FAREWELL BRUNY AND HELLO AGFEST

On May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 By alisonferryIn TravelLeave a comment

Our visit to Bruny would not be complete without exploring the very south western tip of the island and the old lighthouse at Cape Bruny. Built by convict labour in 1838, it was first lit in March 1838 and was Tasmania’s third lighthouse. It is situated on a particularly spectacular spot overlooking the wild ocean and beautiful Cloudy Bay.

The road to the lighthouse is long and very bumpy in parts but a visit is well worth while – walking up the hill to the lighthouse itself can be a challenge as the wind whips around the cliffs and makes standing upright somewhat difficult! The air, however, is so pure and clean one can imagine it has blown straight from Antarctica it is so cold!

Wildlife in this area remained elusive except for the odd wallaby, rabbit and some birds. One little creature which is quite numerous on the island and particularly in the south is the rare white wallaby. I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I saw him, munching grass quite happily in front of our house.

We left Bruny on a bright but cold morning and after a night in Hobart we drove to Launceston where, to our great surprise, we found snow on the Pass. It was sunny and very cold but quite beautiful to see the first fall for the season.

Then it was Agfest – the yearly Agricultural Show held just outside Launceston. We love coming here as there is something for everyone. I love the Craft Pavilions where there is every type of craft on display and for sale. This, to me, is very motivating and I always come home full of enthusiasm for new projects – half of which ever get done! The Food Hall is also very popular and the wonderful Scallop Pies – a speciality of this area – sell out very quickly. Then there are the animals, the wonderful llamas and their beautiful wool, cattle, sheep and our favourite – the Sheep Dog Trials. The day is always full and rain or shine, it is always fun.

Watching the sheep dogs perform – they are amazing.

I wonder how he can see!

Baby animals are always a hit

The Supertank and hints on fishing holds a captive audience – all sitting on hay bales!

Beautiful display of produce – anyone for pumpkin soup?

Just before leaving Launceston we called into the Farmer’s Market where locals buy their meat, fish, fruit and vegetables for the week. There is even a Boulangerie with real French bread baked by the local French baker – the pain au chocolat was to die for. Together with an excellent cup of coffee this is my perfect breakfast.

Finally it was time to leave Tassie for this year –

Bye Bye Tasmania – see you again next year!

SOUTHERN OCEAN ADVENTURE

On May 21, 2015May 21, 2015 By alisonferryIn TravelLeave a comment

Here we were, on Bruny Island, and right at the doorstep of a Wilderness Journey which has been tagged “One of the Greatest 100 Trips of the World” (by Travel and Leisure 2008 Year Book). Of course, we HAD to do it ! As we were staying in Adventure Bay, the departure point for the trip, we wandered down to the booking office late one afternoon and decided to book for the following day as strong winds were forecast for the day after.

The morning dawned and it was pouring with rain. Not just pouring, teeming with rain, relentlessly and driving. Heavy wet stuff combined with wind and a chill temperature of about 8C. If we had been at home, we would have cancelled the trip and stayed by the fire, or at least indoors. However, this is Tasmania and the weather changes hourly, so feeling optimistic we set out for the warm coffee shop alongside the office. The rain continued to pour and the fog set in and I was thinking “this is hopeless, we won’t see anything…” but I was wrong. As we set off for the jetty to board the Yellow Boat, miraculously the rain stopped!

The boats are named the 4WD of the sea and are designed to cruise in all weather every day of the year. They are safe and comfortable and look like a jet boat with zodiac sides which apparently allows for manoeuvrability and gets close to cliff faces and into sea caves.

Once aboard we were given floor length wet weather gear complete with hoods and told to put them on as it was likely there would be spray and it would be cold! Once that was done the skipper handed out ginger tablets and then told everyone this was an adventure trip – not a luxury cruise – and to expect the unexpected. Here we are in our glamorous attire:

We set off out off Adventure Bay, round Penguin island and travelled along the spectacular coastline towards some rocks known as The Friars. All the while the skipper was talking about the early history of Adventure Bay, of the aboriginals and the early explorers. The co skipper, a lovely girl called Belinda, then spoke about the wildlife and what we would be seeing. These included Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals, Dolphins, Seabirds by the hundred and perhaps Whales.

The cliffs were amazing and are 272m Jurassic Dolerite sea cliffs formed 160 million years ago. Apparently they are among the tallest in the world. This was awesome. We saw “Breathing Rock” which was a blow hole and quite incredible, went into deep sea caves and passed through some narrow gaps between sheer cliffs which had our hearts in our mouths – the skipper had obviously done this many times before! We drifted out to the point where the Tasman Sea meets the Southern Ocean and luckily for us it was relatively calm.

Yes, we went through this gap….

And this one….

The Blow Hole

There are giant kelp forests – and many of them. It was everywhere and is fascinating stuff. It’s a wonder someone doesn’t farm it – but maybe they do.

We found hundreds of seals basking on the rocks and they were quite unperturbed by our presence. The smell and the noise they make is something else!

Note the kelp growing along the edge of the rock and the high tide mark.

There were thousands of birds all with their own habits – the albatross are among my favourite and watching them take off from the ocean, fly around and come in to land is quite fascinating.

