Another journey north to family at the Bundaberg and Coral Coast region! We travelled on the much maligned Bruce Highway, but to be fair it is always improving with some wonderful new stretches. There are road signs designating it as the Pacific Coast Way in an attempt to bolster tourism along this route. Oddly, you … More SE Queensland – The Coral Coast Revisited
Big Apple at Spreyton. I went for a walk last night and there was an Apple pie, Apple strudel and Apple Charlotte on the ground. The streets were strangely desserted. The Big Spud at Sassafras. This guy once had a chip on its shoulder. Despite being skewered in the …. well, I’m not an expert … More Big Things of Tasmania
A drive up into the north-east today. A quollity mural in Launceston We ventured out to Waverley Mills nestled into the eastern hills of Launceston. For 150 years, Waverley Mills has been crafting textiles at their historic weaving mill. It is the last mill of its kind in Australia and here they spin, weave and … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 43 – Scottsdale, not in Arizona
We started the day back at Cape Tourville to catch up after the washout yesterday. The Nuggets with resident seals A seal went into a bar and the bartender asked him, “What will it be Mr Seal?” The seal responded, “Anything but a Canadian Club.” Cape Tourville lighthouse Casuarina on the cape with a very … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 39 – Freycinet National Park
Mayfield Bay Conservation Park protects threatened coastal white gum and blue gum forest that fringe the coastline and supports critically endangered swift parrots foraging during the spring and summer months. It is estimated there are only 750 swift parrots left in the wild with conservationists working hard to stop the logging of their remaining habitat in Tasmania … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 38 – The East Coast
Encounter Maria Island ferry for the crossing to Maria Island. Maria is not pronounced mah-ree-uh but Mar-rye-uh. It rhymes with pariah and as a former convict settlement was home to outcasts who were despised or rejected. The island was named in 1642 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after Maria van Diemen, wife of the Governor-General of the Dutch East … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 37 – Maria Island
Government Cottage (1854) was built next-door to the Church. Its sole purpose was to accommodate government officials and other important people when they visited Port Arthur. The Church was constructed by convicts in 1836. Inside the ruins The Travelling Bells, including the oldest cast bells in Australia have been sited in a number of churches in … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 36 – Port Arthur
After a sleep in and morning of washing we ventured over the Tasman Bridge for a highlight of our time in Hobart – catching up with and having lunch with an actual Hobartian. But not any Hobartian but the Wise Oracle that I described on Day 1, The Seer of Seers, Duchess of the Derwent. … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 33 – South Arm
Ferry at Kettering across to Bruny Island. Crossing the D’Entrecasteaux Channel passing the sister ferry. Bruny was named after the French explorer Bruni d’Entrecasteaux, who explored the Channel region and discovered it to be an island in 1792. Our first stop is at The Neck. Bruny Island Neck Lookout looking south. The Neck is an isthmus of … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 29 – Bruny Island
The historic waterfront at Hobart is a nice way to spend an afternoon with lots of history, a pleasant stroll and many cafes and restaurants. Hope and Anchor Pub (1807) – the oldest licenced hotel in Australia. Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum is an exact replica of the huts used by Douglas Mawson in the 1911-1914 … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 28 – On the Waterfront
Jackman and McRoss at Battery Point – considered and rated as one of the best bakeries in Australia. No sign of Hugh. I fluked a park outside on the very narrow streets. Salamanca Place has rows of sandstone buildings that were formerly warehouses for the port of Hobart Town. These have since been converted into … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 26 – Out and about in Hobart
The 2014 Australian TV show Bogan Hunters named Tasmania as the ‘bogan capital of Australia’ with Taswegians earning four spots out of seven in the final. There are a ring of suburbs around the outskirts of Hobart which some people attribute to being “bogan.” Above is a local in standard red flannie. He seems happy … More Down with the Devils – Tasmania 2024 – Day 25 – Whisky business
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