This is the new accommodation for the future adventures and scenic places we hope to experience.

They are both practising relaxation techniques here. Nearly perfected!

Taylor’s Beach van park is quiet and full of grey nomads doing their trek north for the winter. We are a bit young but have been welcomed in.

They think we are too active with the mountain bikes, kayak and not enough grey hair or roundness to the belly. We’ll work on the requirements in the future.

Teddy is getting some exercise chasing the ‘bad birds’ as they try to eat his biscuits.

This is the local roo at the farm who provides an example of how life should be.

This is the first hole right behind the camp. Not much ‘green’ to be seen but the ball should roll along quite well.

We played 5 holes before drinks and it did. Teddy was the handicap and made sure it did not go into the cup.

The top came off when I turned it over onto some baking paper, because I didn’t really have a cake rack. Ah well I am sure it will still taste ok.

Rordon went to have another hit while I put on the roast lamb for dinner.

He doesn’t really like getting photos taken. (A go away with that camera, look)

We enjoyed a great chat around the fire pit with the neighbours.

His favourite yellow ball works well as a distraction while we try to hit.

Lake Victoria is a small lake on private property that is open to self contained camping. What a gem. The wind has been blowing like blazers for the past two days so we turned the van around to give us some protection and we are not looking out on the lake. But here is the view through the window as the sun set.

We checked out the camps around the lake while Teddy had his afternoon run.

Life is good!

The boys tried some fishing late in the afternoon.

So we are at Tessa and Jon’s (Rordon’s sister’s) place in Toowoomba for a day or two. Time to get a new tyre.

One of the lorikeets that visits the garden.

The lounge and dining room became a sweat shop for a few hours, with lots of delicious goodies to eat. The ladies surprised Tess with a present and cake for her up and coming 60th (the reason we are all traveling to Tasmania next month). Lots of fun for everyone!

The country is dry but still has spectacular scenery to drive by. The wattles are wonderful.

In the dash you can see the view behind that we get from the camera on the back of the van. Works well and is comforting to know what lurks behind.

We have set up camp at Kookaburra camping ground just north of Glen Innes.

We expect it to be cold but we won’t be able to try the new purchase because there is no power. Ah well, we’ll toughen up a bit more.

Prediction was correct.

At 7pm we were getting cosy.

We stayed an extra day at Kookaburra and after chatting with Duncan (the land owner) about the mountain bikes, he expressed interest in setting up a track on the property. So for the rest of the day we walked and rode all over the area he planned to use. Absolutely spectacular.

Great adventure for Teddy running after the roo’s that hopped off ahead of us. He is still very active for almost 12 year old.

This rock wall is one example of the fabulous natural features on the property. We wish him luck with the endeavour and look forward to returning one day to try it out.

That night we were invited to dine with Duncan and thoroughly enjoyed the Venison casserole by the warmth of his fire. Then returned to the van and experienced our first minus temperature -2* in the early morning. There was still frost on the ground when I ventured out at 7am, still 1* at that time. My first frost.

Wednesday we were heading for the coast, and loved the old cute houses in Glen Innes, then the drive down the Gwydir Highway to Grafton.

We are all enjoying the slightly warmer weather on the coast.

Ted is the ultimate explorer and thoroughly enjoys riding in his seat.

The roar of the waves lulled us off to sleep last night as we tried out the new electric blanket. Down to 2* , toasty warm though.

During the afternoon we got the washing done and then drove to Wooli to get some seafood for dinner. The river looked so clean and inviting that we went for a paddle and thoroughly enjoyed being on the water again.

We have limited phone and internet connection here so it is a bit limiting on the updates.

What a great clean river, the Wooli is so clean and the oysters taste delicious.

Rordon enjoyed his dozen oysters.

We wandered around Grafton area for a while then headed for the hills.

The drive up the range was mostly a sea of tree trucks, very pretty, until we crossed over the top and headed to Armidale. The gusts of wind were unsettling and then the rain arrived.

I know the farmer 👩‍🌾 has great need of the water but why do we have to be the people who always bring it on? Anyway we drove to Tamworth to get through it and have stopped for the night.

This is the storm that we drove through.

After dinner Teddy found a comfortable warm spot on our pillows.

The locals are friendly and inquisitive.

This guy sings beautifully.

