Leaving Queenstown, some of Tasmania’s nicest hikes and most beautiful scenery can be enjoyed as one drives towards the east coast, across the Lyell Highway – it’s an area that is home to Lake St Clair, the legendary Franklin River, and, supplying much of Tassie’s power – the Lake Gordon/Lake Pedder hydroelectric project. We’d anticipated exploring this part of Tassie since we landed and we were not disappointed.
Recent travels…….
Between Nelson Falls and Derwent Bridge it seemed we were in an out of the vehicle constantly – the combination of some sights close to the road and other attractions that involved short ( but at times strenuous) hikes. Fortunately the fickle weather gods smiled on us this particular day and allowed us to soak it all in, coddled in wonderful 25 degree sunshine ( which had been rare ).
Moss covered tree in the rainforest.
In an environmental sense the Franklin River has an almost mystical appeal to most Australians – it’s not just a pristine Tasmanian wilderness but is considered one of the world’s great wilderness areas, much of it World Heritage listed. Any Australian old enough to remember the national debate that raged in the early ‘80’s about the proposal to “Dam the Franklin” can now rest easy knowing it is safely protected. The ( admittedly ) small part of it that we explored was certainly stunningly beautiful. Those keen to go much deeper ( literally ) can sign up for rafting trips covering much of its length and lasting up to 11 days.
The Franklin River.View from Donaghys Hill, hike near the Franklin River.No prizes for guessing which route we took !
Lake St Clair is the southern end of one of Tassie’s most famous hikes, The Overland Track.
Just before the Franklin dam saga, a gigantic dam that did get built was the Gordon dam, backing up waters from Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder to create a huge hydro electric power system critical to Tasmania’s power grid. Definitely off the well-beaten track, but It’s a beautiful drive in to the dam and a very impressive engineering feat- Lake Pedder also offered up some great camping.
Camped by the beach, Lake Pedder.The Gordon Dam, near Lake Pedder.
Following the Gordon Dam diversion, Cockle Creek was our next stop, taking us – not just as far south as you can go in Tassie ( by road ) – but ( Tassie being the southernmost state ) as far south as you can drive in Australia. While certainly scenic, apart from a rather famous trek, there’s not much that would take you to Cockle Creek other than its “extremity” claim. Unlike Australia’s northern extremity, Cape York, Cockle Creek is barely 2 hours south of Hobart, so it does not involve any kind of arduous travel. Anyone that makes it to Hobart can easily tack on a detour down to Cockle Creek, whereas Cape York ( almost 1,000kms from Cairns ) is an adventure all of its own…!
Traditional Tassie home, near Cockle Creek.
End of the road marker – Cockle Creek is the most southerly point ( by road ) in Australia. Having reached the northern extremity ( Cape York ) it only made sense to “bookend” the experience !
Prior to spending a few days in Tassie’s laid back capital ( Hobart ), there was one other southern charm that Tassie offered up to travellers – Bruny Island. A place we were told ( by many ) not to miss, “Bruny” definitely matched expectations. A rustic, charming, spread out, beach-ringed “foodie“ haven, Bruny didn’t disappoint. It’s an easy 20minute ferry from Kettering, itself only 40 minutes from Hobart, and provides excellent camping, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and wildlife opportunities among other attractions. A historic lighthouse, rugged coastal scenery and possibly the island’s prettiest beach rewards those who make the trek to Bruny’s southern reaches. Well worthwhile in every respect!
A “paddymelon” – a small, somewhat kangaroo-like animal common on Bruny Island.
Bruny Island lighthouse.Jetty Beach, Bruny.“The Neck”, viewpoint on Bruny Island.The “Bread Store”, Bruny. The fridges are filled with piping hot loaves each day and sold via the “honour” system. View from our hike, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island.Selfie, Adventure Bay.A popular “foodie” spot – the cheese was spectacular, the craft beer, not so much.On Bruny we met our 3rd international overlander. Stefan and Ute had brought their Sprinter 4×4 to Australia from Germany ( via South Africa ).
