tasmania: strahan to bradys lake via franklin river nature trail

The road from Queenstown, however diverse, is almost unbearably windy. The landscape has been heavily affected by mining and I heard one traveller describe it as beautiful. While we disagree entirely it is interesting to see the difference with the rainforests of the area.

A good supply of snacks (crackers, Tassie apples) and the iPods chockful of audiobooks has made car travel pretty good. We leave for the first leg when Baby A has his morning sleep (9:30) and sometimes stop before a campsite (depending on how far we've got to go) but by leaving early in the morning we can still travel for an hour or two after lunch if need be. 

After the windy, windy roads from Queenstown we were all pleased to escape from the car at the Franklin River Nature Trail. J & I stopped here when we drove around Tassie about ten years ago. The trail is a short walk through rainforest to the river and it's beautiful - a perfect lunch stop too!

The kids stripped off for a dip in the river. Baby A had his feet in the water - kicking & splashing - and he cried each time we took him out. 

It's not hard to understand the affection people have for this state & the environment. 

Our final stop before Bradys Lake was The Wall - just out of Derwent. Ten years ago, when we visited, The Wall was just two panels but there are almost one hundred metres of Tasmanian and Australian history carved in the Huon Pine. This is a must-see. 

tasmania: bruny island in a day

If someone tells you "it's just not worth seeing Bruny if you've only got one day" don't listen! 

We didn't but we had a neat plan for the day because we wanted to make the most of our time and get back to Woodbridge for the kids' dinner. The weather was predicted to be beautiful and it was. 

This was how our day went. 

0840 leave Woodbridge. 

0900 Visit Snug Butchery to stock up on local meat - lamb for toast, vaccuum packs of roast beef & silverside for lunches, local eggs. This is why I love travelling with the car fridge! Thanks again Uncle!! 

0930 Ferry at Kettering. We had time for J to grab a take away coffee while we waited! 

The first stop after arriving at Bruny was The Neck. If you arrive earlier (at dawn) you can see the penguin march. 

Next we took the road to Adventure Bay 

and stopped at the Bruny Island Berry Farm to grab some blueberries for morning tea. The kids were also allowed to pick some strawberries from the farm. 

The walks around Adventure Bay look amazing but we can't bite off too much with three littlies. The 1km walk to Grassy Point seemed an ideal walk along the beach and through the casurina forest but we ended up stopping for morning tea a little before Grassy Point. 

We passed the remnants of two whaling stations. The history of which is fascinating. 

After our bushwalk we took the 4WD - unsealed road to Lunawanna. We were pleased to have left the caravan behind! There are two signs on the road which indicate look outs to the east and to the west. We stopped at the lookout which had the most magnificent view to the west in the direction of the most southerly point on Bruny Island. 

Lunch (which turned in to a long lunch) was tapas (& wine) at Bruny Island Premium Wines. This place was accommodating of the kids. The lunch  was delicious - seafood chowder, beef croquettes, mushrooms with haloumi, skewers - all showcasing local ingredients. The kids menu was salmon with cheese and carrot sticks - such a change from deep fried fish and chips or crappy pizza. 

It was a hop, skip and a jump back to the ferry via a quick stock up at the Bruny Island Cheese co. where we grabbed some soft and semi hard cheeses. Yum! Next door we spent $9/dozen on two dozen unopened oysters though one dozen turned out to be only ten. Get Shucked Oysters has a drive through service! Best idea ever and these oysters were meaty and so tasty. 

I'd read that the little shop on Bruny Island at the ferry terminal has fresh veg for sale so in the few minutes we had to wait for the ferry I grabbed some cherry tomatoes for the following night's dinner - grown a few metres away in the owner's small market garden. 

There's no doubt we'll be back to Bruny because we had such a memorable day on the island - combining what we love - being outdoors, food & having an adventure! One day was just enough to whet our appetite!

tasmania: woodbridge

We're staying in a friends house (with walls and a door and real rooms!!!) for the next few days and as a thank you we're planning a dinner with local ingredients from the farms throughout the Huon Valley. These native pepper berries & bush tomato are from Chris at Diemen Pepper. The processing unit smelled incredible as they've just finished drying the berries! 

The food story behind Tasmanian Fruit Leathers is that Jen decided her kids needed a healthy alternative to the processed version you'd find in a supermarket. She sources all her fruit locally from the Huon Valley and they are available at the various farmers markets and online. Thanks for the visit Jen and the new favourite road trip snack!

tasmania: huon valley food adventure

We love Tassie for its produce! Today we had the morning in Cygnet at Lotus Eaters. It wasn't long after breakfast but who says you can't have a Lotus Eaters banana cake with creamed cheese icing, clotted cream and fresh plums for second breakfast? No one. Ever. I don't need lunch!

