East Beach, Lowhead

Friday May 4th saw us leaving Longford as the caravan park was booked out for the Agfest weekend. We ended up packing up in the wind and light rain for our journey North to Low Head. The trip through Launceston and up the A8 to Georgetown/Low Head was uneventful although the Westerly wind and rain was extreme when we approached Low Head. Luckily the Eastern Beach Tourist Park was somewhat sheltered from the strong Westerly. A bit of a bonus with another set of tree sculptures being located at the front of the caravan park we were staying at!

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.

Longford

Sunday April 29th saw us make the short trip North to Longford near Launceston. The trip was a quick one but we encountered some fairly thick fog as we travelled South of Longford. We arrived before lunch but luckily our site was already vacated so we were able to check in and get set up early. The site was huge with a large green space out front once we set up. Amenity block was older and a bit dark but kept very clean. 4 Stars! The only negative from our perspective was when you set up near the rear of the site as directed, it was a stretch to reach all the utilities (water, sewer, and power) with our connections. We just made it by running them underneath our caravan so in future we probably would have placed the van further forward in the site. Sandra got straight in to the laundry while I did a bit of computer catch up.

On Monday, Sandra continued with her laundry/cleaning. We took a trip into Launceston to do some shopping in preparation for Carol & Stephen's return. Their good friends Jeff and Margaret were also joining them so we were in charge of dinner upon their return. They arrived just after 6pm and we all enjoyed a couple of drinks and an easy dinner.

Tuesday we ventured North through Lanceston to the Beaconsfield region. Carol, Stephen, Jeff, and Margaret did the Beaconsfield Mine Museum. We didn't do as plan to tour with Steph & Tim later this month. Sandra and I toured through Beauty Point and up to Green Beach. We did a short drive into a National Park there where we completed a short uphill walk to a lookout.

From there we retraced our steps through Beaconsfield before taking the Batman Bridge across the Tamar River. From there we headed North to Georgetown where we enjoyed lunch with the group at the Pier Hotel.

We did a short trip North to Low Head where we did a brief walk around the lighthouse before returning home to Longford. We all enjoyed afternoon drinks and dinner at Jeff & Marg's rented caravan.

 On Wednesday we woke to fog. Sandra and I remained home while the others headed off to explore Cataract Gorge and Launceston. Once again we gave it a miss as will do at a later date with Tim & Stephanie. We enjoyed a relaxing day with a long walk around Longford. We also ventured into Launceston for a bit of shopping. The group of us enjoyed afternoon drinks before going to the Community Club Pub for dinner to celebrate Margaret's birthday.

On Thursday we did a drive up through Launceston to explore Lilydale, Scottsdale, and Bridport. Our first stop was at Lilydale Falls where we did a short walk to explore the falls. A fuel reduction burn was in progress which gave an eerie look to a tree in the parking lot. The falls were interesting as was the surrounding rain forest vegetation.

Next stop was at the Bridestowe Lavender Farm. The lavender were not in bloom but the fields were still beautiful. We had morning coffee while there before heading off to Scottsdale.

Scottsdale turned out to be a larger town than we had been expecting. We stopped at the Visitor Centre for some information before doing a quick walk to the memorial park. There we saw some more fine examples of the tree sculptures primarily in honour of Australia's war veterans.

 We headed North from Scottsdale towards the coastal community of Bridport. Sandra and I did a short walk along the beach and a took in a few viewpoints before meeting the rest of the gang at "The Bunker" for a lovely lunch.

We returned West along the coast towards Georgetown before heading South again to our campground at Longford. On a positive note the road from Bridport to Georgetown and South to Launceston is some of the best road in Tasmania so made for a relaxing trip.

We enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner with the group as Margaret and Jeff were flying home Friday morning. The rest of us need to move on Friday as well as the caravan park is fully booked out for Agfest which is an annual agricultural exhibition.

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.

Triabunna Round 2

Wednesday April 25th saw us start the morning at the Bicheno Memorial Hall for their ANZAC dawn service. It was quite a cool morning but as usual a surprisingly large crowd showed up to honour our war veterans. Great to see a mix of young and old from all walks of life! The service was short and not as good as our favourite one in Maitland but still moving.

We returned to the caravan and had breakfast before packing up the van. We were retracing our steps somewhat today to return to Triabunna as we had managed to book in for the Maria Island Cruise on Thursday. We arrived in Triabunna just before lunch and checked out the Spring Bay Hotel camping area. It was quite full so we decided to use the other free camping area across the street from the hotel. We made a donation at the takeaway shop down the street which owns the land, who donate the proceeds to the Royal Flying Doctors. As before no facilities other than a garbage bin but it is right across the road to a couple of amenity blocks at the marina and visitor centre.

