Melbourne to Canberra

Victoria   

Rosebud (Mornington Peninsula)  28/01/13

It was a great passage last night with the boat rocking a little, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Di had trouble sleeping but Craig got a reasonable amount of sleep. At 5.30am we got woken up to advise us it was time to get ready to head to our vehicles for 6.15am. It was relatively quick getting off the ship & then we headed to Maccas for breakfast. After a relaxing breakfast we decided that due to the beautiful day we would head out to the Mornington Peninsula. On the drive out on the Peninsula we could not believe how packed all the caravan parks were right along the beachfront which seemed to go for about 5km. Luckily for us we got a spot at the Rosebud Foreshore Camping as it was the last day of the Australia Day long weekend. It cost $30 for the night, & we arrived at 9.30am. In the afternoon we got the bikes off and went for a ride through all the beach front camping areas. By mid-afternoon 95% of the campers had left the campground so it was nice and peaceful. We travelled 79km today.

Phillip Island  29/01/13

With a late checkout this morning we decided we would go for a drive to Portsea which is at the end of the Mornington Peninsula. We first went out to have a look at the old Quarantine Station and Lookout which was just a short stroll from the carpark of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. We could not believe the amount of huge houses and expensive cars that were in Portsea. We then headed back to Sorrento and watched the ferry come in from Queenscliff while we had some morning tea. We drove back to the caravan park for an early lunch before packing up camp and heading to Phillip Island. We drove up the eastern side of the Peninsula to see some different scenery before hitting the highway and heading for Cowes on Phillip Island. We arrived at 4.15pm at the Kaloha Holiday Resort which cost $43 a night. We travelled 171km today.

30/01/13

We woke up to another beautiful day today so we headed out to the Penguin Parade Information Centre, and after looking at all the options we decided to buy a 3 parks pass which entitles you to go to the Penguin Parade, Churchill Island and the Koala Conservation Centre. The information lady advised us to see the daily pelican feeding at Sam Remo at 12pm, so we headed there with a detour to have a look at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit where we saw a number of cars racing around the circuit. After a quick stop we continued to the Fishermans Co-Op to watch about 30 pelicans being fed by a lady with fresh fish. 

The lady gave an informative commentary on the birds which took about 30 minutes which we all enjoyed. We then had a bite of lunch and headed over to Churchill Island; an historical island approached by bridge which is a working Heritage farm. Once inside we all hopped on a horse drawn cart for a brief trip around the grounds before heading over to watch a cow get milked. Braydon loved having a go at milking the cow and seemed to be an expert at it. They had the usual farm type animals that you could pat and a beautiful old homestead in original condition to look through. It only took a couple of hours to look through the whole place before we headed back to the caravan so the boys could have a sleep as we were going to see the Penguin Parade tonight at 8pm. After dinner we headed to the Penguin Parade Centre to see the Little Penguins. The place was packed with foreign tourists everywhere, so we headed down to the viewing platforms by the beach. It was a beautiful night for watching the penguins as it wasn’t freezing cold and there was little wind. About 9.30pm, (just after sunset) groups of penguins hesitantly came out of the surf and waddled up the beach to their burrows in the dunes. It was great that you could go for a walk around the boardwalk and get amongst their burrows and watch them feed their young. All up there were about 900 penguins that arrived on the beach and slowly made their way up to their burrows. We all had a truly enjoyable night. We got home at about 10.30pm.

31/01/13

After a sleep in this morning from our late night, we decided we would go to the Koala Conservation Centre which is a couple of tree top boardwalks set amongst the gum trees. We saw about 10 koalas all up which was a little disappointing considering what we had seen for free along the Great Ocean Road at the Cape Otway National Park. Then we went for a stroll through the Woodland Walk. After about an hour we headed out as Di was keen to have a look at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, where we sampled some of their chocolate. We resisted buying anything as it was quite expensive, and headed home for lunch. We spent the afternoon catching up on odd jobs. At night we had a storm come through with a bit of rain.

01/02/13  Trevor Bentley comes to visit

Today we took a drive out to see the Nobbies Centre, which has got a series of cliff-top boardwalks along the rugged coastline to see the power of the wild waters of Bass Strait crashing into the cliffs. Luckily the wind had picked up this morning so the swell had increased for a spectacular sight of the waves crashing on the rocks. There is a blowhole that was just working, and a viewing platform to see one of the biggest seal colonies in Australia. The seals were a long way away though, and could just be spotted when using binoculars. We then headed up to the Visitor Information Centre for a look around, which is a huge building full of marine information with spectacular views out to the sea. We stopped in to see some surfers on the way back to the caravan park. In the afternoon we went into the town of Cowes to do some shopping and have a look around the tourist shops. Tonight, one of our friends Trevor Bentley drove all the way from Melbourne to catch up with us. We all walked into town along the beachfront to the local Hotel for a nice meal. It was great to talk about the old times and also what our families are doing now. On the way home we walked out onto the jetty before heading back to the caravan for a good old chin wag. With a big drive home Trevor left at about 11pm. We had a fantastic night & can’t thank him enough for coming out to see us.

Tidal River (Wilsons Promontory National Park)  02/02/13

Today we left the beautiful Phillip Island at 9.45am and headed towards Wilsons Promontory National Park which is the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland. It was quite a nice drive following the farmlands and coastline till we reached a small picnic spot on the banks of a river for lunch, where a lot of people were fishing. After lunch we made a detour to Foster as there was supposed to be a dump point their as per the Camps 6 Guide book, due to there not being a dump point at Phillip Island. We were disappointed to find no dump point but they said that there was one at Tidal River (which the Camps 6 Guide book made no mention of) where we are staying tonight. It was a pleasant drive through the Wilsons Promontory National Park with windy mountainous roads & lovely bay views. On arrival at about 2.30pm, we checked into the National Park Campground and got our pre-booked powered site. There are only 20 powered sites but 484 unpowered sites. Unfortunately the powered site cost $53 a night which is so expensive for a National Park Campground, but it did have nice amenities. We set up camp and then went for a walk around the park which is right on Norman Beach with a river going down the side. Craig went for a walk around the park at night to see a Wombat walking around the campground, and the people camped behind us in a tent told us that a Wombat was scratching at their tent in the middle of the night trying to get in. We travelled 170km today.

