Campbell Town

Friday April 27th we were on the road again leaving Triabunna for the second time. We retraced our route North to Swansea before heading West towards Lake Leake and Campbell Town. Traffic was quite good and the road West was one of the better ones we have encountered in Tasmania. Still winding and hilly but a bit wider with a small shoulder!

We arrived at Blackburn Park in Campbell Town just before lunch. This is a free camping area supplied by the council for self contained vehicles. No facilities on site other than a rubbish bin. You need to get a permit from the council online which they email to you and allows you to stay for 48 hours. A lovely big area along the river which we shared with another 6 or so vans. I dare say most of them weren't self contained but that is for the council to regulate. It's a great stop for an overnight or two.

The campground is directly beside the red bridge which was built in 1838 and is still in use on the main highway. There was also 3 more of the tree sculptures similar to Legerwood at the park which are interesting. We did a bit of a walk down the main street in the afternoon and picked up a couple of grocery items from the IGA. The afternoon was quite nice and we took advantage setting up our camp chairs in the sun near the river for a few hours. A beautiful and relaxing day!

Saturday morning we enjoyed a bit of a sleep in before venturing out for a drive. First stop was the historical town of Ross which featured another old bridge from 1836. This is still in use as well but on the bypass as opposed to the main highway.

The town itself was beautiful with some lovely old buildings. The Uniting Church was one of the highlights and open to walk through. We also toured through the Info Centre/Tasmanian Wool Museum. We enjoyed a cup of tea overlooking the surrounding fields before taking a short walk around town. Another tourist attraction was the remain of the Female Factory (Gaol). Most of the buildings are gone but the one remaining building held a lot of information about the history of female prisoners in Tasmania.

Back on the road South we stopped at Oatlands and the Carlington Flour Mill. Unfortunately the Mill and visitor centre have been closed pending a new development to manage them. We got a few nice pictures before doing a walk around the historical down town area. There are many beautiful sandstone buildings in pristine condition. Unfortunately many of them were closed on a Saturday afternoon and many appeared to be empty. So sad to see these small towns and their beautiful historic buildings dwindling away.

We travelled back to Campbell Town where we had a late lunch. The afternoon was not quite as warm as the day before but we still enjoyed a bit of time out in the sun. Not a lot to do or see in Campbell Town but a good overnight stop or base to explore some of the surrounding area.