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Day 8
Holbrook -> Melbourne <Map>
Today: 375 Total 2120
WOW! Where do we go from here? Trevor had advised that our first port of call should be Jayco, a caravan dealer and repairer at Albury. We waited until they opened and called them and talked to Wayne. He said he might have a door that fitted, but he was missing two staff so wouldn't be able to fit it. We decided that we'd also check with Supreme who were the van builders and were based in Melbourne. They were having phone problems so we left a message.
After making sure that we had retrieved everything we needed from the inside of the van, we used one of the two items that are essential in keeping the world rotating - duct tape[*] - to seal the door to the van with no chance of getting back in.
[*] The other essential item to world order and harmony is of course, WD-40.
Not a happy camper!
We set off for Albury at a rather staid 70kph, stopping frequently for inspections. During the journey down, we tried to ring the manufacturers, Supreme, who are based in Melbourne. However as we subsequently found out, they were in the process of moving factories and their phone lines were in a bit of a mess. We left a message.
We arrived at Jayco and were met by Wayne who immediately produced a door. Unfortunately it was never going to fit (too small) so he went back into his storeroom and finally produced a door that looked like it might do the job. We took it out and checked what it looked like against the existing one and it was looking like a very close fit. As he'd already said on the phone, he was short two staff, so we asked about the complexities of fitting it ourselves. He gave Peter and I a good explanation of what was required from both a materials and installation point of view. He asked what tools we had, and we figured out that we needed the right sized rivets and some special sealing tape on top of our existing tools. While I figured that we should probably be able to fit the door, I wasn't enthusiastic about it. At this point, Scott, the service manager, arrived and joined in the conversation. After a few minutes he disappeared and came back and advised that he'd rescheduled a few workshop jobs and that they could fit the door to our van NOW!!
Thank you, Wayne and Scott, and Jayco, Albury/Wodonga!!
Talk about a couple of really great guys who put themselves out to keep us on the road. We really appreciated your efforts.
While we were having lunch in a nearby roadhouse, we had a phone call from Supreme who were returning our call. While they were sympathetic to our original plight, the basis of the conversation was that if we had found a door that fitted, then we should grab it. This was because they no longer kept spares for old vans (ours is 13 years old) and having one made to order would involve a 28 working day lead time! Ouch...
About 90 minutes later, we set off with a much lighter heart for Melbourne. So nothing else can possibly go wrong, right?
Wrong! Charlotte, our now-8-year-old GPS, had been programmed with all our routes and maps before we left Brisbane. However, someone (ahem...) had forgotten to check that they all had loaded correctly. About 40kms out of Albury on the way to Melbourne, she informed us that she had no idea of how to get to the caravan park we were booked into. PANIC! Over afternoon tea at a rest area, I tried to reload the maps but to no avail. (Gee thanks, Mr Garmin!) Fortunately, I had my phone with built-in GPS, so we used 'Debbie' ('D' comes after 'C', geddit?) to get us successfully to the van park through 5pm traffic. Nothing like finishing the day on a blood pressure high...
To get it back to normal, we set up the van and went straight back out to meet up with Andrew for dinner.
Slice and Dice with Andy at the Moor's Head
Day 9
Melbourne
Today: 0 Total 2120
Did nothing much for most of the day trying to get over yesterday!
We then had a delightful farewell dinner with Peter and Pam as we leave them here as they continue down the Great Ocean Road and we continue to Tasmania (It was the dinner that was delightful, not the farewell).
Day 10
Melbourne -> Spirit of Tasmania Ferry Terminal <Map>
Today: 22 Total 2142
We organised a late check-out from the van park as the Spirit of Tasmania boarding starts at 5pm. How thoughtful of them to time it so one has to drive a caravan through peak hour traffic, or arrive early and then pay the City of Port Melbourne/St Kilda/wherever an extortionate amount to park until boarding starts. As observant readers will recall, we have a GPS that has no idea about the Melbourne CBD, and another in my phone that, according to Google, is still in Beta release. The only problem with Debbie (Google) is that she has no 'early warning'/'lane advisory' function. As the most direct route from the caravan park to the ferry terminal was through the middle of the Melbourne CBD, I was pretty sure I didn't want to go that way, so specified a slightly longer route to avoid it.
