Road trip on the East Coast of Tasmania

This year’s Tassie trip took in the East Coast of Tasmania, Hobart and the Midlands. I am a native Taswegian and I try to get back there as much as possible. I might be biased, but Tasmania is an amazing holiday destination.

Ansons Bay

Ansons Bay which is a remote beachside paradise was where I started my journey. My partner and I own a property in this amazing part of the world. Ansons Bay is a place where people go to relax and mostly to fish. There are no shops or service stations in Ansons. The closest shop is 27km away in Gladstone or 40 km away in St Helens. Ansons Bay is only accessed by gravel roads and it has little to no mobile coverage apart from a phone tower that was placed a couple of kilometres short of the town.

The bay is idyllic and is set on an inlet. Access to the ocean and the Bay of Fires is via Policeman’s Point where there is a popular camping area. There are many walking tracks as well as coastal hikes in this area. A beautiful part of the world.

St Helens

St Helens is a fantastic little town that has just started to see the advantages of having a world class mountain bike track on it’s doorstep. With the opening of the latest Blue Tier to Binalong Bay track (a 40km ride) has come more bike shops and facilities for mountain bike riders. The town has bike washing stations and shower blocks. There is even a funky craft beer bar “The Social” and a new Wharf side restaurant that has just opened since my last visit.

While staying at Ansons Bay we popped into St Helens for Op shopping, coffee and groceries. We had lunch at the “Wharf Bar and Kitchen”. The food was so good, oysters and fish were fresh and local.

Fresh Tassie oysters

St Mary’s

After chilling out at Ansons Bay for two nights we set off and drove back through St Helens and made our way down the coast making a quick detour across the Elephant Pass to check out the quaint town of St Mary’s and the amazing views of the ocean from the top of the pass.

  • St Mary’s cottages

A coffee stop in Scamander at a cool coffee shop in a sea container overlooking the beach and the aqua blue water. “Swims East Coast Coffee” gave us great coffee and a delicious toasted cheese and tomato on sourdough for breakfast.

Scamander toasties and coffee with a spectacular view

Bicheno

From Scamander we meandered down the coast stopping at Bicheno, a place I have faint childhood memories about as my family had a holiday house there when I was very small. Bicheno is a very pretty seaside town with an impressive coastline. Penguins are sighted here regularly at nightfall and the town is well-known to tourists for this fact. We shopped in the local craft market, “Makers Creators” and checked out a local artist in residence Anita Bacic’s Camera Obscura she had set up in a caravan by the sea.

Freycinet Peninsula

Next stop was Freycinet Peninsula and a 2.5 hour hike into Wine Glass Bay, just recently voted one of the worlds top ten beaches. This region never fails to impress. The hike up to the look out is manageable for most people and the view from the top is incredible. We continued down to the beach so we could put our toes in the blue ocean and experience the white sands. Just stunning! There were people swimming and a wallaby or two on the sand, yachts floating in the bay made for beautiful photos and viewing opportunities. The walk down onto the beach was fairly easy but of course once you go down you must then head back up at some point! Great cardio work out on the way back. I counted 840 steps!

When we had recovered and rehydrated from our amazing hike we set off on the final part of our journey for that day to Triabunna where we were staying the night before heading to Maria Island in the morning. Triabunna is a crayfishing town and it is also the place where the Maria Island ferry departs from. We stayed in a Deluxe cabin at the Triabunna Caravan Park. Very comfortable after roughing it at Ansons for a couple of nights. We had fish and chips from the “Fish Van” on the jetty. A bustling and busy business with delicious food!

Maria Island

The following morning We had the 9.00 am ferry to Maria Island on the Encounter Maria Ferry. A very comfortable boat with all the mod cons. The night before we had shopped for lunch items and snacks as there is nothing available on the island aside from some fresh water. The boat sold coffee and tea and snacks.

Maria Island is very well known for a couple of reasons:

  • It was a penal colony and has still got some significant structures on it for viewing purposes.
  • It is a wildlife sanctuary known for being a place where animals can live disease free. For example the healthy Tasmanian Devils have been raised here for a few years now following the terrible outbreak of facial tumours, and the wombats on the island are also free of the terrible mange that afflicts many of the Tasmanian wombats.

The following pictures are from Maria Island and the incredible wildlife we saw and had very close interactions with. We hired bikes and rode around the island. Most of the island is fairly flat with the exception of Mount Maria which would be more of a day hike. The roads are gravel and many of the tracks take you close to the coast line. Absolutely stunning beaches and landforms and views of the mainland Tasmania.

