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.

TASMANIA 1 - THE GREAT WESTERN TIERS

The trip across on the ferry was hassle-free. We wouldn’t recommend the on-board dining though and will take our own picnic on the way back. Of course we were worried about Leo down there on deck 3 all night and I found the movement of the ship difficult to get used to so I didn’t sleep much. The cabin was comfortable enough though.

A low lying fog met us as we arrived.

Cruising into Devonport.

As soon as we got through quarantine we headed south-west as we had decided to do Cradle Mountain first to avoid the Christmas Holiday rush. The whole area is called the Great Western Tiers and encompasses the area from Cradle Mountain National Park east to Prospect Vale. It is indeed great. The countryside is beautiful, with the jagged peaks of the Gog Range as a backdrop to sweeping green hills dotted with sheep and cattle. There are numerous rivers, creeks and lakes in the area with hydro-electric stations on almost every lake.

Gog Range

 

Our first stop was Railton where we found a great little butcher with the best dog bones ever. We also indulged in our first curried scallop pie at the local takeaway. Delicious! Then it was on to Sheffield and another stop at the local fruit and vegie shop (we had to restock as you can’t bring them over from the mainland).  We found a fantastic little camping area on Lake Gairdner near the little hamlet of Moina and once again John tried his hand at catching a trout. Again no luck but he did get some bites this time. And again another John came to our rescue. He caught them but didn’t eat them so we had trout for tea anyway. Yum!

Our camp on Lake Gairdner



Early morning mist over Lake Gairdner.



It was a short drive into Cradle Mountain National Park from Lake Gairdner and we got there nice and early in the morning. The free shuttle buses from the information centre which is outside the park take you into Dove Lake or you can drive in if you wish. We took the bus but could have driven as the car park at Dove Lake was almost empty. It did fill up by lunchtime though so I imagine it would be chockers at holiday time. The park people encourage you to take the buses as you can also hop on and off and do a number of different walks of varying distances along the road into the park.

There are also many walks which start at Dove Lake. You can go up onto the peaks if you are energetic and have lots of time but we decided to do the walk around the lake which is 6.5 kilometres. It is a lovely walk with some really scenic vistas across the lake and a variety of unusual flora. Most of the walk is on boardwalks but the last kilometre or so is fairly rough and hilly. It took us about 2.5 hours but we didn’t rush. There is a photo opportunity around every bend so it is great to dawdle and take it all in. As you can see we just couldn't help ourselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Cradle Mountain we went east and into the Mersey Valley to Lake Parangana where we found another lovely campsite beside the lake. This was a great spot to take in the Walls of Jerusalem. Our plan to walk into the western face was dashed when we discovered it was an 8 hour return trip. It was really interesting on the way to the track though to see a purpose-built slalom kayaking course set up beside a lovely little camp beside the river between Lake Rowallan and Lake Parangana.



We crossed the River Forth along the way.



 

The view from our van at Lake Parangana.

 

Mersey valley stream on the road to the Walls of Jerusalem track.

There was also a group of kids learning to abseil off a sheer rock right beside the road, so this area is certainly well used.

 

We also took the drive up to the Devil’s Gullet, a spectacular lookout which sits out over the cliffs which gives you a great view of the Walls of Jerusalem. The wind really howls through this gorge and it was really something standing there out over the edge of the gorge. It was pretty scary too.

 

 

Next day we continued east thinking we might stay somewhere else along the Tiers but we had probably been spoilt by the lakeside camping and decided to continue on to the Tamar area and visit Mitch.