This one is just too busy to come too close.

We rode over to the other side of the lake this morning and chatted to the flyers at the glider club. The weather today is not suitable but maybe tomorrow. They were fascinated by Ted in his bike seat.

This afternoon Rordon put up a model plane and $&%=@* opps, we are looking for the magic glue but no luck.(visit Bunnings)

At the end of the day we enjoyed the last of the delicious fish we bought at Wooli and then adjourned. Maybe a night for a movie 🤞and chocolate....😍 some scotch liqueur too.

There are heaps of these Roos around the dam.

The new Nikon is proving to be quite effective, so I am a happy snapper. The zoom works well. This group were 100m away.

Before lunch we rode up to the dam wall and around the edge of the lake for a look see. Lake Keepit at 10%.

Then we got the magic phone call, time for Rordon to go on his gliding flight.

Up, up and away!

✅ Another bucket list event. Happy vibes.

So we bought the rain to the area and rescued loved ones, all in one day.

😇😇😇😇

The morning walk with Ted proved to be very productive for finding excellent Rosella’s to photograph.

The river flat behind the park is just like at home only not tropical foliage. And I found this great old train bridge.

The guys went and played golf while waiting to hear what the verdict will be on the car.

It was a great morning.

We found some excellent jackets this afternoon that will be ever so warm in Tassie. Half price at the end of winter. We are nearly equipped!

The road from Dubbo to Orange was amazing with hundreds of statues of animals on bikes. What a great tourist attraction!

The rain clouds developed throughout the day.

Cunningham’s Gap was a picturesque drive again.

We are in Sydney for a day or two of socialising but have left the van in Dubbo.

Teddy is at home.

Oranges and apples from the roadside stall.

I know they were there somewhere, but we saw nothing in the thick fog.

After driving through Lismore we found clearer sky’s and even some greener fields, (thanks to the recent rains).

It is great for the farmers but I am sure they need a lot more yet before the drought is over.

Back to Dubbo, and Jon and Tess have their car back in action. Our van has been safe and sound beside them for a few days. We had a lovely dinner together (thanks to Jon and Tess), watched the footy games and headed for the snooze mode.

The canola fields were in full splendour.

Look what irrigation from the Murrimbidgee does.

Lovely fire in the camp tonight.

What a great drive down the Olympic Highway, then onto the Hume. So easy!

We arrived in Glenrowan at lunch. Aren’t these guys quite imposing. The coffee and scones were delicious 😋.

This Superb Blue Wren has been very busy looking after his girls and flitting around the gardens here in the park.

This is our camp at the Glenrowan Caravan Park. The fire is keeping us warm and we are using our new jackets because it is sooooo cold tonight.

We had a great afternoon doing some wineries in the area, and finally found something worth buying at Morrison’s Winery, right next door to the park. Beautiful reds and a personality to serve them. They know how to grow Shiraz. Mmmm..🍷🍷🍷

The lads decided to make some adjustments to the water/heater system on Jon’s van and the dogs thought they needed supervision.

So that they could do the job in hand, we took the dogs for a walk up the hill behind the park.(they took one another for a tug-along first)

It was great and the grass trees were amazing.

This was last night, but tonight it is definitely milder.

We rode into the village at lunch and found this old stone pitch wall with a big fireplace/oven. Quite impressive!

This cute finch visited this afternoon and gave the blue wrens a challenge on the grass.

The afternoon walk up the hill highlights just how easy it would have been for Ned Kelly to hide in these hills.

This is the map for tomorrow.

Getting into Melbourne ready to catch the boat to Tasmania on Saturday without encountering too much city traffic. (We hope).

So we are in a quiet little town, Yea.

I have just found out that Mum’s parents lived in Yea for a few years when they were first married. Grandad was an auctioneer.

He is getting quite fluffy and needs a brush each day, but still needs a woolly coat on cold nights.

Jon and Tess in the right lane.

It took two hours to exit Port Phillip Bay in the mist and cloudy weather.

We set to relaxing in the lounge, read a bit, and the hours slowly passed. This is the first selfie with the new camera. My arm isn’t quite long enough (people know how long my arms are, so that seems ridiculous).

Prediction on the weather was for 4-5m waves, strong winds and rain squalls. Moving around the ship was a bit drunken like.