Before you leave for the island you are asked to take “the Maria Island pledge” and pledge not to touch or unnecessarily disturb the wildlife, in particular, the wombats. The wombats really did not give a hoot about us, they grazed very close to where we watched them and trusted us to be near their babies. We saw mothers with babies in their pouches, babies laying beside their mothers, lone wombats, wallabies, Cape Barren Geese, Tasmanian Native Hens, roos and echidnas. I feel very privileged to have experienced this and I hope it remains a sanctuary for ever.

You can camp on the island and also stay in dormitory style accomodation, however, there is no power on the island and you must bring everything with you. Showers, toilets and fresh water is available for campers.

The ferry does numerous trips to the island and back and costs around $45 for an adult return. The bike hire is extra and was about $50 for the day. We had originally booked to come back on the 5.00 pm (last) ferry but changed our mind and came back on the 3.30 boat. This was easy to change with a phone call to the ferry company.

Hobart

We reached Hobart in time for an evening drink and dinner in Salamanca. We stayed in Macquarie House in the centre of the city, an Airbnb with shared bathroom and comfortable amenities. Hobart would have to be one of my favourite cities in this world. It’s small but has that big city vibe. It’s arty and grown up and comfortable in its own skin. The following morning which was a Sunday we made our way to the Bathurst Street Farm Gate Market. A lovely bustling inner city market with fabulous food trucks, fresh produce, live music and great coffee. While being a fan of the huge Salamanca Market which is run on Saturday mornings on the docks I must say it was lovely to experience another type of market in this vibrant city! A lovely start to our morning before we got on the road again.

On our drive back up to Launceston we stopped in Richmond to look at the oldest bridge in Australia. Next stop was Oatlands for coffee and cakes at a tea house. We came across some lovely people spinning wool in the streets.

Richmond and some locals

Richmond

We then took the Nile turnoff and went cross country to the beautiful historic town of Evandale. Unfortunately we missed the Sunday Markets at Evandale, they were just packing up so we went and had lunch at the Clarendon Arms Hotel in the beer garden. A very tasty lunch and a quick beer and then back on the road. Once again Tassie delivers in every way. See you next time!

Avon Valley Hikes: Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary and the Numbat Trail

So, quite some time back my 26 year old son said that he wanted to walk the Numbat Trail and I was keen as were a few others. So we finally settled on the 1st September at 11.00 am for our walk. I had emailed ahead to book and pay the $10 pp entry fee. Contact Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary

The beginning of the Trails; The Possum, The Quenda & The Numbat

The Paruna Sanctuary is situated in the Avon Valley around 1 hour east of Perth. It is a wildlife corridor that links the Walyunga and Avon Valley National Park’s, an area of around 1 912 hectares. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy operate the park where many species of wildlife live including the Western Quoll (Chuditch), the Black-Flanked Rock-Wallaby, Tamara Wallaby, Woolies, Quenda and Brushtail Possum.

The date approached and leading up to the Sunday we were due to walk the weather became increasingly nasty. On the Sunday morning the Bureau of Meteorology clearly stated that storms were expected and that the wettest time of the day would be the middle part. Both my son and I checked the radar and cheerfully said to one another that it didn’t look too bad up in the Avon Valley. We drove up to Paruna in torrential rain still chatting and hoping against hope that the rain would “rain itself out”.

  • The beginning…
  • Water, water everywhere
  • A map of the trails
  • Stunning bushland
  • Two little friends we discovered on our trek
  • Tracks are well maintained

Well lo and behold it stopped raining when we arrived and there was “enough blue sky to make a pair of sailor’s trousers” (a saying my grandmother was oft to use) and we enthusiastically exited our cars and put on our wet weather gear. We had already decided before we arrived that we would do the 12 km Numbat Trail. There being 3 options of varying lengths and difficulty. The Numbat being the most challenging.

The first part of our walk was punctuated by showers but nothing too wild. I was quite disappointed that the skies remained grey because being the photographer that I am it’s all about the light! The trail was well marked and maintained. We stopped periodically to look out from the various look-outs and to have a quick drink or snack.

The wildflowers didn’t disappoint and there was a healthy flow of water in the waterfalls and streams that we passed. We reached the point where the Numbat Trail takes a turn and leaves the main trail to begin the loop. One of our party decided that she would turn back and meet us at the beginning of the main trail and the rest of us soldiered on.

  • Well-cleared tracks
  • Fast running streams
  • Waterfalls
  • The mighty Avon River
  • View through the rain
  • The spot where the Numbat Trail Loop begins
  • One of the smaller creatures on the trail
  • Many picnic spots on the way

The loop was probably the most challenging part of the walk as it wound it’s way up to the highest point of our journey. The surrounding landscape was quite clear with many grazing areas. As we ascended the steep incline we saw mobs of grey kangaroos who stopped their grazing to gaze at us with curiosity and we also noticed that there was mobs of grey clouds approaching accompanied by howling wind. When we reached the very top we were hit by gale force winds and horizontal rain. There was nowhere to shelter so we crouched behind some shrubs.