Hobart (and more of the east coast) beckon as we’ll turn generally north after Bruny.
Note: It appears that last week’s blog did not get picked up for distribution for some reason ? We use Mailchimp, which has, hitherto, reliably distributed each weekly update that we produce but seems that last week it had a hiccup of sorts. Anyway, for those that did not get last week’s, this week you get two. Enjoy…….!
Travels of late…….Wild coastline near Arthur River.
Given its proximity to Arthur River and multiple other traveller reports of it being a worthwhile detour, we opted to drive the “Tarkine Loop” just prior to heading south of the Western Explorer highway. Well worthwhile with some great hikes, sink holes, lakes, and panoramic viewpoints to checkout.
Arthur River, from bridge on the Tarkine Loop.Already bumping into folks we’d met on the ferry coming over. Here with Paul and Tanya on the Tarkine Loop
One of the real highlights of driving the west coast, though, is taking a route known as the “Western Explorer” – a remote, hilly, windy, and VERY dusty track between Arthur River and Zeehan. We’d expected far more traffic than we saw and ( quite happily ) had the “road” ( I use the term generously !) almost to ourselves. It can get very beat up after rains and heavy use but timing helped us here as the route had just been graded in advance of the expected influx of summer traffic. With steep hills, sharp corners and dust often obscuring visibility it can be hazardous – as always, driving to conditions is key. In order to tame drivers’ appetite for speed ( 80km/h would be fast on this road ) distances are given in terms of “time” to destinations, rather than the usual kilometres.
Red dust in the outback, white dust in Tasmania ! Western Explorer “highway”.
In Tassie, we’ve seen lots of “live” wildlife but there’s also been a lot of roadkill.
The only settlement of any note between Arthur River and Zeehan is Corinna – not so much a “settlement” even as a ferry crossing with a pub, gift shop, and campground. Being the point where the punt crosses the river though, it is incredibly lush, scenic and a real travellers crossroads – we’d love to have spent a night even, but inquiries as to campsite availability yielded a polite “Sorry, full for the season!”. Popular place !
The hotel at Corinna, a beautiful little oasis on the Western Explorer.The Corinna ferry, just one vehicle at a time.
Zeehan was at one point a major mining location but its mining glory days are long gone. Remnants of the mine ( a tunnel carved from rock ) are visible and the road in and out to the tunnel was, well “exhilarating”, shall we say – one lane only and definitely THE narrowest dirt road we’ve been on in Tassie so far. Not for the faint of heart ! Our first time camping at a golf club, but not to be out last, with nearby Strahan offering up the same arrangement the following day ( thankfully this time on grass, not mud ! ).
The Spray Tunnel, Zeehan. No glow worms when we visited sadly.
Strahan is more or less the major town on the west side of Tassie, and a beautiful port with a scenic mountain backdrop. A bit like Arthur River in that it is primarily noted for its great hikes and river cruises ( the Gordon River, in this case ), but unlike Arthur River, where the weather was spectacular, in Strahan it was not – sadly just too misty and windy to enjoy any of its outdoor pleasures. Now, not that we are suddenly becoming “culture vultures” ( as my sister called us ) but, given the inclement weather, we thoroughly enjoyed a little indoor entertainment while there – Strahan’s legendary play “The Ship That Never Was” – in fact, it’s Australia’s longest running play, and based on a true story. Not what we expected in Tassie, but highly recommended !
Strahan port.Saw this topographic map of Tasmania in Strahan – now it makes sense why it takes so long to cover what seem like very short distances…!Macquarie Heads, near Strahan.The play was hilarious. It’s an institution in Strahan.“The Ship That Never Was”.The hiking path to Hogarth Falls, Strahan.
Strahan is as far south as you can go ( by road ) on the west coast and at this point the highway turns eastward towards historic Queenstown. Like Zeehan, Queenstown was originally primarily a mining town ( copper, mostly ) – while it’s still got a solid mining base it’s now morphed into some pretty serious tourism endeavors, with nearby hiking and mountain biking trails bringing tourists from far and wide. Its steam train had been a big draw but track repair means the route is currently a shadow of its former self, only running a fraction of its normal route. We passed.
