TASMANIA 2 - TAMAR VALLEY

We had been told that the town of Deloraine is very pretty and indeed it is with brilliant views across green fields to the mountains beyond. It seems to be a very arty town and is really clean and tidy but as we are more interested in the countryside we continued east to Westbury then north to Exeter so we could check out the camps along the western side of the Tamar Inlet. However, they were all fairly ordinary so we continued up to Batman Bridge as we had heard that there was a nice free camp on the eastern side of the bridge.

Batman Bridge - the bridge itself is very impressive.

It was a nice area but would probably be a bit noisy and there were quite a few other camps (and a family who were obviously living there) so we went back across and headed to Beaconsfield, thinking the showgrounds there might be the go as they are close to Beauty Point where Mitch is. On the way John got very excited when he spotted huge oysters on the rocks beside the road so of course we stopped and picked some. I was a bit suspicious though as to why nobody else had taken them. When John checked on the Net he discovered that they had very high levels of copper and cadmium and were not safe to eat. Bugger!!

Unfortunately, the showgrounds were very ordinary so we continued north to our last hope, the caravan park at Greens Beach. There are other van parks but they either don’t take dogs or are expensive. Greens Beach however was great. The park is right behind the sand dunes and about 50 metres from the beach and at $20 a night for power it was reasonably priced.

There are heaps of echidnas down in Tassie - the thorns look shorter but it is because of their long furry coats. Too cute!!!

As well as visiting Mitch, we took a drive up to West Head lookout and also spent a lovely day exploring the eastern side of the inlet up to Low Head. The Maritime Museum there is great and a real surprise and the walk up to the lighthouse further on was interesting as well. We also dropped in at the mining museum at Beaconsfield which is also very impressive and well worth a visit.

West Head from the Lookout - Narawntapu National Park.



The view from the lookout at West Head looking toward Badger Head in Narawntapu National Park.

 

Beaconsfield Museum

 

An EH Holden club were also visiting the Museum. I thought they looked familiar. My first car was an EH.

Low Head Maritime Museum - You can stay in the cottages here!

Some of these knots were amazing!

Low Head lighthouse



Looking across the head of the inlet from Low Head to Greens Beach



Before leaving the area we called in at the Diving Academy to see what Mitch has been learning. It was a real surprise to us just how professional the whole setup is and also how intense and demanding the training is. The people there made us feel very welcome and it was really interesting looking at all the equipment. John even tried on one of the diving helmets. I opted out. I think it would be really claustrophobic.

 

Mitch at the Academy

Cables used by the divers.

Our only stop in Launceston was Cataract Gorge and it was lovely. The whole complex is very picturesque and there are lots of different options for walks with long, short, easy and demanding treks available. Or if you don’t want to walk at all you can take the chairlift. We opted to walk and went over the suspension bridge to the lovely gardens on the other side then back across. It would be a lovely place to spend a whole day with a picnic etc. but we decided to get through the traffic, which was a challenge in the van as we inadvertently took the route right through the middle of the city which wouldn’t have been an issue except that there is a mall and several one-way streets so you can’t just go straight through. It is also best not to go via the western entrance during school dropoff times. The streets are narrow and steep and with cars parked each side it is a bit tricky especially if towing a van.

Cataract Gorge - Launceston

 

Rhododendrons - Cataract Gorge

 

The last place we visited on the Tamar was the Tamar Island Wetlands. There is a 1.5 klm walk through the wetlands past old wrecks out to Tamar Island where there is a lovely picnic area including a gas barbecue. There are lots of waterbirds including black swans, teal and water fowl. The $3 entry fee was well spent and includes a very informative brochure covering various features of the wetlands. After Launceston we headed north-east to have a look at the coastal areas.