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.

Sightseeing and History.........

We were booked on a Sea Life boat cruise for 10am so we got up and prepared ourselves for a fun filled full day of sightseeing. We arrived early to the boat and took our ginger tablets had a coffee and did a short walk. We excitedly boarded not knowing really what we were going to see or do.
Well were we in for a surprise at how great it was. The boat was only half full of people so we had heaps of space to move to get good pictures. It was powered by 4 HUGE outboard motors and went really really fast and stopped and turned really really fast. We went into so many caves I can’t remember and flew around so many stalactites squeezing (FAST) between them and the massive cliff walls where I was holding my breath and James was laughing at me. We did donuts around islands and raced the waves and then we even got to race and cheer alongside Nips and Tux boat 59 in the Sydney to Hobart race. We got to see a great angle of the Tasman Arch and also the Devils Kitchen.
We stopped and took heaps of pictures of the New Zealand Fur Seals and admired about 6 different species of birds then we caught up with and Australian Fur Seals who really stank so bad it was disgusting but still they were amazing to watch. We visited the famous Candle stick and Totem Pole and saw the largest cliff face in Australia. Before we started heading in we had a good look at Tasman Island and learnt about the history of the light house and the people who used to live and work on it. We were then treated to a cruise in past Port Arthur. Just over 3 hours had passed and we had to get off. We would recommend this to anyone it was just a fantastic way to see heaps of things and a lot of fun also.
From there we had Fish, Squid and Chips for lunch followed by Fresh Raspberries and Strawberries and Blueberries all on top of ice cream and cream all locally grown and we just had to support the local industry, all bought at the Doo-liscous cafe in Eagle Hawk Neck(YUM).
We then headed over to Port Arthur and again we were in for a great surprise and a LONG afternoon with so much to see and do and learn about. We went on the boat cruise around the small harbour area to hear about the different sections and we joined a guided 40 minute tour talk to really get to know about it and then we spent the next nearly 2 hours just looking in the ruins and buildings and reading. It is such a fascinating place to visit and next time we will leave longer so we can get to all areas of it.
I am now at camp and James has gone back to Port Arthur to do a 9.30pm Ghost tour. It is just SOOOO not my thing and I am more than happy to sit and blog and finish my book.

Us2martins fascinated by sea life and history in Tassie.

Coast Line Tree Tops and Coast Lines.....

We woke to a very overcast looking morning and had slept longer then we wanted to so we packed quickly as we were also worried it might rain. Had a fast breakfast and said good bye to the far south and headed for the Tahune Air Walk. On our way we stopped and did the Walk on Water and took a moment to read about and admire the largest tree in Australia. Then onto the Air walk we went. The air walk was fun it was a shame we were on a tight time schedule mainly due to the sleep in but next time we come back we are going to leave most of a whole day there are so many things to do at the park.
We had another brief stop in Huon Ville again for supplies and fuel and then made a short trip back through Hobart over one of the fantastic bridges and on through Sorrell to find our camp at Eagle Hawk Neck.
We are camped in Marcus’s Dad’s Backpackers and camping area. It is a great spot with good facilities and fantastic company and ah we are camped on grass. Marcus, Jane and Laura even made the trip out to enjoy a BBQ dinner with us and his folks. After dinner we had the tourist walk led by Marcus down to the water and then the tourist talk held by his dad Terry.
We now sit here with heaps to do tomorrow as the area has so much history and things to see visit and learn about.

Us2martins in another beautiful part of Tassie.

Ah Dot Sitting.....

A very good friend once described the action of sitting around camp as “Dot Sitting” or “Sitting on ones Dot”. There is nothing quite like it when you have been busy and you get to camp and you can fully relax just dot sitting talking crap with mates and taking in the serenity of it all. Today we woke late just for something different, then worked out that our mate Marcus with Jane and Laura were probably only about 1hr away so we had a quick breakfast and headed over to the picnic tables that are about 30meters from camp to set up our marquee and get into position for a day of dot sitting with mates.
From where we were we looked over the whole Cockle creek bay with the waves just gently lapping at the shore and the crystal clear ocean just looking magnificent we drank coffee had a BBQ lunch, talked heaps watched Laura bravely take a swim took heaps of photos and most importantly just dot sat and soaked it all in. Here we were sitting at the Southern most point of Australia for a whole day to just sit. Marcus, Jane and Laura had to leave at 2pm and we had talked of doing the 16km round trip walk to South cape but with heavy clouds hanging around and the fact we were just too relaxed to get motivated we walked back to our camper where I read my book for the next 3 hours and James tinkered on his remote control car.
Late afternoon we took a walk along the beach out to a whale statue and read about some of the local history and there is a little sign about the platform being the southernmost point of Australia. The one time I leave my camera in the car is when of course we wanted it but it is a short stroll so we will be back out there tomorrow to get some pictures.
We cooked up another great dinner then took the rest of a bottle of wine we have been enjoying and chairs and went down to the beach to wait for the sun to go down. The sun doesn’t fully set here in Tassie till almost 10pm and when we were down there another person we met on the boat showed up with his family so we chatted and laughed with them till dark just dot sitting taking it all in and really relaxing again.