Street art, Queenstown.Queenstown.Iron Blow, an abandoned open pit mine, Queenstown
I’ll close this week on a somewhat bizarre note. Not sure whether to laugh or cry, actually. All Australians know of the Tasmanian Tiger – a wild dog like animal native to Tasmania that became extinct when the last known specimen died in a Hobart zoo in 1936. Rumors of sightings appear in the media occasionally but it’s generally accepted that, sadly, they are gone forever. I’ve included a picture of one of the last surviving examples below:
Just as we were about to leave Queenstown, we wandered around the campsite and came upon ….wait for it – a Tasmanian Tiger ( or so it appeared ) ! We absolutely did a double take, both of us knowing there were none known to exist, either in captivity or in the wild. Turns out our camping neighbours must have really wanted one and used a vegetable dye to make their kelpie look like a Tasmanian Tiger. Hmmmmmmm……!
As close to a Tasmanian Tiger as you will get these days !
From Queenstown our route onwards will take us across some pretty spectacular scenery, famous lakes and rivers, indeed some of Tassie’s very finest ! More on that next update.
The ten hour ferry crossing from Geelong to Devonport went smoothly, always a relief on a crossing that is often subject to extremely big swells. Lois had crossed previously, on her first trip to Australia in December, 1982, and recalled it being a treacherous one – she was violently seasick. Not this time.
Crossing Bass Strait. Smooth as glass on the day we sailed.Our route so far.Free camped on a beach near Devonport on our first night and woke to this beautiful sunrise.
“Tassie” ( as Aussies love to call it ) has a fairly short high season with January – March being most popular. Given Tassie’s small size and the seasonal influx of tourists, we expected the roads to be packed but were surprised as we headed west at how quiet they were. A good omen, we thought. Having been relieved of all fruits and vegetables at the ferry terminal in Geelong ( there are strict quarantine rules on entering Tassie ) the first order of business was to re-stock the van. That done, a water fill was next and while that’s normally routine in other states, in Tassie we actually struggled, initially, to find a tap with a handle. Curiously, all the handles seemed to be missing – according to a traveller we met, one needs to carry a certain cross-shaped tool to turn them on. Lamenting the fact that the taps in a local park had no handle we asked a council worker ( Sally ) who we’d seen where we might find one. “Difficult”, said Sally, but then motioned us to follow her and took us to a little known spot where there was indeed a tap, with a handle and plentiful supply of potable municipal water. Having filled our tank we were about to leave when Sally came back to check on us – then handed us a small chrome handle adapter so that we could, in future, access the many handle-less taps ! We’d heard about Tassie hospitality and friendliness – here we were, only on day one but already getting a good sampling of it!
“Sally” from Ulverstone council saved us when we needed water ! Great Tassie hospitality.
Our Tassie travel route took us west and in a generally anti-clockwise direction around the state. Ulverstone, Burnie, and then on to Stanley an historic, English-style village perched at the base of an enormous rock outcrop known as “The Nut” where we relaxed and explored for a few days.
A Tasmanian Parks Pass is essential when travelling in the state. For the price of two visits you can buy this and have unlimited access to them all. Pretty Rocky Cape was one of our first visits.Aptly named “Rocky Cape” !Selfie time !View of Stanley from the bottom of “The Nut”.It’s a brutal 15-20 minutes of what seemed like near vertical ascent to climb The Nut – then it’s easy.
The Nut, rocky backdrop to Stanley.Stanley has a very British feel to it – almost like a remote British island colony in some far flung corner of the globe. One of two remaining original, working phone booths in Tassie, right here in Stanley.Indeed, it is ! Local sign, Stanley.Classic old Tassie pub, beautifully restored. Enjoyed a few drinks here.Sunset over the bay, Stanley.Penguins come ashore at night all along Tassie’s northern coast.
