Huonville

Monday March 26th saw us packing up in light rain at Franklin Foreshore for our short trip North to Huonville. The trip was only about 10KM so we certainly didn't need to stop for morning tea or a break along the way. We checked into the Huonville Caravan Park as we needed to recharge our batteries and do some laundry before heading off to Bruny Island later this week. The caravan park was one of the nicer ones we have stayed with large grassy sites and a newish amenity block. The amenity block was part of a larger kitchen complex and very clean/modern. 4 Stars! Unfortunately it was also very expensive at $39/night and you needed to pay for your showers on top. Not that the shower charge bothered us as we use our own but still not very attractive on top of an already expensive site.

We got set up and the girls got the washing machines going. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating so we had to use the dryers to get things dry. Expensive again at $5 a load and we needed several cycles to dry our towels/sheets. $20 later Sandra gave up on the dryers and started hanging other clothes in caravan. With both heaters going most of the day we got almost everything dry!

Went for a shop at Woolworths in the afternoon. Carol and Stephen had ran into someone that Rans worked with in the Police force staying at the same park. We enjoyed drinks with them and another couple and had a late dinner.

Tuesday the weather seemed slightly better so we headed South towards the Southern Tip of Tasmania. We retraced the scenic route along the Huon River and got a few nice photos at Big Roaring Beach. The water was a lovely green and the noise made by the crashing waves certainly lived up to it's name! You can see some of the many salmon farms in the distance. We stopped at the Huon Salmon farm at Hideaway Bay where we purchased a package of smoked salmon before carrying on through Dover. Near Southport we turned onto a gravel road South to Cockle Creek. The road was reasonably good for gravel as are most of the gravel roads in Tasmania we have encountered to date.

We travelled to the end of the road where we parked the car and did a two hour walk to the Southern tip of Tasmania. The path was mostly along the beach but had several rocky section to climb through and some narrow overgrown areas through the bush. Highlights were the whale sculpture and the remnants of an early brick building. Rans encountered a black snake (Tiger probably) on one of our narrow paths which forced us to retrace our steps and follow the beach. The destination offered good views of the ocean and a bit of a rock monument. We retraced our steps to the car and had lunch at a picnic area near a campground. One final note is the walk needs to be done when the tide is low or much of the beach area would be under water. We managed to arrive at close to low tide which was more good luck than good planning!

The return trip saw us stop at Geeveston for the girls to pick up a knitting pattern before returning to the caravan park. We arrived just in time to take in the 4PM animal feeding put on my the caravan park. We saw a cow get milked and feed it's twin calves and the girls got to hold a couple of week old ducklings. The highlight of the show was the feeding of the two Tasmanian Devils that live at the farm. They are truly an ugly little creature and quite vicious (sorry Tasmania). The female was nicer than the male and much quieter. Even though they had been at the farm quite a while the keepers needed rakes to keep them away from themselves. My recommendation would be to not approach them in the wild!

A quick trip into Woolworths before we started packing up for our trip to Bruny Island in the morning. Got everything outside put away in the semi dry which was a bonus. We enjoyed a quiet night and a salmon dinner on the BBQ.

Franklin Foreshore Reserve, Franklin

Thursday March 22nd we said our wet goodbyes to Left of Field. There was light rain while we hooked up and headed off for Franklin. The road was fairly good as we once again passed through New Norfolk and carried on towards Hobart.

The highway took us through the centre of Hobart before we headed South West towards Kingston and Huonville. We arrived in good time and got set up at the Franklin Foreshore Reserve. This low cost reserve is run by volunteers and the council and is very well laid out. There is a public amenity block which is dated but clean. There is also a station to fill up your drinking water and a dump point. Cost is a very reasonable $10/night with the 4th night free. A volunteer comes around each evening to collect the monies and provide receipts. He also provided us with maps of the area along with a few local highlights. We both got a spot directly opposite the Huon River and had beautiful views. Well done council!

Once we got our caravans setup we did a small walk around Franklin. It's not a big community but quite pretty with lots of historic old buildings. We took a drive into Huonville in the afternoon to visit the Visitor Centre and pick up a few groceries at Woolworths. The evening was nice and calm so we enjoyed drinks down at a picnic table by the water. Lovely river with reflections of mountains and swans.

Friday we headed off to Hobart to pick up Carol and Stephen who were having their Ranger serviced at the Ford dealership there. We met them at the Visitor Centre and spent a few hours walking along the harbour area. It was quite calm again so we got some nice reflection shots along the water. Toured through the Salamanca shopping district as well before enjoying a nice meal at Irish Murphy's.

