Two routes north

Published on by 8itchyfeet2 Comments

There are two routes north from the Tasman Peninsula back to Launceston and ultimately Devonport to catch the ferry. One is the Heritage Highway, basically the main drag; the other is the coast road. We want to do both! What to do?

After leaving the Tasman Peninsula we thought we’d head for Richmond on the inland route, but the van park there was uber expensive. So back to Hobart it was. Again. We like the Seven Mile Beach van park though as evidenced by our two previous visits and Amy and Oliver like their friends Rex and Lola who we knew would still be there. Continue reading “Two routes north” →

Must doo’s

Published on by 8itchyfeet1 Comment

The Commandant’s house at Port Arthur was symbolic of the rule of the British Empire’s elite over all they surveyed. His rule was matched only by the authority of God, who’s place in the order of things was set out at the other end of the settlement, also high on a hill.

Curious though isn’t it, that priority for construction of buildings in the settlement was the Commandant’s house first and the Church second. Methinks someone may have been getting a bit big for their boots. Of course there was no-one around to point that out – so that’s how they rolled. Continue reading “Must doo’s” →

Farming Nomads

Published on by 8itchyfeet2 Comments

Tasmania is the Apple Isle, and the Huon Valley is the reason why. Apples spurt forth from the earth here like lava from Mt Vesuvius. So many apples in fact the farmers themselves don’t know what to do with them. As a result a whole stack of them seem to end up falling, not far from the tree, so to speak.

‘There’s only so many apples you can eat’, the farmer in charge of the van park we stayed at told me when asked why so many appeared to be going to waste. This farmer it would seem had decided about 15 months back to start farming nomads instead of apples. Or at least a bit of both. A goodly number of hectares of orchard have been pulled out to allow 4WD’s and caravans to sprout. I rather suspect the nomads to be the more lucrative enterprise. Especially when you know how to milk them.  Continue reading “Farming Nomads” →