TASMANIA 11 - THE NORTH COAST

If we were asked what part of Tasmania we liked the best we would undoubtedly say the north coast. We arrived at Montague Park on New Year’s Eve and were fortunate enough to jag a campsite right beside the water. Although some people said we would be sorry if the easterlies came in we parked the van so that the awning side was sheltered and we had beautiful views through the windows. Sitting down at mealtimes looking out over Duck Bay was fantastic.

 

 

We probably also loved the place because, even without the tinny, we could still catch a feed of fish and abalone. John jumped into his wetsuit on day 2 and within half an hour had eight lovely green lipped abalone. With directions as to how to prepare them and a taste of some cooked in lemon pepper from some hospitable locals, we managed to have a beautiful meal that night.



The sea birds at Montague are well fed and always appear when someone is cleaning their catch.

There are plenty of nice walking tracks through the bush with access to the shoreline so Leo really enjoyed his morning and afternoon walks. He still hasn’t managed to catch any wabbits though and the pademelons are much too tricky for him and judging by the one we saw at The Nut in Stanley he could get more than he bargained for anyway.

Check out the pecs on this pademelon at The Nut in Stanley.

We took a drive down to Stanley while at Montague and visited Highfield, an historic old house which sits on a hill overlooking Godfrey’s Beach and the town of Stanley. The house is slowly being restored and lots of information is provided about its history. It was built in by Edward Curr, chief agent for the Van Diemen’s Land Company and he lived there with his wife and 15 children, overseeing large land holdings throughout the north-west.

I asked John to take my knickers off the mangle before he took the photo! Says he forgot.

Quite a view!

Since we had to return to Hobart to have some work done on the air-conditioner in the van, we decided to take a few days and explore the rest of the north coast on the way. At Stanley, we spent a night at a free camp below the cliffs of the Nut out at the boat harbour. The owner of the wooden boat and fishing tackle shop also owns the land and is happy for travellers to camp there free of charge. He even provides a toilet for them. The jetty is obviously a very popular fishing spot both with tourists and locals. We are told the fishing there is very good but nobody was catching much while we were there. We did see one guy catching some squid though but our attempts at squidding were unsuccessful.

The Nut as you drive into Stanley domintes the landscape.

Looking from Highfield across Godfrey's Beach to The Nut and Stanley.

Our camp below The Nut.

Before leaving Stanley, I was determined to walk up the Nut which proved quite an effort as the track is very steep. I made it though. Most people seemed to be taking the chair lift and then doing the ½ klm walk around the top where you can see where thousands of mutton birds, (short-tailed shearwaters) were in the middle of their nesting season in burrows amongst the thistles and bracken fern. The views from the top of the Nut are also well worth the walk.

Highfield from The Nut.

Mutton bird nest on The Nut.

Looking down to the jetties and free camping area.

This lovely little grove is on top of The Nut.

The easy way up.

We also had fish and chips at the local fish shop. Next door you can see live crayfish, gummy sharks and stripey trumpeter in tanks, ready for sale. Make sure you have plenty of money though if you are planning on trying the crayfish. They aren’t cheap at $70 to $80 per kilo, live. While waiting for our fish and chips, we strolled up the street to the childhood home of Sir Joseph Lyons, Tasmania’s only Prime Minister of Australia – so far. It has been maintained in its original state and the volunteers who man it were really friendly and helpful.

After Stanley, we drove east and checked out two coastal camps at Black River and Peggs Beach. Both are nice although Black River is very spread out and most of the campsites seemed small and not level. We found Peggs Beach pleasant with easy access to a nice beach so we spent a night there before continuing on to Boat Harbour Beach. This is a beautiful spot. The beach is pure white, squeaky sand and the day we arrived was really hot so I actually had a swim. The water was cold but really invigorating. I think if we were going to live in Tassie, this is the spot we would pick. There is a great free camp just behind the beach overlooking a rocky bay and there were toilets and cold showers handy.