Tess and I watched Mumma Mia at the theatre and by the time we got out the waves had softened. Devonport was an easy exit at 7pm, straight down the road to the park and after setting up it was pizza and footy.

After lunch we went to find this statue to a long gone past, and really enjoyed looking from different angles to get the most dramatic effect.

Tess and I tried doing a walk on the beach at East Devonport but found the lovely round pebbles/rocks a bit rough on the feet. The temperature got to 13* today.

So I finished off the day by cooking a chocolate cake and then roasting a leg of lamb. All delicious.

Rordon and I fitted in a quick cold ride along the foreshore while the cake was cooking. (Must remember to wear my gloves in these temperatures, brrrrr).

Wet cold weather drove us out of Devonport heading east. Everything was green!

A detour through Launceston with the vans on proved interesting and not to be repeated.

We found a lovely private camping area just outside St Mary’s to use as a base for a few days while we explore.

The afternoon walk was just what the fur babies needed.

The fire is lit and the wine glass is getting cold.

The new jackets are getting a work out and yet it says the temperature is 12*... why does it feel so cold....?.????

Bay of Fires was spectacular, but very blustery all day. Definitely not a good hair day. I kept four layers on!

Rordon is still a mountain goat when it comes to rock-hopping. We would like to paddle around the bay but not with the swells/chop rolling in today.

People with bald heads had no trouble keeping their hair on, and we nearly lost Ted with the wind blowing him off a rock, but luckily for us he was on his lead. (See the ears flapping in the photo.)

We found some of the great camping areas on the coast and plan to come back in better weather, but one was actually protected from the wind.

The rain settled in once we got back to the camp and the glass of 🍷 and the heater helped the situation. We had just taken the dogs for a walk so came back with wet coats, both human and canine.

Cosy dinner atmosphere in Jon and Tessa’s van.

This church is in Fingal.

Lake at sundown, \240at about 6*.

The fire was a good idea but it was just too cold to stay.

We ate inside and kept the air conditioning on WARM...

Here is the visitor who thought my chocolate cake was a temptation last night. Luckily it was in a decent possum proof container.

Lake Leake is at 600m so we are feeling a bit of a nip in the air.

The old post office in New Town.

Storm clouds brewing.

The red bridge at Campbell Town.

We headed down a road to another lake that is supposed to be a fly fishing area, only to find the gate is closed.

This is some of the hill climb we pulled the van back up to get back to the main road.

We are now in Hobart for 4 days.

This is native heath.

Something we are not sure of. But pretty. The Flora of Tasmania App wasn’t any help either.

A daffodil “fluffy ruffles”. They pop up everywhere.

Jonquils growing without help in the garden at St Mary’s camp.

🤞🤞🤞

This is why I am sitting inside the van while it is actually raining/mizzle. It definitely feels like about 4*, my toes are curled up in the new boots.

Eventually we went for a drive to try and find a park to put up the drone, but not successful on a Sunday with crazy people out trying to have fun and exercise.

This is the point at Blackman’s Bay Beach south of Hobart.

We had a booking with a Victorian portrait photographer for a group shot. So the costumes went on and we all had a laugh in the cold and hopefully got some nice pictures for Tessa.

Introducing Rordon’s Mavic 2.

We went to a nearby park at the Risdon Reservoir, so that Roudy could practice some manoeuvres with the drone. All was going well until we heard the loudspeaker from across at the correctional centre, “Drone sighted above the trees”.!!!! Okay time to leave.

This little rosella was spotted in the She Oaks.

This Iris was in the gardens too.

On the way to the coast via the Midland Highway we dropped in on Oatland to see the flour mill. The creek beside the car park had these swans nesting. Just wait a few weeks for the cygnets..

The flour mill is the only working flour mill in the Southern Hemisphere that is still using a windmill for power. Unfortunately they were repairing the blades so we didn’t see the action. We’ll be back......

Oatland and Ross were delightful little villages that were full of historical buildings and atmosphere, so we shall return. The Scallop pies were very tasty.

We are sharing a house with the family for a few nights, with the birthday tomorrow.

This afternoon Rordon and I spent a few hours glueing carpet onto the sides of our van (the panels beside the bed). 🤞it will be warmer for us.