Us2martins dot sitting in Tassie.
P.S. this one’s for you Leah.

For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction....

What goes up must come down, what goes left then goes right, what goes up must come down, what goes left then goes right.......keep doing and saying this for about 4 hours and you will have travelled on the same road as we did today, from Cradle Mountain through Queenstown and onto Hobart. It was ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ROADS. We just could not believe how windy it was. Right left right left right left then we would get a 50meter straight section and another sign saying 5kms windy and we would laugh so hard we almost were crying as we couldn’t work out how it was that the next 5kms were going to be any different from the last 50kms. We were a little over the windy road thing by lunch and were glad to see the back of it only about an hour after. This road makes the putty and bells line of road look like a walk in the park. It is safe to say that our plans for maybe heading back up that way have been changed.
Anywho we pushed on through Hobart and stopped in to refuel both the car and groceries and water before driving down the southernmost road to the southernmost camping point. All day I had been stressing that we would get to this camp grounds and they would be full. I had tried plenty of times to phone and with no luck we thought we would take our chances. In the new book we purchased we noticed there are 2 sections to this area one is National park and the other a conservation area and you can camp in either we were laying our hopes on the fact that in national parks you have to pay fees so that hopefully the conservation area would be full and the national park not so full. As we passed the 4 camping areas in the conservation area we were starting to worry more and more as they were packed out and not with people we really would have felt safe camping next to. We crossed the bridge into the national park and noticed the ranger’s station was open so I headed in to find out if luck was on our side. The couple in front of me were sorting out passes and were talking about the nearest towns so I started to feel even less hopeful and when they had left a very quickly but hopefully asked if there were any spots left and when the wonderful ranger said YES well I couldn’t have been happier. It really was one of the things I wanted to do was to camp here and to find out there was space just made my day.
The ranger helped us find a spot and later on came back to make sure we were all settled in. The mosquitoes are really quite bad but we are camping in the bush again and next to an amazing beach. We are both really tired again it must be something to do with all the fresh air. Tomorrow I think we might do another fantastic walk we will wait and see what the weather does.

Us2martins twisting and turning in Tassie.

Step, Step, Step, Step...........Step

So it was the Marion’s Lookout walk we decided to tackle. It was rated as moderate and would take about 3 hours return. So we had a light breakfast packed our day bags with all necessary items and made our way with map in hand to the starting point at Dove Lake.
Well we have NEVER walked so many steps they just kept going up and up and up then we would turn a corner and more steps both natural and manmade but step after step after step we climbed with the occasional breather to admire the view. We could see several small groups of people ahead of us and we seemed to be keeping about the same pace so on we pushed.
We passed Lake Lilla and traversed past Wombat Pools and then we again started up the steps to Wombat peak. It was from there we realised how much further UP we had to go to get to Marion’s Lookout to then turn around and come back down it all. With conformation from another walker we had met earlier we knew exactly where we were on the track and decided to push on to the next track junction and then take a breather and decided what to do from that point. So step step step up and up we went with the occasional down and around we kept on stepping.
We made it to the junction of the Over land track where we could take the longer though slightly easier track back and took time to have a apple take some pictures and decided on what to do next. To say the next part looked daunting was an understatement it was a nearly straight up climb with a chain to hold onto up to the lookout a further 25minutes. So the choice was take the 25min straight up and then the shorter though steeper route back or take the longer almost all downhill route back to Ronnie’s car park. We had also booked on a tour for a 1pm departure so with time a little pressing we opted for the longer easier walk of heading back.
So from the junction we stepped and stepped and stepped our way down past Crater Lake and the boat shed and past Crater falls and along the Overland Track board walk out to Ronnie’s car park. The whole walk took us about 2 hours and we have NEVER walked so many steps.
We have both vowed though that next time WE WILL DO THE SUMMIT walk but now we know what we are in for we will do a whole lot more training to be ready for it because it would be spectacular to do.
The tour of the area was really interesting and gave a lot of insight into the history of the area and lots of information about the native fauna and animals. Just after we came back from our walk we went into the visitor centre to grab a coffee and sitting at the table next to us were the couple who sat next to us on the boat(it sure is a small world). We had a quick catch up with them and swapped places to visit. We then headed for camp had hot showers did more washing and are now sitting watching a raging fire that we built in the best camp kitchen ever just chilling and trying to stay awake long enough to get through dinner.

