Tasmania - Devonport to Longford (the North East)

27 September

The sun broke through some low clouds on the horizon over Bass Strait as the Spirit of Tasmania started to slow as it neared the entrance to Devonport, Tasmania. We woke with the new day's sunrays streaming through our single porthole and went out on deck to watch the ship slide gracefully into its berth. 

7:30pm last night we had set sail from Melbourne with our car and caravan stowed in the lower decks of the ship. We were able to get a table at the popular Leatherwood Restaurant, so we dined on some fine Tasmanian food and wine as the lights of Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay slipped past the windows. After dinner we went to the Tasmanian Tourism shop and purchased an annual Tasmania National Parks Pass for our car and picked up a few brochures. Next we foraged around the ship to find the single TV showing the Friday night NRL semi-final footy match. It was easy to see we were in AFL territory as only 10 of us watched the game. More people were in front of another TV watching AFL player interviews relating to tomorrows AFL grand final.

Souths did the job on the Roosters, so that being done, we went to bed. Just as we started our showers the ship went through the Port Phillip Bay heads and the Bass Strait swells made sure only half the shower water went down the plughole with the rest sloshing out of the shower and down a well used drainhole in the tiny outer bathroom. We listened to the waves smash into the bow of the ship while the Leatherwood Restaurant food and wine did the same to the upper end of our stomachs. The seas soon settled, as did everything else and we were gently rocked to sleep by the hum of the ship's motors.

Arriving in Devonport

We were the first vehicular deck to be called to disembark the ship. Car and van were just as we had left them the night before. Throwing our overnight bags in the back of the car, we went through Customs without any problems (no fresh fruit and vegies allowed) and off to a waterfront hotel for breakfast. After breakfast we did the supermarket shuffle then looked at the weather forecast to decide which way we should go. East won the weather wars. West was wet and windy as was South. We soon found out that West and South shares its weather with East the following day. We headed towards Launceston, turned North and stopped when we hit water at Greens Beach. 

It is a Saturday, a weekend, the start of Tasmanian school holidays, and the middle weekend of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria school holidays. So with crowds expected - we drove into the Greens Head Caravan Park and single handedly doubled the tourist population of the park. We can only imagine that all the Tasmanians are up in Queensland. Tell them their Island is OK and we will look after it well while they are away. Also tell them not to hurry back.

We have a great grassy site that overlooks the local golf course with the beach over the sand dunes behind us. On arrival Julie went to the caretakers office, it was closed. A sign said to grab a key for the amenities block, select our favourite site and he will come around to collect the fees later. Well three days later and we haven't seen him. Is he up there in Queensland? If you see him tell him his van park is OK and we are looking after it well while he is away. Oh - and tell him not to hurry back.

Reflections in York Town - replica to scale of  a hut for a soldier and his family from the 1800s

On guard in York Town historic site

We spent the three days here travelling to national parks in the rea, strolling around York Town, one of the first British settlements in Australia, doing some walks, catching up on washing and chores and generally looking after the Island. It rained a little on day two and it was lovely sitting under the awning late afternoon listening to the rain come down. 

Springlawn Nature Walk

Springlawn Nature Walk, Narawntapu National Park

Brody's Lookout over Tamar River - north of Launceston

Cataract Gorge - Launceston

Cataract Gorge - Launceston

Echnida feeding (before it noticed up), Brody's Lookout

The wind came up late yesterday afternoon, it came up even further around midnight requiring me to run around in my pjs in the dark, the cold, and the wind to roll up the awning. Julie joined me in her nightie as the awning snagged before we wrestled it closed and went back into the warmth of the van.  Lucky it wasn't full moon as what a sight we would have been! The wind came up even further during the early morning and as stable as our van is, it was rocking against the buffeting winds.

Cataract Gorge - Launceston

A bird in the bush, Cataract Gorge

The clouds had disappeared though, so we headed off to Launceston where we spent a few hours in the beautiful Cataract Gorge. We arrived home about 3pm and kept out of the wind as best we could.

Tomorrow T. Rential and Gail Force are expected to spend the day with us. Undeterred we will pack up and continue to head east along the northern beaches of Tasmania.

30 September - our friends T. Rential and Gail Force arrived as expected. 56+klm winds, with showers and afternoon rain kept us inside for most of the day. 

Low Head campsite

We travelled about 60klm today to Low Head, over the mouth of the Tamar River that leads to Launceston. The distances travelled are a real contrast to our travels on the mainland. We are set up in another van park called Paradise Solar Village. At $15 per night with power and water it's a bargain. There are even five sites with private ensuites for $15 as well. We opted for a normal site, a little more secluded and out of the strong winds. The park is being extensively upgraded after having gone into receivership under the previous owners, so we have some construction going on around the place, but nothing that bothers us at all. We have no neighbours in sight in any direction.  All a bit bizarre really given school holidays continue.

Low Head Lighthouse

Our second day at Low Head was lovely. We walked the headland around the lighthouse and foghorn, had morning tea on a rock overlooking the water and walked (carefully) around the penguin nesting area. Lunch was at Peppers overlooking the Tamar River entrance from Bass Strait, shopping was done at a shop, petrol was bought at a petrol station and then we went home. Our sheltered site provided great protection.

Local carvings - seen around Tasmania

 



















The van park provides drums for fires so I collected a few pieces of firewood from around the place and sat back waiting for the sun to go over the yardarm. Before it did the park owner stopped by and said he would drop some wood off for our fire. Next thing we hear a chainsaw start up followed by literally a frontend loader full of firewood being delivered over the road. Thanking him and saying that it should be enough we settled back for a lovely evening around the fire.

