Trip to Tasmania - Diary Notes

This holiday to Tasmania went from Brisbane then back via Adelaide and ‘Ayres Rock’ (now known as Uluru). On this trip we took a Holden Berlina and stayed in Motels, B&B’s and Hotels which is a bit different for us as we normally take the caravan.

We left Brisbane on the 9th March at lunchtime and stayed at Goondiwindi the first night. On the 10th we went to Dubbo, called in to see the Jail and then went to the Western Plains Zoo. This was fantastic. To be able to drive the car around the Zoo looking at all the animals was really great. The third night we stayed at Nerandra and then the fourth night we were on the ‘Abel Tasman’.

Arrived in Devonport at 8am on the 13th and then on to Cradle Mountain Lodge. We stayed in a cabin, which was very nice with a pot belly stove to keep us warm. As we couldn’t go to our cabin until the afternoon we decided to drive to Mole Creek Wild Life Park and then to Maripooka and King Solomon Caves. All these places were well worth the visit. The people here were all very friendly and we had dinner at the lodge with the folks staying in the cabins on either side of us.

On the 14th we went on a 3-4 hr hike on the Dove Creek Canyon track with the two people from the cabin next door. What an experience this was. Climbing over rocks and hanging on to tree roots etc. I felt I was getting a little old for this type of activity. Nevertheless we did enjoy ourselves and were none the worse for it.

15th March we were at Launceston. Saw the Cataract Gorge from the chairlift. This is the largest single span lift. We then drove up the Tamar River to Grindelward, a very quaint Swiss-type village where we spent quite a bit of time looking around. Our next stop was Brady’s Lookout then on to Batman Bridge and up to Hillwood where we visited a berry farm. We picked some raspberries, and bought some strawberries and apples. The next stop was St Helens. We drove there via Scottsdale and stayed at the Anchor Wheel Motel. We went to the hotel for dinner and had crayfish mornay, which was really delicious.

On 16th March we drove to Bicheno, famous for it’s crayfish, and then on to Coles Bay. We booked into the “Chateau”, and had a unit overlooking the bay. Very nice! There were wallabies outside on the lawn which was great to see but we had to be careful that the door was shut or they would come inside. This was a B&B Motel with great meals, and it was lovely to sit overlooking Coles Bay. All the little bays that we drove into were very pretty and not a soul around. We went to the National Park and climbed up to the Lookout over Wineglass Bay. This was a very steep walk with all steps. We still felt it was still worth the effort.

We continued on to Swansea on the 17th March and booked into the Swan Motor Inn. Once again we had a unit overlooking the bay. We had a crayfish for dinner that we bought on the way, and had strawberries and raspberries with cream for dessert. Not bad!

The next stop was Port Arthur, calling into the Blowhole, Devil’s Kitchen, and Tasman Arch. The convict ruins were very interesting and we spent a considerable time there with a guide giving us all the history of the place. Our motel was directly behind the ruins so after checking in, we went for a drive to the Remarkable Caves. We had dinner at the restaurant overlooking the ruins.

By the 19th March we were in Hobart. Before checking into our Hotel, we drove to Huonville, Gordon, and Kettering Snug. All the drives around Tasmania are very interesting and great for the avid photographer. We stayed at the Orient Hotel.

The next day, which was the 20th March, we went on a bus tour to Russell Falls, calling into various art and craft shops on the way. I purchased Huon Pine gifts to take home to the family, and then we were off to Tynewald for lunch. This is an old home that has been restored. We booked into a Greek Restaurant for dinner and had a great night.

We went shopping the next day to Battery Point and Salamanca where they sell home knitted jumpers. I bought two - one for Kev and the other for myself.

We had dinner on the 21st March at “Prossers” which is at Sandy Cove. This was very nice and overlooked the Derwent River. We had a cruise up the river the next day, and a tour of the Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory. We were able to purchase the chocolate quite cheaply and it was very interesting to see it made and packaged. There were Snacks, Hazelnuts, and Flakes etc to try while we did the tour.

We left Hobart on the 22nd March for Bronte Park, where we stayed in a self-contained cottage which we thought was very good. The off to Strahan for the boat trip up the Gordon below Franklin River. We had to be here by 8.30am. This was a very nice cruise, arriving back at 1.30pm. In the afternoon we drove to Hogarth Falls and then to Zeehan and looked through their Museum before booking into the Heemstrick Motor Inn.

On 24th March we drove to Burnie then on to Boat Harbour where we booked into a very nice motel. Our next stop was Stanley, where we took the chairlift to “ The Nut”. The view from here is usually very good but a sea mist swept in and we could not see a thing. We managed a few photos of Stanley Beach.

25th March - On our way to Devonport we called into all the lookouts, before arriving at Port Sorrell and getting on the boat to return to the mainland.

We arrived in Melbourne and after waiting for an hour before we could get our car off the boat, set off for Geelong and the Great Ocean Road. We stayed overnight at Apollo Bay. On the 27th we continued on to Port Campbell to the 12 Apostles, Lock Ard Gorge and the London Bridge. This collapsed about six months before we got there and two people were stranded. They managed to get them off by Helicopter. Just have to be lucky (or unlucky for some). We really enjoyed the drive and arrived at a small town called Nelson where we booked into a B&B for $40.