Us2martins stepping out in Tassie.

A Day of Traversing...

So Christmas day it is. We woke to a quiet camp grounds though it was not long before people started to stir. We had a quick breakfast and packed up and hit the road with just over 300kms to cover we didn’t want to be getting into camp too late. We passed through Campbell Town on through Perth(just a little out of the way lol), drove past Deloraine through Elizabeth Town and then pushed on into Sheffield where we stopped for lunch and fuel.
It was then on up into Cradle Mountain. Now the road as you would imagine is one of THOSE roads where if you had a high performance sports car(hint hint Hammo) or rode a motor bike(nudge nudge Dad and Daniel) then you would LOVE to traverse it BUT if you are in a sluggish big heavy diesel towing a big trailer(mick you will get this) then you will just say well we won’t get there quick but we will get to see a whole lot more of the view for a whole lot longer. So up we drove and boy oh boy did the temperature DROP.
We found our camp grounds and spot easily and decided to see what the visitors centre could offer us in the way of information for walks to do tomorrow. It is only a few hundred meters down the road so we walked across and discovered there are HEAPS of walks to do so we had a few hours of day light left so we got on the bus and set off for our first walk.
We chose to take a easy walk for today and traversed the 6km Dove Lake walk which was alot of fun and gave us an insight into the types of terrain we are in for tomorrow. As for which walk/s we will be doing tomorrow you will just have to wait and see we are not sure yet and the weather will play a big part in it all so we are hoping for a day just like today. We got back to camp had GREAT hot showers and are now in the fantastic camp kitchen which is the BEST we have ever had the use of and have a roast slowly cooking in the camp oven, I just don’t think life could get much better.
Did a mention how much colder it is up here.....brrrrrrrrr

Us2martins traversing in Tassie.

Bicheno and onto Coles Bay.....

While on the boat the couple sitting next to us had kept talking about Elephant pass and the great pancake place on it and on our journeys yesterday we found the signs for Elephant pass and the Elephant Pancake Cafe. So as it just happened we ran out of milk last night so we just had to get up early pack up and head up Elephant pass to check out this cafe. For anyone who loves very windy roads or anyone who is into motorbike riding you will LOVE this road. There is not alot to be seen for views but it was a fantastic piece of road to drive even with the trailer attached. The pancakes also were great and we would recommend this as a must stop place to anyone going near to Bicheno.
From there we push on into Bicheno and had a little look around visited the blow hole and then set off to find camp at Coles Bay. We found the Big 4 park with no worries and set the camper up on grass and then went to find the local supermarket only to find out that the nearest big supermarket was back in Bicheno so back we went. After shopping we had lunch at the cafe fuelled up made our way back again to Coles Bay.
We spent the afternoon seeing sights in Freycine National park, next visit we will be giving the van park a miss not due to it being not great but there are 2 other local national park sections we could have camped in that surprisingly are not packed out. We did the light house walk and though we wanted to do the Wine glass bay walk we had to give it a miss today as time was pushing and we had to get things done back at camp.
Its now after 8pm and the sun is still high in the sky we have had dinner and james is off playing with his remote control car and I can hear my book calling.

Us2martins refreshed and restocked in Tassie.

Relaxing and Sightseeing...

