We have just completed our second Targa, and like last year completed all the Targa stages successfully without any major mishaps thanks to Mals good, but certainly fast, driving. Oh… and of course the excellent navigator.

Like the Triumph Stag last year, our little Triumph TR8 did not let us down and performed well. We experienced many emotions including terror (on my part), excitement and anticipation on what would happen next. We travelled many parts of Tasmania with a fun loving, friendly group. 

We spent some time at the Botanical Gardens in Hobart a few days ago. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, which cover an area of approximately 14 hectares, were established in Hobart in 1818 and are located within the Queens Domain. They are very beautiful and peaceful. The Gardens hold historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating back to the nineteenth century. We finished the day having lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Maldini Italian Restaurant in Salamanca. Great food !!!!!

Last week we headed up to the Tasmanian highlands for a few days. Molly came with us for her first caravan trip and loved it. We had a beautiful time. Arthurs Lake and Great Lake are located on the Central Plateau of Tasmania, 1,034 metres above sea level. It is a popular trout fishing area. We look forward to returning in winter for the snow !!!!

Hi all….

It has certainly been a while since I have added to my blog. Even though the blog has been quiet, we certainly havn’t been, never seeming to have enough hours in the day !!!!

We have been continuing our work on our “bush block”, always finding something more to do to improve it.

I sadly lost my beautiful Dad in January. He passed away, after having an incredible life of 92 years, knowing he had achieved so much. His final goal was having his biography published just prior to passing away.

We have spent more time traveling and exploring Tassie, boating on the Derwent River and enjoying nights on the boat. I will let my photos show some of our movements. We especially enjoy staying over in the protective waters of Bruny Island .Bruny Island has a population of around 620 and is deceptively large, being about 100 km’s in length. Bruny is made up of a North and South Island which are separated by a narrow isthmus, “the neck”. North Bruny Island, drier than the south, is made up largely of open pastures and light bushland, whilst South Bruny is hilly, heavily timbered and includes large rainforest areas. At the far south of the Island is the Famous Cape Bruny Lighthouse overlooking some of the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere.

Last week we spent a very enjoyable four days on Bruny Island camping with our caravan on the beach.

Bruny Island is a small island off the south-east coast of Tasmania. It comprises North Bruny and South Bruny which are connected by a narrow isthmus known as the neck where we set up camp. 100 kilometres in length, Bruny Island is deceptively large with the same land mass as Singapore yet with only around 620 inhabitants (as opposed to Singapore’s 5.2 million!)

Access to Bruny Island is by vehicular ferry departing from Kettering, around a half hour drive south of Hobart and only one hour from home.

We certainly did not starve on Bruny !!! The island has attracted quite a number of unique artisans. We visited the Bruny Island Cheese Company twice (Nick from Gourmet Farmer fame), Bruny Island Winery twice, Bruny Island Smokehouse, Bruny Fudge Company and also Just Shucked Oysters which we enjoyed by our campfire that night.

A highlight of our visit was a four hour boat trip along the coast of Bruny with Bruny Island Cruises. Their open design boats, and excellence in maneuverability, allowed us to get up as close as possible to sea and coastal wildlife, cliff faces, sea-caves, and feel the joy of passing between the narrow gap between the coast and The Monument, a tall and slender sea stack. It was amazing.

PS: only 8 days until I leave for Italy, but who’s counting????

It has been a while since I have updated my blog, but things certainly have not been quiet on the home front !!

Since arriving home from our last caravan adventure around Tassie, we have been preparing for our upcoming 2 month trip to Italy and France. I leave on the 21st September, and Mal flies over to meet me on the 28th. We are certainly looking forward to the trip.

Recently I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica, but with medication, have got the severe pain under control, and now my main goal is to reduce the medication, which I am gradually succeeding in doing while controlling the pain. It was actually a relief to finally discover what the problem was !!!

