The Great Lakes and beyond

After a hot day at Launceston I drive south, back up into the mountains.  Quite a difference in altitude, as Launceston is just above sea level, the steep and winding road takes me over e relatively short distance to an altitude of between 1100 and 1200 mm (according to my GPS), so its quite a bit cooler at this level, even though Lake Arthur is at about 950 m.  There are quite a few caravans along the lake, most of them looking like permanently established, as almost all of them have a 'fence' around them made from shade cloth, some of them with sizeable supplies of firewood inside their fence.  Many of the people that are here have come with their tinnies, small outboards attached, obviously to try and catch some fish.  It is also very quiet, not even birdsong can be heard.

 

Lake Arthur

 

Fishing Alarm. The fishing line is run across a pin at the top of the arm on the right.

When a fish bites the line pulls down the arm, closing a circuit to turn on the light, come and pull in the line with the fish.

After a quiet night at Lake Arthur I continue to drive through the mountains to Deloraine.  Most of the road still at an altitude of around 1100m above sea level.  About 30km of the highway is gravel road but in good condition so driving at 70-80kmh is just right, hardly any traffic coming the other way either.  I stop at Pine Lake to check old stands of Pencil Pines, coming away very impressed with their various shapes, even though there is a cold wind blowing at this altitude.  

 

An old Pencil Pine

As usual, the descend to about 700m is steep and winding but I do notice an increase in temperature as I get to Deloraine which is only about 250m asl.  Nice clean township but most shops are closed.

Wow, time flies when you are traveling

 Last night I spent at Batman Bridge Rest Area by the Tamar River that  is a tidal river flowing in both directions depending on high or low tides.

Batman Bridge

Today I have arrived at the city of Launceston, sooner than planned but the rear tyre that had been punctured back in Queenstown is still leaking slowly, so I don't feel too comfortable driving as it is a big job changing one of the double tyres on the rear axle.  This type of tyre is not that common so I thought it wise to have it fixed in a big town like Launceston.  While they were working replacing tyres I went for a stroll around town and along the boardwalk along the boat jetty.  Also treated myself to a great Fish & Chips with salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

The temperatures have suddenly gone to "hot" again so I checked myself into a caravan park as I was also in need of a nice shower again.

 

Inside on a rainy day

Since leaving Verona Sands I have traveled a bit, visiting a few places going north, driving through the centre of Hobart, stop at Cambridge in the drizzle that has been with me most of the way, buy new wiper blades for my windscreen and have my Gas cylinder re-filled at the local camping store.  The town of Sorell, I know has a big Woollies where I pick up 2 loafs of bread, then north-east to Triabunna where I spend the night.  With all the rain and clouds seemingly hanging just above my head, it has become quite dark, windy and cold, a connection to electricity excellent so I can turn on my electric heater.

Still cold and unfriendly in the morning as I drive north along the coast line through Swansea then down a side road to Point Bagot where I spend the night in a drab kind of campsite.  My neighbors have some managed to get some dry firewood, so at least we can sit around the fire, talking about traveling, sharing a glass of Red.  My hot water bottle very much in need for the second night in a row.  Lots more blue sky in the morning, clouds finally lifting.  As I drive further north along the coast I have sunshine and rain and wind and everything else in between.  Still cold, but a lot more sun by the time I get to St Helens.  I stop at Binalong Bay, at the southern end of the Bay Of Fires.

In the morning its bright sunshine and I see a great surf running on all the beaches of the Bay of Fires.  The wind has also lessened so its very pleasant to go exploring with my camera along the ocean front.

 

Later that morning I backtrack a little south as I want to visit St Marys in the coast mountains, also because of the great crepes available at the Pancake Restaurant just outside St Marys.  When I leave the Pancake place I drive to the town of Fingal and from there on winding gravel roads deep into the forest, see the tallest "White Gum" Eucalypts (91m high) as well as many giant Tree Ferns deep in the rainforest.  The Forestry Industry sure seems to be cutting down a lot of trees for wood chipping, so its good to see that at least some areas have been reserved, never to be logged.