We got up and packed and were on the road by 10am to continue sightseeing and exploring this amazingly beautiful area. We headed out to the most southern section of Mt William national park which edges onto The Bay of Fires at Eddystone Point where there is a huge old still working lighthouse. From here we poked our head down a 4wd track that would take us to Ansons Bay but about 2kms into the 8km track we turned back as it was getting too risky to keep going alone as the chances of getting stuck were increasing. So on we pushed to Policeman’s point this is another great area for camping though it has no facilities but fantastic beach and river access. After a further 50kms we were back on the black stuff and getting into St Helens where we found a great park by the river to have lunch. It was only about another 30kms to camp and we had 2 areas to pick from. The previous plan was to camp at Douglas Apsley National park but the book we got the details out of was old and luckily I have purchased another book which showed us the area we are in tonight. We are camping in Lagoon Conservation Camping area about 30kms north of Bicheno. After picking a nice little spot for us we headed out to Douglas Apsley national park and did a short walk to the beautiful water hole. If the weather is nice tomorrow we are thinking of going back for a swim on our way past.
We headed back to camp cooked a fantastic meal on the fire had a stroll down the beach and took a bunch more pictures and now are sitting relaxing again planning for tomorrows adventures.

Us2martins relaxing and exploring in Tassie.

Fixing things and exploring.....

Warning the following blog contains nudity...lol
Today bought a few issues and surprises. We had a relaxed start to the day and James decided that he would get the Twine Shower system finished and going so we could use it. The plumbing was going well and the hoses that took us so long to find worked out perfect but it was while I was under the car I noticed that our front passengers shock had no bolt or bush in it. It was kind of just dangling there doing not a lot. Now we had heard a noise coming from under that side but ever since we have had it it has made a noise so we thought not a lot of it and James had even had a quick look but found nothing. So you can imagine his surprise when I pointed it out. So we finished what we were doing packed up the tools and headed into Gladstone to find out the nearest mechanic or suspension place at worst it was going to be 140kms back to Launceston. The ladies at Gladstone were not a lot of help but I was sure someone in Scottsdale would be able to assist us. On our travels I asked the help of Marcus and again he has proved how much of a great guy he is. Within minutes he has a name and address of someone who could help us (THANKS MARCUS). So Don at the BP servo put together a new bush and got a bolt to fit and put it all back together. Now this all wouldn’t be so bad except the suspension is only 1 month old so we will be calling them on return and getting them to fix it properly for FREE. It was just plain stupid that it would fall out so quickly.
Anyways we then headed back towards camp but took a detour and headed northwest of where we are camped to Cape Portland and into Petal Point and Little Mussleroe Bay camping areas. When we got down to Petal point there was not another soul to be seen and the water at the beach was just so clear so we decided that with the car on the sand it was time for a quick swim. Though we had left all our gear back at camp we figured you can’t let a little thing like lack of swimmers get in the way of a good time. Well it was very cool so we didn’t stay in long and then found some rocks to sit on to dry off before re clothing and heading on to further look around. The views off the top of this area were amazing you couldn’t get any further north in this part of the world or you would fall into the sea. We then had a look at little Mussleroe bay and had we seen it first we would have swam there it was so protected and just as nice and the camping area near is our pick of camping for next time it is beside a shallow clear blue lake and was stunning.
We headed back to camp and put on a fire started cooking the lamb stew and had our first HOT showers off the Twine which were a real treat. Now we are going to sit back relax listen to the waves and keep warm by the fire.

Us2martins fixin and explorin in Tassie.

Finally going real camping....

We packed and headed out of Hadspen mid morning and spent over an hour looking for the hoses to finish putting in our Twine shower system but we got them and after the first shower I will know that the hour was worth it. We headed up the scenic route through Lilydale and into Scotsdale for lunch. Marcus had suggested the cafe in town and a visit to the Eco Forestry centre. We did both and had a great time doing so.
We then continued on our scenic path through Bridport and onto Gladstone. This would be the last chance of picking up fuel and supplies for a few days. Onto camp we pushed. We have found that here in Tasmania the roads and signage are fantastic we have a basic road map a few brochures and 2 camping/national parks books and are finding everything with ease and finding our camping area was just the same.
We cruised into Mt William National park and had a little look at all the camping options and even headed out to Mussleroe to have a look at the camping there but found that the first spot we came into was by far the best. We are now camped under beautiful trees with wallabies hopping past and the ocean waves crashing as the back ground noise.
We set up camp, had dinner a stroll down the beach and are settling in for a quiet first night really camping in the bush.
Us2martins really camping in Tassie.