On our way to our next stop at Penguin, we drove in for a look at Rocky Cape and Table Cape. The views from Table Cape were specky. We also noticed very large paddocks full of Thai lillies of all colours. They must look beautiful when they are in flower. Ang again we encountered acres and acres of poppies and hay stacks.

Looking back from Table Cape to Boat Harbour Beach.

Looking east from Table Cape.

The poppies will soon be ready or harvest.

 

We didn't go right into Penguin, but stopped at a lovely spot beside the surf club about 6 klms to the west of the town. There were plenty of other campers there and we had a lovely evening chatting to some of them.

The beach from our camp at Penguin.

From Penguin we drove south to a lovely little bush camp called Pioneer Park at Riana. This is a lovely little park and we were lucky enough to jag one of only a few powered sites. The cost is mimimal and there are hot showers at $1 for 5 minutes. We found this spot really peaceful and would have stayed longer except that the fire at Montumana was still burning, sending smoke over us and the weather was still very hot. Instead of taking a full day to explore the Gunns Plains area and perhaps spending a night or two in there we decided to take a drive out there. It is a lovely area. As you drive down you can see a wide vista of plains adjacent to the Leven River.

Gunns Plains

 

There is a nice camp beside the river at Wings Wildlife Park but dogs aren’t allowed. We did see a pleasant little roadside park beside the river about halfway between Wings and the Caves reserve which was obviously popular as there were several vans there. Again, because of the fire warnings we didn’t get to explore Leven Canyon either. Maybe next time.

The campsite at Ulverstone was difficult to find at first. Make sure you turn right across the bridge if you are coming in from the west. The original site was past the rowing club but due to construction of a new rail bridge, it is blocked off. However, there is a really pleasant, grassy spot adjacent to the rowing club where it is apparently OK to stay overnight. It is right beside the river and is an easy walk into the main town area, via a fantastic park area. There is a walking path which follows the river past a new wharf precinct and through several memorial parks dedicated mainly to various Australian Navy ships, battles etc. We thoroughly enjoyed our walks here.

 

We were now starting to head toward Hobart again to get some work done on the van so we took advantage of our proximity to Devonport to catch up on some banking etc. We also visited the weaving mills where you can usually pick up some bargains if you need towels, linen etc. They manufacture for Dickies and several other well-known manchester companies. I had also been told by another traveller about a shop in Latrobe which is a must see. It is called Reliquaire and is in the main street. It really is quite extraordinary. Even John enjoyed exploring all the rooms full of dolls, teddy bears, toys, costumes and an amazing range of antique house fittings such as door knobs, hinges etc. We especially liked the Dr Who room and the “spooky” section. Of course I loved the dolls. Most are collectors’ dolls and bears, some worth thousands of dollars. Obviously an indulgence but still beautiful. I did manage to find a reasonably priced but beautiful fairy doll for my darling granddaughter though. Take a look at their virtual tour. This shop is amazing.

http://www.reliquaire.com/

From Latrobe we drove out to Port Sorell, hoping to find a nice camping spot and some oysters. We were somewhat disappointed on both counts. All of the campgrounds were cramped and crowded and the oysters were loose and sitting in mud so difficult to open. We collected enough for a meal though and opted to continue south through Deloraine and on to Bracknell where we found a really pleasant little camp spot beside the Liffey River.

Since we hadn’t yet seen the lakes of the central plateau we travelled south through Poatina so that we could take a look at the camp sites on Arthurs Lake on the way. The camp at Jonah Bay is OK but there seem to be a lot of locals with shacks there and there are lots of trees, so if you have a big rig or need sunlight it’s not so good. We thought Pumphouse Bay was much nicer and there is easy boat access. Again, there was a bushfire in the region near Interlaken, so we didn’t stay. Instead we went through to Kempton so we could just drive into Hobart in the morning. There is a handy little travellers’ stop in Kempton where there is easy access to power for a donation only. You can also access showers and toilets if you want to pay a bond for a key from the council offices. Kempton itself has some very old and interesting buildings which made our walks with Leo more enjoyable.