Tessa’s cake for morning tea (with granddaughter Zoe), made last night on the quiet.

The blowhole at Bicheno. What great spectacles nature provides.

This is Coles Bay on a good cold day.

These are the Pacific gulls that were in the last photo, not a bad zoom hey.

Tessa celebrating with the oysters that we bought on the Freycinet Peninsula and ate while we were at Swansea.

The full moon over the water tonight as we got back to the house in Beaumaris after we had been to do the Penguin tour at Bicheno.

These delightful Tulips were growing in the Main Street.

We are North and the temperature is still only expected to be 6* tonight and -1* tomorrow night. Some of the group are planning to walk on Cradle Mountain tomorrow but we are older and wiser.🙈🙈🙈????

Here are the survivors of the Boags tour/tasting with their sample boxes of the new Wild Rivers lager.

Some of the beautiful old classics at the museum.

This Charger is the same as Tessa’s first car (hers was red though).

This Yamaha has done 1.7km in total. The owner suffered a stroke before his order arrived, so it was never ridden. Immaculate!

The weather today has been iceeee, even the locals commented on this.

I looked at this and decided the perfect wife would go back to bed and let the man do his best. It was a great move, I even got a cup of tea in bed. ✅✅

As part of the rest of the group I went to Seahorse world and to the Platypus and Echidna place at Beauty Point.

This sea dragon worth about $3000 was my favourite, but the breeding program they have perfected is very successful for the more common white seahorse.

These are ready for sale after a few years of growing time @ $35 each.

The camera really didn’t want to work in these conditions but this is one of the best.

These echidnas walking around our feet are such little delights. A lovely experience.

Here is the Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links that Rordon and Justin played. It is the second best course in Australia and the 11 th best in the world. The experience was memorable, windy, cold and sunny. All good 👍👍.

Teddy loves the area because it is full of dogs and walkers.

Quite picturesque but quite windy this afternoon.

Tonight is the footy Grand final, so dinner will be early.

Finally somewhere a bit isolated that Rordon can fly the drone. There are quite a lot of fairly protected camp sites with families enjoying the school holidays.

We have the Black River and Bass Strait within walking distance of the camp.

The tide came in, so instead of seeing the sandy flats we found these lovely Australian Pied Oyster Catchers..

This photo was taken at about 5pm looking across the river with the gloom of the cloud cover.

Delicious dinner of fresh scallops and pasta, using up the leftover oyster soup as the sauce. Yum great restaurant here beside the fire with Jon and Tess. (Furr babies too of course).

The Woolnorth Wind farm at the top west point. Sorry you can’t see the turbines in the distance, the battery decided it needed a charge in the Nikon.

The whole area was jam packed with dairy cattle in lush green paddocks.

A great days drive.

Arthur River mouth. The surf was up.

One of the wood piles at The Edge of the World. I think it would keep us going for a week or two.

With an early start we headed back to south of Burnie. Riana is a quiet country area and we are in a heritage park.(seems appropriate at our age)

What a beautiful site, even on a cloudy day. The walking was easy along clear and well maintained paths with photographic locations along the whole 6km distance.

The vegetation was twisted and mossy and forever changing as we meandered along.

This waterfall (snow melt) comes from the side of the cradle.

Just one of the crystal clear trickles along the way.

The boat shed is still usable and well photographed.

During the drive home we spotted two wombats feeding on the grassy plains beside the road, both with babies in their backward facing pouches. What a lovely experience. The zoom lens made it easy to get a great shot.

What a fabulous day!

The guys played golf at Burnie Golf club this morning so Tess and I were minding dogs and shopping, then finding a laundromat in Burnie.

These Green Rosellas have visited each afternoon, but this is the first time I have been successful with the lens.

We are having roast lamb for dinner and I hope Tom Cruise doesn’t drop in.

Table Cape tulip farm.

Fringed tulips

Dags among the beautiful tulips.

The Lighthouse at Table Cape, still in operation and is painted every 10 years at a cost of $100,000 to 200,000.

This is Guide Falls, very pretty.

At the Makers Market at the Information Centre in Burnie, there were several papermache figures depicting the local history. What a great place to see local artists at work with their delightful craftsmanship. I could have spent my pay cheque, if I had one.

