Sonja & Ian's Excellent Travel Adventure - week 4

Back on the mainland, after a very smooth and uneventful crossing on ‘The Spirit’ we decide our first stop to be Rutherglen, reportedly Australia’s oldest wine growing region, which it is located near the banks of the Murray River. Entering the town I am amused by a large sign that reads: “Sydney may have a nice harbour but Rutherglen has a great port”.

We settle into a Caravan Park that’s in the middle of town, right behind a row of shops.  It’s a very pleasant, unpretentious park on the shores of a gorgeous man-made lake, which apart from being home to a charming family of ducks, also contains fish. As Ian has been hanging out to do a spot of fishing he is very excited by this discovery and is ‘tickled pink’ when he catches his very first couple of Yellow Belly (also known as Golden Perch).

 

Since we arrive quite early at Rutherglen we decide to make the best of this glorious 26 degree day by riding our bikes along a former railway track – now a dead-straight 20 km bike trail. Along that stretch all we see is green farmland (yes, green!! ….well, it was covered by floodwaters not too long ago!), a few contentedly grazing cows, the odd dirt trail veering off into the distance and, most notably, one large brown snake blissfully snoozing in the middle of the bike track. Clearly annoyed by the rude awakening it gives us ‘the evil eye’ before grumpily slithering off into the bushes.

Having set out with the intention of testing some of the local wines today we are pleased to discover a sign that promises wine and olive tasting ‘just over the hill’ which is (invitingly) called “The Wicked Virgin”. How could we resist? … and what a great choice! “The Wicked Virgin” turns out to be a quaint café set in the midst of serene gardens overlooking lush olive groves. After tasting their delectable wares we spend a most enjoyable hour devouring a delicious cheese platter and slurping the best wine we’ve tasted on our journey thus far. After this enjoyable detour we ‘roll’ home feeling positively ‘porkefied’ and end the day, as Ian would say, tired but happy.

The next morning we set off towards Gundagai. In keeping with a habit we’ve developed throughout this trip we stop mid-way for a hot chocolate/tea/chai latte or cappuccino. Rarely content with a mere drink, however, we often find ourselves ‘falling’ for some other indulgence as well. This could be a Devonshire Tea, a yummy cake, delicious chocolate or some other irresistible delicacy. On this occasion, despite my best intentions, I weaken, yet again, and gobble with glee a cake of some wicked description. Mouth still filled with gooey cake I bemoan the fact that my willpower has, once again, deserted me. Ian (master of astute observations) comments that withstanding temptations has absolutely nothing to do with willpower. “Oh”, I query somewhat bemused, “is that so??” “Yes”, he says full of conviction, “forget Willpower, it’s the Won’t Power you are lacking”. Well, he does have a point. I could have said “No, I won’t have that piece of cake”. I swear Won’t Power must decrease in direct correlation to increasing age … at least that my story and I am sticking to it.

Our next stop is Gundagai – apparently best known for the statue of a dog sitting on a tuckerbox - which no doubt has some historic meaning. The landscape around this Murrumbidgee River region is absolutely delightful and as Ian comments time and again, is lusher and greener than anything he has ever seen in this or any other Australian country region before. I guess there has to be some benefit to having been flooded. I am totally charmed by the scenery and, for some reason, find myself magnetically drawn to the rolling hills that surround this historic township. Whilst Ian drops a line into the local river hoping to repeat yesterday’s exercise of angling a fish or two, I give in to my inexplicable urge and soon leap about the hillside like a demented mountain goat, wondering what the blazes I am doing up there. Well, I am not sure what motivated me but thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Tomorrow we’ll move on to Canberra, which will be our last stop before heading home. 

Sonja & Ian's Excellent Travel Adventure - week 3

After leaving Port Arthur we travel to Bicheno, a fishing port and beach resort on Tasmania’s spectacular East Coast. .As the weather is still rather cool and wet and Ian’s body continues to be on its worst behavior, there is really not a great deal for us to do. Since we also have no Internet or TV reception in this place, we decide (or better said I allow myself to be talked into) another game of Scrabble. Still smarting from my recent defeat I am determined to do better this time. I must report that whilst I didn’t win the game, I only lost by the ‘length of a nose’ – some 4 points – which, although still frustrating, isn’t quite as devastating as the other night’s defeat.

The next morning we head off to St Helens, apparently the largest town on the north-east coast of Tasmania as well as being Tassie’s game fishing capital, where we are due to meet up with our friend Sandra who is accompanying her friend (+ child) on a little holiday. We spend some hours together and are enjoying each other’s company whilst lunching on local delicacies.  

The next day we travel on to Bridport – a destination that Ian has been very much looking forward to reaching as it happens to be home to two of the world’s top link golf courses - ‘Barnbougle Dunes’ and ‘Barnbougle Lost Farm’. As Ian is simply champing at the bit to see these legendary courses with his own two eyes, we pay them a visit just as soon as we’ve set up the Beast. The Caravan Park is located at the most spectacular spot right at the ocean’s edge. What a shame that it isn’t warmer – this would a great swimming spot. 

 

As it is, the temperature records a pleasant 19 degrees, the persistent wind, however, makes it feel a fair bit cooler than that. As soon as Ian lays eyes on the golf course he is ‘a goner’ wafting in 7^th heaven and for the next two days (playing both courses) he is as happy as a ‘pig in mud’. To describe the courses adequately I’m borrowing from a golfing website. It states:

"At Barnbougle golf is an experience that strikes all the senses. With the sun on your back, the wind in your hair, the whiff of sea salt and the roar of the ocean you'll be captivated by all that Mother Nature has to offer. The course presents itself in a new dimension each day providing exciting, challenging golf."