Next morning we headed off towards the Bay of Fires on the east coast. On the way we visited Bridport, passed through Waterhouse and Gladstone then headed south towards Pioneer where we turned east. For whatever reason I decided that we should go the most direct route, travelling the last third of the trip on dirt backroads.

 

Some of the track challenges

The last dirt back road we entered turned out to be a fire trail. Needless to say the track was not really suitable for a caravan. There were fallen trees, deep ruts, potholes, and creek crossings the entire 10klm and several steep hills that required 4WD 1st gear to get up. Half way along we came across three 4WD's coming the other way wherein they advised us that the track was not really suitable for caravans because there were fallen trees, deep ruts etc. 

We eventually came across bitumen at The Gardens and headed south in the Bay of Fires region to find a camp for the next few days. Julie only said it once but said it firmly, "First of all - good driving, secondly I did say three times that the best way to get here was via St Helens (bitumen all the way)". Anyway there was no damage or breakages and nothing moved in the van or car at all. The car performed extremely well, as did the van.  It only took us over an hour to travel 10 klm.

Swimcart Beach - Bay of Fires

We called into the campsites of Cosy Corner - North, Cosy Corner - South and Swimcart Beach. We found a great site at Swimcart and set up for four nights. We did find some evidence of school holidays being on but only two families were seen in the bushes at the other end of the campground and only occasionally on the beach. The next day one of them had disappeared. 

Our morning walks

Swimcart is idyllic. We are camped right on top of the sand dunes with views over the pristine white beach to the azure waters beyond. The rocky headlands that bookend the beach are large wind-carved granite outcrops with many of the rocks covered in red lichen. We walked the white beach each morning, we sat overlooking the white beach each afternoon. We were never bored of the view - and it was all free.

Lunch in St Helens

A day trip south took us to St Helens where we walked the headland track, viewed the huge sand dunes and had lunch by ourselves in a seafood restaurant overlooking the water and bought some fresh fish for dinner.

Good photo of the marina hey!

Next day we packed up lunch and a thermos and set off north for the day. We travelled along the coast via dirt tracks all the way, to visit Deep Creek

Morning tea - Deep Creek campground - Mount William National Park

(where we had morning tea), Eddystone Point,

Eddystone Point - Mount William National Park

Policemans Point and The Gardens (lunch). While the day started off cloudy, the sun came out after lunch lighting up the white sands of the beaches and the red lichen covered rocks of the Bay of Fires. 

The Gardens, Bay of Fires 

Eddystone Point new and old lighthouses
 - Mount William National Park

The Gardens, Bay of Fires 

Returning home we were again drawn to the sand dune view in front of our van - as were several beers and glasses of wine. The sun went down, the wind came up and the temperature dropped. I had on a vest, two jumpers and a thick jacket, ugg boots, gloves, a beanie, with a hoodie over the top, and was slowly getting colder and colder. Julie had even more on. Realising I was warming my hands on a cold can of beer, we decided to retreat into the warmth of the van and watch the view through the windows while we had dinner. Another great day.

Afternoon view from our campsite looking south to Binalong Bay

Next day,

Sunrise out our window

with the weather just perfect we headed west, again along dirt tracks into Blue Tier Forest Reserve and the tin mining area of Tasmania. With lunch and a thermos packed again we followed a beautiful 4WD track through mountainous dairy farms to the abandoned tin mining town of Poimena. There was only one other car there but we never saw the owner - we think he was mountainbiking in the area. We had the place to ourselves the whole time.

Poimena - original school site

Looking down on old Poimena

Moon Valley walk, to peak of  Mt Poimena, overlooking the coast

Flooded mine shaft

We did a few walks, explored the scrub for mining relics; finding abandoned stone stamps, sluices, flooded mine shafts and the like and generally wandered around the pretty setting trying to imagine life as it would have been in the 1870's.   There were clumps of daffodils scattered throughout - very picturesque.

"Very interesting" creek crossing - Poimena

Lunch spot - Poimena

Next we headed down out of the mountains and did the walk to St Columba falls (one of Tassies highest),

The drive down the mountain

Tree fern forest on walk to St Columba Waterfall 

St Columba waterfall 

called into the Pub in the Paddock and the Pyengana Cheese Factory and finally Tasmania's finest Bric-a-Brac shop called Tasmania's Finest Bric-a-Brac Shop. Another great day was had by all....who were in our car.


With good TV reception available, the NRL grand final with Souths winning (yeah), topped off a great day.

6 October - after four nights it sadly was time to move on from the Bay of Fires. The timing was perfect as we were getting low on wash water, the weather was forecast to turn foul (which it did) and the rest of Tasmania was calling. We packed up between the squally morning showers and headed off under threatening skies south through St Helens and St Marys then west on the rolling plains of the Esk Highway then north on the Midland Highway turning west before Perth to set up camp in Longford. 

The van park here is pretty as a picture. We have a great site overlooking the slow flowing river with its grass-filled banks and resident ducks. Our little washing machine worked overtime while we sat outside under the awning listening to the rain come down, watching the pretty view and reading. Our shower is the 'drying room' where we set up the little electric heater to blow the clothes dry.  Our heater is Julie's Mum's (Rita) old one which we have named Rheater and is used often on our travels when it's cold and we have power.

I will end this post here and send it off as we have, for now, finished in the north east part of Tasmania. 

We both are well and totally enjoying the trip so far and the flowers are beautiful.

Great photo Julie (one of many, Jeff)