The road up the middle of Tassie passes through lots of picturesque, rolling valleys.

After Hobart it was back up north via the Longford area where we visited Brickendon, a World Heritage Listed farm which has been occupied by the Archer family since the 1820’s. The convict area is freely accessible and the buildings of some interest.

The pillar granary is built on concrete stumps to keep out the bugs etc.

Inside the granary.

The cookhouse

There are still lots of farm animals around.

???????? Someone's creative efforts gone wrong?

Unfortunately, the main house is still occupied by the family but you can stroll around the gardens and get a sense of what is must have been like in earlier days. You can also walk to Woolmers, another historic estate, from the convict area at Brickendon if you fancy a longer stroll.

The gardens are still beautiful.

This bunya pine was quite impressive.

We saw lots of fancy shoe scrapers at the old houses around Tassie.

Travelling westward again, we were disappointed with the camp stop at Bishopsbourne so we spent another night at Bracknell before continuing on to Ulverstone, via Reliquaire at Latrobe – again – then back to our favourite spot at Montague Park, where we had great fun catching mullet with fresh chicken – never thought it possible – and of course John was back into the diving for more abalone. The people here are so friendly and generous. We have also been given a huge squid which was absolutely delicious marinated in garlic, ginger and chilli. Another treat were the whitebait patties which were also given to us by a generous Smithton resident who was spending a few days at Montague. They were delicious! We had some lovely times including some very friendly get-togethers with other campers.

 

Half an hour and a handful of chicken breast resulted in a nice feed of mullet.

While at Montague we also met a couple who were here for the big muster of wagu beef cattle off Robbins Island. The cows and their calves are driven across Robbins Crossing, a very shallow area which almost dries out at low tide. They are then driven several kilometres along the beach to the property just behind Montague Park, where the weaners are separated from their mothers for fattening and then the cows are returned to the island via the same route. The day I went up to the crossing to have a look there were over 700 head in the herd so it was quite a sight and a real novelty as well. We could also clearly hear the weaners for the next few days calling for their mums. Apparently they take the cattle off in several lots and it can take them two or three tries if the cattle decide they don’t want to co-operate.

Part of the muster at Robbins Crossing.

The weather was very kind to us most of the time we were at Montague. We did however encounter the dreaded easterlies, which made our beachside camp a bit blustery – the van was rocking all night the wind was so strong. You can’t expect things to go your way all the time! Anyway, our two weeks at Montague were fantastic and we would definitely spend most of our time here if we come back to Tassie. Hopefully, Buster, the camp caretaker will still be here. He does a fantastic job and is very helpful and friendly.

Maca and John were pretty happy with these King George whiting.

John and I caught these wrasse one morning. They are plentiul around here but the locals don't like the. They call them "shit fish" but we were happy to eat them. They are definitey better eating than the salmon.

 

 

TASMANIA 10 - THE NORTH-WEST

Having left Queenstown mid-afternoon we decided to travel just up the road to Zeehan and stay at the caravan park which was nothing flash but pleasant enough. The weather was damp and cold so we decided to take a look at Zeehan before we continued on next morning. There are some lovely old buildings in Zeehan but few shops.

However, we found the locals to be really friendly and helpful. There is a little gem shop in the main street and the owner gave us lots of information about the local area including Trial Harbour. The road out there is OK until you are almost there. The last corner is so sharp I doubt we would get the van around it so we were glad that we had been advised to just drive out to take a look. There isn’t really anywhere to camp anyway so it was a good move. It is worth a visit as the coastline is quite spectacular and there is a lovely little museum there. Why they call it a harbour though I’ll never know. Apparently this was the original landing place for the early explorers until they discovered Macquarie Harbour.