We enjoyed a quiet ANZAC day in the caravan but we did enjoy a good walk along the river and marina during the afternoon. I think I neglected to mention in our original post but the Fish Van near the hotel offers nice gluten free hot chips at a very reasonable price. We enjoyed some for lunch.

Thursday was predicted to be partly sunny but with increasing winds but the cruise company assured us the cruise was going ahead as the winds were coming from the West. We had our breakfast and walked across to the Marina about 9AM. A small group of 17 of us set sail aboard the Spirt of Maria at 9:30. There was a mostly enclosed main deck with an open upper deck for viewing. We were free to move around the boat as we liked although there was a limit of 8 people on the upper deck while we were moving.

We headed out of the harbour and Spring Bay towards Darlington. The wind was at our backs when we hit the open water so the ride was quite smooth. We did a quick pass by the Darlington settlement before rounding the northern tip of the island at Cape Boullanger. Once around the tip we were sheltered from the winds by the island.

The first highlight of the trip was the fossil cliffs in Fossil Bay. The geology in this area was sedimentary rock cliffs formed some 150 million years ago. It is regarded as one of the best examples of fossils in the world with whole shells existing in the fossil layers. We pulled into a couple of cave areas to observe the fossil beds and stalactites that hung from the roofs and even cliff walls. The peaks of Bishop and Clark towered over the cliffs.

One cave was particularly impressive as the boat went completely inside for a considerable distance. The fossils, stalactites, and colours were amazing; as was looking back out the opening to the ocean. One of the best parts of our day!

A bit further up the cliff face changed to vertical Dolerite rock beneath the sedimentary layers. This is significant from a geology perspective as the Jurassic Dolerite rock is a 100 million years older than the sedimentary layer directly above it. Very unique to have such clear layers displayed according to our guide Michael.

Still further south after Mistaken Cape the cliffs changed to granite rock which is even older than the Jurassic Dolerite rock. Obviously we aren't geologists but it is quite interesting to see so many different rock formations in a small physical area. I believe geologists get quite excited when they tour here!

From our perspective we enjoyed all the different rock structures and the changing colours. Interesting caves and rock formations were plentiful. We eventually arrived at Riedel Bay which is on the isthmus of Maria Island. Beautiful sandy secluded beach much like Wineglass Bay except for the lack of all the crowds! Only one small group of locals enjoying the Southern tip of the beach.

Just before we rounded the southern end of the Island we stopped at Haunted Bay where there were some lovely rock formations. Once around Barren Head the water got considerably rougher as we were more exposed to the Westerly winds. Sandra dodged a bullet as she sat down only a few seconds before a rogue wave sent a massive splash of water to where she had just stood. Our guide Jess was not so lucky and was thoroughly drenched. No harm done and quite funny for the rest of us! The roll up side panels were zipped closed before we continued. The upper deck was also cleared for the next portion of our journey as was considerably rougher and wetter!

Once we rounded Cape Perron and turned North again we weren't heading directly into the swell and the conditions improved somewhat. We made our way to Shoal Bay which is the opposite side of the isthmus from our previous stop at Riedel Bay. The bay is quite protected so even in rough seas there is a quiet place to drop anchor for lunch. We were located on the Northern end of the beach at Encampment Cove which was surprisingly calm given the still strong Westerly winds. A bit of a hiccup with lunch as they discovered that the smoked salmon hadn't been packed by the caterers. While a bit disappointing we were suitably satisfied with the substitution of free wine and beer! The rest of the lunch was beautiful with lots of gluten free options for Sandra. Delicious!

The Western side of the island is completely different to the Eastern as consists of more rolling hills sloping down to the waters edge, as opposed to the sheer cliffs. While not as interesting from a landscape perspective it was still beautiful and had the added benefit of lots of wildlife. Maria Island is used as sort of a Noah's Ark for Tasmanian fauna. Because of it's isolation a number of threatened species have been brought to the island to protect and grow population numbers. Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Cape Barren Geese, and Kangaroos are some of the species prolific on the island. We spotted several of all but the Tassie Devils which are primarily nocturnal during our cruise down the West coast to Darlington.

The main geological highlight of the Western side of the Island is the Painted Cliffs which offer beautiful colours. We were lucky that the sun came out fully while we were taking our photos.

At Darlington we got off the boat for a couple of hours to spend on the island touring the settlement and enjoying the wildlife. Lots of wildlife viewing opportunities with wombats in particular everywhere you turned. The buildings are in amazing condition with many still intact from the 1800s. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the island although the winds were cold.

We boarded the boat again as the sunset over a smoky Triabunna. We got a few awesome photos of the sunset on our return trip. All in all a wonderful day with beautiful sites, informative guides, and wonderful food. Highly recommend to future travellers!

We enjoyed a quick takeout meal of scallops and chips from the Fish Van to end the day.