window where woman and baby are often seen at night on the verandah that i had to walk up on alone......

 We couldn’t get access to the morgue or dissection room today (all locked up). 

Surgeons home (above)

Michael above old church (below)

Had our lunch there in the Government gardens, then decided to get on the road because there was a fair bit of cloud about, and we wanted to check out few more places and go to our next cabin stop early for a change.

 

Beautiful Government Gardens and fountain

Loz at fountain (Govt Gardens, Port Arthur)

Michael in leg irons (hand and foot)

Will have to send another separate blog for our afternoon activities because cant send pics over into this for some reason again...........

16th Feb - Pics day 1 PORT ARTHUR

My first view of the infamous Port Arthur

Isle of the Dead where over 1100 convicts and army personnel and families are all buried

Port Arthur from our cruise ferry

Memorial Cross for all the victims massacred at Port Arthur by crazed gunman in 1996

Michael paying his respects to all those who lost their lives in the massacre

Loz also paying respects to their memories

Tiny exercise yard for those who were in the ''separate'' prison (solitary confinement.... locked in small cell alone 23 hrs a day and out 1 hr, with hood over head even then so no one can see or recognise them.

Even in church, they were kept separate from one another (note Michael's head in one of the tiny booths.)

in one of the solitary corridors .... Michael outside the cells. (went back in there last night in the dark on the ghost tour .... bloody spooky!!!!)

Loz preaching up in the pulpit

Michael preaching the Word

Loz in the ruins of the old Hospital

from the hospital looking to the harbour

from the Watchtower and guardhouse

14th Feb - RICHMOND ZOO, & 15th - PORT ARTHUR

14^th FEB -   RICHMOND ‘’ZOO DOO’’ & RICHMOND TOWN

Set off for Richmond Zoo as soon as we vacated Tourist park, and spent a great few hours at this small private zoo, where we got up close and personal to most of the animals except the tigers and lions.  Lovely hot sunny day all day.

Little mini horses at zoo

feeding the camels

Tasmanian Devil feed time

Albino wallaby

Male lion playing with his toys

female lioness waiting for her piece of string to be pulled along in front of her

baby Tassie Devil - 7 mths old

After we left the zoo, we headed for the town of Richmond itself and hopped on our bikes so we could see more of this historic old town than you can in the car, and fit more in than you can on foot.  The old Richmond Bridge is the oldest freestone bridge in Australia, and the old Richmond Gaol, housed Ikey Solomon, the convict who had both plays and books based on him (e.g. – the Potato Factory ).

Richmond bridge 1823

Started driving towards Port Arthur, via Sorrell. (one of the people (Leanne) who contacted me about looking after our house and pets while we were away, came from Carlton River, Tas, and had told us to go check out Sorrell, Lewisham, Dodges Ferry & her old childhood area, which we did, and we ended up just camping beside the beach between Lewisham and Dodges Ferry…… lovely spot, and better still when it’s free.!!! 

JUST LOST ALL MY PICS FROM AFTER RICHMOND & PORT ARTHUR, SO WILL REPOST THEM AS SOON AS I GET ANOTHER CHANCE ..... SORRY !!!

15^TH FEB – PORT ARTHUR  & GHOST TOUR

Another beautiful clear blue sky day, and hot once more …..Had our breakfast early and set off for the rest of our sight seeing tour that Leanne had suggested to us, along the waterfront, instead of the main highway down to Port Arthur.  Loved it so much that we are going to stay at Rainbow Beach tomorrow so we can just relax on the beautiful beach for one day and rest up….. we just seem to be GO, GO, GO……

Got to Port Arthur finally and no sooner had I paid for our tours, it was time to get aboard the ferry that took us on a tour with commentary about the points of interest and the main history of the place.  Had our lunch when we returned , just in time to then go on the tour of Port Arthur itself, and an explanation of all the major buildings and where many others were, then you take yourself off to explore the buildings that were spoken of.   We can now see why the tickets you pay for are actually TWO day tickets.  There is no way you can see the whole place in one day and do it justice, as far as letting all the history sink in…….  and another part of it that we spent some time in, was the memorial garden and pool for the victims of the 1996 massacre where they were gunned down by that lunatic.  It’s a sad place, and very moving plaques there….. so sad.

We went back to the Tourist park that we booked a cabin in at Port Arthur for dinner and shower and freshen up, then back to Port Arthur again to do their famous ‘’Ghost Tour’’.  I was the first of 4 lantern bearers in a group of about 30 people, and at the first notoriously haunted place, our tour guide sent me up the garden path, and steps, up onto the verandah by myself to light the way for the rest of them to follow when I was right up there. (must admit, I was a bit apprehensive because she had just been talking to me earlier about 3 particularly aggressive poltergeists, and how she refuses to enter certain areas if they are sensed by anyone….. however, I was not going to let on to Michael or any of the others that I wasn’t keen on being sent off by myself, and I kept up my façade for rest of the one and a half hour tour, being first into the morgue and dissection lab, etc. and holding the lantern up after each venue until rest of the party had come out each time.

Well, we are now back at our cabin, and Michael went to make me a cuppa, and didn’t realise the electric jug was one of those that remains attached to the wall, and has spilt the whole thing of boiling water over his left hand.  He’s been soaking it in cold water and I’ve given him some Panadol, and I just hope it doesn’t blister.  He’s in bed now, but not real comfortable, needless to say.

Am going to just finish off this blog-and may post pics separately like I’ve done before, then see if Michael is OK.  It’s already after 1AM.

 Lost my video camera somewhere in Richmond but didn’t realize till we were nearly in Port Arthur, but the police seem to think they have found it, and the nice sergeant is going to take it to Sorrell Police Station for me to pick up in a few days on our way back to Devonport for our trip back.

Till next time, be safe all x x x