My Special Weekend.

James many weeks ago said that he was planning a special weekend for us to enjoy. I was not to plan anything and keep it free, so with anticipation building the weekend approached. It was getting later on Friday night and I wanted to head for bed and James said no I had to get changed back out of my pyjamas and into clothes. Off we went and we headed to the airport to my surprise to pick up my parents. That was the beginning of the wonderful weekend. We got home and caught up and got to bed not too late. We all had a good sleep in until Dad decided to play with the ring tones on his phone...grrrr bloody early risers.

We had a very laid back relaxed morning having coffee and breakfast and just catching up. Then James told me he had bought tickets to Mumma Mia the Musical. YAY So we all got dressed and headed out for lunch and then to the show.

It has to be one of the best musicals we have seen ever. I still say that Chicago the first time I saw it was the best but this is a very close second. We all really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.

We then came home again relaxed just enjoying each others company and looking at pictures and maps from our trip to Tassie. We then went to our local pub for dinner and all had great meals.

Now we are watching the tennis and again relaxing and having a great time.

Sunday morning we all woke late though I do suspect Mr early had been watching the TV for a while. We had decided to go out for Brunch so I looked up one of my favorite places and made a booking and boy are we glad we did.

We headed down to Watsons Bay to the Tea Gardens Cafe and enjoyed a relaxing brunch. We then unfortunatly had to farewell Mum and Dad. So back to the airport we went. Hugs and kisses later we waved to them at the doors.

James suggested we go and catch a movie to finish a great weekend and so we did. We saw Sherlock Holmes and both loved it. We then cooked another fantastic BBQ and watched the tennis to end this very special weekend.

Us2martins with the original 2 Mad Macca's.
P.S. I love you honey sooooo much thankyou.

Australia Day @ Bendeathra

Saturday morning started early when we left home at 5.30am. We had the thought of is this worth it and the answer kept screaming YES just get there and we will remember why. So we put on our tail (trailer) and hit the road with bleary eyes. We pulled into Goulburn and filled up the car and our tummies with breakfast and coffee and pushed onto the Braidwood. In Braidwood we had a comfort stop and picked up the famous pies for lunch and headed off for camp. The road from Braidwood to the turn off is 70kms of mostly black top and some dirt for the last 15kms. We turned into the Middle Mountain Fire Trail and could smell the bush through the heat. Into camp was only another 23kms but it is fairly slow going. It took just 1hr to complete the track and as we crossed the first river we knew that the early morning and 5hrs on road and 1hr of stops was well worth it.
Mick, Nean, Aaron and Sara were about 20min ahead of us and had found a great spot to camp. We were on the hunt for something closer to the water then we had previously camped. We were still across the river but directly on the right side of the track under the trees providing plenty of shade and easy access to water. At this stage we were the only camp in this area though as the days passed more arrived but we were in no way cramped nor had anyone close to us.
Climbing out of the car was like stepping out of a fridge into an oven the air was thick and moist and very warm. We picked a spot and had camp set up within an hour taking our time and trying to keep cool. Just after we were set up a nice cool change camp through and we sat under the trees enjoying our Braidwood pies. The afternoon passed with Aaron learning to ride his bike and Mick pumping up the kid’s pool while James and he set up the pump and pumped water from the river to fill the pool. The kids were cool and tired and we sat around passing the time just enjoying the bush.

Sunday bought an even cooler change and the day stayed mostly overcast. Mick and Nean had packed golf clubs and balls so we headed out in the field and wacked the balls around for a while. We lost one ball into the thick ferns and found one in a wombat hole so we figured we were one for one. Walter arrived just on lunch time and found a nice shady spot under the trees also and set up camp. After lunch and nap time we headed down to the water for a dip. Being so close we walked up to the swimming hole and did the traditional jump in off the rock. The water was not warm but a very wonderfully cool but not cold temperature. After the swim we all felt so refreshed. The day passed with plenty of remote control car driving and fixing some riding of bikes exploring the area and reading papers and magazines. Before we knew it dusk was upon us and we made a delicious dinner and settled down of a night of dot sitting while catching up with good mates.