Our next stop was Adelaide arriving on the 28th March. Stayed at the Tropicana Motel on the Mt. Osmond Road. The next day we drove to Mt. Lofty where you could see all over the city. The weather has been fantastic. We drove to the Adelaide beaches before heading to the Barossa Valley. We called into the Orlando Winery and then on to Penfolds where we were taken on a tour to see the wine bottled and the ‘Cooper’ explained the making of the casks. They can’t use Australian Oak because of the eucalyptus, so all the oak has to be imported. The tour itself took about ¾ hour before we went on to the tasting room. We bought a few bottles of wine and a tea towel as a memento. We then drove on to Clare where we booked into the Clare Valley Motel.

On the 30th March we went to Port Augusta where we visited the “Wadlaka” Museum, which was very good and then on to Leigh Creek to stay with friends whom we met on a previous trip. The next day our friends took us to Copley, Lyndhurst and then on a tour of the mine where he works. We then drove out to see some sculpture from talc. The chap who does this work is called “Talc Alf”. We bought a small piece of his work.

We drove the next day to Mt Scott which gave us a terrific view all over Leigh Creek and out to Lake Torrance.

On the 2nd April we took off for Coober Pedy arriving at 5 o’clock. We traveled 830 kms that day which was quite a long drive. We booked into an underground Motel called the ‘Desert Cave’ which was interesting. Had a walk around the town visiting an underground Church, St. Peter’s & Paul’s, and had dinner in the restaurant called ‘The Miners Dugout’. Next day, we went to ‘The Winch’ and ‘The Old Timers Mine’ which showed how the miners’ lived in the mines themselves. They showed a kitchen, bedroom etc which was very interesting. There was a vein of opal that had been missed by about ten inches, so it was left there as a tourist attraction.

From there we went to Ayers Rock arriving on the 4th April. We stayed at Yalara in masonettes. They were very comfortable. Ten minutes after arriving, the resort’s photographer, asked if we would go to see the sunset at the ‘Rock’ and have our photos taken with a group of other people. It seems they needed a mature age couple to balance things up. There was champagne and nibbles so can’t complain about that! All very nice.The photographer worked for the corporation, and were responsible for the photography in their magazine. The next day, they invited us to go with them out to the Olga’s in their four-wheel drive, which suited us, as we were not keen to drive the Berlina on the dirt road which was very corrugated. Since then, a bitumen road has been put in so it wouldn’t be a problem.

We had a few more photo sessions - walking around Ayres Rock and also in their theatre as well as the Imalung Lookout. They sent the magazine to us after we got home which was very nice of them. Before leaving for Alice Springs, we drove around the Rock, taking more photos and looking at Aboriginal sights. We arrived in the Alice at 5.30pm on the 5th April and booked into the Desert Palms Motel until 9th April.

The next day we played 18 holes of golf at the course, which is next door to the motel. We enjoyed the game and welcomed the exercise. We drove to Anzac Hill, Overland Telegraph Site, and Diarama Village and looked at Museums and Art Galleries including Panorama Guth. We purchased a painting we liked at the Dreamtime Gallery, which was painted by Yvonne Robertson. It is called Snake Dreaming.

The next day we went to the Ross River Homestead. On the way out there we called into Emily Gap, Jessie’s Gap and Trephina Gorge. Great scenary and interesting short walks. The Homestead is owned by an English firm and was built in 1898. We enjoyed looking around and Kev had a go at cracking a stock whip. He was a bit of a star as it is not an easy thing to do.

The next day we set off for Glen Helen Homestead and called in to Ellery Gorge, Simpson’s Gap, Stanley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge, Honeymooner’s Gorge and White Gum Park. These are all well worth a visit. We had a great day out. The locals all rave about Glen Helen but personally I prefer Ormiston Gorge. There was a big storm about ten minutes before we arrived home and it cut the power to the town. They were very pleased with the rain however as it was very dry.

We had to make up some time so 9th April traveled to Barkley Homestead then the 10th at Cloncurry and the 11th at Winton . We had a little trouble outside Winton at Jasmine Creek. It was flooded and we had to travel about a meter behind a truck to get across. This was what made us start thinking about a 4WD as well as our experience at Ayers Rock and the magazine photographers.

Our next stop was Longreach but had to get through a few flooded creeks and just outside Longreach the Thompson River was up. We managed to get through, but a few days after we left the town it was impassable. While in Longreach, we visited the Hall Of Fame, which took us about 3 – 4 hrs and then continued on to Barcaldine.

Set off for Springsure. Between Alpha and Emerald, we had to cross the Ballyando River, which was 0.4m and going down slowly. We made it through but it was very scary. I decided after this we definitely had to purchase a Four Wheel Drive. We arrived in Springsure at lunchtime and saw Noel, who was teaching out there at the time.

13th April. Noel took us out to see an old Fort (Riversleigh) and then up to Fred’s Gorge. Noel was playing in a band at the time, so we went along that night to hear him play and enjoyed a night out.

We left for home at 7.15am and arrived at 5.30pm. We traveled 900 km. It was a very long day and again, although we LOVED the trip, we were glad to get back home again.

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