Tassie and Bathurst Harbour

Well, John and I had a fabulous trip to Tassie from 19th to 22nd April.

Our fellow travellers were Andrew and Sandy who had been down there for the week doing various great walks and bike rides (well, Andrew was doing the bike riding anyway). Of course we were down there to visit Clare and John and their beautiful house on the water in Hobart. And this is how it went...

Day 1 - 20 April 2007
We woke early on Friday morning to drive to the airport to do a day flight into Bathurst Harbour with Par Avion Wilderness Tours (http://www.paravion.com.au/). I was a little nervous because I am not a great flyer at the best of times (aka Qantas or Virgin), so this little 10 seater plane was scary! Luckily our pilot and guide for the day - Cameron did a great job. With John and I packed in the back of the plane we took offfffffffff........... Wow what a view. It was a magical clear day in Hobart and the view was fantastic! I took lots of photos....

We flew over the mountains that were magical with the mist shrouding the valleys. It was amazing to watch the mountains change. One thing that was sad to see was all the deforestation and commercial timber plantations. Apparently it is an important part of the local economy, but it is devastating and very sad to see. As we cleared the last of the mountains Bathurst Harbour was in the distance. We flew closer and I got some great shots. Landing was interesting on the dirt runway... a little scary but Cameron did good once again.

We disembarked then made our way to the boat that took us up the small waterway to the harbour. Beautiful. It was only about 10am and incredibly still. The reflections were like nothing I had ever seen! Perfect.

We spent most of the day on the boat then got off a few places to look around - Balmoral Beach, out at the Break Sea Islands, then looked at some of the huts where these crazy people used to live! If you get down there, look for my entry in the Visitors book - April 2007.

Oh, there are still two people who live there in the most remote part of the world, and they operate a tin mine. When they give up the lease it will revert back to the National Parks and Wildlife, but in the mean time, can you imagine! The only way in and out is a 5-7 day walk or flying. Even then, the planes can't fly in and out very often due to the bad weather.

We were extremely lucky with the weather. Sure, it was cold, but we had mostly clear skies or some cloud. Very lucky.

I feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity to visit one of the most remote corners of the globe. To be one of a relatively few people who have ever been there - incredible.

The consensus (myself, John, Andrew and Sandy) was that the tour was good, but it would have been better if we were allowed to go on a few long walks. Understandably, there were a number of older people on the tour so walking was not their strong point....

Day 2 - 21 April 2007
Andrew and John left very early to ride up Mt Wellington. They had been talking about this for months! Sandy picked up some breakfast for them and followed them up the mountain.

I walked into town to meet Bronny for breakfast and go to the Salamanca Markets (the best markets in the world in my view!). We had a lovely time chatting and catching up! Although I had not seen her in months, we have been friends since pre-school and we just chatted like old friends. I am so happy for her because although it is hard moving to a new place (she is so brave!), she has done fantastically well and I am so proud of her! She has a great life and great friends down there.

We walked through the markets and I made various purchases including some organic Alpine Strawberry seeds. I will plant them in July when we get back from Italy.

About midday I left Bronny and went back to the house - on the way passing the house Mum and Dad will be moving to! (see pic with me standing in front of it). Who would have thought my oldies would move next door to my inlaws!! (The world is a strange place sometimes).

Anyway, back to the story at hand, when we got back to Clare and John's we boarded the Incat boat and whizzed down to Brunie Island. We all piled into the tiny rubber duck and made it to shore without loosing anyone, walked through some bush, and would you know it, there was the Brunie Island Smoke House! (see pictured - we sat on the verandah and ordered too much food). Tasmania is amazing like that. In the middle of nowhere and there is this fabulous little pizza joint! Great pizzas too.

An afternoon snooze for the girls while the boys went to Shippies for a drink, then we finished the day with a fabulous dinner at Henry's.

One thing is for sure, you eat fabulous food when in Tassie!

Day 3 - 22 April 2007
In the morning John Snr took us out to Incat so Andrew and Sandy could have the tour. Of course it is different every time we visit - fascinating. John and Clare's boat the Wyllaway was also there ready for the re-fit.

That afternoon, we unfortunately had to say farewell to Clare and John and flew back to Sydney.

What a wonderful long weekend!