The wood chip (paper pulp) pile at the Burnie docks. Thousands of logs lined up. What is going on in this world???

The track up to the lookout was a steady climb.

The view from the platform was amazing looking down to the Leven River.

Teddy wasn’t very comfortable on the platform that stuck out over the edge of the cliff.

The trees are enormous.

From the lookout there were 687 steps down to the next lookout. Then obviously there was a good climb back up to the car park. All fabulous.

This little echidna was crossing the road so we stopped to make sure he got across safely and I took the opportunity to take some photos. Cute hey.

On the return to camp we stopped at the Leven River for some fishing, brown trout are supposed to be here in this section of river. Teddy was forever vigilant.

We are camping at the Lyons Park just behind the sand dunes at Turners Beach. We walked a very happy dog after lunch and this is not even low tide yet. It is at the mouth of the Forth River so hopefully some fishing and bike riding will occur.

Beautiful Waratah blossoms in the car park.

A happy dog on his afternoon walk. The beach is huge at low tide.

The tide was high just before we left.

Teddy having a splash once the tide went out a little after we returned from the hill climbs and descents.

What a beautiful flower on this plant in the park. Not sure what it is.

I discovered my feet today. They have been hiding in socks and boots for so long, but it warmed up enough to go barefoot on the beach. The water reminded me just how close we are to the Antarctic though.

Time for fishing.

A great walking track leads from the camp at the top of the hill down to the water.

Something bigger than the lure would be a treat, but nothing was forthcoming.

We are Free camping finally. So far we have found that paying for power made sleeping a lot more comfortable (with the electric blanket) but we’ll see how we go trying the self sufficient setup for a few days here at the lake.

Master chef, look out! I am just happy to not have to cook.

The red robin on the fence checking us out.

Finally the kayak has some Tassie water on it. Cold water, brrrrr. No way that we are going for a swim.

Lake Barrington is long and we covered a section of it. No Fish! However I did see one follow the lure.

We experienced a lonely duckling that thought we were it’s mother and followed us with vigour for some distance before finding the bank for a rest. To our relief we found it with its mother on the return, but it still wanted to follow us. Teddy was most concerned about the little one.💕

The tree ferns and large magestic gums were all around the dam. We even spotted a pademelon hopping through the understory.

A lovely but ‘cold in the shade day’.

Devils Gate Dam is an amazing structure at the end of Lake Barrington.

The curved design in the steep sided valleys is an engineering marvel.

We are below Mt Roland which is a natural geological phenomena.

This is a better view of the curved dam wall.

We have found that Tasmania has a fruit fly problem in some areas, so as we drive around we lose all the fruit we have just bought with the quarantine bins. Damn.

This sums up the area for me.

We bought two bananas and ate them before leaving town.

This is as close as we got to the Medieval. Disappointed 😢 .

We did some more drone flying at the park down the road and tried some of the features out that Rordon has been learning, like catching the machine in the air with his hand. No fingers lost!

The day has been overcast and drizzling at around 16*.

Sorry for the walking noise as I did the video, but at the end you can hear a bagpipe starting up.

Explanation for your benefit and mine in the future.

Finally after lunch we had a chance to view and see the band members perform.

It was delightful, being an ex drummer in my youth, to see other young members joining in.

I went for a walk up the hill with Teddy and Rordon went for a ride through whatever tracks he could find between the camp and the mountains behind.

These topiary are examples of what the little town of Railton are doing to keep them on the map. It is all very effective.

We drove to Port Sorrel but were not impressed with the van park so continued on toward the Launceston area. The beach did look nice though, but not 🐩 friendly.

I found this map of the fruit fly exclusion zones in a shop window, so we didn’t buy any fruit until we were in Beaconsfield on our way to Greens Beach. Just enough till Wednesday when we go into Launceston.

Yes it was warm at the beach so while Rordon played a round of golf on the course behind the park, Teddy and I got some rays on the sand.

This crab was dead but the colour was bright.

The Soldier Crabs were very industrious.

With the tide out, the point had these rocks exposed so the boys went to explore.

During the afternoon walk I thought this was a log on the beach, then upon getting closer I realised it was a seal, thinking it was dead.

But too my surprise it was breathing, but injured, and will be ok after a rest. Wildlife warriors have checked on it and put up signs. Special moment!