Our Itinerary

Below is where we are tentatively hoping to get to and stay. On the date that the area is noted is where we will be staying that night. In the national parks there are several camping areas and we don’t know which ones we will get into till we get there.
Sunday 20st – Hadspen
Monday 21nd and Tuesday 22rd Mt William National Park
Wednesday 23th Douglas Apsley National Park
Thursday 24th Coles Bay
Friday 25th and Saturday 26th Cradle Mountain
Sunday 27th and Monday 28th South western National Park
Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th Eagle Hawk Neck
Thursday 31st Hobart NYE at Jane's Place
Friday 1st Arthurs Lake
Saturday 2nd Devonport
Sunday 3rd On boat going home.
Us2martins Going around Tassie.

We made it safe and Sound...

The seas were the predicted levels and neither of us were sea sick and managed to get a reasonable night’s sleep. I would have a guess that we were sharing an area with about 150 other people and not one person was snoring which I found amazing I had prepared myself for a bad night and got a fairly good one so we were both happy.

We were off the boat by 7am and on our way to Anvers French Chocolate Cafe for breakfast and planning. It was a delicious feed and we set our rough itinerary for the rest of the 2 weeks. From there we pushed onto Hadspen where we will be camping for tonight.

We dropped off the trailer and then headed into Launceston for the day to start sightseeing. First stop was Beaconsfield at the Mines which was really interesting and informative a must for anyone travelling to the area. We then cruised up and down the high ways to all sorts of little towns stopping occasionally to take in the view and atmosphere. We had heard that Cataract George was very good so that was our next excursion. It also didn’t disappoint and we took the chair ride across and walked back to have a late lunch.

We then found some needed shops and things in Launceston did our grocery shopping and headed back to camp to set up for the night. James is fixing one of his remote control cars AGAIN and I am trying to stay awake long enough to have dinner but it will be an early night.

Bye for now,

Us2martins now in Tassie.

Ahoy there me hearties...

So we lined up and got through boarder security all with plenty of time to then sit almost at the front of the line for 1.5hours waiting to board. Once we were boarding it all happened very quick and smoothly. We easily found our seats and were impressed that we have the front row so no one is leaning back on us and we have roof to floor windows in front of us so we can check out the view while we have one.

We cruised around the ship for a while had some dinner listened to the captain who informed us we will cruise at 23knots and the sea should be mainly calm with a predicted swell of 2-3 meters.

We are totally exhausted and now ready to settle in for the long night with some reading and DVD’s the order of the night.

Night all,

Us2martins going to Tassie.

Tassie Here We Come....

This trip started off as a dream about 3 years ago. We planned to take a trip to Tasmania for 2 weeks over christmas. With many things going on in life we postponed it 2 times and this year we decided it was the right year for us to take the trip we dreamed of for so long.

Back in June we needed to have some things to look forward to so booking our dream trip was what we set out and did. The dates were discussed and the 19th of December till the 3rd of January was worked out to be the dates we would travel.

We booked and then let everyone know we were going and that anyone was welcome to join us. Then the planning and researching began not only for where we would go and what we would see but how to best prepare the car and what needed to be done before we left.

As with all good things in life we left it to the last minute to get everything ready and if it was not for some very good friends (thanks Hammo) we would have not have gotten here with the car 90% finished.

So to get here we installed spot lights a air compressor, half a twine hot water shower system and a dual battery system with another battery still to be finished in the trailer. Oh yeah we also bought ourselves a new camper trailer. For those wanting details its a Oz Trail 12 off road version and we LOVE it.

So the last week we have been madly building finishing projects and packing. James has been a little stressed about the car while totally forgetting about the packing side of things. We managed to get about 6 hours sleep each night, which was just enough to get by and function.

So we packed and packed and sorted and packed and so far cant think of anything we have left behind but I am sure something will come up. We got to bed not too late last night and woke a the very early time of 2.30am and were on the road at 3.20am.

We had a very quick and easy trip down we both drove and snoozed and managed to only slightly get diverted getting to our destination, thanks to the GPS.

So here we go we are sitting in "The London Bar" looking at THE SPIRIT OF TASMANIA. We have found out where we are to check in and when and the predicted swell is only 3 meters so we are just so excited.

If we get internet access on the boat I will blog from there otherwise we will blog later tomorrow after we have set up camp and we will then post our rough plans for the coming 2 weeks.

Bye for now,
Us2martins.