Ah Monday and the relaxing continues. The clouds had passed and the weather was again warm. We woke late and had a slow start to the day. Mick had taken the kids exploring and walked the track where we normally collect fire wood and discovered National parks in their wisdom have felled logs and dug holes to try and prevent people from driving the path. The issue now is that people have destroyed more bush and driven around the logs to go and collect fire wood. We have been seeing lyre birds and Mick found one again with the kids but it is too quick to get a picture of. It was time to erect the Hammocks and we had 2 perfectly placed trees to hang them from. The hammocks were a hit with the kids and then Nean and I both enjoyed a lay down. The day was heating up so we opted to go for a swim. Mick knew of a different water hole that we had never seen so he led the way and we all drove down to the water hole. At this water hole there is a great shallow area for the kids to walk around in and I caught a tad pole for them to look at and then there is a great hole with a rope swing into it. There was another group of people swimming and after the kids had finished Mick was the first to give it a go. I climbed next and managed to not exactly swing but rather half swing and mostly fall with the rope but it was still fun. Then Wally did the swing of all swings and went in for the all mighty huge bomb and it was all looking good until the last second when he held on too long and when he let go at the furthest point possible he landed with the world’s best back slap in to the water. To his credit the splash was good and his bright red back was even more spectacular to look at. To his credit Wally went back for more and the second time perfected his swing and landed with ease. We all had a few swings and then left the water to explore the area. We drove each and every track in the valley as we had always said we would and just never got around to it. We found some great places to try out camping so the next few times we go we can mix it up a bit and try different areas out. We were only back at camp for about an hour and decided that it again was too warm and headed down to the normal water hole for a dip. Again the water was a really comfortable temperature and we just sat and chatted while the kids played and splashed. We got back and made a fire and got it going to cook our roast dinner. The roast was wonderful and I followed it later with a damper with melted chocolate frogs inside. A perfect way to celebrate our last night.

Australia Day,
It was even warmer today but there still was that wonderful cool wind and we were under the trees so it didn’t bother us. When we woke Wally was packed and ready to go so we farewelled him and not long later Mick, Nean, Aaron and Sara all were packed and loaded. We finished packing and headed off by lunch time to get into Braidwood for a late lunch of the most wonderful pies again. The track in and out of Bendeathra has changed little over the years though it is getting to the point where in wet weather we wouldn’t tackle this particular track if we had the trailer attached. In the dry it is slow going with lowered tyre pressures. You have to have good ground clearance and plenty of grunt to get up some of the sections while picking the lines over the rocks and around the holes. The drive in was a little easier as most the harder sections you go down but you still have to have clearance and know how to pick the lines for your car and let the motor do a lot of the breaking for you. We were surprised by the easy run home with no traffic and by 7pm we were unpacked showered and enjoying a BBQ dinner with a Seeds in hand on a very Aussie Australia Day.

Us2martins celebrating Australia day in Bendeathra.

The LONG trip home.....

It started early we were lined up and through security at 6.30am and were finally boarded at 8.00am. We familiarised ourselves with the boat again and had a nice breakfast just before we left the dock. I had bought Travel Calm tablets for this trip as we were nervous about being awake for the whole day and feeling crappy. So for preventative measures we took both natural and medicated tablets and went and found our recliners.
We were in the second row this time which was not as good as the front row but the people in front were lying back so we could still have a good view. I was still tired so I managed to sneak in a 2hour nap. We then went to the onboard cinema and watched “The Young Victorian” It was well after lunch time so we grabbed some lunch and took more tablets as after we ate we were both feeling a little off. Ah then I realised that the 2 hour nap was not just due being tired it was drug induced and I decided that I would let the drugs work again and found my seat while James went back to the cinema and watched Astro Boy.
I woke to find James back and we were docking in Melbourne it was a quick and easy trip thanks to Travel Calm I would highly recommend it. We waited our turn and off we drove to officially finish our trip we just had to make the leg home.
The boat travelled 459kms in 9.5hours and we had a further 900kms to travel in 10hours. We stopped not far out of Melbourne to fuel up and James grabbed some dinner then he slept. I stopped in Holbrook to re fuel and stretch and then pushed on. I only made it another 100kms till it was my turn to sleep. It was 1.45am and I didn’t want to push myself. James took over and made 2 brief stops one for coffee and one for fuel and then we pulled into home at 5.30am. We unhooked the trailer and parked the car only getting out the basic essentials and walked up stairs to find our home and most importantly BED.
So this is the last post on this trip and not really anywhere as interesting as the rest but still part of our journey. We travelled over 4000kms in the car and nearly another 1000kms on the boat all in a fantastic 2 weeks.

Us2martins home from Tassie.

On to Devonport...