03/02/13

We woke up to rain this morning so our plans of doing any bushwalks were put on the back burner. By midmorning it was down to a drizzle now & again but the weather looked like it would improve for the afternoon. We kept an eye on Mount Oberon as we were planning on climbing it, but most of the morning it was covered in cloud. At about 2pm the clouds lifted so we got organised to catch the 2.30pm shuttle bus which was about a 10min trip to Telegraph Saddle carpark. The use of a shuttle bus is to limit the traffic in this area. We knew we would have to do this walk fast as it had a 2hr guide walk time, and for us to catch the last shuttle bus back we had to do it in exactly 2hrs. The walk was 6.8km and it was graded moderate to hard. The track you walk is a graded closed road used by crews to get to the top of the mountain to maintain the transmission towers.
 

 The steep and windy track just kept going up and up which was very tiring considering we were on a time limit. With about 200m to go we came upon steps to the summit to overlook Tidal River, the coast and many offshore islands. The view was perfect but we only had 12 minutes to enjoy it before heading back down the track. Considering we took about 20 rest stops on the way up, we did the downhill descent without a stop. As we were walking down the clouds came over the mountain and it was a white out which looked great. Braydon was very excited about walking in clouds. When we got about halfway down we had to put our wet gear on as it started to rain. We made it back to the bus with about 5 minutes to spare. Everyone is amazed by Braydon setting the pace for these walks as he does them so well. While all the adults are complaining, he has a big smile on his face loving every minute. After dinner Craig took Braydon Wombat hunting, and after about 30 minutes we saw one out eating some grass. Braydon took some photos and then we went back to the van so he could take Di over to show her the Wombat where a man was patting it. Craig then went back to have a pat as well.

Lakes Entrance  04/02/13

We left at 9.45am & stopped at a lookout with views over the popular Squeaky Beach on the way out of the National Park. It is a beautiful day today & we are headed towards Lakes Entrance. On the way we saw a huge enclosed slippery slide in one of the small towns we passed through. It was a free slide just in a park so we all had a fun time sliding our way down to the bottom. Now this must be the biggest slippery slide in the world! We arrived at Lakes Entrance at 3.15pm at the Big 4 Waters Edge Holiday Park which cost $39 a night.  This must be a really popular tourist destination as we had 19 caravan parks to choose from. It is the entrance to Gippsland Lakes which is Australia’s biggest expanse of inland waterways. We went for a walk into town & afterwards had fish & chips overlooking the lake. We travelled 292km today.

05/02/13

It is another beautiful day today & we had a nice relaxing day. First up this morning we went for a ride on our bikes along the esplanade & the river. We went grocery shopping in the afternoon.

06/02/13

After doing the washing first up this morning we went on a 1 ¼hr cruise on the M.V. Thunderbird. It was about a 30km scenic cruise through Reeves Channel, Bancroft Bay & to the village of Metung where we moored for 10mins or so. Some people who had paid for a lunch cruise got off here to have lunch at the hotel near the jetty. On the way back we went up on the top deck which was much nicer. The cruise was very relaxing & we saw heaps of wildlife on the lakes, particularly lots of Black Swans. In the afternoon we drove to a lookout with great views over the Lakes System & ocean, & we also went for a drive & saw some homes with spectacular views of both the lakes & ocean. After this Craig, Braydon & Aaron went for a ride on their bikes while Dianne cooked tea.

New South Wales

Merimbula  07/02/13

We left Lakes Entrance at 9am & headed towards Eden. We weren’t sure if we would stay the night there or travel a little further north. After morning tea we crossed the border into New South Wales. We had lunch at Eden & after having a little look around we decided to go a little further north to Merimbula. We arrived at 2.30pm at the Big 4 Merimbula Beach Holiday Park which cost $32 a night. In the afternoon the boys had a play on the jumping pillow. We travelled 272km today.

08/02/13

This is a beautiful caravan park with a lovely outlook & excellent facilities. It is positioned above the cliffs of Short Point Beach & has breathtaking ocean views. As well as all the normal type of facilities you would expect in a good caravan park, it has 2 resort pools, a tennis court & the best games room we have ever seen. In the morning Braydon went to Kids Club where he got his face painted as Spiderman, painted a picture & made a bird on a perch out of craft material. While we have been to many caravan parks that run kids clubs in the school holidays, this is the first one we have been to that has it also running in the school term. After morning tea we all had a swim in the gas heated pool which had views out over the ocean. After Aaron had a sleep in the afternoon we went for a drive around Merimbula. It is a lovely coastal town with nice beaches. We also had a look at a local theme park called Magic Mountain. We arrived at 3.30pm & it shut at 4pm so we just had a look around. It was free to enter & then you paid for each ride or alternatively a day fee to ride whatever you wanted. It was a big place & was excellent for kids, with waterslides & pool, rollercoaster & many more fun rides & activities.

Narooma  09/02/13

We would have liked to have stayed here another day but we thought we had better keep moving. We need to be in Sydney by the end of this month & there is still plenty to see, including Canberra. We were on the road by 9am & stopped for morning tea at Bermagui with views overlooking the coastline. It was a lovely drive today through a couple of National Parks, & this next stretch took us past some lovely lakes. This area of NSW is a fisherman's paradise. We arrived at Narooma at midday & checked into the Big 4 Narooma Easts Holiday Park which cost $46 a night. After setting up, having lunch & letting Aaron have a rest, we went for a drive around yet another beautiful coastal town. We firstly went to a lookout with views out over the ocean & the bar. It was spitting lightly with some lightning & thunder around so just Craig got out to have a look. He was talking to some people who had been watching a run-about boat trying to get into the bar, & had made 2 unsuccessful attempts so far because it was too rough. It was about to make a third attempt so we drove down to the bar wall to watch it. On the way we passed about 7 cars all parked on a grassy hill perfectly side by side. We wondered what they were doing but assumed they too were watching this boat. We parked at the bar wall & Craig & Braydon walked out on the bar wall to watch this boat. After a couple of minutes it was clear it had failed again, because it had lost its engine & was drifting sideways to the breaking waves unable to get back out to sea. Ironically Craig no longer had a good view of it but Dianne was watching the action only 200m in front of the car. Every wave was doing some damage but then one wave in particular slowed it right down, & then Dianne could tell by the size of the next wave that it wouldn’t survive. Sure enough it capsized. Dianne felt a little sick with worry. She could see the overturned boat with 2 people bobbing about. Within about a minute all the cars that we had noticed earlier came down & all these guys went running out on the bar wall. Then they came running back & 5 of them clambered down the rocks right in front of Dianne. Craig & Braydon were back at the car by now & Craig said that both boaties had lifejackets on. While they were heading in the right direction of shore there were rocks all around & the waves were huge & rough because of the storm. The guys on the rocks were pointing out to them the best spot on the rocks to aim for. One of the boaties seemed to be coming in alright but the other guy was being pushed over to the rocks of the bar wall; so 4 guys jumped in to help both boaties – 2 rescuers per boatie. They got to the first guy pretty quickly & brought him in, & the other 2 rescuers eventually got to the 2^nd boatie & slowly brought him in to where they could all stand up. After expecting them all to then clamber back up the rocks, they stupidly tried to save the boat. After about 5mins of trying they gave up. The waves were just too strong. By now the storm was getting pretty bad so we left. What we couldn’t understand was where the coast guard was during all this drama. We had Thai for tea which was a very nice change. We travelled 108km today.