Needless to say, our time at Bridport was a great success and as we are slowly wending our way back to where our Tassie journey began 3 weeks earlier and where we are due to board The Spirit of Tasmania for our return to the mainland – Davenport - we both agree that we’ve had an awesome time in Tasmania.  

Sonja & Ian's Excellent Travel Adventure - Port Arthur

Today we awake to a cold and wet morning, but given the fact that we’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather thus far, we really mustn’t complain. As we head off to Port Arthur the sun succeeds in breaking through the clouds, and by the time we set foot on the historic site, the sky is blue.

As we are keen to learn more about the historic significance of Port Arthur we decide to join a the 40 minute introductory walking tour. Both Ian and I are amazed at the size of this magnificent settlement, which contains more than 30 buildings. The grounds are stunning, the gardens lovely. Port Arthur’s history, of course, is gruesome. It was the destination between the year 1833 and 1853 for those British and Irish convicts who were caught reoffending after their arrival in Australia. Port Arthur, apparently, had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system and was one of the first to appropriate the more ‘modern’ way of prisoner reform – a shift from physical to psychological punishment. Misbehaving convicts were moved to the “Separate Prison”, where they were locked into isolation cells, not permitted to speak or be spoken to for the duration of their imprisonment, which frequently was many years They were confined to these cells for 23 hours/day only to reemerge from this treatment as mentally ill. A harsh punishment, indeed! After hearing the life-stories of some of the convicts I find it difficult to stop wondering what their Port Arthur experience must have been like for these poor, unfortunate men.

 

As part of our Port Arthur educational tour we also take the 20-minute Harbour Cruise which passes the dockyard, the ‘Isle of the Dead’ and the Point Puer Boys’ Prison – where children prisoners from age 9 had been housed and, apparently, were given an opportunity for basic education and/or to learn a trade.

 By this time it is absolutely freezing, Ian’s back is ‘giving him curry’, and the rain has returned. We are more than ready to head for home.

Back at the van we are, yet again, enormously grateful for our reverse cycle airconditioning and, thanks to our electric blanket we are soon able to snuggle into our warm and cozy bed. As we do so I again wonder how those poor creatures at Port Arthur managed to survive the bitter cold. 

Sonja & Ian's Excellent Travel Adventure - end of week 2

Today we head for Lake St Clair which, apparently, is the deepest lake in Australia and lies at the southern end of Cradle Mountain. We’ve already been warned that stretches of the road between Strahan and Lake St Clair would be very narrow, curvy and rather challenging. No kidding - the street just beyond Queenstown is something to behold! Bare rockface rises on our left, sheer cliffs drops off on our right as Ian navigates the most hair-raising hairpin bends on which all one can do is hope to God that there is no traffic heading towards us. Again I take my hat off to my man’s driving expertise and admire his nerves of steel. Although I am captivated by the extraordinary  landscape (orange mountains completely denuded of any life by Queenstown's long history of mining) I manage to chew my knuckles raw.

Lake  St Clair clearly is a brilliant place for hiking enthusiasts. With Ian’s body as badly behaved, however, as it is at the moment we unfortunately cannot take advantage of this. We settle on taking a trip on the lake but call it a day soon after our return.

No hiking, no internet, no phone reception, no TV – what to do?? We decide to do something we haven’t done in 30 years - we play Scrabble. It only takes one game for me to remember why we haven’t played this game in such a long time. Ian absolutely slaughters me and wins the game (dare I confess?) by some 100 points. Oh, the shame of it all! Thank God we aren’t that isolated in all the places in which we overnight. I’d be forced to do him a dreadful injury before crawling into a hole, never to reappear again.

The following day I am really quite keen to get back to civilization and am very happy to head towards Hobart. When I first laid eyes on Tasmania’s capital city about a year ago I immediately fell in love with it. Charmed by its fishing town appeal, its historic buildings and its tourist hustle and bustle I am rearing to go. Ian’s body still isn’t cooperating, however, and although we manage to take a walk along the waterfront, we don’t get very far until it becomes obvious that Ian needs to be horizontal a.s.a.p. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!
 

When tomorrow turns into today we head back into Hobart. We’re booked on a 3 hour cruise to a place called Peppermint Bay. It’s a glorious day, sunny and hot – 27 degrees – a temperature that, according to one of our guides, is unheard of in Hobart at this time of year. The cruise is fabulous – comfortable, interesting, educational and topped off with a marvelous luncheon experience as we arrive at Peppermint Bay. We thoroughly enjoy the day and cannot recommend this cruise highly enough.


The following day is Saturday. Salamanca Markets, here we come!! Today, in stark contrast to yesterday, it’s a rather nippy 16 degrees. We enjoy it all the same. We join the throng and do our bit for the Tasmanian economy. As Ian’s body still isn’t particularly cooperative we decide to take a city tour on a hop-on, hop-off bus, which gives a great overview of this rather lovely city but as far as I am concerned we’ve barely scratched the surface of getting to know Tasmania’s capital. I am sad to leave this place without adequate time to explore its multitudes of treasures and delights. Ian, however, no doubt due to his misbehaving body, is more than ready to head for home, so off we go…..