Trial Harbour

Whale's Head

The landscape into Trial Harbour is really interesting.

After returning to Zeehan we packed up the van and headed out to Granville Harbour where we found a lovely campsite overlooking the bay on the northern side of the town. Again there are no shops or anything - just lots of fishing huts and several new houses. Apparently a block of land can cost well over $90 000 here. Honestly, I can’t see why anyone would want to live there permanently. It was windy and cold enough while we were there and it was late December. Obviously the crayfish and abalone are plentiful.

Our camp at Granville Harbour

On a nice day the scenery at Granville is fantastic.

And the sunsets stunning!

There is a 4WD track right up the coast from Granville Harbour to the mouth of the Pieman River and it was well used by both the locals on their quad bikes and others coming in to camp all along the coast. The drive along the track is quite interesting, with lots of inlets and bays. We did quite a bit of exploring and saw small abalone in the rock pools so John took a quick dive but didn’t find anything. It was so cold he couldn’t stay in for long and of course the more accessible places would be picked over pretty well. We also saw plenty of cray pot buoys scattered along the bays.

One of the many sheltered bays north of Granville. Note the road, top centre.

Most of the coastline is rocky and inhospitable.

The cattle here have excellent sea views. This is the hill about 2 klms back that you went to for mobile coverage.

After a few days at Granville Harbour we decided to move on as the weather hadn’t improved and we had seen all we could. We had planned to drive from here up to the Pieman River and take the ferry across to Corinna but they couldn’t take anything over 9 metres so we decided to go across Reece Dam to the little town of Tullah. We met a lovely local bloke half-way across the dam wall and again he told us lots of info about the area.

Reece Dam. The campground is at top right.



Looking downstream from Reece Dam.

There is quite a nice camping spot on the eastern side of the dam, but we decided to keep going. At Tullah, we discovered that the caravan park which was signposted never actually eventuated. It looked like there had been great plans for a little village with shops etc but then the money ran out and most was never done. There are a few shops but it looked like the place was far from thriving. I think only the mine in Rosebery provides some income from rentals for mine workers.

Eventually we ended up at Lake Mackintosh, north-east of Tullah. Again we found a lovely campsite and also met some more travellers to enjoy a drink and a chat with of an afternoon. The best camp is down the track which veers left as you approach the boat ramp but we went to the old boat ramp first and settled in there.

Mackintosh Dam

Sunrise

Mackintosh Dam, like Reece and many others in Tassie are also part of the hydro-electric scheme.

We took a drive into Rosebery while we were close and also did the walk into Montezuma Falls which starts just south of there. Little did we realise that it was a 10 klm round trip. It took about 3 hours and we were pretty buggered by the time we got back to the car. It was worth it though as the falls are quite spectacular and the walk covers some lovely terrain. The suspension bridge at the falls themselves is also quite impressive but a little unnerving if you aren’t fond of heights. The walk actually follows the route of the tramline which was used by the miners in Williamsford to transport their ore down to Zeehan. You actually drive through the area where Williamsford once was but there is little left there now but a couple of little shelters and an informative plaque about the history of the place. On the way back into Rosebery we could also see the remains of the flying fox setup which was also used to transport the ore from Williamsford into Rosebery. Some of the towers are still standing with wheels and cables intact.

The track to Montezuma Falls had plenty of beautiful spots.

The remains of the old rail bridge.

This little tunnel ran off to the side of the track.

The base of the falls.

Montezuma Falls

The diversity of fungi down here is amazing.

The next day was Christmas Eve so we wanted to be somewhere where we would have mobile phone coverage on Christmas Day. Waratah was the next town on our route so we drove up there, planning to stay at the little campsite behind their council chambers. It is right beside a lovely lake and has good facilities. However, we met a couple who we’d seen in Strahan and they had just come back from Hellyer Gorge out on the edge of The Tarkine, one of Tassies famous wilderness areas. They said it was lovely and since the camps book said it had mobile coverage we decided to go up there instead. It is about 25 klms north of Waratah so it wasn’t far to come back on our way down to Corinna.