 

Along the road into the High Country

After a close encounter with a logging truck I finally arrive at a campground right by the river Esk, where I meet some more fellow travelers who did not mind driving down those dusty trails just like me.  We had a great camp fire, a long Happy Hour.  I am always still amazed to see just how many lovely people I meet on the road, in the most out of the way places!

Maintenance and Stuff

When I leave Lime Bay I drive back across Tasman Peninsula, then north-west to Sorell for some shopping and to look for some Gas parts.  For quite some time I have noticed the smell of Propane Gas each time I turn on the gas for cooking, so, after removing my cooktop I discover  a small leak on the joint of the copper pipe connector to the cooktop, very small indeed looking at the bubbles formed by my application of soapy water but certainly worth fixing it as I do not want to blow my Motorhome, myself included to smithereens.

The camper shop at Sorell points me toward a caravan retailer at North Hobart.  When I get there it turns out that I do indeed need someone who is a qualified Gas Plumber, they give me a contact number.  The Plumber is an old bloke like me, knows what he is doing and 15 minutes later all is well, I am on my way across Hobart, then south through Kingston then on to the small town of Snug (cute name) and spend the night there to catch the Car Ferry down the road to Bruny Island next morning.
More info on Bruny Islands

 I spent about a week discovering several lovely spots on South Bruny Island before returning to Tasmania's main island.  It is a beautiful place, clear waters on all beaches, all of them in shades of turquoise, hardly any people anywhere, except for a few of us "Grey Nomads" that seem to populate the place.

 

Duck mother with 7 kids behind Adventure Bay

Many of the places bear French names, as it were French explorers that came here already in the 1770s.

  

Adventure Bay on South Bruny

 

Shells on the beach at Adventure Bay

Yesterday I came back on the car ferry, drove to Kingston for some shopping, also to re-fill my water tank which was close to empty by now.  From Kingston I drove south again, this time through the truly beautiful Huon valley,

 

Boats at anchor on the Huon River

then on to Cockle Creek a great place to stay, almost on the southernmost point of Tasmania.  All roads end there.

 

Rocky Bay seen from Cockle Creek

The weather has turned wet by this morning so I decide to leave Cockle Creek again, drive north to Huonville at the end of the ocean inlet, from there south again on the other side of the shore, through the lovely town of Cygnet, on past Verona Sands, where I am spending the night.

Eastcoast

This afternoon finds me at a place called Lime Bay Nature Reserve, at about the northernmost point on the Tasman Peninsula, about 35km from Port Arthur, where I spent most of the day viewing what is left of the old prison facilities.

 

The old facade of the prison

What is now a Museum at Port Arthur

Since leaving Queenstown I have been to a few different locations.  The road out of Queenstown winds its way steeply up the side of the mountain, one that looks as if it was made from iron oxide, all coloured reddish brown, why, I don't really know but suspect a lot of that was caused by mining in this area.  The road steadily winds its way through the mountains, up and down and then up again, not made for fast driving but good exercise for my clutch foot and my arm, constantly having to change gears up and down....

I pass by a few lakes, all part of a hydro-electric system that provides electricity for Tasmania.  After I pass through Tarraleah the hills start to recede, grassland with lots of cattle and sheep all the way to the town of Hamilton where I spend the night by the side of the creek in the company of quite a few fellow travellers with Motorhomes, Caravans and some in tents.

In the morning I drive the 21km to New Norfolk where I need to re-fuel before heading up into the mountains again, this time to Lake Pedder, a very large lake indeed, spreading for many many kilometres, the water is clean, if a little stained with Tannin from the surrounding vegetation and its not too cold to swim in either.

 

Getting closer to Lake Pedder

Its quiet and peaceful up here, still quite warm although the air is hazy from smoke generated by distant bush fires.  We do get to see a spectacular sunset with the smoke coloured sun showing off all its colour across the water of the lake.

 

  

Sunset coloured  by smoke haze from fires.

In the morning I drive on to Hobart where I will need to pickup my mail, pay some bills via the internet and deposit some cheques at the bank.  I put down stakes for the night at The Royal Showground, re-fill my freshwater tank and also catch up with some friends as my phones are working again in the big city of Hobart.

When I leave this morning I head for Port Arthur.