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.

Mallacoota to Buchan

It was cold and wet and fairly miserable when we left Mallacoota a few days ago and we took it slow along the winding road. 

We couldn't resist another stop at the Orbost Historic Bakery with its yummy woodfired pizza & good coffee. 

While we waited for pizza B & I wandered up the Main Street to the IGA for a few groceries when I spotted a man standing by a table under a small marquee. A scratchy old sign said "Markets" and the sole market seller was the man selling a range of local produce - cauli's, eggplant, potatoes, walnuts, tomatoes, onions, zucchini & eggs and some locally made salami. We managed to fill a box with produce! 

Just a few days ago the caravan park at Buchan Caves Reserve was completely booked out. School has gone back & we were one of four families in the park for the two nights. The quiet was incredible! More about that in my next post!

twenty days

We left the city twenty days ago now and we've already had some adventures that, while we love some of the opportunities we have in the city, they don't compare to those experiences we have in the country. 

For starters the kids have asked about "movie night" (a Friday tradition) twice but we haven't turned on the tv. There have been a few moments when we could have but the kids just seem to work through the restlessness. 

J took the big kids to the cinema in Merimbula the other day where they watched the Aussie flick, Paper Planes. He'd been planning to take them and B, 6, particularly enjoyed it as he's been constructing a lot of planes lately. For days the ground has been littered with different makes and models of paper airplanes. 

On the way home J and the big kids came across this little guy precariously placed by the side of the road. He was rescued. I assumed that he's a tortoise but according to B, who did some research, it is a Eastern long-necked turtle. He made a new home down by the dam. 

Despite never having shown an interest previously J has taken up slack lining - a great core-strengthening & meditative activity that is transportable as long as you have two trees. It's fun for all the family!

The night air is filled with the chorus of frogs on the farm & this little critter was discovered this morning.

blackberry crumble on the farm

Each time I make crumble I think of my first few weeks of Uni & living out of home. A friend from uni called in & I was pleased to offer him some apple crumble I'd made with an oaty topping - very improvised. I'd never looked at a recipe for crumble & it was pretty ordinary really. I applogised to my friend but it wasn't until after he'd eaten it that my mature-aged uni friend kindly told me he trained as a chef before doing teaching. 

I didn't make another crumble until I found this - my favourite crumble recipe - for peaches or nectarines. (http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/just-desserts.html?m=1) 

J & the kids were out in the paddocks for the morning. They had the biggest grins on their faces when they returned with a shopping bag full of blackberries. 

They'd put on their long sleeved tops & trousers to protect them from the thorny bushes with gifts of black gold. Yum! 

I was kicking myself that I didn't have my scrap book with my crumble recipe in it when I realised is probably posted it on my foodie blog (missmayblossom.blogspot.com) and there it was! 

You may wonder how I managed to bake a crumble in a caravan but the truth is I used an oven that's in the shed on the farm although I do have an oven in my caravan. (Virtual tour to come). 

I turned those tasty morsels in to a jammy apple & blackberry crumble. 

ingredients

filling

shopping bag full of blackberries

5 large Granny Smith apples 

1.5 cups raw sugar

1 cup of water

crumble topping

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tspn baking powder

1 tspn each ground ginger & mixed spice 

3 tblspn flaked almonds (I didn't have any this time but I do recommend them)

60g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into 1cm cubes 

100g plain flour

Preheat oven to 200°c. In a saucepan over a medium heat place 1.5 cups raw sugar and a cup of water before adding five green apples (cut into 2cm cubes with the skins on. Cook the apples until soft. 

In the meantime make the crumble topping by mixing sugar, baking powder, ginger & mixed spice. Stir in the flaked almonds. Crumble butter in to mixture to form pea-sized pieces then toss the flour mixture with the sugar mixture. 

{Note: I wouldn't want to make this topping in the Thermomix as it can easily be overworked & needs to be kept coolish but I do love that I can easily weight the ingredients on top of the bowl.}

Once the apple is soft add the shopping bag full of blackberries. Stir for three minutes over the heat before transferring to a pie dish. I liked to keep the form of the blackberries. 

Strew topping over fruit. Bake at 200°c for 25-30 mins until the topping is golden brown & the fruit is bubbling through at the edges. Serve with cream or ice cream. 

Tanja

Tanja is situated alongside and within Mimosa Rocks National Parks on the Far South Coast of NSW. The first thing you noticed about the vegetation is the tall spotted gum forest. 

Joel has many memories of Tanja Hall. His dad used to run the local movie night in the hall and he attended other functions there. Back in 1997 I was seeing a gig at the hall (after being bridesmaid for a friend's wedding). Joel happened to be staying just up the road and was also at the gig. We recognised each other and got chatting. We both have vivid memories of this night and it was why we decided to have our wedding reception in the hall when we were married in 2007. The tiny hall was packed with our friends and family and rocked as everyone danced in a traditional bush dance. 

We decided we'd have a fortnight on the farm after we left Sydney just to get out things in order and recover from the stress of packing up our house & finishing work. We needed to replace the leaf springs on the truck, set up the annexe and work out what we can without (& reduce our load) too. 

And this is where we woke up this morning. How's the serenity? Can you see the roos grazing in the paddocks? 

From the mountains to the sea: Cooma to Tanja via Brown Mountain

Yesterday we left our friends on the farm just outside of Cooma. 

We'd planned to take it very slowly and Joel's uncle had advised us that we'd best head down Brown Mountain in first gear which we did, rarely having to brake. It was completely fine. Can you tell we're still a little green around the gills when it comes to towing? 

Coming down The Brown is the same for J and I. We feel like we're 'coming home.' I use to travel to Canberra regularly as a child to visit friends & my grandparents. J lived there during high school while still visiting the farm where he grew up on the coast. Pipers Lookout (part way down the mountain) is special as you can see right out across the green Bega Valley. We haven't lived here for quite some time but there's something magical about the valley. We can see why our parents fell in love with it in the 70's and 80's. It is also thanks to them and likeminded lobbyists that the natural environment remains its drawcard. 

The kids have been travelling well. We've timed our trips with Arlo's sleeps. He usually sleeps two hours at a time and that works well for us. It wasn't until we reached the base of the mountain that Phoebe decided she simply MUST brush her mermaid's hair and considering the brush was in the caravan that made for a lo 40 minutes to Bega where we bought grocery supplies and got back in the car headed for the coast and the farm. 

If you've read my posts on my other blog (missmayblossom.blogspot.com) you'll be familiar with the family farm which is situated between Tathra & Bermagui on the far south coast of NSW. It's such a beautiful part of the world & it feels like home. The farm hasn't had stock on it for years but Joel and his brothers have managed to maintain it from afar and it's a great holiday spot. The kids love exploring the farm - in the rainforest gully, in the undergrowth, swimming in the dam, slashing the paddocks, spotting snakes and kangaroos and rabbits, picking fruit from the old orchard, collecting edible mushrooms and nettle and adventuring up the paddock to the pit toilet. 

There's nothing better than shucking some (award winning) Tathra oysters & a drop of wine. When it's not raining we can crank up the fire and look out across the valley down to the sea. Not bad!