We were able to pick our sites and found a couple of large grassy sites we could pull straight into with some low tree shelter to the North and West. Surprising how much wind protection we received and how calm it was at our caravans compared to the beach or top of the hill. The caravan park itself is quite dated and the cabins in particular don't look attractive as a place to stay. That being said the amenity block while dated was quite clean. 3 stars!
We managed to get setup in light drizzle before the heavy rain returned. The rain let off a bit in the afternoon and Sandra, Carol, and I took a walk along the beach. Lots of lovely coloured pebbles/rocks along the beach which the girls were keen to collect. We did get taken by surprise by one large wave and Sandra suffered a bit of a fall. Luckily the water went around her on either side so she didn't get wet. Carol and I nearly died laughing as her feet were still trying to run while she lay on her side on the beach! We eventually helped her up and we all had another good laugh! She wasn't hurt at the time but has suffered with an aching shoulder /back since then. We all still have a giggle about it once in a while! Would have made a great video but alas we were all caught by surprise and were too busy laughing!
Saturday the winds were still strong but the rain had eased so we took a drive East along the coast towards Bridport with the Ransleys. We had a brief stop at Barnbougle Golf course which is one of the top public courses in Australia. Looks beautiful but challenging with lots of sand and strong winds. From there we continued on towards Gladstone with a brief stop at Tomahawk. Not much to be said about Tomahawk and we won't be back.
From Gladstone we travelled South toward South Mount Cameron. Close to here we found an unexpected treasure, Little Blue Lake. We hadn't heard of it and only turned around after we drove by as we saw a number of cars pulled over. Well, what a surprise. A small but lovely coloured blue/green lake much like several we have seen in the Canadian Rockies. We did a bit of a walk around and got some pictures from a few different angles. Beautiful!
Back in the car we travelled through Pioneer on our way to Derby. Not much to be said about Pioneer either as was just another neglected poorly looked after little Tasmanian town. Derby however is quite nice with a big emphasis on Mountain Biking. We stopped at a park here and enjoyed our picnic lunch by a river. Still a bit cold as the wind was fresh but a little sun shining through.
After lunch we continued on through Scottsdale before taking a different route back towards Launceston. We took the A3 which is technically the main highway but one we had been warned off of by fellow travellers. The scenery around Scottsdale is beautiful with lovely green rolling hills and farmland. The road was very twisting and steep in a mountainous section about a 3rd of the way to Launceston. Traffic was light which made it somewhat better but definitely wouldn't recommend taking your caravan over this route. We stopped at a lookout point which was unfortunately closed as a new structure was being constructed. Lovely view of the rural area surround Scottsdale when it opens again.
The road was quite decent for the rest of the trip and took us through some lovely suburbs at the rear of Launceston. I believe they were Waverly, Newstead, and Elphin but I could be wrong. Lots of beautifully maintained old homes with lovely gardens. Once through Launceston we took our return trip up the A8 to Low Head. We enjoyed another walk along the beach collecting rocks and glass.
Sunday was the Bewells turn to drive and we travelled South again through Launceston and towards Ben Lomand National Park. We retraced our route through the nice section of Launceston we travelled through yesterday before taking the C401 towards the National Park. The road was quite good and the scenery lovely along the way to Blessington. From there we took the Ben Lomond road and began to climb. The road was unsealed but in good condition although narrow and winding. We stopped at the Carr Villa parking lot first. The wind was strong and the temperature had dropped from 16 to 4 degrees by the time we reached here. The rock formations were incredible with huge black rock chunks strewn around. We took a few pictures before bundling back into the warmth of the car and heading up to the main ski field.
This last section of road includes the infamous Jacob's Ladder. I'll let the pictures describe it best but needless to say very narrow, steep, and extremely winding! Only wide enough for one vehicle in spots and the vehicle going up the hill needed to yield to descending vehicles. We were lucky enough to make it to the top without meeting any vehicles! We stopped at the top to get some photos from the lookout. A great view but the wind almost blew Sandra off the lookout. Back into the warm car before proceeding the last short distance to the main parking area. We took a short walk into a public chalet/toilet block for a bit of a break and some more photos. The rock formations are amazing but I truly wonder how the hell they use the area for skiing with all of the huge rocks that make up the summit.
We had planned a short walk but gave that a miss as the wind was howling and we were all freezing. We took a few more photos before bundling back in the car for the return journey down Jacob's Ladder. Once again we were fortunate not to meet any oncoming traffic although this time we would have had the right of way. I don't know how this can possibly function as a road to the ski hill when it is busy, snowy, and icy but that's Tasmanians for you!
We enjoyed the trip North again including a lovely view of the North Esk River before stopping at George Town to enjoy our picnic lunches. A quick shop at Woolies before returning to Low Head. We took to the beach again in the afternoon searching for shells, polished glass, and shiny colourful rocks.
The Ransleys were leaving the next day to explore a few spots they missed while home on the mainland for the wedding. Sandra and I decided to stay on at Low Head until Wednesday when we were meeting up with Tim and Stephanie in Longford.
Monday and Tuesday were quite uneventful with some much needed rest and relaxation. Lots of walks along the beach and a little bit of exploration around George Town and Low Head. Found some more wooden statues at George Town as well. The wind was fairly strong for most of our stay but luckily we were quite sheltered where we had the caravan. All in all while the caravan park was not the most modern we enjoyed a lovely relaxing 5 days in Low Head.
No comments:
Post a Comment