10/02/13

In the morning we drove back to the bar to see if we could see any evidence of the wrecked boat. While we didn’t see any sign of the boat, we saw 5 seals; 2 swimming & the other 3 sunning themselves on the rocks. Craig had said yesterday that the bar entrance looked very dangerous, & it certainly was with waves breaking right at the entrance even though it was a nicer day today. It was high tide now so the area of drama looked a little different to when we had seen it at low tide. We probably take for granted how safe the Gold Coast bar & seaway is. After lunch we went for a bike ride around the inlet & on a boardwalk for part of the way. We rode out onto the bar wall on the other side. It looked even more dangerous now as the tide was trying to rush out while the waves were crashing in, so creating a real swirl in the water. While Dianne was cooking tea listening to the Channel 9 news, she heard the headline saying that 2 guys should buy a lottery ticket after a dramatic rescue by locals when their boat capsized in rough seas at Narooma. She called Craig in, & it was quite surreal to watch on TV what we had seen firsthand. We are pretty sure the video would have been taken by the people at the lookout that Craig had been talking to.

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra  11/02/13

We left Narooma at 9.30am with intentions of staying at Batemans Bay on the coast tonight. On the way there we heard on the news that it was going to rain for the next three days, so we decided to go to Canberra firstly where it wouldn’t matter as much if it was raining. We were originally planning on coming back on that same road to Batemans Bay to head further north anyway. We had morning tea at Batemans Bay & phoned ahead to the Canberra Motor Village to book for 5 nights, but they only had an ensuite site for 2 nights. This was disappointing because this caravan park was highly recommended to us by friends, & it was the closest one to most of the attractions in Canberra. We decided to check into another caravan park & paid for 5 nights, but when we drove to our site we were very disappointed in the condition of the caravan park & it was very expensive, so we went back to the office & asked for our money back. So we decided to go to the Canberra Motor Village for the 2 nights & hope for a cancellation to extend a few more nights. We arrived at 3.30pm & it cost $48 a night. Even though we didn’t need it, it was very nice to have an ensuite site. We saw 3 separate accidents on the drive from Batemans Bay to Canberra due to the windy roads & rain. It was beautiful to see the Black Mountain Tower all lit up at night from our caravan park. We travelled 236km today.

12/02/13

We started the day with a delicious Buffet Breakfast at the restaurant in the caravan park. We then went for a drive to the Black Mountain Peninsula, & then we went up to the Black Mountain Tower Lookout. It rises 195m above the summit of Black Mountain, & besides being a lookout with a revolving restaurant, it provides essential communication facilities for Canberra. We had fantastic 360 degree views from up there, & it was fascinating to see Canberra’s beautifully planned layout. It was particularly great to see Capital Hill & the Captain Cook Memorial Jet that is in the middle of Lake Burley Griffin which shoots water up to 140m in the air. 
 After lunch, we went to Parliament House. It is one of the world’s most acclaimed, yet accessible parliament buildings, being completed in 1988. After going through a security check we entered the impressive Marble Foyer. Parliament was sitting today so we went to the Public Gallery area of the House Of Representatives Chamber where we saw Question Time. We could see why it is called Question Time & not Answer Time – enough said on that! To get into the Public Gallery we first of all had to put anything in our pockets in the Cloak Room, & then we had to go through another more intense security check where we both had to take our belts off & Dianne had to take off her boots. After seeing the noisy (Braydons’ description) Politicians, we then went up the lift to the grassy roof top to see the giant Australian flag on the 81m flagpole. From here you get an incredible view across Lake Burley Griffin & up Anzac Parade to the War Memorial. We then went to the Royal Australian Mint where we discovered how coins are made, & saw robot’s producing Australia’s circulating coins from the elevated observation windows. The Mint has the capacity to produce over 2 million coins per day.

 

13/02/13

Unfortunately we were unable to extend our time at this caravan park, so we drove 14km & checked into the Canberra South Motor Park. We arrived at 10am & it cost $42 a night. After lunch we went to the National Carillon (Bell Tower). It is a striking landmark & a unique musical instrument with 55 bronze bells. We were fortunate enough to hear it being played & were able to watch the young guy play them on a monitor via a live stream. 

 

 
Then we went to The Australian War Memorial – a tribute to our fallen heroes. It was very sobering to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier & The Hall of Valour. There was much to see & read & reflect upon.

14/02/13  Valentine’s Day

We spent most of the day today at Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre. It is Australia’s leading science centre & has more than 200 exhibits. There were 8 themed galleries with science shows, interactive exhibits & experiments. One of the galleries was for 0-6 year olds which both Braydon & Aaron loved. Braydon enjoyed many of the other exhibits as well. The highlight for Craig was trying to beat a Robot at air hockey – he lost, but he did score 1 point to the robots 3. The other highlight for all of us was feeling the artificial earthquake. The simulation was of a 6.5 earthquake on the Richter scale. It only went for a minute but it felt like much longer. It must be very scary to experience the real thing. We were intending to have a special lunch to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but because we were enjoying Questacon so much, we just ate in their café, which was quite nice anyway.

15/02/13

This morning we did the washing, & other than that took it easy. In the afternoon we went shopping at DFO where we grabbed a few good bargains.

16/02/13

This morning we went shopping again. This time we went to the Canberra Centre & the mall  in the heart of the city. In the afternoon we went to the National Museum of Australia where we saw & heard stories that helped shape our nation. We were also able to build a space-age vehicle on a computer & then see our creation in a 3D theatre. Braydon loved it because it was personalised by incorporating a photo image of us as the driver of the vehicle.   