Heading further west one fairly soon reaches the wilds of Tassie’s beautiful West coast. Locals are quick to point out that standing here and looking over the Southern Ocean you feel the full force of the “Roaring 40’s” – with no landmass until you hit Argentina, 16,000kms away, it can indeed get windy down here ! For the aforementioned reason, human settlement is sparse on the west coast – towns being not just small, but also few and far between. The area is known for its remoteness, and its natural beauty, all of which we sampled as we explored the sights on the way to Marrawah ( best beach on the island so far ! ), and Arthur River. The Arthur River cruise was a real highlight – relaxing, scenic, informative, entertaining – and all that delivered on what was a stunningly perfect sunny day.
Camped out, Marrawah.Majestic Ann Bay, Marrawah.The Tasmanian Devil. Apparently very difficult to see them but the warning sign might suggest otherwise.The classic old “red boat”, Arthur River cruise. Felt a bit like we were on the African Queen !Perfect weather always makes for a more enjoyable outing and Tassie turned it on for our Arthur River exploration.The cruise included a BBQ lunch and unlimited wine – well, wine, yes….. but not exactly “high end” wines 😊😊Sea eagle, Arthur River.Sea eagle, having just caught a fish.
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From Arthur River, Tasmania’s iconic “Western Explorer” ( an un-paved route ) lays ahead, taking us directly south, down the west coast to Strahan. It’s a part of Tasmania neither of us have visited previously and an area we’ve eagerly anticipated exploring.
It’s the very nature of travel to come and go but we’ve certainly found that the longer you stay somewhere ( particularly somewhere nice ) the harder it is to pull yourself away. So it was as we rolled down their driveway in Temora and bid farewell, not only to my brother and his wife, but also my sister, realizing as we did that it will probably be the last time we see them for quite some time given our planned route from here does not have us returning this way. That said, our best laid plans have a habit of changing !
Our recent path.
Mindful of our failure to reach the top of Mt. Kosciusko during our last visit to Thredbo ( wind had foiled our attempt ), priority number one was to make the easy detour through the Snowy Mountains on our way to Victoria and give it a second shot. A more scenic drive would be hard to find – the more western route through Gundagai, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Khancoban and on to Thredbo made for easy and interesting driving ( apart from a heavy downpour as we were about to camp). Somewhat of a back door into the ski fields, this route is narrow, windy, and definitely less travelled but provides lush scenery, lots of wildlife spotting and the inescapable feeling that you are indeed in the high alpine meadows.
Following along behind a small truck and camper near Thredbo we realized it was a Dutch vehicle ( the distinctly European look of the camper, the “NL” plates and “Caution- Left Hand Drive” decal being tell-tale signs). Having both pulled over on the windy road to allow others to pass we stopped for an impromptu chat. Indeed they, like us, had shipped their vehicle over ( they from Rotterdam ) and were 4 months into a 12 month “full lap” of Australia. We were the first foreign vehicle they’d met and they only the second we’d met, each of us as surprised as the other to have not met more. Like us, they were having a thoroughly wonderful time and we discussed many of our shared experiences having shipped our own vehicles Down Under.
Meeting with Dutch couple, Peter and Maria, who shipped their rig from Rotterdam.
It would be a real stretch to describe Mt. Kosciusko as a “climb”. Apart from the length ( 13kms return ) it might even be an embellishment to call it a hike – more an energetic “walk”, perhaps. Taking the chairlift to the start of the walk ( along with hundreds of mountain bikes – the place is an absolute mecca for them ), one follows a clearly marked path all the way to the summit. There are large pavers in some parts, a grated metal walkway most of the way and a smooth dirt track near the end. Steep only in parts, the ascent was mostly gentle and in a little over 90 minutes we’d reached the top. Colder, windier, and foggier than the valley below, there were breaks in the clouds at times affording us nice views down towards Charlotte’s Pass. No shortage of company either – it’s a well travelled route ! Just as the National Parks lady had told us, in 3 hours the whole walk was done ( and plenty had passed us along the way 😊, obviously competing for the “fastest” ascent/descent). Very enjoyable, and energizing – if you are looking for a fairly easy “Climbed the Highest Mountain in (insert country name)” claim, they don’t come much easier (well, perhaps in Holland !).