Things are going well on our “bush block”, with much clearing being done prior to the summer months with the dangers of bushfires. Speaking of fires, we had a terrible experience 2 weeks ago when Kathy and Michael’s (son and daughter-in-law) home next door (about 1km away) burnt to the ground. I was in the garden at the time and could not believe the amount of black smoke coming from their direction. I have never run so fast in gum boots in my life!!! When I got there they had just escaped out of the home, Michael with burns and certainly less hair, and Kathy with major bruising and 3 fractures from jumping out of the upstairs window. The local police and fire brigades (all 7 fire trucks) were wonderful although there was little they could do to save the home. The main thing was that Michael and Kathy were safe, although we are all sad at losing one of the beloved cats, Mia, who was not so lucky. I think we are all cured from using electric blankets. It was an experience I hope we never have again !!

Last month I enjoyed a “one on one”, full day photography course with Andrew from Focus 10 Photography in Paddington Sydney. He flew down to Hobart and spent the day with me. My head was spinning by the end of the day. It was terrific and lots of fun. He gave me so much help. I just have to remember it all ??? At the end of the day, Andrew and I ended up at Maldini, one of my favourite spots down in Salamanca, where Mal met up with us.

Tomorrow, we are heading down to Bruny Island for 4 days camping with the caravan. Should be fun.

We are getting close to the end of our wonderful trip around Tasmania. We have found many spots we will go back to for a week or two, and many spots we have missed, to visit at a later date.

Yesterday, on our way down from the highlands, we visited Nant Distillery. Their “Liquid Gold” quality truly captures the essence of the unique Tasmanian highlands from which it was created. Nant Distillery produces Australia’s only Highland Single Malt Whisky on the historic Nant Estate (circa 1821) in the central highlands of Tasmania, near Bothwell.The whisky is made from 100% Tasmanian brewer’s barley and water sourced from the central highland lakes from the River Clyde. Whisky distilleries, like the popular cool climate wines produced in Tasmania, are becoming famous for their top quality. Lark is another excellent distillery based in Hobart which we enjoy.

We are spending a couple of days in Ross, one of Mal’s favourite little towns. Ross is a historic town in the Midlands of Tasmania. On the Macquarie River, Ross is located 78 km south of Launceston and 117 km north of Hobart. The town is listed on the Register of the National Estate and is noted for its historic bridge, original sandstone buildings and convict history. It is stunning. We have spent today walking the Ross Heritage trail, visiting the many heritage buildings. We even went shopping, and will now need to come back next week, as the church pew we bought will not fit in the car !!!! Mind you, we would love to buy the Church for sale in nearby Campbell Town, but commonsense prevails.

We have spent the last couple of days around Lake St Clair and the highland area. The world heritage Franklin Gordon National Park is stunning. We are very lucky to now have this area so close to home.

We visited Queenstown again after 10 years and it seems the vegetation has  recovered slightly since our last visit. The mountains surrounding Queenstown have unusual pink and grey hues that come from the conglomerate rocks on the two most adjacent mountains – Mount Lyell and Mount Owen. The mountains surrounding Queenstown are often snow-capped through winter. Snow falls a few days out of the year. Owing to a combination of tree removal for use in the smelters (Gold Mining), the smelter fumes (for about 40 years), and the heavy annual rainfall, the erosion of the shallow horizon topsoil back to the harder rock profile contributed to the stark state of the mountains for many decades.

We have had a mixture of weather, cool mornings, a little drizzle but mainly pleasant days. We visited a cute little town called Tarraleah built in the 1930’s as a Tasmanian Hydro town. We are getting closer to home ! Last night we spent a memorable night camped outside the Derwent Bridge Hotel at Lake St Clair. We enjoyed a delicious meal beside the huge open fire with some other fun guests and locals from nearby Ouse. A good night.

No need for words. I will let my pictures tell the story, although they don’t show the sheer beauty of Cradle Mountain as experienced in person.