Tasmania

Tasmania

Spirit of Tasmania  16/12/12

We have to be at the Port of Melbourne to catch the ferry “Spirit Of Tasmania” at about 5pm. The morning was spent preparing for the voyage, and Craig and Braydon got haircuts. We organised a late checkout which enabled us to stay on site till the afternoon. It is a bleak day today with a max. temperature of about 20deg. The ferry was due to leave at 7.30pm & boarding started 2&1/2hrs prior. We travelled the short distance of 16km & arrived at the Port of Melbourne at about 5.15pm. Then we had to wait a while after going through a couple of security check points. They only started actually loading at about 6.30pm. Once on board we went to our four berth porthole cabin; because you don’t disembark in Tasmania until 6.30am many people get a cabin & sleep for the journey. We then went & had a lovely dinner at the The Captains Table. This was one time when we were happy with daylight savings as we enjoyed the views while eating, & then through our porthole once we returned to our room. After having showers we put the kids to bed & then followed shortly after ourselves.

Cradle Mountain  17/12/12

We had a reasonable night sleep on the ferry considering it was moving around a fair bit. The kids seemed to sleep ok with Aaron only waking up once. We got woken up at 5.50am to say it is time to wake up and be ready at our vehicles at 6.30am. It was nice to see Devonport through our porthole. It was pretty fast getting off the ferry, and then we went to the quarantine station to be inspected for fruit and vegetables as you are not allowed to take any into Tasmania. We declared our fruit and veg and then headed to Maccas for breakfast. Right next door to Maccas was the Visitor Information Centre where we got our info on Tassie & bought a National Parks Pass for $60. The lady suggested that since the weather was so good we should head up to Cradle Mountain as it rains there for 300 days a year. We decided it sounded a good idea so we headed up to the mountain. The countryside is such a contrast to what we have seen in the last 8 months, with lush green grass everywhere. It was like we were in a different country. We could tell it is a slower pace over here which was a nice change coming from Melbourne. We had morning tea at Lake Barrington which has an international rowing course & is surrounded by rainforests & mountains. After more of the same of this lovely scenery we arrived at midday at the Cradle Mountain Tourist Park which cost $39 a night & is right at the entrance to the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. Unfortunately there were only 10 powered sites and all of them were taken so we are going to be in for a cold night in this alpine environment without the heater. The max. temperature was 14deg and it should get down to 4deg tonight. After setting up camp & having lunch we went across the road to the Visitor Centre to plan what walks we were going to do tomorrow. We decided we had time to do one short walk to the Pencil Pines which is only a 20min circuit but you go past a beautiful waterfall and lush mossy forest. Once back at the caravan park we headed over to the lovely camp kitchen where there are 2 big fireplaces and a nice area for the kids to play in the warmth. We travelled 105km today.

18/12/12

After a cold night without the heater, but toasty warm with all our winter gear on, we went down to the Visitor Centre to board the free shuttle bus to take us to Dove Lake so we could do the 6km walk around the lake. The day was cold and overcast so we were all rugged up with our rain gear on. It was a very pleasant and interesting walk with varied terrain, but very lush and picturesque. The highlight was seeing Cradle Mountain when the clouds lifted high enough to see it, and the magnificent waterfalls. We were very lucky that there was only some light drizzle for about 30 seconds for the 3 hour walk.  It was nice to hop back on the shuttle bus to take us back to the car. In the afternoon we had a look through the Ranger Station & Interpretation Centre, and then did the pretty Enchanted Walk (20min circuit). On our return to the car park we were lucky enough to see 2 Wombats walking through the National Park. They must have been very used to people as we could get up to a few metres away from them and they were not worried. On the drive back to the van we saw another one on the side of the road.

Launceston  19/12/12

We left Cradle Mountain at 10am and headed down the mountain back through Sheffield and then we had morning tea in the nice little town of Railton which is full of Topiary trees in all various shapes and sizes. We then called into the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm to sample their produce. Then we continued down the highway to Launceston & arrived at 1.30pm at the Treasure Island Caravan Park which cost $37 a night. After we did the washing we headed into town to stock up on groceries. It has rained most of today but it is a lot warmer than up in the mountains. We travelled 151km today.

20/12/12

This morning we went to the Cataract Gorge Reserve which is a magnificent area of bushland just 15mins walk from the city centre. We went for a couple of walks to lookouts with beautiful views of the gorge, & then crossed the river on the swinging suspension bridge to the other side of the gorge which had lovely gardens & quite a few peacocks, & then had morning tea. You can also choose to cross the gorge via the world’s longest single span chairlift. There is also a very popular open air swimming pool. After returning to the caravan for lunch we went to City Park where we had a look around at the beautiful gardens & the boys had a play in the park. We also had a look at the antics of the Japanese Macaque Monkeys. Then we had a drive around the city & the outskirts for a look around.  

Hobart  21/12/12

We left Launceston at 9.30am & headed to Hobart where we are booked into the Treasure Island Caravan Park. After having morning tea at Campbell Town we arrived at 1.15pm & it cost $37 a night. It is a nice caravan park right on the river. There are heaps of ducks here that Braydon had fun feeding. We took it easy for the rest of the day. We travelled 186km today.  

22/12/12

Today we went into the City. We first of all went to the Salamanca Markets & were impressed with the quality of everything there. They are held every Saturday & have the reputation as being Australia’s best outdoor markets. There was some excellent busking talent also. We then went & checked out the waterfront area. Then we went into the CBD to have a look around & did some last minute Christmas shopping.

23/12/12

Today we took it fairly easy. After doing the washing we went for a ride on our bikes to a local park where the boys had a good play. Braydon also had a play on a BMX track near the caravan park. He did a really great job with only one stack, but got straight back on his bike again. He has gained a lot of confidence. 

24/12/12

Today we went down to the Waterfront again. There was a cruise boat docked, & also a ship in the Sea Shepherd fleet called the Sam Simon. They are waiting for the Japanese to start their whale hunting in the Southern Ocean & then will harass them to save as many whales as possible. We both went for a tour through the ship. We have been looking for somewhere to go for lunch on Christmas Day but we haven’t found anything under $130 a head. Just in time we have finally found something that is a more realistic price; it is a harbour cruise with a 2 course meal. With that organised we had a special pre-Christmas Day lunch at Mures. This is a well- known seafood restaurant. On the way home we did some grocery shopping for tomorrow. In the early evening Santa came into the caravan park on a firetruck with its sirens & lights going & handed out lollies to the kids.