Having really not driven in the Melbourne since about 1968, I had only a vague idea of where we should turn to avoid the CBD. Being a rather cumbersome combination in heavy city traffic, one tries to keep out of the way. When Debbie said, "Turn Right", I was in the left lane in heavy traffic. This is usually not a problem as GPSs will recalculate (while telling you in such a calm and patronising voice implying that you've been an idiot) and generate a new revised route. Debbie did this by taking us into the CBD area and then said the dreaded words, "TURN RIGHT".
Any of you familiar with driving in the Melbourne CBD will know that they have a strange folk ritual known as the 'Hook Turn'. When you're used to and prepared for it, it becomes just another Victorian idiosyncrasy. When you're towing a caravan, it is something to be feared and avoided! In short, you turn right from the left lane (Click on the link above for more detail.).
Fortunately, we managed to extricate ourselves and proceeded to the docks in time for boarding.
Spirit of Tasmania II - our ferry to the Apple Isle. 30,000 tons of Finnish-built goodness.
Boarding took about two hours as there were a few hold-ups in the vehicle lanes, but we finally had cleared security ('Got any guns or loose gas bottles?', 'No', 'OK!') and slowly moved in the queue to the bow. It would seem that in Melbourne you board through the bow and at Devonport you exit through the stern. I think it's vice versa for the return but stay tuned. Loading was through either the bow door at dock level or via a ski-jump-like ramp over the bow.
Will we go up or down?
In the end, we were directed up the ski ramp in over the bow.
The black hole beckons...
Car and van were parked on deck 5 of 6, and we went to find our nice comfy 2 berth cabin. The cheaper alternative was to sit in 'Ocean Recliners' for 12 hours. We were very happy that we declined the cheap option. The first couple of hours were very calm. After we cleared the heads of Port Philip Bay it got a bit rougher but considering that there were 3m waves on top of a 2.5m swell, it was not a bad ride.
Day 11
TASMANIA!
Devonport Ferry Terminal -> Hadspen <Map>
Today: 120 Total 2262
The ferry docked at 6am and we were allowed back to the garage decks at 6:30. Because we were only about a dozen cars back from the stern, we were out of the ship, through quarantine and on the road to Launceston by 6:50. We had decided to forgo the $10.95 continental breakfast on board and instead drove to a rest area on the highway for our own juice, cereal and toast. As it was far too early to check into the caravan park, we fired up our diesel heater (it was 5° outside) and had a bit of a snooze to catch up on what we missed on the boat.
I can honestly say that I had never heard of Hadspen before I arrived in Tasmania. It turns out that this is a far suburb of Launceston (OK, it's only 12kms out of the centre of Launceston but it is in the country), but it also has a number of delightful old houses and a history going back to the very early days of not only Tasmania but also Australia. It also has a nice little caravan park away from any highways, so we booked in here for a few days while we explored the area around Launceston.
We had booked the return trip on the ferry about 4 months ago, so that booking gives us six weeks in Tasmania. Most people we've spoken to tend to say that no matter how long you spend in Tasmania, it probably isn't long enough. I guess six weeks will have to do.
About the only major visit today was Franklin House, one of a number of National Trust properties we intend to visit while we're here. This delightful property was built as a 'gentleman's residence' by convicts in 1838, and was subsequently a boys' school, then the Governor's residence. It is now also the head office for the Tasmanian branch of the National Trust.
While the house was very interesting, the garden got the prize with a 180 year old English Oak. This may not be a big deal in the UK, but in 'the colonies' this is a rare find. It was obviously planted 5 years after the house was built.
Franklin House
The other major visit was to a supermarket to restock all the fruit and vegetables we had to give away before we got on the ferry due to Tasmania's quarantine rules.
Day 12
Hadspen -> George Town -> Hadspen <Map>
Today: 152 Total 2414
A sightseeing day was called for today. The first stop was George Town. This is a small town on the eastern bank of the Tamar River near its mouth. George Town was the second town established in Tasmania (just after Hobart in 1804) and at one stage was in the running to be the main centre of Northern Tasmania. We parked on the river banks for lunch and came across quite an unusual piece of artwork.
Chainsaw artwork by Eddie Freeman
This sculpture at Windmill Point has been created using a chainsaw and a chisel to commemorate the Cable House that used to be on this spot. We were told that because the old trees were to be removed, the local council took a novel approach and are in the process of turning them into artwork. This is still a work-in-progress, having commenced in March this year.
The piece portrays a whale and its calf, 5 penguins and 3 men pulling ashore a submarine telegraph cable. Windmill Point was the site where the first telegraph cable from the mainland came ashore in 1858.
We then proceeded to the Low Head Lighthouse and the Pilot Station at the entrance to the Tamar River.