We took a very relaxed approach to the morning and unfortunately and fortunately we had started running out of many things including gas so the planned cooked breakfast had to be postponed to lunch. We have managed to ration things so well that after tonight’s dinner we will have finished all purchased meat, milk, juice, cereal, bread snack foods drinks most vegetables and fruit. So we are heading home with a mostly empty draw and fridge. We did a good clean and sweep of the inside and outside of the camper as it went away even wiping the bottom so it is all fresh ready for next time. We carefully packed everything so we could get to what we needed for tonight easily and the rest is ready for the boat. We even took time to play with our new nurf balls which were a lot of fun (thanks Linda).
We pushed out of camp at 11am and headed through the scenic route up to Devonport. We drove past many lakes and small towns on and off gravel and through countless hairpin turns and up and over and down the mountains. The Great Lake is very impressive and it is HUGE again another thing we have been privileged to see due to the choice of roads. We passed through Deloraine and then took a quick stop in Latrobe to pick up some fresh cherries and raspberries to have for desert. We pulled into the van park and got our cabin just after 1pm and had that cooked breakfast/lunch.
We decided to do a cruise through Devonport and managed to pick up some cream to have with the berries and cherries and a few other things we needed had a coffee and muffin at McDonalds while we updated the blog with their free Wi-Fi. We now have renamed McDonalds as Wi-Fi it is the best internet access you can get anywhere in this part of Australia everywhere else in Tassie is Dial up.
We decided that a trip to the movies to see Avatar was a good idea so we are just showering and getting sorted to head back for an evening session in 3D. We picked up some Travel calm for the boat just so we won’t need it tomorrow.

Us2martins in Devonport counting down the hours .

Last day of camping...

We woke early and it was still REALLY windy and it had been all night and the canvas was still all attached thank gawd and still flapping. We did the usual breakfast and pack up and headed for Hobart. We had head that the Taste Food Festival was THE thing to do and go to so with that in mind we decided to have a look. We arrived a little before it opened so we found a coffee shop in Salamanca and people watched for a while. Wow the Taste Festival is fantastic our only issue was we had eaten breakfast and were not hungry but we know for next time come really hungry because there is sooo much to tasted and choose from.
We then decided to head straight up the middle and find a camping spot for the night near the lakes area. We got out the books and maps and picked Arthur Lake to have a look at with other spots close by for our picking if we wanted. We pulled into the area near 2pm and found a great place to camp after looking at one other place we set up camp and started to relax. We are over looking Arthur Lake and have only trees in front of us. James is playing remote control cars again and I am just dot sitting enjoying the view. Tomorrow we are heading into Devonport and taking a cabin for the night so we can be bright and fresh and early onto the boat on Sunday.

Us2martins in our last camping area in Tassie .

Hot Hot Hot.....The Foreigners

We had decided that if we could get into a good van park near to Hobart or Janes house we would accept the invitation so kindly offered by her and Marcus to join them for a BBQ and evening with friends to celebrate NYE. We got into Barilla Big 4 so we had a nice cooked breakfast with fresh eggs from Terry and Madz then packed and got ready to head towards town. We were in no hurry and had only 1 hour to drive but it was getting HOT fast and the sun had a real burn to it early. We said our farewells to Terry and Madz and promised another visit in years to come it was a great place to stop and visit.
As we headed back we noticed a shop selling a dozen fresh oysters for $8.50 so we stopped and bought James a dozen. We made it into camp by midday and set up fast to get out of the sun. We had to wash and as it was so hot we did that straight up and got it hung out in the sun. With the space we had and as we were only staying 1 night we decided not to put up the awing so we opened every window in the camper and got comfortable inside.
It was no hotter in or out of the camper so it did us fine. I then finished my book while James watched a movie and we had a short nap. The washing was dry in no time so we then got ready had cool showers and headed into Hobart to have a look around and then onto Janes for the evening.
Hobart is a beautiful city very small but it has everything and the old buildings are just stunningly beautiful. We drove past all the yachts that were in the Sydney to Hobart race and managed to sneak as the last car down the water front before they closed it for the night’s festivities. We then made our way back across the bridge slightly east and into Jane’s house.
Also celebrating at Janes house were her cousin Emma and her friends Tanya and her daughter Nic, Leanne, Jo and Alana. To say we had a great night was an understatement. Marcus was in fine form hitting the Cougar hard and straight up with the ladies mostly drinking Champagne James and I had a couple of quiet Seeds but the company and humour was like we had known each other for a long time we all laughed and joked for many hours. We were named the foreigners and they all wanted to hear our stories of our travels and laughed at us historically when we spoke of our adventure from Cradle Mountain to Cockle creek, I even had to ask them why they were looking at us as if we had 2 heads we were not the ones who lived here.
Marcus cooked up a storm on the BBQ and it was finally starting to cool off when we noticed a HUGE storm coming. The lighting was very impressive as were the large dark clouds surrounding it all. We could see the rain coming and oh boy did it come. It only probably rained for about 30minutes but it bucketed down. We were then all so much cooler and we made our way back outside to enjoy the rest of the night.
Leanne, Jo and Alana all said farewell and not long after Emma decided to leave. Marcus’s cousin Lee then showed up with his partner Bec and they were staying for a while and we decided to see the New Year in back at camp so we also said our thanks and farewells and headed “home”.

Us2martins mixing it with the locals in Tassie.