25/12/12  Christmas Day

Well it is Christmas Day & Santa found our 2 boys last night. After opening their presents from Santa & having breakfast we went to church at a local Anglican church. It was a little different to what we are used to but it was great to celebrate the real reason for the season. After organizing a yummy morning tea we opened up our presents. We had to rush this a bit because we only had 1/2hr before we had to leave to be at the wharf for our cruise. We all loved our presents & were thoroughly spoilt. 

The cruise was a 3hr cruise on the “Lady Jane” which they run daily; today was similar to one of their usual days except that it was 1/2hr longer. The boat was very old looking & we both hoped it was seaworthy. The cruise took us all around the harbour & up & down the Derwent River, & lunch was a scrumptious roast meal with 3 different meat selections, & dessert was a yummy pavlova or plum pudding. Wine & Fruit Juice were also included in the price. We were wondering how they good do all this for $45 an adult (the kids were free even though they both got a meal) when 3/4 of the way through the journey we found out.

 The captain took us into a little bay that he doesn’t normally go to & ran aground because he couldn’t get it in reverse. We heard “brace yourselves, brace yourselves” & then felt a slight bump. There mustn’t have been any damage as we just continued on. Fortunately he got it into reverse to dock. All in all it was a great way to celebrate Christmas Day lunch. In the afternoon we had a little rest & then had tea. Craig had Prawns & Dianne, Braydon & Aaron had chicken & chips. Then it was time to catch up & talk to our families. While we missed not spending Christmas with our families we had a nice day. 

26/12/12

The kids spent the day playing with their Christmas presents & we all had a nice & relaxed day.

27/12/12

We headed up to Mt Wellington which was only about a 25km drive from the caravan park. It was a nice drive up the mountain to the top where the observation platform is. It was very windy & freezing cold at 10deg as it is 1270m above sea level. It was 20deg down the bottom, & they say it drops 10deg once you reach the top. It is often covered in snow. Luckily enough it was a fine day so we got a great view over Hobart and the surrounding area. On the way home we went the scenic way and had a better look around the city, and then got some groceries.

28/12/12

We went down to the Waterfront again this morning to have a look at the boats coming in from the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Wild Oats 11 the winner had already arrived so we were able to go right up to the boat and have a look at it. While we were there we could see Ragamuffin in the distance coming in, so we stuck around and watched it cross the finish line and dock. We were amazed that there were not more people around to see it finish as we could get right down on the pontoon that it came in on. We then went to the Tasmanian Taste Festival and had a look around before heading up into the city. We both got our eyes tested & fortunately we were both given the all clear, although it was suggested that Craig might want to buy some cheap glasses for reading. 

 

29/12/12

This morning the kids played with their toys & we did the washing. After lunch we walked over to MONA which is the Museum of Old & New Art. It is located next to our caravan park, & today they had markets on. We had a good look around the markets and watched an excellent jazz band play while lounging on beanbags on a lovely grassed area. We didn’t go into the art museum as it is apparently not suitable for children.

30/12/12

We headed to the Mount Field National Park today to see the popular Russell Falls. It took us about 40mins to arrive at the Rangers Station where the walk leaves from. It was an easy 15min picturesque walk along the path to the beautiful falls. We then continued along the track about 15mins to the next falls called the Horseshoe Falls. We then decided to continue about 20mins to the Tall Trees Walk before walking back to the Rangers Station where we had lunch. 

We hopped in the car and drove up the mountain to the alpine area of the national park. The temperature dropped considerably to 10deg. but it was a beautiful drive on the 16km dirt road. On the way home we called in to visit the Salmon Ponds but they were closing in 1/2hr so we wouldn’t have had enough time to look around. We bought some groceries on the way home.

31/12/12

We took it easy today & had a nice relaxing day. We didn’t see the New Year in; we were in bed by10pm.

01/01/13  Happy New Year

Today we went to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens which were established in 1818 (the second oldest in Australia) & cover 14 hectares. There were many beautiful gardens. The highlight for us were the Japanese Gardens, the Subantarctic Plant House (which was very cold inside) & the Lily Ponds. We also saw Pete’s Vegie Patch which was made famous by the popular ABC Gardening Australia presenter Peter Cundall. After this we went for a drive south-east of Hobart to Opossum Bay, which had good views back to Hobart. It was a nice scenic drive. We had lunch at a really nice Bakery Café at Lauderdale & then returned to our caravan park up the east side of the Derwent River.

02/01/13

Today we went back to the Waterfront to see all the Yachts in from the Sydney to Hobart race. It was great to see so many in the one spot. Then we drove south of Hobart to Kingston. We had lunch a little further south at Blackmans Bay. 

03/01/13

This morning we did the washing & then after lunch we went to the Cadbury factory which is only about 5mins from our caravan park. We received a block of chocolate each on arrival except for Aaron who got 3 white chocolate freddos instead. We then had a hot chocolate that consisted of generous scoops of white, milk & dark chocolate. It was delicious. Then we went to the talk where they explain the process of how Cadbury chocolates are made. After this we went grocery shopping.

04/01/13  Ian, Kerryn, Lily & Max Rossow arrive

It was an exciting day today as the Rossow family came to visit us. They arrived around lunchtime & we went to the airport to meet them. Braydon was very excited to see his friends again, as were we. They have been on holidays from Brisbane & have travelled down to Melbourne in their Campervan, & then they flew from there over to visit us. After the Rossows picked up their luggage & hire car we all drove back to the caravan park where the Rossows are staying in one of the cabins. We had lunch together & then spent the afternoon catching up on news, & the kids had a ball playing together. We finished the day off with a barbeque. It was a really hot day today & the temperature reached a record 41.7 degrees. Unfortunately this started some very serious bushfires. We could see a lot of smoke when we drove out to the airport, & there is a fire somewhere behind us & we have some ash falling around us. The fire department & volunteers are doing it tough at the moment.   

05/01/13

Today we all went into the city & first of all went to the Salamanca Markets. Because they were so good we didn’t mind seeing them again. We then took the Rossows down to the Waterfront area to have a look around, & we all went to Mures for another tasty lunch. In the afternoon we had another relaxing time together at the caravan park & were lucky enough to see some dolphins only a hundred metres from us. There are quite a number of out of control fires around the State; the worst one being on the Arthur Highway near Dunalley. There have been huge evacuations & many homes have been lost in the area, particularly in Dunalley. It isn’t as hot today but very windy which would be making life tough for the firefighters.   