After lunch we decided to do a drive and headed East from Hobart to Richmond. We travelled through some pretty countryside which has quite a few small vineyards. The girls did a bit of retail therapy in Richmond which has some lovely old stores but was unfortunately very expensive. A bit like Morpeth or Berry in NSW. We did a bit of walking and got some lovely pictures of a few old churchs and the oldest bridge in Australia (1823). Lovely little town with lots of history. We enjoyed some delicious ice cream at Coal Valley Creamery before heading back towards Hobart. Some of the best we've enjoyed and all but one flavour was gluten free (gluten free waffle cones as well)!

We stopped at a cheese place on the return journey to kill a bit more time. Dropped the Ransleys off about 4PM to pick up their Ranger and headed back towards Franklin. Stopped in Huonville briefly to top up our diesel. Another beautiful afternoon along the river! As a special treat we enjoyed a lovely fish and chip dinner from the local fish shop. Girls were able to have Gluten free battered fish, potato scallops, and chips! Lovely!

Saturday we awoke to gloomy wet conditions but headed off in the Jeep for a tour South of Franklin. Our first stop was at Geeveston which is another quaint little village. Girls did a bit of shopping while Rans and I checked out the Visitor Centre. Would be a good place to stay as they currently have a couple of low cost options ($5/night) at the Heritage Park and RSL. We also checked out another low cost option at Port Huon Regatta Point which was lovely but not quite as level as Franklin.

We continued South to Dover where we checked out the caravan park. Not too enticing and not even on the water. We kept heading South towards Southport where again we were somewhat disappointed. The weather was poor and the roads were not any better. Rans and I had a beer at the southernmost pub in Australia but wasn't very memorable and we won't be returning any time soon. Not anywhere near the water and not historic/beautiful or any other reason to return! We drove down to Southport Beach which again was uninspiring.

On the return journey we took the scenic coastal route. My famous last words were that it couldn't be much worse than the main highway. Wrong again! The road as usual was posted at 100KM but I was lucky to hit 40-50. Narrow, winding, wet, and hilly! Some lovely views along the coast but of course no safe place to pull over to enjoy or take photos. We  did find a few opportunities for photos near Dover and along the Huon towards Franklin again. Quite a long days drive although not far in distance. As usual the weather cleared near Franklin in the late afternoon and we had another nice evening near the water.

 We woke Sunday with heavy clouds and rain. The girls eventually braved the elements to go to the local market across the street. Pretty quiet day hiding from the weather until it again cleared off in the afternoon. Had a few nice moments in the sun near the river again before the cold and rain set it. All in all a wonderful place to camp but wish we had be favoured with a bit warmer drier weather!

Left of Field, Mt. Field National Park

Saturday March 17th saw us say our goodbyes to Bothwell and make the short journey to Mt Field National Park. We headed South towards Hamilton before doing a few Zig Zags to end up at our destination. The scenery along the way was beautiful with lots of rolling hills and green fields.

Near Westerway there were several fields of Hops which were interesting to see grown. Lots of wood poles with wire supporting the Hops which hang from the wires.

Roads were the usual winding and hilly but traffic was not too bad. We arrived at Left of Field camp ground near the entrance to the National Park late morning. This is sort of a cross between a bush camp and a caravan park. The owner, Adrian, is a cheerful, interesting host. Very laid back and gave us a quick tour and a couple of options for us to get set up on. Adrian has created a unique and quirky environment with lots of junk/art located throughout the park. The two toilets are unisex but modern and clean. A bit strange sharing with the women  but we survived. Only one shower so really this is best designed for the self contained caravans. 3.5 Stars!

The weather was beautiful on the Saturday so we had a quick lunch once we were set up before setting out to explore the National Park. We were able to walk through a trail next to the railway tracks (not utilized) and creek, to enter the National Park and the Visitor Centre. There is a fair sized campground at the National Park which might be worth a look as well. A lot of sites appear to back onto the creek.

We set off on a 5KM loop walk with our first stop being Russell Falls. The walk was once again through Rain forest with lots of green ferns, moss, lichen along the way. After a short walk we arrived at Russell Falls which is quite a tall multi-tiered water fall. Very nice with multiple viewing platforms.

We headed up quite a steep set of steps to the top of the falls before heading still higher as we made our way to the next major stop which was Horseshoe Falls. A smaller but wider set of falls that was beautiful in it's own way. There was water coming down the falls at either end but it obviously wasn't in full flow.

