Where are we now? Back in Devonport. Yep we have seen almost the whole of Tas in 3wks so we are chilling out with friends here until we sail to the mainland next Thurs night. Aside from cleaning and tidying tasks (which generally wait whilst were moving everyday)we have beeen applying for a few jobs in VIC. Time to get back to work for a bit God willing.
Where have we been recently? We stopped in Hobart for about a week. We enjoyed catching up with some of my (Naomi)old Uni friends and kids. Hobart is a pretty city- the main centre of town is on the water with the old docks transformed into eating places and funky art and craft shops. We enjoyed the Salamanca market- a large market which showcases great local products- mainly gourment foods and crafts and lots of my favourite- woodwork. Although Neil limited my wood buying- apparently it will weigh down the van BUT he assures me he will get woodturning for me as soon as I buy him the equipment (I reminded him we may need a shed and a place to call home first - minor techicality).
It snowed on Mt Wellington which over looks Hobart so we got sleeted on a fair bit and enjoyed looking up to the snow covered mountain in the brief moments that it appeared from beneath the clouds.
The Cadbury factory (in Hobart) is not helping our waistlines with discount chocolate once filling our pantry (I say once as we have made some serious in roads into it's consumption).
We headed through the centre of Tas from Hobart to Strahan on the west coast. The road for a highway is a pretty deserted road, super windy and winds through kilometers of untouched forest. The olny sign of civilisation most of the way were the hydroelectric pipelines meandering up the mountain sides. We called into the odd old hydro town- it would be a different way of life- a pub and a store and not much more. The road side all the way was covered in snow and lots of it. We amazed at the large piles of snow- scrapped up days ago off the road by the grader. We made a few snow babies- see below. The first is a bit skinny because it was so freezing neither of us wanted to pile more snow to fatten him up. The next was in warmer weather (note Neil's footwear) and so between a snow fight he built up not too bad.
Speaking of snow fight- I lost big time. By luck or chance the first snowball went right down my shirt to my belly. The next straight down my back and jeans wetting everywhere on route to my toes. I need a faster reaction time. Fun fun.
We called into to Lake St Clair and went for a brief walk- the National parks guy wasn't too keen on Neil's thongs in the snow and I think everyone thought he was nuts with only a shirt on too. No cold yet but if he gets the man flu in the caravan i'm getting a motel.
Queenstown was the only bigger town on route- what a weird place!. After driving through hundreds of KM of dense forest we emerge into a wild wild west film- seriously due to the sulfur from the mining the bush disappears and desolate mountainsides that look like sandstone cliffs appear. Nothing is growing sight which begs on to ask if all the plants die exactly what affect does it have on the locals? The town is lined with a few hundred tin houses- all built nearly exactly the same- typical of many of the industrial town we have been through- they look built fast (perhaps not to last) and with practicalities in mind not beauty.
After a very very windy forty km (and some car sickness) we arrive at the coastal town of Strahan. The thing I love and laugh about is how much the tourist information is ramped up. Wow even the tiniest nothing towns are promoted as tourist must see's (hence we plan a whole day some places and find that 10mins in and we've seen the lot- Go tourism tassie :). So what of Strahan. It was a pretty town- promoted much much bigger than it was. A tiny touristy main street with lots of wood shops :), a saw mill and a few cruise boats. We had a little rest there. The hit the road to check out the north- over a few days but alas a few hours later we found we have seen every one horse town on route and arrived back in civilisation in Devonport.
So here we are relaxing for now and probably making each of you jealous. Yes we are loving life on the road- worth a try if you get the chance (or make the chance).
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