06/01/13

We were originally planning on going to Port Arthur today or tomorrow but the road there is closed because of the fires. Even if they get the fires under control in the next 24hrs or so the area has been totally devastated & they have no services such as power. So instead we went to Bruny Island. We caught the vehicular ferry from Kettering which took about 15mins to cross. We had a lovely day exploring this beautiful Island with its lovely beaches & scenery. We travelled from North Bruny across The Neck to South Bruny & had morning tea at Alonnah which is a pretty beach, & the kids played on the playground. Then we continued on down to the bottom of the Island to Cape Bruny Lighthouse which provided magnificent views of the area. After having a nice picnic lunch we then drove to the eastern side of the Island to have a look at Captain Cook’s Landing Place. On the drive back to the ferry we went to Truganini Lookout on The Neck, & walked up approx. 160 steps to be rewarded with stunning views of both sides of the Island. When we got back to Hobart we went to Hogs Breath for tea – a bit of a tradition for our 2 families. Sadly many fires still remain out of control.  

07/01/13

Today we went to Hastings Caves which was about 1&1/2hrs away. We had morning tea at a picnic area near the Huon River & then carried onto the Caves. They were busier than normal because of all the people such as us who were going to go to Port Arthur but changed their plans because of the fires. It was a 5km drive from the Visitor Centre to the caves carpark & then a 5min walk to the cave entrance where we were met by our guide. It was quite cool in the caves but most of us had a jumper on. The Caves are one of the world’s great dolomite caves & had 500 steps. The kids did really well to manage all these. After this we had a picnic lunch in the grounds of the Visitor Centre, & then went for a swim in the naturally-heated thermal pool. The temperature was great & we had a nice time swimming. Most of the fires around the State are under control, & the one out towards Port Arthur is still going strong but is contained.   

 

08/01/13  The Rossows Leave

The Rossows plane doesn’t leave until mid-afternoon so we went for a drive up to Mt Wellington. It was cold & windy again & got down to 10deg again. We picked up Subway for lunch near the airport & Ian got the hire car back in time & in one piece. Their flight was delayed by a couple of hours so we stayed with them for a little while, but then we had to go as Aaron was booked into get his 18 month immunisation. It was a sad goodbye & we felt very privileged that they came to visit us – what special friends. Aaron was pretty good with getting his needle & only cried for about 15secs. Our little boy now weighs 13.7kg. We were talking to a lady today that was staying in their caravan in our caravan park who had gone out to Port Arthur for the day with her husband the day the fires started (the 4^th), & had been trapped out there until this morning when they were allowed to come back via a police convoy that left the area at 2am. They only had their car & the clothes they were wearing, but they said the locals were fantastic even though they had their own worries & losses.   

09/01/13

Today we went back into the CBD to pick up a replacement Credit Card for Craig that we had ordered. While in there, we joined the Apple Revolution & bought an iPad mini & an iPhone. Then we went up to Mt Wellington again because there was a chance that if it was raining up there today it would turn to snow. Braydon was very excited about the possibility but we told him it was unlikely. Imagine our surprise when we saw little snowflakes when we reached the top – it was 3 degrees up there, & yet 5 days ago it was 41.7 degrees.

10/01/13

We spent the day today packing up & cleaning up ready to leave tomorrow. Dianne did the washing while Craig washed the car & caravan. As a treat we went to a dine in Pizza Hut for lunch (a reminder of the good ol’ days), & then we did the grocery shopping. When we leave we will head west firstly as there are still some fires on the east coast. There was a serious fire in the north-west of the state, but it is under control now.

Lake St Clair  11/01/13

It was finally time to leave Hobart, so we left at 9.30am & headed to Lake St Clair. On the way we stopped at The Wall in the Wilderness, which is a 100m span wall sculptured by an artist out of Huon Pine which depicts the rural life & history of the region. It is a work in progress & it was amazing how life- like his carvings were. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos for copyright reasons. When we arrived at Lake St Clair we first of all went & had a look at the Visitor Information Centre. Lake St Clair is part of the Cradle Mountain National Park & is the deepest lake in Australia. The Lake St Clair Lodge Campground on the shores of the lake was full but the Manager let us set up camp in an area that they have for emergencies, which was really just a car park area for day use visitors. It cost $25 for this unpowered site. We arrived at about 4pm & by the time we set up it was too late to do any of the lakes walks, so we just went down to the viewing deck & jetty of the lake. We travelled 200km today.

Strahan  12/01/13

We decided to pack up & leave the car & caravan at the main car park so we didn’t have to rush the walk, as we had to leave the campground by 10am. We did the Watersmeet walk (45mins. return) & Platypus Bay circuit (extra 15mins.). Part of the walk was through eucalypt & then rainforest, & towards the end we walked back along the beach of Cynthia Bay. It was a very pleasant easy walk. When we got back to the caravan we had morning tea & then drove to Nelson Falls. 

It was a beautiful short walk (700m each way) through rainforest, & the falls were very picturesque. We then continued on through Queenstown, a mining town, & on to Strahan, which is a fishing port set on a quiet bay of Macquarie Harbour. It is a very popular place for tourists & is the gateway to the Gordon River where you can cruise through Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area. We were unable to get into the local caravan park as it was full, so we drove 15km out of town to Macquarie Heads Campground (Camps No. 177) which was a lovely spot right on the coast. We arrived at about 4pm & had a lovely grassy area, & it cost $6 for the night. We travelled 152km today.

Rosebery  13/01/13

We left the campground at 9.45am & went into the town centre of Strahan to have a look around. In the main street were an attractive terrace of nineteenth-century buildings which are now used as pubs, shops & cafes. After having morning tea we then headed through Zeehan to Rosebery, which is another mining town, where we had lunch. The landscape yesterday & today was very mountainous with spectacular rivers & forests, & the roads were very steep & windy. In fact we were constantly going from one National Park or Regional Reserve to the next. 

The area is known as the Western Wilderness & much of it is inaccessible. The weather has been overcast with many showers but it hasn’t stopped us from doing the things we wanted to do. We booked into the Rosebery Cabin & Tourist Park, arriving at 1.30pm, which cost $30 for the night. After setting up we left at 2pm to go to the Montezuma Falls. They are the highest falls in Tasmania & it was a 9.6km return walk through rainforest. The track was easy walking as it was gently graded, but it was very muddy as it had been raining, & it was still spitting a little so we all had our raincoats on. Braydon’s track pants quickly became filthy from all the mud & Dianne’s jeans didn’t fare much better. Craig had ¾ length shorts on so he was okay, but all our shoes were filthy & wet. We finally reached the viewing platform at the foot of the falls which towered 104m above us.

