Long Way Round

So, Friday morning. My last full day in Tasmania (my flight leaves early Saturday morning). What to do?

Really, all I had left was to head back to Launceston. But there were a couple of options as to how I might achieve this. The first was, to hoof it up the Lake highway and try to get to Cradle Mountain so I might have a chance of seeing it in brighter weather. But the weather didn't look all that bright at the moment - and how annoying would it be to go all that way and then still miss out?

Option 2 was to do Option 1, but instead of heading for Cradle, to go see some of the things I had missed around that way i.e. the caves at Mole Creek. But that was a bit off the beaten track, and would require a bit of driving - and the day was starting to get away from me.

Try Option 3. Option 3 was to head south, almost for Hobart, but stop off at Mount Field National Park (which was included in my National Parks pass) and do the short circuits out to Lady Barron Falls, Russell Falls, and the Tall Trees walk. From there either take the Lake Highway back up to Launceston, and see the lovely view of the Great Lakes, or take the A5 through Poatina and up to Lonnie that way. It would be a bit of a Long Way Round, but could be quite nice.

And that's exactly what I did. I drove for a few hours in the direction opposite to that which I needed to go, in order to see the exceptionally tall trees (and trust me, they were magnificent) in Mount Field National park, and the lovely waterfalls - Russell and Lady Baron. And then I endeavoured to head back via the Lake Highway, but unfortunately large chunks of that road is unsealed, gravel road - quite steep in places, and quite rough, according to the locals. With the recent rain, and ice, I thought that probably wasn't the smartest option. Not to mention the fact that the hire company null and void your insurance if you go off road on gravel and then damage the undercarriage of the car. Not a good idea.

So I headed back via the A5, which to be honest, was some of the most dull scenery I'd encountered in Tasmania. A little disappointing. But I guess, after having seen so much beauty on this trip, that was ok.

Got back to Lonnie in time to wash the car at a local BP (the first proper car wash I'd encountered for quite some time), pick up something for tea (not Chicken stirfry pasta again!), head to the Arthouse Backpackers and sort myself out. A quite pleasant evening.

The next morning it was up bright and early to return the car and head off to the airport (the car rental bloke dropped me off there) for my flight back to the Bris. A quite successful trip, if I do say so myself!

An Evening At Lake St Clair

When I left off I was staying in the most expensive (yet most rip off) of bunkhouses in Lake St Clair. I had decided I really didn't want stirfry chicken pasta again for tea and thought I would go to the restaurant at the main hotel for dinner - but when I turned up, it was all closed. I don't know how the patrons at the hotel got on!

I hopped in the car and headed back into Derwent Bridge looking for a restaurant, or a shop, or something which might enable me to buy some different food - but alas, there literally wasn't anything there! Even the pub which had the cheaper accommodation (which I probably should have gone for in the first place) didn't have anything of a food nature open at that time (and to be honest, didn't look like it was open at all - there weren't any cars there or anything) - so I headed back to the campground and set out to cook up my meal in the bunkhouse kitchen. It was a cold evening but at least the kitchen had a woodfire store in the middle, which was quite warming.

As I began to prepare my meal there was a knock at the window, and looking up in surprise, I saw the reception chick there. She wanted to know if I could open the kitchen for a couple with a child who were staying in a campervan but who wanted access to the kitchen. Their key (for the showers) did not have a kitchen key on it. I agreed, and suggested wedging the door slightly ajar with a wooden door wedge I found there.

I then headed off to the shower, hoping that by delaying my chicken stir fry pasta it might hopefully taste better. Alas, once I got to the shower (having paid my exorbitant room fee) I discovered that it, too, was a paid shower - and this time it required $1 coins, not 20c pieces. And hardly stayed on for very long (nor was it terribly warm). Halfway through my shower the amenties block lights turned off - so I was in the dark, standing there with lukewarm water running down my body - and not a chance of running to the door to turn the lights back on. I finished off my shower in the dark.

After this, I headed up to the kitchen to prepare my meal. The other family were in there preparing theirs (using up all the clean pots and pans too). I tried to potter about making my meal with the implements I could find - but these people were not used to shared kitchen etiquette, and had filled the kitchen sink to the brim with burning hot water - and started to use it for their washing up - but as there was only 1 basin I couldn't even clean some of the pans to then use them. Eventually they realised my dilemma and agreed I could use their washing up water.

Actually it turned out to be a very pleasant evening, as we both sat down to our various meals and had a really lovely chat. They were a lovely couple, having quit their jobs in Perth and sold their house, they were travelling around Australia en route to their new life in Noosa. They had many amazing stories about places they'd seen and I really enjoyed talking with them. Their young daughter, Chelsea, was a bit of a character too and it was nice to enjoy the family atmosphere after almost 2 weeks on my own.

All too soon though it was time for bed, so I bid them farewell with the hopes that we might see each other in the morning at breakfast. This did actually happen, but as they needed to get on the road, and I needed to get cracking, it wasn't really a long time that we spent together the next morning. But I had really enjoyed their company.

Wonder how it has all panned out for them, their new life in Noosa?