It was wonderful to cross the Batman Bridge again after 40 years. We camped under it last time we were here.

After a few hours investigation they couldn’t find a leak in the air bags, so we need to head to our camp. Jon and Tessa were at the allotted camp and said it was very wet and overgrown, so we have returned to Greens Beach.

The seal I encountered yesterday has swum away 😊😊😊😊.

The amount of history and information was mind boggling in this museum. We walked around for hours reading info, watching video clips and pressing buttons to see the machines working.

It was just wonderful !

The local ladies started knitting a scarf of support and when the rest of the world joined in it ended up being over the depth of the mineshaft that they had been trapped in at 1500m. Just amazing.

This is the mine shaft that Brant and Todd emerged from after 14 days cramped into a space that made me feel clostrophobic after a minute. Beside is the shift in/out board that they grabbed their name tags from after they emerged alive.

The messages of support on the walls were heartwarming and made me 😢😢😢.

These are some of the 150 knobs made from different timbers from Tasmania and other areas of Australia.

After Fish, calamari and chips for lunch at Beauty Point the dogs were exhausted on the way back to camp. It has rained intermittently all day.

After setting up we went for a drive to Scottsdale and this is the view of the valley on the way down into the valley.

Then we headed to Bridport and out to the golf course that the guys played about two weeks ago, Barnbougle Dunes. The size of the wheels gives you an indication of how much sand there is on this links course.

Off to George Town on the east coast of the Tamar mouth (opposite Greens Beach). We had a good walk around the Maritime Museum even though they weren’t open. We are still out of season for the tourists. So many sights/tours are still not open/operating !!!

Finally before we headed back to camp we drove to Low Head and discovered these fabulous wood carvings down by the water.

After the rain clouds lifted and we all went to Cataract Gorge right in the middle of Launceston. Three of us walked the Zigzag track up and around the gorge. Some sections were a bit steep up and down.

Sorry for the lack of focus, but I felt this seemed to sum up the Tasmanian attitude/confusion.

The gorge was fabulous and I was really impressed by the tree like (cement over chicken wire) supports.

Looking from the path back toward Launceston and the Tamar River.

Some rapids that need more water for the kayak negotiation.

Evening drinks and nibbles to finish off the day.

Tessa and I went to Penny Royal adventure land for the craft market that was on. There was a lot of very creative work to be found.

The adventure activities would have been heaps of fun for the children.

The historical buildings were gorgeous and made the atmosphere. A great place to visit.

Here are some of the beautiful swan and cygnets in the lagoons here on the farm.

Our last dinner and drinks together before Jon and Tessa head back to the mainland tomorrow. 😊💕🚢🍷🍻

What a sight. Cosy Corner North beach is a free camp with quite good protection from the wind.

Teddy was in happy mood, beach, sand to dig in, waves, rock pools with things to investigate. 🤗🤪🙂🐩🐩 Life is great!

So clean. So inviting. So cold.

The evening light on the beach.

We have a lovely little nook to setup in.

The colours in the rocks add such a contrast to the crystal blue water.

The sky threatened to turn the day gloomy but it passed over and was beautiful.

The spray from the surf constantly changed and thrilled me for the lenz.

Dramatic skies for the fishing pair. Teddy is just so excited when the fishing 🎣 comes out.

How beautiful is this surf.??

What a great day in paradise!

Pacific Gull.

Pied Oystercatcher

Silver Gull

Teddy is intrigued by the movement in the water from the waves breaking on the kelp.

The tide is low, so the kelp is swaying with the water movement around the rocks.

Some Waratah Anemones in the rock pools.

A tiny Hooded Plover on the sand.

The beach at low tide.

Visitors to camp this afternoon, a Superb Blue Fairy Wren and his lady.

We are camping behind the pub at Triabunna for a donation to the local ambulance. Being self contained does give us flexibility to stop anywhere.

The fishing boats are all clean at the wharf.

These are some of the old buildings around town.

When there was a penal settlement on the island these were used as barracks, a bakery, plus a few other functions..

This one is being renovated but looks to still be in quite good condition. A great boarding house in its day.

This one is now a restaurant and looks well loved. It was the general store for many a year.

This cottage is under contract and was also used as a variety of businesses over the years including the funeral parlour.

