Launceston to Trans-Tasman Ferry

To avoid any confusion, I should perhaps mention that we are indeed back in England but are only now catching up with the remaining part of our journey, still with many photos to process and more words to write.

We took Tilly to the airport so that she could return to work (poor thing!) and then headed up the Tamar Valley, as our hosts for the next few days, Alan & Barbara, were not available until the afternoon. I can’t remember what Al had been up to but Barb was volunteering at Clarendon House, of which more later.

The Tamar Valley area, in particular, was very like British countryside, even down to the birds - and the fine weather! On the way down the river, we detoured off the main road to visit Windermere which was very pretty and while not like the English town of the same name, had its own charm with lovely views over the river. Even the church was very English, compared with many we have seen, built of bluestone in 1842 following a promise made by a Dr Matthius Gaunt to his wife, before they left England, that he would build a church if they did not find one where they were to live. With its equally ancient graveyard sloping down towards the Tamar it is one of the prettiest churches we have seen.

St Matthias's Church

Sailing boat on calm Tamar River

We ducked off the main road again to see the Batman Bridge over the Tamar and then continued to our target of George Town where we treated ourselves to coffee and cake at the Bass & Flinders Museum.

Batman Bridge over the Tamar River

George Bass was a British naval surgeon and he came to Australia accompanied by, among others, Bennelong and Matthew Flinders. The museum houses beautiful replicas of the Tom Thumb (an open dinghy), the sloop Norfolk and the whaleboat, Elizabeth. Matthew Flinders and George Bass were two of the earlier British explorers and Flinders had brought the Tom Thumb out with him. He and Bass explored Botany Bay and the Georges River but then had a second Tom Thumb built, with a sail, which enabled them to explore further. They were both sure that there was a strait between Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and the mainland and persuaded Governor Hunter to place the Norfolk at their disposal. They proceeded to demonstrate the existence of a strait and completed the first known circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land. The strait was named after George Bass who left Australia in 1803 and disappeared, with his ship, while voyaging to the South Seas. Flinders returned to England but returned for further voyages of exploration.

After a short stay in Goerge Town we carried on north to Low Head where there is a magnificent lighthouse and many buildings remaining from when pilots were stationed there. This is a very attractive, interesting and well-kept area.

Lighthouse at Low Head

White-faced heron at Low Head

Old buoy at Low Head

Nautical artefacts and pilot's buildings at Low Head

On our way back down, we stopped at Mount George which provided sweeping views over the Tamar estuary, before continuing to Longford and our hosts, Al & Barb.

Panoramic view over Tamar fom Mt George

Al took us for a drive up to the Western and Central Tiers and the Central Highlands with its many lakes, very good for fly-fishing. Alan is very involved with the fly-fishing fraternity of the area. We came down to the lovely town of Deloraine where we had a picnic lunch by the river.

View in the Central Highlands to the Tiers

Open seed pods in the Central Highlands

View over Great Lake in the Central Highlands

View across the Tiers

Weathered bluff in the Tiers beside the road

Colourful seedheads on shrub in the Central Highlands

Deloraine Hotel

Street furniture in Deloraine

Another day we all went to Franklin House, a fascinating National Trust property in Youngtown with a very interesting garden. We lunched in the lovely village/suburb of Evandale before Barb took us on a tour of Clarendon House (another National Trust property), where she volunteers, and then Al took us into an outbuilding behind the house where he curates the Australian Fly Fishing Museum. Both the house and the museum were again very interesting. On our way back, we stopped to look at the gorge on the Lower Esk - not as big as some we have seen but quite impressive nonetheless.

Franklin House

Part of Franklin House gardens

Our lunch stop at Evandale

Gorge on the Lower Esk River

Barb, Al and Judith by Lower Esk river - I make no comment on the sign!

After leaving Al & Barb, we headed for the Tamar Island Wetlands Centre. As our end destination was Devonport and we had other calls to make on the way, we only had time for a walk on the boardwalk to the first island where we saw several swamp wallabies although none posed nicely for a photo! Not surprisingly, we saw several birds, some in great numbers (waterfowl - we think probably mainly black ducks).

Paperbark swamp

White-faced heron

We then drove westwards and stopped at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe - what a disappointment! The service was slow, the food was indifferent and the staff were some the most 'unsmily' we have come across in out travels. We had a look at the Ashgrove Cheesery but it was rather expensive and we didn't really need any more at that stage. From there, we still headed west, through Mole Creek to Marakoopa Cave which I had hoped to go down but we arrived too late for a tour that would finish in time for us to complete our journey so instead we headed north towards Sheffield.

Field of poppy seedheads

Ashgrove Cheese building

One of several colourful cows at Ashgrove Cheese

A combat cow (?!) at Ashgrove Cheese

Anotherl colourful cow at Ashgrove Cheese

Just before the aptly named Paradise, we stopped at a picnic spot where the forest ended. A creek ran through and there was a bend a short distance from the picnic table. The first time I walked round the bend, I saw strong-billed honeyeaters, the next time a satin flycatcher and the last time black-headed honeyeaters and blue wrens! All except the wrens were new to us, so a lovely spot.

Lovely picnic site near Paradise

Tall grasses at picnic site

Finally we reached Sheffield and found the murals over many, if not most, of the town buildings were even more numerous, colourful and interesting than we had expected. A lovely last stop before driving on to Devonport and boarding our ferry away to the mainland.

Last view of the Tasmanian Highlands, near Sheffield

One of the murals

Shanty with dreams of the future?

Sweet shop mural

Mountain cabin interior mural

Mural commemorating Dr Leslie Sender

Whimsical signpost in Sheffield

Thanks Tassie for a delightful few weeks!

One last view of Tassie

Now off to Melbourne for a few days.