  • Another flowing stream
  • Grey kangaroos
  • Fleeing kangaroo
  • Steps
  • Grass tree
  • Stunning view half way up

Absolutely drenched, we decided that it was best to keep moving. I abandoned all hopes of taking amazing panoramic photos of the view and the surrounding bushland and jammed my camera into a plastic bag for the downhill descent.

The water was, by this time, flowing under our feet and some of us were beginning to feel that first squelch that meant that our shoes had finally given into saturation. None of this, however, took from the beauty of the surrounding bush and landscape. I only wish that there had been a break in the rain so we could stop and take in the beauty of the elevation.

When we got back to our fellow-walker , she too had tales of trying to huddle under the bushes and even attempting to get under the picnic table! The rest of the walk back was really wet but I did manage to pull my camera out for one attempt at photographing some drenched Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos.

  • Against the grey sky
  • Bedraggled Cocky

The entire walk took us 4.5 hours and we were suitably exhausted and very very wet when we got back to our cars, by now the only cars in the carpark! The hot shower and glass of red wine was very welcome when I got home. I am definitely returning in the finer weather to do this walk again. Unfortunately the park closes at the end of September so I might not get there this year. Oh well, there is always next year.

If you would like to read about another hike close to Perth, click here https://www.lisabenjess.org/the-sixty-foot-falls-walk-trail-in-the-perth-hills/

Gumtree… it’s the verge collection without the verge

Gumtree – it’s a verge collection without the verge…

I love Gumtree! It has supported me through the worst of times and given me the best of times. The fact that anyone can advertise anything for free is socialism at work right there. It’s the verge collection without the verge.

I have bought and sold so many items that if there was such a thing as a five star rating on Gumtree, I would have one. I only wish that everyone I dealt with had a five star rating! Such as the dodgy car deal that almost took place and then fell through in a public car park in Nedlands between myself and two unnamed men; the woman who caught a train from Rockingham to Perth where I met her with an ice cream container full of baby axolotls; the many people who called, messaged and emailed but then failed to turn up; the ones that turn up and then don’t want to pay full price; the ones that message you and offer you half your asking price, the list goes on.

I am quite spontaneous and very suggestible when it comes to deciding what activity I might like to take up next. My spare room is a testament to the fact that I thought I wanted (or even believed I had the time) to start spinning wool; playing guitar; riding bikes; paddling kayaks.

Ok, so I do play guitar and I did purchase my current guitar from a family in Swanbourne whose son no longer wanted to be Jimi Hendrix, but it turns out that bass is my thing so I just picked up a monster bass guitar from an ageing rocker (oh wait, isn’t that me?) from just down the road. Mark the guitar man had the most amazing collection of guitars and gave me a few tips on how to pluck bass strings. $100 well spent. I have added it to the spare room and my now collection of two guitars. I will practice every day, I will!

My Ashton spinning wheel recently went to a good home where the owners actually have a real live sheep. Nick lives in Serpentine and has just shorn his sheep for the first time. The wheel came into my ownership after I purchased it from a woman in Cottesloe who, like me, had it sitting gathering dust. I had visions of reliving my childhood where I grew up spinning alpaca wool beside the pot belly stove in Tasmania. Despite my best intentions I didn’t actually get around to using it. I had contacted the Spinning group on Facebook and even attempted to get to their gatherings once or twice but the weather was always too good and paddling got in the way.

My spinning wheel just before it was sent off to a “farm” to spin real wool!

My photographic equipment including a drone and a DSLR camera have all been recycled and turned into new cameras and lenses. I love searching through the pages and I am always reminded of that classic Australian film “The Castle” where the family would spend their evenings combing through the Trading Post. The words “Tell him he’s dreamin’ “ quite often can be heard coming from my mouth. There is something akin to a treasure hunt, the thrill of finding a bargain!

I am also partial to scrolling through “Perth Beer Economy”, a Facebook page where people exchange goods for bevies. The male axolotl who impregnated my female axolotl and caused me to spend many weeks raising axolotl babies was the result of an afternoon browsing through Perth Beer Economy and it only cost me a carton of Hahn Premium Dry (bloody bargain!).

I very rarely pay full price for anything. My clothes come from Op Shops and as you can see so does most of my life. Its not just the recycling of goods that attracts me to Gumtree, because that is a big part of it. It’s the thrill of the unknown and it’s finding that treasure or bargain. It’s meeting the people who will travel by train from Rockingham to pick up a container of baby axolotls; the hobby farmer who has just learnt to shear sheep or the ageing rocker with a “Cigarbox” guitar he bought in Ireland.

You just don’t get that from shopping in a shopping centre or a department store.