Being cooped up inside the van in the blustery conditions turned us all a bit loopy.

Yesterday the weather was wet, windy and freezing, so we went for a drive to Richmond. On the way we stopped during a patch of sunshine at the Native Bush Garden. What an amazing project that local garden enthusiasts took on, all volunteers and funded from donations.

They have converted an old quarry into a beautiful collection of gardens with planting for specific species that suit soils, rocky areas, and this one of the endangered species.

The sculptures were all brilliantly created by Tasmanian artists and really added to the experience.

This was in response to a cow that was a local visitor to the area.

This was one side of the quarry face.

As we arrived in Richmond, the rain settled in again so we didn’t spend time at the Old Hobart Town model, but wandered down to Sorrel to a laundromat.

Once back at Triabunna we hid inside the annex with the 50 knot winds trying to get in. The temperature was apparently 2* at 4pm and it didn’t get any better during the night. I felt it was the coldest night we have had.

This afternoon we did a great ride down to the Spring Bay Seafoods wharf. One great uphill and therefore downhill was eye watering cold but fun, at 57kph.

This is the beach we can play on for a few days.

We started to get the kayak ready and someone wasn’t missing out. Unfortunately the wind picked up to 12 knots so we’ll try tomorrow.

This appears to be a bottlebrush but the foliage is very different and I can’t find it listed in the Tassie Flora App. The flower is half way up the stem.

I downloaded the Garden Answer app, took a few photos for them to identify the plant and their horticulturists still had no idea. Maybe I have discovered a new species that grows after fires have ravaged an area.

This is a native Tiger orchid, Diuris Sulphurea, found near the camp.

Here are some skeletons from the last bushfire to decimate the Peninsula. A lot of brush undergrowth has come back so it looks ok.

Finally during the afternoon it was looking better so we hauled the kayak to the water (with Ted riding on top over the bumps and slides like a bronco rider).

The water was as clear as crystal but we saw nothing but sea grass. It was lovely though and we paddled toward Eaglehawk Neck. Didn’t go quite that far though. Photo taken at 3.49

Photo taken 30 minutes later as we were approaching camp. How quickly it all changes.

Here are some sunset pics.

The coastline was beautiful.

A quiet Tasman Arch.

Down on the Tessellated Pavement was this .... not sure yet.

So we are now south of Hobart at Snug Beach. We hope that it is snug and cosy against the wind. We were blown away last night but everything held up well.

A beautiful flower on the side of the road. The Chocolate Lily (anthropodium strictum) I think. It is native to the area and does flower at this time of year.

Late in the afternoon we took Teddy for a walk to the northern end of the beach and discovered some paths through the native bush land. This is Snug Creek.

It looks peaceful but we are in the protected area of the point and there are white caps out in the bay. Ted has found another ball.

The path along the creek is peaceful and pretty.

A quiet dinner inside the van with the rock’n’ roll of the wind still keeping us company into the night. Hopefully we’ll still be upright in the morning.

With the rain and winds continuing today we decided to drive around the peninsula.

The white caps where in all the open bays, but it was quiet in some areas.

We stopped in the quaint town of Cygnet and had a lovely hot pie for lunch wishing we had bought our scarves, gloves and beanies with us. Mt Wellington had a cover of snow again this morning.

This is a cove near Kettering and that is Bruny Island in the background.

This is the area we drove around today.

These mountains in the distance had snow patches on top, but the beach was still lovely. Teddy and I had a lovely long walk, Dover is in the background.

We have seen some sea stars but not this variety.

Peaceful and clean. Across on the island is the Salmon fishery and plant.

We had some special treats throughout the day and three walks along the beach.

We drove as far south as we could go today and went through Southport, Hastings, to Ida Bay where the bitumen ran out. Continuing on through the Recherche Concervancy to Cockle Creek camping area, we were pleased that we had left the van in Dover because the ground was a quagmire from the recent rains.

The sun was shining and the water calm in the protected bays. It was a lovely drive and we found some beautiful houses so far from everything.

On the way back we stopped at the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin to see the traditional craftsmen at work. Just stunning craft.

They are also doing a sculpture to be placed on the Hobart foreshore in time for the Wooden Boat Festival next February.

This is a restored Danish sail boat that is now being used for cruises on the Huon River. Just superb!