We have spent a few days discovering the award-winning pinot noir, riesling and sparkling wines from the cool-climate vineyards of the Tamar Valley. We followed the Tamar Valley Wine Route northward from Launceston on both banks of the Tamar River and eastward to the vineyards of the Pipers River area. We took many a pause to taste the region’s acclaimed Tasmanian wines and sample the best of fresh local Tasmanian produce in the vineyard restaurants along the way and enjoyed the majestic views over the vineyards and across the Tamar River to the mountains beyond.

After leaving the Tamar Valley yesterday, we drove across the top of Tasmania, visiting Burnie and Penguin on the way, and arriving in Stanley for a few days stay. The countryside, like other states in Australia, varies so much from area to area. The paddocks are rolling green here, a huge contrast to the bush and beach area we enjoy at home.

We have had beautiful sunny days after very cool starts. Today is the first day we are experiencing some cooler winds so may take advantage of this and stay cosy in the van and catch up on some work…. earn a bit of money for a change !!!!

Just a quick post to show you our beautiful view on our way up the Tamar this morning taken at Windermere. The temperature was minus 1. We love everything about the frosts and the fogs, but always rug up including woolly gloves this morning. I am now the proud owner of many boots, gloves and beanies !!!! Mind you, it is now sunny and warmer. Mal is in a T.Shirt !

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We have been camped by the Esk River in Longford for a few days, just south of Launceston. The area is so pretty with the bare deciduous trees, green paddocks and amazing old stone homes everywhere. This morning we had our first frost for our trip, with the temperature  only 1 degrees. Tomorrow is minus 1 so should be interesting. Thank goodness we invested in the new diesel heater for the van, so have been very comfortable, but have to always remember to layer our clothes!! With the frosts, come stunning clear days, so it has been beautiful. Had a delicious lunch at the well known Josef Chromy Vineyard yesterday, after visiting the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania (Mal’s favourite).  We also, amongst many other things, visited the Design Tasmania Centre in Launceston. Murray, look up their website designtasmania.com.au. You would love it. All the stunning furniture is made in Tasmania from beautiful local timber… many of the pieces would look incredible in a home. I will have to start saving.

We left home last Monday in the caravan and after saying “go left or right?”, headed up the east coast stopping the first three nights on the beach at Chain of Lagoons just north of Bicheno. It is a beautiful area….the area where we fell in love with Tassie first. The green paddocks meet the ocean. We lit the campfire every night…. and yes we were warm. The beaches are full of shells, in areas at least 30cm deep. Rosie and Creed, I collected some to add to your collection near the swings, back at our bush block. Your shells are still spread out how you left them, although the possums do mess them up occasionally.

The next spot we camped was on the beach at the Bay of Fires east of St Helens. Incredibly clear blue water and very white sand. Today we visited the Pyengana Dairy Company who have been producing English-style cheddar cheese in the Pyengana Valley for three generations and over one-hundred years. We now have a frig of delicious cheeses including some more of the cheese you and Dennis bought us Di !! After that we headed to the Pub in the Paddock for lunch…. very average lunch but a beautiful valley.

In our last post, we mentioned our visit to the Cadbury Factory in Hobart. I now understand why Mal had such an attachment to the chocolates. There was a large photo of a man by the surname of Fry in the Gallery and I mentioned to Mal that maybe he was a relative of his (his Mum is a Fry). We forgot all about it then, until we were chatting to Mal’s Mum yesterday about Cadburys, and she mentioned that Mal’s Grandfather’s cousin started Fry’s Chocolates in Tassie which was later bought by Cadburys. Small world. Now Mal wants to revisit the factory as a descendant of the original owner….. any excuse.

We have been so busy the past couple of months, both exploring more of Tassie and working on our bush block.

We promised ourselves we would do as much in the first year on our improvements and that would be it. Overall we are sticking to this plan, as 12 months will be up living in Tassie on the 21st June. The only change to the home to be done in the future will be the addition of a wine cellar !