Alpine scenery, Mt Kosciusko.
”Are we there yet ?”. Almost !Now we are…!Looked on our phone to check we were in the right place ( like there was any doubt ! ). The blue dot said it all…….
Regular readers will recall back in November that we left what was essentially a coastal route around Australia (at Cann River, in Victoria ) to come inland for visits to the Snowy area, Riverina district, Temora and Forbes. It was thus now time to head back to Cann River and continue on around southern Victoria to Melbourne/Geelong for the ferry on to Tasmania. From Cann River the route ( Princess Highway ) takes one on to Geelong via Orbost, Sale, Traralgon and Melbourne, necessitating diversions along the way to visit some of Victoria’s coastal attractions ( Marlo, Cape Conran and Lakes Entrance among them). Being December, the Victorians were out in force for summer holidays- the roads were fine but very crowded. Wilson’s Promontory had been on our agenda and an excursion to mainland Australia’s most southerly point much anticipated, however the weather gods intervened and our trip was cancelled due to windy conditions. Rather than waste time waiting for that to change we moved our Tasmanian ferry departure forward ( to New Year’s Day ) and beelined it straight to Geelong ( Wilson’s Promontory could certainly wait till we returned from “Tassie” ).
Crossing into Victoria.Coastline near Cape Conran. Wild and beautiful, and popular with surfers.
Lakes Entrance. Not obvious in this distant picture but but the town itself was jam packed with tourists.
Geelong surprised us – long in Melbourne’s shadow, the city was vibrant, easy to navigate and its downtown and waterfront were well worth seeing. A great pub camp at nearby Little River gave us time to prep the vehicle for the Bass Strait crossing. No shortage of signs to the ferry terminal – it’s THE reason many RV’s visit Geelong – and the boarding process was smooth and on time. Once on the ferry, we sat back, relaxed and brushed up on the many highlights of Tasmania from the multitude of brochures available on board. Tomorrow, and after a delay of almost 12 months, we’ll finally arrive in “Tassie”.
A popular layover the night before/after the ferry crossing is the Little River Pub, just outside Geelong..Michael and Sarah intercepted us while shopping in Geelong and asked for a look in the van. They were about to purchase a Sprinter so had a few questions.One of Geelong’s more eclectic buildings, the Geelong Arts Centre. I thought it looked like someone had thrown a crumpled sheet over the place – but that’s art !Booking is easy but fortunately we took the full price “FlexiFare” as we changed our dates many times before sailing.
Welcome back to our blog, we hope all our readers had a wonderful Christmas – we sure did.
Our November/December “visiting grand-daughter in Canada (Lois)/doing van maintenance in Temora (Jeff)” hiatus gave us a wonderful opportunity in fact to do both those things – that said, one could always use just a bit more time as you never seem to tick quite every box on your list.
One of the more precious pictures of our new grand daughter, Hadley. Lois spent most of her “Canada-time” with our new bundle of joy. She was very hard to leave !
In the time leading up to Christmas, with Lois in Canada, my weeks were mostly spent cleaning, repairing and replacing parts on the van along with a couple of short ( but wonderful ) visits with old friends and other family members. The lion’s share of that time was spent, as planned, in “Hangar 19” at the Temora Airpark. I was very happy with the tasks I was able to tick off my list and incredibly grateful to my brother ( and his wife ) for hosting me and, quite literally, giving me free rein with his tools, workspace, and – especially on the many hot days – unfettered access to their pool ! I said, only half jokingly, that if I was asked to design a place to spend a few weeks just to get all this stuff done, I would have designed exactly what they provided ! Spacious, flat, covered, secure, powered….and with the refreshing pool to boot. Bliss…..!
Plenty of room for all the vehicles in Hanger 19 !With a lot of cleaning (and some minor repair work) to be done in the van’s “garage” area, it was most helpful to be able to take everything out from inside creating a clean, clear work area. We also realized we carry a lot of stuff we never use !Rear door sill, removed, cleaned and replaced. The outback red dust gets everywhere.Plumbing connections behind the shower attracted lots of dust. All spotless now.Engine bay now like new !My niece, Eloise, kindly provided me some ramps and a high pressure washer to clean the underside of the van. That outback red dust was everywhere !With the hose.