Finally we finished of the day by getting together with Pam and Max White, friends from home, and had a delicious pizza selection at the bistro near their caravan park. Such a fabulous night.

This is an example of the magnificent azaleas in the gardens around Tassie. I was so proud of my flowers last year, below (because I got more than three at a time). It really doesn’t rate does it.?!?

The wind is increasing again but apparently it won’t last long.

We had a delicious hot lunch in the Gretna Green pub with the fire blazing, warming us all, and had a delightful conversation with the barman and a local from New Norfolk.

We are the only ones camped here so Teddy had the whole area to run around and just be a dog. 😁😁😁🐩🐩🐩

This is the back garden of the guy next door. He is growing an amazing collection of Iris’s. Every colour imaginable. Beautiful!

The skies are just so expressive.

We are sitting inside our fully enclosed annex with the little heater we have recently bought and feeling quite cosy.

The drive up the windy road was sunny, but immediately upon arriving it turned to ⛈. Temperature 5*. Windy! Wet! Brrrr. We sat and waited for it to clear, but....

I quickly took a few photos.

It was reasonably clear over Hobart.

On the way to the falls I spotted what I thought was a Potoroo family near the path. Maybe it was a wallaby?

Then we headed to Maydena to the mountain bike park, only to find it is a serious downhill course. No no no...

So off to Lake Pedder. Great weather. About one minute later the view below. And it got better.

So we continued till we reached the boat ramp and eventually we could see how nice it can be. But it didn’t last long.

Back at camp, a neighbour in town invited us to come to his place and check out the view of the Derwent River from his back yard.

This is his sandstone colonial house he has restored. To dream!

This is an example of the wood piles all over the state. We have seen so many fence lines made up of wood stacks. And they need heaps for most of the year.

Finally we got a decent sunset.

We woke this morning to sunshine 🌞.. wow! A good day to drive to Bothwell and play golf on Australia’s oldest course, Ratho Farm Golf Links.

While Rordon enjoyed the walk around the very long course I spent time walking the streets with Teddy taking photos of many of the 60 old buildings. This was the Town Hall.

This is another beautiful Georgian period home in excellent condition. The street signs all have a Scottish tartan on them to represent the families who settled and developed the area.

The Aberdeen Black Angus cattle were first bought here in the 1800’s and established the first stud.

We had a late lunch at Nant Whiskey Distillery overlooking the waterwheel that’s still working. On our way out we spotted some of the platypus in the pond.

The food was great.

A lovely day of warmth and sunshine.

To finish it off a great sunset.

We are back in tall tree country near the hydro lakes. This tree trunk slit into three strong straight trunks.

Here is Lake Wayatinah with a bit of breeze on it.

The shoes are off and the sleeves are gone for a while, 😊👍.

We even got to ride up the dirt track to the hydro workers village and found the 6 hole golf course and the tavern. ✅

After morning coffee we headed off for a paddle and a fishing expedition. The wind went with us.!!! I took the photos when we were in protected bays.!

We actually were blown across the water in this photo from left to right at a pace we wouldn’t usually match with the sail up. So we paddled across the lake to try and get out of the wind.

Fishing wasn’t fruitful, so the trout and salmon are still safe in their watery home.

Therefore lamb cutlets were on the Weber for dinner. Summer must be on its way. We have enjoyed two nights sitting under the awning, with no sides attached for dinner, with no need of a jacket.😀🙂😁

Finally we arrived at Brady’s Lake (where we spent our honeymoon at the Australian Canoeing Championship). The camping area has a lot more trees now but did look like a great place.

The rocks are more weathered and not so sharp along the slalom course.

Rordon tried once again to catch a fish, and did at least see one follow his lure.

Then we headed to Derwent Bridge to see The Wall, 200m of wood carvings in Huon pine, depicting the history of the Derwent Valley. Unfortunately no cameras are permitted.(see below)

The last stop, was the wooden pipeline just across the lake from our campsite.

The pipeline consists of two pipes at 4m diameter and runs for 1.25km. It is made from 250x 100mm Baltic Pine. Each board has a slight camphor with a tongue and groove.

They are all held in place by these steel rings. All the water used for generation at the Wayatinah Power Station comes through these pipes.

A pretty good day weather wise, but a bit cooler.