I just love Cygnet. Local producers supply as much of the ingredients as possible to meet the needs of the cafe. A few doors down Cygnet Garden Larder provides the ultimate in grocery shopping  for local (& consequentially seasonal) produce. We came home with this huge box of groceries (potatoes, silverbeet, an avocado, two capsicums, huge head of broccoli, lemons, tomatoes, two punnets of strawberries and two organic hunza pies) for a little over $50! 

There was a welcome downpour which sent us in to the homeopath. They deal with the homeopathics behind the counter but the front-of-shop is for fun - secondhand and new books and beautiful European toys. Can you imagine our two kids playing quietly from the toy box while we perused? Well they weren't but it wasn't that sort of book shop. In my bundle of purchases I bought The Field Guide to Tasmanian Produce. The book should really be named The Field Guide to Tasmanian Produce and a Million Reasons Why You Should Move to Tassie. 

This praying mantis enjoyed reading up about local food tonight in the camp kitchen! 

Making our way back to our caravan, we stopped at the Pagan apple farm cellar door for juice & cider. 

We barely ventured more than 20km from our roaming home today but we had a really delightful day full of good food, people and inspiration. 

tasmania: bradys lake

Bradys Lake is in Camps 8 and there are a few spots to pull in to for the night for those who are self-contained. 

Last night we sat by a fire with some lovely Tassie locals. Our son introduced us to them and our kids cooked marshmallows over the fire.

Bradys Lake is meant to be a great spot to catch brown & rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. We were hoping J would bring one in on the kayak or B on the rod but it wasn't to be! 

What a morning! 

This was a stunning place to wake up. We were shrouded in fog but it cleared to reveal the mirror-like lake. 

NW tasmania: waratah

This is Waratah, a tiny town somewhere off the main road between Burnie and Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. 

We took the scenic route via Hellyer Gorge though we'll have to visit the gorge on a day trip as Baby A was sleeping and we had to keep moving. It was a beautiful stretch of road through some alpine-looking country, rainforest, tall eucalyptus plantations and farms. It was windy, though. For those who've traveled Cooma to Bega think Brown Mountain for a few extra kilometres. 

The town was born on a tin mine and hosts a waterfall in the middle of town. Our powered site is $25 which includes showers (oh yes after three days without one!) and free access to washing machine & dryer. There's no big supermarket or fuel and you need to be able to collect your grey water so come prepared. If you're lucky you might spot a platypus in the creek by the caravan park. 

This morning, before breakfast, we had the privilege of sighting a platypus eight times in the lake. At times the animal was quite close and we got a good look at him. What a magical experience! 

tasmania: strahan

The walk from the People's Park to Hogarth Falls is a great walk to do with kids. It's about half an hour to the falls along the creek through beautiful rainforest - huge trees, ferns and, if your lucky, a platypus. 

We love our outdoor shower. Its ideal for rinsing off after the beach or for when it's warm enough to shower outside & that's where you'd rather be! We've had cold days in Tassie but we've also had some really warm ones. If you're planning a trip bring clothes for a types of weather (including swimmers because you might end up showering outdoors in a caravan park). 

NW tassie: boat harbour beach, stanley, the nut, waratah

We don't really have an itinerary but more a rough idea of how long we can spend in a place so we can get back to Devonport for our return to the mainland in a little over four weeks. Free, you may think, but with three children in tow this can be a little stressful. We can travel for two hours in the morning and up to three in the afternoon (though we'd rather not) if we coordinate driving with our baby's sleeps. He's been travelling so well and he barely cries but we turned him to forward facing today because he did get carsick yesterday. 

The older two were given our old phones and they've been listening to audiobooks - The Magic a Faraway Tree, The 13th Storey Treehouse, Roald Dahl, Paul Jennings and others. I'm pleased to now have some quiet time so J and I can talk in the car! As bad as that sounds we are a family of talkers (and questioners and explainers) and with the 24/7 relentlessness of travel together we all need our quiet time!

It's an easy drive from Devonport to Boat Harbour Beach on Tassie's northwest coast. We arrived at about lunchtime when the tide was making its way in and the kids scrambled on the rocks & collected shells (which they put back later) while we unhitched & made plans for lunch. 

The afternoon sun was warm and deceiving because, what we did not know, was that the wind would soon pick up. This part of Tassie is notorious for the wind! For those of you who follow on Instagram you'll know that this spot is a freecamp for those travelers who contain grey and black water (campers are encouraged to stay elsewhere). It is a pretty spot. 

The Nut at Stanley, is an easy day trip from Boat Harbour Beach so we headed up the coast for, what happened to be my husband's birthday. 

B (our 6yo) was eager to walk up The Nut with J and Baby A in the backpack. 

I was asked to stand on a timber box and launch myself on to the chairlift as it came up behind us. The attendant put our 3yo daughter on beside me and it was only as we began creeping up the side of the mountain (which was once the core of a volcano) that I realised that I'd agreed to ride the *scary* chairlift rather than walk the 300 metres to the top. 

There was only one brave girl on that chairlift and it wasn't me! This girl is my hero. 