 They were beautiful & well worth the effort. We also walked across a swing bridge that spans the gorge to link this walking track with a 4WD access track. It took us 3.5hrs to do the walk & we were all exhausted when we got back – except of course Aaron who still gets a free ride in the backpack (all 13.7kg of him – poor Craig). Braydon continues to impress us with his endurance on bushwalks. We had takeaway for tea as it was 6pm by the time we got back to town. We travelled 93km today.

Wynyard  14/01/13

We left Rosebery at 9.15am & drove a short distance behind the caravan park to have a look at Stitt River Falls. It was only 100m to walk there to see these small falls, & was worth having a quick look as they were so close to our caravan park. We then travelled through many Forest Reserves to Hellyer Gorge where we had lunch & then went on a short rainforest walk (15mins.) that followed the river for a little while & then meandered its way back to the picnic area. It was a fine day today which was a nice change. We continued on to Wynyard which is on the coast, & booked into the Beach Retreat Tourist Park, arriving at 1.45pm. It was a nice little caravan park right on the ocean front & cost $46 for the night. After setting up we did the washing & then went to the Information Centre. The man we spoke to was excellent & very informative. We then did the grocery shopping. We travelled 122km today.

Stanley  15/01/13

We left Wynyard at 9.30am & headed firstly to Table Cape Lookout, a plateau 180m high, where we had excellent views of the coastline & surrounding area to the east. It was a beautiful fine day today. After a short drive to have a look at the Table Cape Lighthouse, we continued on to Boat Harbour Beach via a scenic coastal drive. Boat Harbour Beach was an absolutely beautiful bay with crystal clear turquoise water where we had morning tea. We then travelled on to Sisters Beach which was nice, but not as nice as Boat Harbour Beach. 

We carried on to Stanley & arrived at the Stanley Cabin & Tourist Park at 12.30pm which cost $42 a night. After lunch & a rest we went to the prominent rock known as the “The Nut”, which is an ancient Volcanic Lava Lake (millions of years ago it was an active volcano). We went up via The Nut Chairlift which is just over 500m in length & climbs a height of 150m. Braydon loved it & we had great views on the way up. Once at the top we had 360 degree views over the coastline & the whole area, & they were absolutely fantastic. 

We walked around The Nut where we had different vantage points, & we saw a few Tasmanian Pademelons (a bit like a small kangaroo). We could see a fire still smoldering in the distance that had caused considerable concern for a few days. It started about a week or so ago (a few days after the fires in the south-east started), & while it was contained, they were still apparently water bombing it from the air. We decided to walk down The Nut instead of catching the chairlift – it was a very steep descent. Then we went for a drive around the town. We had a great day today & travelled 90km.

16/01/13

It was another beautiful day today. We decided to drive to the north-west coast today which is known as the “Edge of the World”. We first of all went to Tarkine Forest Adventures at Dismal Swamp which is well known for its huge 110m slide. Dismal Swamp is a 640 hectare sinkhole & while we had no doubt it would have been nice to see, it would have cost $50 & Braydon was too young for the slide, so we decided it was too expensive. We continued on to Green Point on the coast where we had morning tea. We then carried on to Arthur River which is a popular spot to cruise along the river, particularly for nature lovers. After this we headed a little further south on a dirt track, & then started heading back up to Stanley. We stopped at Sumac Lookout for lunch which had great views of the Arthur River. The area we have been in today is known as the Tarkine, which is Australia’s greatest expanse of cool temperate rainforest, & the second largest in the world. When we got back to Stanley we went for a drive to have a look at the Highfield Historic Site which is one of the most architecturally significant farm settlements in Australia that is largely preserved intact.

Beaconsfield  17/01/13

We left Stanley at 10am & travelled back the way we had come to Wynyard, then along the coast road through the town of Burnie & on to Penguin where we had morning tea. Then we continued through the Tamar Valley into Beaconsfield where we had a late lunch. After lunch we went to the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre. This was of course put on the map in 2006 when there was a rock fall with 3 miners trapped, & the subsequent successful rescue of 2 of them after 2 weeks trapped in a cage. The mine is no longer operational. They used to mine for Gold, & the Heritage Centre gave an insight into the mines history & the drama of 2006. It was a massive rescue attempt & was amazing reading. One of the most touching things we read was of the son of one of the trapped miners who went up to the Health & Safety Officer of the mine & asked him to get his dad out. We stayed the night for free at the local Showgrounds (Camps No. 263) & arrived at about 4.45pm. We travelled 215km today.

St Helens  18/01/13

We left Beaconsfield at 9.30am & headed to St Helens on the east coast. We first of all crossed the Tamar River on the impressive Batman Bridge which was built in the 1960’s & at the time was the first cable-stayed bridge built in Australia. We then travelled through George Town & on to Low Head to see the Lighthouse. We had morning tea in the lovely beachside town of Bridport where we were amazed at how big the local caravan park was. We carried on & had lunch in the little country town of Derby, & arrived in St Helens at about 2.45pm. We booked into the Big 4 St Helens Holiday Park which cost $41 a night. After setting up & having afternoon tea we went into the town centre to have a look around & went to the Information Centre. We travelled 234km today.

19/01/13

Today we took it fairly easy. We had a special lunch today – Craig finally bought a curried scallop pie & the rest of us had a plain meat pie. In the afternoon we went for a drive & saw a wood chopping competition & then saw some fishermen weighing in their catch which was 2 big sharks. When we got back Braydon & Aaron had a play on the jumping pillow.

20/01/13

We had a lovely day today exploring the beaches north of St Helens. First stop was Binalong Bay with beautiful clear turquoise water. We had heard you would think you were at the Whitsundays, & they weren’t wrong. We sat on the beach for a little while & the kids had a great time playing in the sand. Then we had an early picnic lunch here overlooking the bay. We were fascinated by the brilliant orange colour of the rocks from the lichen. We then continued further north along the renowned Bay of Fires & explored all the little beaches.

 The Bay of Fires was named by an early explorer because of the fires that were started by Aborigines along the shore. There are heaps of free beautiful camping spots along the beaches & it is already very busy because of the Australia Day long weekend coming up. We travelled up to the end of this road to The Gardens which was beautiful as well. After this we had a look at Ansons Bay & then went to the Eddystone Lighthouse & had afternoon tea. There were some Abalone divers at the Point that were waiting for a truck to transport their haul for the day. 
The truck driver pays $45 a kilo & then they sell them to the Chinese for $65 a kilo.

