Last bit of Tassie



The Nut & Stanley from Highfields

 

We moved on to the north-west with a visit to Circular Head best known as “The Nut”. This is the core of an ancient volcano and stands alone at the end of a spit of land with the town of Stanley huddled in its shelter. We decided not to stay overnight as once again the wind was blowing strongly off Bass Strait but we did visit Highfield House on the hill above the town. Originally the administration centre for the Van Diemens Land Co. it had fallen into serious disrepair until taken over by the Tasmanian Govt in 1990. Restoration work has saved a beautiful historic home and still continues.

A young Echidna near Dip Falls

Our next stop-over was at Smithton, the most westerly town of any size. Not really a tourist town but a good base for local exploring and the Bridge Hotel has great meals – local scallops and chips plus desert of apple pie and cream - all for $12.00.  


Guide Falls near Burnie





As we headed back eastwards we stopped off at a great caravan park at Crayfish Creek where the sites are all in bush settings with birds hopping round everywhere during the day and wallabies hopping round the grassy areas all night. A few more windy days at Cooee Point, Burnie while we explored further inland then gradually headed east to spend a few days at Sheffield.

Mt Roland & Lake Barrington



Letterbox near Wilmot



Sheffield area is dominated by Mt Roland which provides spectacular views of the surrounding country as well as providing a backdrop for many scenic photos. Lake Barrington sits below the mountain and has good camp sites and spectacular scenery. A drive round the lake took us through the little town of Wilmot where many locals have built novelty letterboxes – everything from Daleks to Angels to motorbikes.

Reliquaire window (no photos inside)

In the town of Latrobe there is the most amazing shop called Reliquaire. There are 20 rooms stuffed full of toys, costumes, figures in full period costume, fairies, ghouls and fantasy. It’s like stepping into the toymakers workshop and you really would have to be an awful grouch not to enjoy several hours there.

We have a few more days to fill then it’s back on the boat and back to Melbourne.

North West

Stalagtites in Marakoopa Cave

Mole Creek was our next stop for a few days, an area surrounded by high ranges known as the Western Tiers as the mountains are flat topped but step up steeply to a new level then gently sloping down only to step up steeply again before the next gentle down-slope. The area has over 450 caves and caverns with stalagmites and other amazing formations. Two of the more accessible caves are open for tours and we visited them both on different days getting maximum enjoyment from the experience. The area is famous for honey production so we stocked up on Leatherwood honey and ate honey ice-cream.

Sculpture of a Fishermans Tale

Deloraine was next where we stayed by the Meander River and had to avoid the ducks every time we stepped out the door. The main street has small sculptures with local themes at regular intervals on both sides of the street. They are all about 18 inches tall and are mounted at waist height on top of used oxy-cylinders.

Up to the north coast again and heading west we stopped at many of the coastal towns, free camping in most spots. At Burnie we parked at Cooee Point, a popular but exposed stopover for caravans & motorhomes and for two days it blew a gale, first from the north-east, then from the south-west. The bus rocked and rolled all night in the wind and we heard later it got to 90kph, and even stronger further west. At Devonport the Spirit of Tasmania was unable to dock for over an hour due to the rough seas and driving rain.

Model A Ford

Because of our interest in old cars etc. we spent some time at the information centre at Wynyard where a local vintage car restorer has a collection of very early Fords and other cars on public display. Most of the Fords are pre-Model T, the oldest being a 1903 Model A, the 31^st Ford vehicle produced. It was found in the U.S. only a short distance from the workshop where it was built and still has most of its original parts – including the muffler!