Some serious cleaning needed !Driver’s side front fog light, smashed way back on the Cape York track, had been taped up as an interim solution. Replaced with a new light while in Temora.We’d been asked countless times “Why the world map and no route marked out ?” Well, the dots and dashes took a looooong time to do but now our route is visible ( another Temora job ! ). Black dashes mark the vehicle trips by sea and the white dots mark where our vehicles have been driven. Over 100,000 kms driven yet so much “blank canvas” still remains !While all the cabinetry was completed before we left Canada, I ran out of time to install the gas struts that hold the doors up. Very finicky to install, but all done now. No more holding them up with one hand while searching for things inside !
During my time in Temora I headed off to a dear old friend’s home in nearby Canowindra for a get- together of old school friends (about 22 in all) giving me an opportunity to catch up ( in one location ) with old friends, many I’ve been able to stay in touch with but with a handful of others I have not seen for 44 years – yes, some serious catching up was done. Thank you Maria for putting it on. Fabulous time !
Just over 100kms from my home town lies Cowra, famous for a prisoner of war camp that held Japanese and Italian prisoners during WW2. An ill-fated breakout occured during 1944 and a memorial to the event, along with remnants of the camp , can be seen on the edge of town. I stopped in on the way to Canowindra.Some remnants of the camp.Just some of of our old friends who came together for a reunion (of sorts). A wonderful time was had by all thanks in large part to our wonderful host, Maria ( front left ).…and the evening dinner ! A banquet, no less.
Just prior to Christmas I drove to Sydney to pick up Lois who, despite veiled threats to stay home with the new baby, did in fact fly back to Oz 😊. That flight, as usual, was long and tiring – an hour from our home to Vancouver by plane, a 4 hour wait for the connecting international flight, then 14 hours in the air across the Pacific to Sydney. Never an easy one. Back together in the van ( now all cleaned up ! ) the plan was to make one final visit to my hometown of Forbes but not before taking the scenic route via the charming ( and thriving ) little town of Mudgee, one of Australia’s newer wine regions. Famed for their excellent products, we put that reputation to the test visiting 3 of their better known vineyards. Indeed, they make some great product !
Burrundulla Winery, Mudgee, just one of three we sampled.I’d needed a rather unique ( imperial measure ) plumbing part which I was struggling to find since everything is metric in Oz. While wine-tasting in Mudgee I chanced upon a machine shop that actually fabricated one for me ! Never underestimate the creativity in our small towns.Managed to fit in a quick visit with old friends Sue and Jim while passing through Parkes.
Christmas in Oz is hot, and for Europeans and North Americans used to a traditionally cold ( and often snow-covered ) Christmas, that heat can be a bit hard to get used to. This year however, in a small town ( Grenfell ), not far from us in Temora, folks woke up to a surprise “White Christmas” of their own: :
A freak hailstorm in Grenfell on Christmas Day gave the impression of a “White Christmas”
No such White Christmas in Temora but it was a wonderful one nonetheless. With Lois back just in time to join us, my younger sister joined Lois and I, and my older brother and his family for an absolutely delightful time. The tyranny of distance makes such reunions rare so this year’s Christmas was a extra special.
Younger sister (Karen), myself, and oldest brother (Ian).Christmas in Temora.
Ian’s son, Darryn brought the family pet parrot to Temora – a South American Quaker. It regaled us all with its ability to speak 😊
Wheat harvest in full swing while I was in Temora. It was a great year.
All good things must come to an end, though, and it was with a real mixture of emotions that we pulled out of Hangar 19 to continue our travels on Boxing Day – it had, I must confess, begun to feel very much like home ( always the sign of good hosts !). The coming days will see us head back towards the state of Victoria with the ferry scheduled to take us to Tasmania early in January ( a trip which is 12 months overdue ! ).
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