While we were down at the boat ramp looking at 2 huge stingrays, one of the divers came down & gave Craig an abalone. He is looking forward to cooking it up tonight. We then walked up to the Lighthouse & decided it was probably the nicest one we have seen so far. When we got back to the caravan Craig cooked up his abalone & quite enjoyed it, while the boys had a play on the jumping pillow again.

Coles Bay  21/01/13

We left St Helens at 9.30am & travelled south to Coles Bay. As we got closer to Coles Bay we could see where some of the serious fires had been in this area. We arrived at the Big 4 Iluka on Freycinet Holiday Park at 11am which cost $40 a night. After having lunch & doing the washing we drove around Coles Bay & into the Freycinet National Park to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse, & went on a short 15min circuit walk on a boardwalk around the tops of the cliffs below the lighthouse. The views were magnificent. There are lots of pretty little bays & beaches around. We travelled 113km today.

22/01/13

We went to Wineglass Bay today. It is only a 1hr return walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, but another 2hrs return to the Beach. We had great views over Wineglass Bay & the surrounding area from the lookout, & then continued down to the beach which has the reputation of being one of the best beaches in the world. On reaching the bottom we were rewarded with crystal clear waters & white sandy beaches. After sharing our lunch with a very tame wallaby that ate out of our hands, it was time to tackle the steep walk back. We had a little rest when we got back, & then went for a walk down to Muirs Beach which is across the road from the caravan park & watched the activity on the water.

Port Arthur  23/01/13

We left Coles Bay at 9.30am & headed towards Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. We stopped for morning tea at Triabunna & also bought some groceries. After travelling through Sorell & getting fuel, it was a very sad drive as we were travelling through the area where the terrible fires were. The countryside was burnt both sides of the highway for many, many kilometres & as far as the eye could see. While we saw many homes that were lost, there were some that were still standing & yet the area all around them was burnt. It was particularly sad to drive through Dunalley where the fires hit the worst. Again we saw many homes that were lost, but suddenly you would see one that survived even though the houses on either side were lost – such is the nature of fire. We drove through Eaglehawk Neck & had a yummy lunch at the Tasman Blowhole from a mobile catering van. Someone had highly recommended the Scallops & chips. We weren’t disappointed & we also had a delicious Berry, cream & icecream dessert. The Blowhole was also great to see, & then we also saw the Tasman Arch & Devils Kitchen in this same area, all formed over the years on this part of dramatic coastline. We arrived at the Port Arthur Holiday Park at 5.30pm & it cost $33 a night. The lady in the office said the fires had come within 6km of the caravan park & all their guests had been evacuated by ferry back to Hobart. She showed me a photo of all the smoke in the park. We travelled 248km today.        

24/01/13  

Today we woke up to light rain so we thought we were going to be in for a very wet day looking around the World Heritage Port Arthur Historic Site. By the time we arrived at the site the drizzle  had stopped, so we headed in and bought our tickets. Port Arthur was much more than a prison. It was a complete community – home to military personnel & free settlers. It is just over 40 hectares with over 30 historic buildings & ruins plus gardens & grounds to explore. We joined an introductory 40min guided tour of the site to explain the history of the place, which was very interesting and informative. 

We then went on a boat cruise around the bay where we saw the “Isle of the Dead” where they buried all the bodies on a very small island, and the “Point Puer Boys Prison” which was a larger Island where they sent any children from the age of 10 that had been convicted of crimes. During the day we saw a series of short plays that focused on different people’s lives as they experienced and lived back in the convict days. We ended up spending the whole day looking around at all the different buildings and learning much about the place. We particularly loved looking through the Commandant’s House. We left the site at 6pm after a big day of walking.

Cambridge  25/01/13   

We left Port Arthur at 8.45am which is an earlier departure as we have got the car booked in at Hobart for its 40km service. We had to do the depressing drive through all the burnt bushland and homes again, with work crews still cutting down trees that are going to fall on the road that have been burnt out. We arrived at 10.20am at the Barilla Holiday Park at Cambridge which cost $40 for the night. We quickly set up & then Craig  continued driving the short distance into Hobart for the 11am car service, while Dianne & the boys stayed in the caravan. Craig made it just in time. He filled in time doing some shopping and looking around Hobart again while the car was being worked on. It was strange being without the family for 5 hours as it was probably the longest we have been apart for the whole year. The car was finished at 4pm so he drove back to the van. Di and the boys had a nice day playing & catching up on some work. We travelled 82km today.

Devonport  26/01/13  Australia Day

We left at 9am this morning & firstly headed a short distance to the historic town of Richmond. It is Tasmania’s finest Georgian village & pre-dates the penal settlement at Port Arthur. We went to the Old Hobart Town Historical Model Village which depicted Hobart as it was in the 1820’s. We also went & saw the historical Richmond Bridge which is the oldest bridge in Australia, built in 1823. We then continued travelling onto Devonport. We stopped for lunch at Campbell Town & had an Aussie lunch of Meat Pies. We arrived in Devonport at 2.15pm at the Abel Tasman Caravan Park which cost $32 for the night. We also paid an extra $10 to stay here for most of the day tomorrow because our ferry doesn’t leave until 9pm. We travelled 269km today.

Spirit of Tasmania  27/01/13

We took it fairly easy today. In the morning we did the washing & grocery shopping. Then in the afternoon we went for a drive around Devonport, & saw the Lighthouse & Lookout at Mersey Bluff. We then cleaned the caravan, packed for the overnight ferry ride, hooked on the caravan & went & had fish & chips on the banks of the Mersey River to watch our ferry arrive from Melbourne. It was due to arrive at 6pm but was 20mins late. After eating our fish & chips we went & lined up for the ferry at 6.30pm. 

The caravan park was only 1km from the ferry, & the fish & chip shop in between the two, so it was a very short drive to the ferry. We went through the same security checks & then drove onto the ferry by about 8.15pm. After checking out our room we went outside to watch the ferry turn around & leave the Mersey River. We were quite close to the front of the ship & Braydon got a couple of waves from the captain. Both boys got a terrible fright when the horn sounded even though the captain signalled to us at the last minute to cover our ears– we knew it was going to happen but it was still very loud. We then went back to our cabin & put the boys to bed, & then followed ourselves shortly after. Let’s hope it is a smooth crossing.