Other birds were nesting on the rocks and clearly had hierarchy !

We drifted into calm bays and then ventured into the wild ocean and all the while the rain stayed away and the sun even appeared. It was a magnificent day and one I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who is in Hobart or on Bruny island.

On the way back – and feeling good!

The calm of Adventure Bay.

For more information about the tour go to:www.pennicottjourneys.com.au

BRUNY ISLAND – BEACHES, WILDLIFE, SCENERY AND THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

On May 17, 2015 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

The moment we drove off the vehicular ferry onto Bruny Island, we felt we had stepped back in time. This is a stunning island and what is more surprising is that it is the size of Singapore in area which has a population of 6 million or so and yet on Bruny there are only 650 permanent residents.

The road to Adventure Bay, where we had booked a house for a couple of days, is well sealed and the drive takes about 40 minutes. Along the way found boutique produce such as cheese, wine, chocolates, fudge, salmon and a berry farm which was, sadly, closed as it was out of season. Undeterred we made our first stop at the oyster farm – this is pure heaven for oyster lovers. Workers were busy shucking as we got there, visitors were guzzling them down with buckets of wine and there were lots of sauces and accompaniments to tempt every palate.

Next stop was the Cheese Factory – where tastings were offered and the smell of wood fired sourdough bread was inviting.

On a little further and we found the chocolate and fudge shop – there the chocolate coated coffee beans won out but the choice was endless.

The scenery along the road is breathtaking and it is rare to pass another vehicle. Adventure Bay is towards the southern end of the island and we had to pass along a narrow isthmus which, apparently in days gone by, the local aboriginal tribes crossed regularly hunting for wallabies, fish and penguins. Now there is a well constructed walkway to the top of the hill affording magnificent views but also providing safe passage as this is also a penguin rookery.

It’s a long climb – but worth it once at the top!

I was very moved by the tale of an Aboriginal woman called Truganini. A plaque at the top of the hill commemorates her life which was forever changed by the white invasion. Her tribal connection went back 30,000 years and yet the arrival of white man brought violence and brutality. At the age of 17 Truganini witnessed the stabbing murder of her mother by men from a whaling ship, Sealers captured her two sisters, Timber getters killed the man she was to marry and she was repeatedly raped by the men, her brother was killed and her step-mother kidnapped by escaped convicts. Not surprisingly her father was devastated and died within months.

Following the loss of her entire family, Truganini worked as a guide and interpreter for George Robinson who had been appointed by the colonial government to persuade the Aborigines to peacefully give up their land. Promises were broken, people were exiled and many died of disease of despair. Eventually, Truganini spent many years at a settlement on Flinders Island before dying at the age of 64 in Hobart.

It is hard to imagine those dreadful days when today there is peace and serenity everywhere.

We arrived at the tiny settlement of Adventure Bay and found our house not far from the beach, up on the hill in a quiet little community. Wallabies greeted us at the top of the drive and then scurried into the bush.

The house is cosy and it wasn’t long before we had a log fire burning and a spread of delicacies picked up from the Deli in Hobart and local stores along the way, all washed down with fine Tasmanian wine. A perfect start to our little stay on Bruny Island.

JOURNEY TO TASMANIA

On May 15, 2015 By alisonferryIn TravelLeave a comment

After a full three days in Canberra we joined Chel and Rob and drove to Melbourne to pick up the car ferry – Spirit of Tasmania – for the overnight trip to Devonport. This was the third time we have done this voyage and so knew exactly what to expect! The drive to Melbourne took about 7 hours with a couple of stops along the way. We had lunch at Benalla at the wonderful art gallery overlooking the river and situated in the Botanic gardens.

The current exhibition is called “Dawn till Dusk” Gifts of Light and Landscape and is well worth visiting if you are in the area. As usual the lunch was excellent and the break was refreshing.

Then it was on to Melbourne in time for boarding at 5.30pm. The sun began to set and as we sat in the line up, we observed wonderful colours and light on the water.

Fortunately it was calm weather as crossing Bass Strait can be very rough and hazardous, even in a large ship such as what we were on with six decks of cars, two decks of cabins and a deck of entertainment, restaurants and sleeper seats.

Arriving from Melbourne — Photo courtesy of Spirit of Tasmania

After a gourmet dinner and beautiful Tasmanian wines, we retired to our cabins and were woken at 5.45am on arrival in Devonport.

Our destination was Bruny Island, at the bottom of Tasmania and which is accessed by vehicular ferry. Something I didn’t realise is that Bruny is the same size in land mass as Singapore which has a population of 6 million and Bruny only has 650 permanent residents!

We stopped in Hobart to shop for supplies for the house we were renting and, as always, went to Salamanca Place where there is the most divine Deli. Tasmania is known for its produce – wines, cheeses, fish, meats and so forth and here was everything we could wish for all under one roof!

Hobart is beautiful at this time of year – all the leaves are changing colour and there is a crispness in the air. This is the car park at Salamanca Place.

Then it was on to Kettering where we caught the little ferry. A pretty little port village with a large marina, the area thrives on all things marine and visitors come daily to take the ferry, with or without cars. The journey takes about 15 minutes and once on the other side, you have reached another world!