From here we did an extended walk through rain forest and the Tall Trees loop. Some huge towering Swamp Gums are over 70M high. Lots of time spent hugging and admiring these giants.

The last major stop was the Lady Barron Falls. Not as spectacular as the first two sets of falls but still worth a visit. Another 30 minutes found us back at our caravans. Total walk was just over 2.5 hours with lots of climbing. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed the walk which was one of the best of our trip so far.

Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse over night with high winds and considerable rain fall. We were parked under a couple of large trees and didn't sleep to well with nuts, bark, and small twigs dropping on the caravan roof during the night. Sunday was more of the same and we basically hibernated in our caravans with very short walks around the park during drier moments. Sunday night and Monday morning were more of the same with some very strong wind gusts. We did brave the elements for a drive into New Norfolk with the Ransleys. Beautiful countryside again along the way, and New Norfolk was considerably larger than we had expected. The girls looked in a few antique places and bought a couple of groceries. Rans and I enjoyed a Pub lunch while the girls got some fries and tea at the local McDonalds. We headed back to the caravan park for another wet afternoon. The wind had subsided a bit at least!

Tuesday morning was still cloudy and light rain although the sun looked like it was trying to break through. We packed picnic lunches and headed out with the Ransleys to explore Gordon Dam Road. The road began with dense rainforest but eventually opened up to plains and mountain peaks. Quite beautiful and the weather cooperated at times. We eventually made it to Lake Pedder/Strathgordon where we took a short break at Lake Pedder Wilderness Lodge. Lake Pedder and Lake Gordon are two natural lakes that were made into much larger ones with the building of 4 dams and a canal joining the lakes. Beautiful scenery but windy and cold during our visit.

We carried on West where we first took a drive into the Serpentine Dam. We had a walk across the dam wall and got a few pictures before jumping back in the car.

Our main destination of the day was Gordon Dam and it was definitely worth the trip. The tallest dam in Australia at 140M it is quite impressive. Carol, Sandra, and I descended a few hundred steps and walked across the dam wall to the far side. It is quite a drop to the river below and not for those with a fear of heights. Sandra did very well to complete the walk but she did keep well away from the fence on the side of the drop! Rans chose to stay at the top and capture pictures as he isn't very good with heights. As a side note they actually offer abseiling down the wall of the dam. We didn't take them up on it but would be quite a thrill!

On the far side of the dam you could yell and hear a very clear echo return in a second. Cool! We captured quite a few photos of both the dam wall/drop and the huge body of water created by the dam. The system can hold up to 27 Sydney harbours which is quite incredible! Quite different to Lake Argyle in the Kimberly, but impressive as well!

We returned to the car and retraced our steps. Had another quick stop at the Wilderness Lodge before stopping for lunch at Ted's Beach along Pedder Lake. Luckily the picnic area was sheltered as the wind was cold! You can tell by some of our pictures that it wasn't the warmest day we have experienced. The sun came out in patches throughout the day which allowed Sandra to capture some lovely photos of the mountains and lakes. The drive was one of our highlights of Tasmania to date!

The wind had subsided and the sun was actually shining by the time we returned to our campground. It was only 14 degrees but we still enjoyed a bit of outdoor time after being cooped up for 3 days! We had a bit of a group meeting to decide our next stops as well. Easter weekend (5 days in Tasmania) is coming up so we needed to find a place to book. Luckily we were able to secure a spot for a week on Bruny Island over the holiday period.

Tuesday night was quite calm so we all got a better sleep. Woke up to the cold though as was only 3 degrees. The girls are doing some laundry as we are going to a free camp after this. Washing was easy but getting it dried was a challenge because of damp, cloudy, cold weather.

After lunch we took another drive into Mt Field National Park heading farther in than our last visit. After the visitor centre the road turned to gravel and became narrow and winding. A few pullover spots along the way as we made our way to Lake Dobson.

Once there we took a 40 minute (over an hour for us) walk on the Pandani Grove Nature walk around Lake Dobson. Very cold and wet but with beautiful moss/lichen everywhere. A great little walk which we really enjoyed. Quite a few photo opportunities for those that love the green of moss, lichen, ferns, and general rainforest!

 

Had a stop at Lake Fenton on the way home as well as a few more interesting trees. Great short drive! Found most of the clothes still a bit wet so had a bit of a Chinese laundry going in the van with multiple heaters and clothes hanging everywhere. I got most of the outside equipment put away for moving on tomorrow. Eventually everything was dry and we are ready to move on!