I've not experienced true vertigo before but it took hold on the chairlift and later when we approached the lookout my legs almost gave way and I felt like I'd be sick! It was a strange experience. 

The view of the coastline was quite spectacular and The Nut was a reminder of how ancient this earth is!

When I realised I'd have to be on the chairlift coming down with Baby A in the backpack it was worse. The view was incredible so I distracted myself with that! 

Fish for tea? 

tasmania: cradle mountain caravan park

The landscape quickly changed and the sides of the road were vegetated with alpine plants on the drive to Cradle Mountain. The aircon in the car was on fresh and the smell of the damp forest blasting through the vents was intoxicating. The kids have been singing Travelling Wilburys' songs in the car & Baby A is really enjoying his new view. 

The Discovery Park (Big 4) at Cradle Mountain has unpowered sites for about $35 per night and a camp kitchen to beat all camp kitchens. 

We took a while deciding on the position of the caravan at this site which is a very private site surrounded by trees and mossy logs. It's simply stunning. 

tassie: cradle mountain summit walk

He was up at 0530 so he could get to the summit and back down again before lunch. 

It was J's third visit to Cradle Mountain and of the previous two he hadn't made it to the summit. I remember the second time J was there because I was too. It was an icy Tassie day and the freezing rain made it bitterly cold. We walked to The Hut but decided it wouldn't be much use trying to get further on. The visibility was bad and the path slippery so we turned back. 

This time everything was in J's favour. We'd had some clear blue skies and there was every chance he'd make it. Apparently it's not too difficult but for the final ascent which requires the walker to clamber over huge boulders. 

Unfortunately mother nature wasn't on J's side as the clouds only parted for a few seconds of the thirty minutes he was at the summit. 

The following day was the clearest we've seen input trip so far. Oh well - he'll just need to come back!

 

tassie: devonport

Devonport is an interesting place. It's the gateway to tourists disembarking from the SoT. We had an incredibly disappointing visit to Tiagarra - an Aboriginal sacred site on the eastern headland. The site can be traced back 10,000 years by the rock carvings but there's more obvious and shocking evidence of human impact - thousands of cigarette butts and dog litter. Signs specify that dogs aren't welcome but people obviously ignore this request. I can never understand when people admire a view or natural surroundings only to leave rubbish. 

Still, the kids enjoyed the walk and we were pleased to be out of the confines of the van! 

Our pensive boy looking out to the sea. 

Spirit of Tasmania

I'd like to begin this post with a letter: 

"Dear Tanya, 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

When we booked our ticket for the SoT you politely insisted we pay a little extra and get ourselves a four berth cabin for the trip. I was reluctant to book this given the cost to take a caravan across but at $84 this was so worth the money. 

Our littlest was able to have uninterrupted day sleeps while our son completed his schoolwork on a lower deck. When we all started feeling a little sea sick we retreated to the cabin for some quiet time - reading books and telling funny stories. 

When our daughter vomited in her Dad's hair they could both shower and feel *refreshed*!

We'll be forever grateful that you suggested we have a cabin!"

What's a cruise without a game of hide n seek? 

It was a LOONG day but it went surprisingly well after an anxiety-provoking start. We left the caravan park at 624am and we're making good time until the queue to board the ferry (thanks to scrupulous security). We were in view of the ferry for the final 500 metres which took us an hour to drive! The baby was screaming, the parents were clock watching and then a cop pulled over a guy in front of us for going through a red light. It would have been easier if the big kids just kept asking "are we there yet?" But instead we were bombarded with complex questions about the traffic, the ferry ride & what we were doing (not much!) Argh! 

We finally made it onboard and we're lucky that our deck was the first to disembark in Devonport ten hours later. 

B declared "this is kind of the BEST day of my life." I suspect he was referring to the Twisties he was bought (& had never had before) and not the seasickness! 

Moments after disembarking. 

P: Where's the Tasmanian devil? 

B: (emphatically) They live in the jungle.  

Daddy: Well, not really the jungle. They live in the bush. 

P: Can we go to the bush where the Tasmanian devil is because I really want to see a Tasmanian devil.

NW Tassie: hellyer gorge and philosopher falls

Hellyer Gorge 

Philosopher Falls 

B, P and I drove west of Waratah toward Savage River in search of Philosopher Falls which we'd heard was about 10km out of town. This was about as much as we knew. The right hand turnoff came up quickly and we drove down a scrubby track with a canopy with just enough of a clearing to accommodate the truck with the bikes on the roof. 

We were soon amongst thick Tarkine Rainforest. The walking sign indicated a 1.5hr return walk, easy grade. No distance was indicated on the sign and I wondered if the children would make it there and back without complaint. 

The kids had a ball playing hide and seek amongst dense Tarkine rainforest. 

On the return I told them the story of the kids on a search for theTassie tiger. It would be special if the creature did exist somewhere in the thick forests of the north west.