Low Head Lighthouse
Pilot's Row
There has been a Pilot Station continuously operating at Low Head since 1806, and the current buildings in Pilot Row date to 1835. These now house a museum, and the pilot's cottages are now holiday lets. However, pilots still operate from here to guide vessels up the rather tricky Tamar River to Bells Bay and Launceston.
Pilot Vessel 'Tamar'
Note the rather ominous weather approaching!
Day 13
Hadspen -> Devil's Gullet -> Liffey Falls -> Hadspen <Map>
Today: 307 Total 2721
Once in a while, we find a place that Mr Google's fine mapping service cannot locate. Today is one such day.
We set off west from Launceston through Deloraine and on to the rather mis-named Mole Creek (we saw no moles). From there we turned south towards the Great Western Tiers - a collection of bluffs at the northern edge of the Tasmanian Central Highlands. Our destination was Devil's Gullet, a lookout platform overhanging a sheer cliff face, with views to Cradle Mountain and the Central Highlands across the huge chasm of Fisher River valley.
Give me a sign...
As the weather forecast was talking of rain falling as snow above 500m, and we were currently at nearly 1000m, we kept our eyes firmly on the weather! Fortunately, there was neither rain nor snow, but it was a bit breezy at this height, so we set off for the 'easy walk' from the car park to the lookout.
Boardwalk Babe with Beanie!
The local Parks & Wildlife Dept. has done a great job protecting the fragile and boggy alpine environment by laying board-walks. It would seem that as one becomes more senior in years, the meaning of 'easy' (as in 'an easy walk') seems to change. There was quite a steep climb, but it was worth it.
Devil's Gullet looking south to Cradle Mtn. Picture doesn't do it justice.
Close-up of Cradle Mountain, complete with snow on a north-facing slope
The lookout platform was cantilevered over a 100m drop, so that was excitement to start with! The views were magnificent and with a couple of exceptions, there was no sign of humans anywhere. The exceptions were a hydro power pipeline down by the Fraser River, and some logging...
Hmmm...
While this was obviously plantation timber, logging of old-growth forests is a hot issue in Tasmania. We moved further on to the end of the road for lunch at Lake Mackenzie, a lake used for hydro-electric power and fishing. There is no power station at Lake Mackenzie. The water comes out from the dam via a flume that runs for about 5kms, then turns into an open canal and finally descends into the valley via a pipe.
Lake Mackenzie flume
So difficult to find parking for lunch at Lake Mackenzie...
Our next stop after getting off the mountain was to be Liffey Falls.
Arriving at the car park, we found something that seems to be quite widespread in this area. That is art in the wild. We came across a piece of installation artwork at Devil's Gullet, and here at Liffey Falls was another piece.
'Stratose' - a sculptural depiction of strata eroded by the river's waters.
The walk to the falls first comes across a number of cascades above the falls.
Liffey Cascade Number 2
Another 10 minutes downstream via tree fern forests and damp undergrowth were the falls themselves.
Liffey Falls
I could have stayed here for ever - just so beautiful and relaxing.
Day 14
Hadspen -> Tamar Wetlands -> Cataract Gorge -> Hadspen <Map>
Today: 51 Total 2772
More relaxed pursuits today - a walk across the wetlands next to the Tamar River followed by a stroll through the gardens at the Cascade Gorge.
Wetlands are of course a magnet for twitchers and birdos, so we were hoping for some reasonable sightings. Unfortunately, we picked a day where the wind was blowing at about 20~30kts, so most of the smaller birds wisely stayed in the tall grass. However, some of the larger one ventured out.
A pair of Black Swans grazing
One half of a pair of Purple Swamphens
A rather cold and miserable looking Musk Duck resting on a sunken barge
Other sightings were a Superb Fairy-wren, ducks of numerous persuasions, about half a dozen geese, lots of Plovers and even more Welcome Swallows.
Next stop was Launceston's famous Cataract Gorge. The gorge was formed by the South Esk River, which ends its journey by combining with the North Esk River to form the Tamar River at the end of the gorge. Cataract Gorge has been a favourite relaxation spot for locals for over 100 years. Originally, a toll walkway was built from Kings Bridge to the First Basin, but in more modern times, access can be gained by car to both sides of the gorge.
The Alexandra Suspension Bridge, opened in 1904
The Alexandra Bridge and path upstream
First Basin in Cataract Gorge. Alexandra Bridge off to the right out of shot.
One of the two cafes at Cataract Gorge.
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