From Launceston to Hobart

Saturday 21st Feb. 2009

Hi to all once again.

Left Launceston Monday the 16^th travelled south stopping along the way at small pictures town Ross, Oatlands etc.

Ross

Ross has the oldest bridge build by our convict forefathers, from there travelled to Oatlands Free camped at Callington Mill lakeside for the night, our very first taste of not having to pay for accommodation.

Oaklands nice when we arrived but in the morning 1degre below 0 hence the fog

Back on the Road

Next day Hamilton, again free camped ( no cost)

Then on to Franklin where we are now and have been since Wednesday, the drive has been great with astonishing scenery, very winding roads along the way, and this is the pattern everywhere. We decided to test our self’s and see what this free camping is all about and it is great, here at Franklin the camp, one has to pay a small amount for upkeep you can leave your caravan and it is as safe as can be.

Franklin Park

Our Front door view

Now that we are in Franklin we are finally starting to look around and see a few things of interest, Franklin is approx 8K from Huonville and the camp is right on the Houn river.Have now tried every thing i.e. Genny and made the mistake for not topping up the water tanks so it is carting water back and forwards to the tap with a container, but like everything else I learn fast.

Thursday we travelled to Bruny Island and we did a boat tour. It goes from Adventure Bay along the coastline to Tasman Head, viewing cliffs, caves and blow Holes and saw a colony of Sea lions finishing with school porpoises accompanying us on the return trip.

on the baech Bruny Island

Don't we look cozy in our red capes

Note the boat going in between the opening with a high swell

Blow hole of Bruny Island

Today Friday we travelled South to the Hasting Caves and the Thermal springs, swam for an hour visited a small town called South Port and found Oysters and Mussels free for the picking they were Huge we certainly enjoyed them.

The caves

thermal pools

Gee they tasted good

Today Saturday we travelled to Hobart to the famous Salamanca Market what amarket this is it runs for about half a K or more and 2 passages of stalls from wood carving to teddy bears and food to bric a brack we spend approx 2 ½ hours just wandering around sampling the atmosphere, we ate German sausages, Doughnuts, fruit and Oliebollen and ended having fish and chips for lunch what a morning , than wondered onto constitution dock and found that the Steve Irwin was letting Visitors on board so we had a gander there very interesting.

In the afternoon we drove up mount Wellington what a sight with the view of Hobart,

Boy is it cold

Hobart with the clouds coming in from Mt Wellington

on the way back Franklin stopped at a apple shop and tasted some nice apple juice anyway a great week was had.

Tomorrow we are going to vegetate and sit round and do nothing ha. ha. So till next time see you. Bianka & Sig

Tasmania

Bianka and Sigs Travels

2009

Sunday, 15^th February.

It all began on Wednesday 4^th February 2009 when the container arrived and filling it.

It took Bianka and I one and a half days to fill it and was the weather against us of course it was stinking Hot as we all know, but the job got done, it was strange living on our drive for four days as we had no bed in the house, somehow though we felt our new live had started. The container departed on Friday 6^th Feb.

All of a sudden it became real. The weekend was spent seeing family and setting up the caravan and filling it with all the things we had in the house I said to Bianka we will never fit everything in the van a all of a sudden it was Tuesday the 10^th Feb. And on our way.

The The Spirit of Tasmania 2 lay in front of us, at 6pm we finally ended up driving on board what a weird feeling driving into the bowls of this large ship with so many other caravans and motor homes.

Soon we found ourselves leaving Melbourne behind going through the heads was easy ( seen it pretty bad in my Navy days) Poor Bianka I made her walk from one side of the ship to the other while going through the heads so we would not miss anything and it was so cold and windy it’s a wonder she didn’t catch a cold.

Arrival into Devonport was right on time and disembarkment as easy as getting on

and we decided to get our first start from Launceston and presently are in a small caravan park in Hadspen.

We had both decided that after all the work we had done over the last few weeks that the time spent in Launceston we would do absolutely nothing just sit around but of course that is impossible so having been here for 5 days we have visited a few places not to many mind you

Cataract Gorge. No pictures Greens Beach no photos and Beaconsfield sample as below

Mineshaft

Entrance, the tunnel

they bored and size of the rock fall, Outside building and stamper

Batmans Bridge outside of Exeter with Freecamping

The weather has been good so far although rain is expected tomorrow Monday

We are off to Hobart in the morning and I will write more then

Sig & Bianka