We head off in the caravan around Tasmania for a couple of months on the 5th June for June and July, then home again for August and part of September, before flying to Italy and France for 2 months. Between now and 5th June, I head over to Perth to babysit the grandkids, Rosie and Creed, while Bec and Steve head to Byron Bay for a wedding.

Mal has been busy helping Kathy and Michael, one of our sons and daughter-in-law, and also now our nearest neighbours (1 km away), with some home improvements. He enjoys helping out and seems to have great creative ideas for a draftsman !!!

Below are some pics taken over the past couple of months….

Today we had a most amazing trip given to Mal for his 60th birthday from our son Michael and partner Kathy.

We took an unforgettable tour, exploring the incredibly remote waterways and wilderness of Bathurst Harbour and the South West World Heritage Wilderness only accessible by plane or boat. No roads or cars !!! Our aircraft flew into this remote area via the South West Coast. Departing Cambridge airport, we made our way down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, over Bruny Island, past the mouth of the Huon River and on to Recherche Bay. Recherche Bay is located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania and was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux exhibition to find missing explorer La Perouse. It is named after the Recherche, one of the expedition’s ships.We entered the South West World Heritage Area at South East Cape, Tasmania’s most southern point, and made our way west, on to Melaleuca.

After landing at Melaleuca, we boarded one of their boats, for a boat trip on Melaleuca Inlet and into Bathurst Harbour, from where we were able to witness the wilderness from a viewpoint that you are unable to appreciate by air or by foot.

We then reboarded our aircraft, and returned to Cambridge Airport, via the spectacular Eastern Arthurs and Federation Peak, down the Huon Valley and over Hobart City. The plane flew through a bit of turbulence dropping about 10 meters (??) suddenly a number of times. I felt like I needed a nip of the Lark Whisky given to Mal from Bec and Steve for his birthday !!!!

The pilot even flew us right over our new home at Sandford.

It was incredible. Certainly an experience of a lifetime !!!!

Mal enjoyed his 60th birthday and a wonderful few days at a beautiful retreat near Cradle Mountain and the Western Tiers in north west Tasmania.

Eagle Nest Retreat was amazing. A luxury accommodation  getaway including massage and a private chef and inside and outside spas!!!! We experienced exquisite landscape and sensational mountain views from a stunning contemporary Retreat, which is close to Cradle Mountain’s pristine wilderness and was exclusively ours. Eagle Nest Retreat overlooks Mount Roland.

On the night of his birthday we were spoilt with a delicious meal cooked in our retreat by chef Nick Sallese. Nick trained locally as a qualified Pastry Chef and has worked at establishments such as the Myer Patisserie floor in Perth, Western Australia, the Golden Tulip Bakery and Patisserie in Sandy Bay, Tasmania and at Klaas Bakehouse in Devonport. Nick has a strong Italian heritage and his cooking reflect his Mediterranean roots. Nick has travelled to his family’s province of Tuscany to learn traditional family recipes and authentic Italian cooking techniques. Nick is also very interested in wine, beers and liqueurs and has started producing his own Limoncello (Italian Lemon Based Liquor ) to his father’s recipe which we really enjoyed to finish our meal.

We have had a wonderful week enjoying the “Taste Festival” a 7 day annual food and wine event in Hobart, and of course watching the yachts coming in for the Sydney to Hobart race. Mal has had a full does of boats (he is in his element) seeing the winner (Wild Oats XI) come in from the rocks just near our home at 6.30am, checking all the boats in Constitution Dock every day and even watching them come across Storm Bay from the comfort of our home !!!! We have loved it all.

We are now heading into a busy few weeks with all the kids, Michael, Rebecca, Guy and Murray, visiting at some stage with partners and grand kids, Rosie and Creed. Murray and Showte are here with us at the moment.

l