Hellyer Gorge

As you might imagine we were not impressed when we discovered that contrary to what the Camps 6 book says, there was no mobile coverage at Hellyer Gorge. Although the Gorge itself is very pretty, camping space there is pretty limited. Fortunately, I had noticed that we had mobile coverage about 10 klms back so we drove back to a lovely spot beside some huge pine trees at the entrance to a blue gum plantation. There were old logs everywhere so John got out the chain saw and axe and filled up all our firewood bags. We were really happy to be able to ring everyone on Christmas morning despite the remoteness of the spot.

Our Christmas Eve camp.

On Christmas Day, we thought it might be nice to go to the pub in Waratah and have lunch before continuing down to Corinna on the Pieman River. Unfortunately, the pub was closed so we had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches beside the lake, topped up our water tanks and headed off.

This waterfall is right in the middle of the town of Waratah.

When we got to Corinna we discovered that the bush campsites which some people use were very small and since we couldn’t stay at Corinna itself because of Leo, we decided to keep going up the C249 to the top end of the Arthur-Pieman Conservation area. We were a bit disappointed as we were quite keen to put the tinny in and go for a run down to the mouth of the Pieman River.

There are some very steep hills on the C249 and although the worst are bitumened, we still had to go into low range  to get up a few of them. The going on this road is slow and while there were a few points of interest like the mine camps, it is generally pretty bleak countryside with little to see. I don’t think I would bother doing it again and we were thinking that perhaps we might have been better off looking for a camp on the south side of the river adjacent to Corinna and putting the tinny in there. Maybe next time! Anyway we arrived on the coast and at Couta Rocks and took a left turn down to take a look at Temma. This turned out to be a little fishing village with quite a small sheltered harbour where the cray boats take shelter. They have even built long slips over the rocks which they can haul their boats onto for when the weather turns really bad and for maintenance etc.

Camping is not allowed along any of the coast in this area now until you get just south of Arthur River itself at Prickly Wattles Campground. The only people allowed at Nelson Bay and Couta Rocks are locals who have permanent huts. There are plenty of options near Arthur River though and we decided that Manuka suited us best as there is plenty of room and the toilet blocks are plentiful. You have to have your own fire drum though if you want a fire. We managed to “find” one and we were glad to be able to have a fire as the evenings could be quite cool.

On our first morning here, we went out to “The Edge of the World”, a lookout on the south side of the river mouth. There were two guys pulling in heaps of cocky salmon(small salmon) off the rocks there so we decided we’d go down and try ourselves.



The "lucky" fishermen at the End of the World, Arthur River. We threw lures from the exact same spot and got nothing.

We went there three times, threw hundreds of lures and caught NOTHING. The local shopkeeper informed us that they were either not there, or there in abundance and it was anybody’s guess when to try. Anyway, the day we put the tinny in was warm and sunny and we went right up the river to the junction of the Arthur and Frankland Rivers. We did have a bit of a troll for some trout but again no luck. We aren’t destined to get amongst the fishies over here. The boat ride was pleasant though and I did manage to catch one small salmon in the mouth when we got back. Sent him back to his mummy though. Again, some friendly locals took pity on us at the boat ramp and gave us a feed of cocky salmon which were lovely.

The Arthur River

You MUST have life-jackets on here even in the creeks.

This lovely old boat does tourist cruises up the river.

Looking across to Arthur River township from the mouth.

While at Arthur River we decided to take a drive up to Marrawah, and check out the campsite at Green Point. We had been told it was a great spot but it is really only  a bitumen carpark with some grass around it and was pretty crowded. The beach nearby is very nice and obviously popular with local surfers but there isn’t much else around there so we thought we might skip it and go further north next day. We were really happy that we made that decision as we ended up on the north coast at Montagu Park, 20 klms north-west of Smithton.