Tassie Trip: Part 5/5: Triabunna to Home - 11th to 18th November 2019.

Triabunna to Home

After leaving Triabunna we traversed some nice country on the way to Oatlands, the back roads are so much more leisurely.

A visitor to Oatlands commented to me that it was Sunday, a day that people go out visiting, and there was nothing open or no-one around to ask 'what to see'. She was right, the place was like a ghost town. I think Oatlands, because of all the stone buildings there, is the best town to visit to get a feeling of how it use to be. We won't mention here, the tussle between the Forester and the electricity pole strainer at Lake Dulverton other than, thanks for the scars.

Swansea, why is food so expensive here?  The cheapest meal we could find was from the corner fish & chip, and that cost $50.

The scenery from Binalong Bay to The Gardens was just as good as ever, the sunny weather certainly helped. 

I noticed the first 2 Porsche's just after leaving Swansea, but it wasn't until we got back on the Tasman Highway, after leaving the Bay Of Fires, that we got to enjoy the drive with some 31 of them, off and on, all the way to Scottsdale. There was no way of keeping up with them but boy, I had some fun trying where the road allowed.

Derby was the big surprise. Last time we there and got out of the car there was not a sound, no cars,  no people, no birds calling, no rustle of leaves, just the sound of the car door closing,. This time there were cars and people, lots of people, and all on bikes. As before, we didn't spend a lot of time here but the the transformation of the town was pretty amazing.

Lynn was very happy with Anabel's of Scottsdale, our accommodation in Scottsdale, a place we never dreamt of staying at before. 

Another very windy day at George Town and Low Head, Lynn staying in the car as not to be blown over. 

Bridport was another town that had big changes made since the last time we were there. A highlight (for me anyway) at Bridport was the sighting of the endangered Hooded Plover. 

Our last real excursion for this trip was up to Cape Portland, the on north east tip of Tasmania. The main reason to go there, other than we hadn't been there before, was to see the Forester Kangaroo. 

Well, it was lucky that we saw them at Narawntapu National Park, on our first day out, because we din't see any here on our last day out. 

For some reason I thought this area was mostly national park but was surprised to see that it was mostly grazing land and wind farms. Talking of wind, this was where we had the strongest winds, another spot (Tebrakunna Visitor Centre) where Lynn wasn't game to get out of the car as not to be blown over. The un-done zipper on my jacket was being blown around so hard I thought it was take out my eyes. 

Our last day (sob sob) and our only side trip, on our way to Devonport, was to the Tasmanian Arboretum at Eugenana. It was also a bit windy here so we were only able to drive around, twice, before coffee and scones.

Bright and early the next morning we arrive at the  Devonport ferry wharf, where our bright pink 'disabled' tag gets us to the front of the queue. Back on the BIG island we head for our nights accommodation at Elwood, where we have two other 'special' guests.

Leaving Melbourne we head for Kilmore hoping to see the house our niece will be moving in to. We found Kilmore but not the house. Our last night on the road is spent at Holbrook in NSW. 

The next day we meet up with Irwin and Rosemary, who have been touring NSW and Vic, for morning coffee at the old historic rail bridge at Gundagai. From there it was a stop at the Police Mountain Bike Training Centre at Goulburn to see one of our sons. 

Then it was time to head home and unpacking.

Click on photos to enlarge. 

                                                                                  

 (PbL) Photo by Lynn

( click here to go to part 1 )

Sunday 11th.      Triabunna to Swansea via Oatlands and Ross.

Countryside near (I think) Woodsdale.

Ruins, near Woodsdale

Deserted. Between Woodsdale and Whitefoord.

Whitefoord

Whitefoord

Parattah General Store

Parattah Hotel, built in 1889.
Could now be a private residence.

A window of the Parattah Hotel.

Duck sculpture in paddock, Oatlands Tasmania.

 Oatlands has the largest collection of sandstone buildings in a village setting in Australia.       
PbL

Callington Mill, a working Georgian windmill built in 1837.

Originally the Wardour Castle Inn, now a private house.

Steps cut into the sandstone, Oatlands.

Oatlands Town Hall, built in 1880.

Roche Hall opened as a school in 1886.
 Back in 2007........................

...........the gaoler’s residence gateway was in front of the building.   
The gateway has since been.................

..................moved back, in 2009, to its original position next to the Gaoler’s Residence.

Stairway to the end.

The parterre garden behind the mill in 2007, taken from the mill, and how........................   

Back From the Brink (Gardening Australia)

..........................parts of it are now.  (couldn't get a high shot as the mill was closed)

The parterre garden today.

Uniting Church, built in 1885.

This shop was used as the 'real estate agent' shop in the ABC TV series Rosehaven.

A nice place to park a car, Ross.

It was a steep push up to the Uniting Church.

The 'Devils' were friendly here.

Ross Female Factory

Ross Bridge, completed in 1836, was constructed by convict labour,
and is the third oldest bridge still in use in Australia

Intricate carvings, by convicts, along both sides of the bridge.

Ross Bridge

Great Oyster Bay, from our motel in Swansea.

Monday 11th.  Swansea to St Helens, via Coles Bay.

'Esplanade?' beach, Swansea.

The whole beach was covered in stone in 2007.

Built by convicts in 1843, Spiky Bridge was made with stones laid without mortar or cement wth parapet stones laid vertically, giving the bridge a spiky appearance.  The reason, apparently to help the bridge weather harsh winds.

'Convict Men Seen Little Love But You All Now Are Angels'   
'Spending Time With God Above'

The old mortar contains a lot of shell.

Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) an appropriate 'spiky' (in shape)
flower (weed) growing next to the bridge.

It was also appropriate, being Remembrance Day, that these
Flanders Poppies were flowering alongside the road.

Remembrance Day Ceremony, Swansea.

Remembrance Day Ceremony, Swansea.

That's pretty straight forward. 
'WYE (why) RIVER' 
 'Coz (because) it's bigger than a creek'

Walnut orchard near Swansea

Lavenders at The Pondering Frog where we had morning coffee.

The Hazards in Freycinet National Park, from Richardsons Beach.

The signs said not to eat the mussels at Freycinet National Park...........................

..............they said that they were just 'looking' not eating.

Cape Tourville Lookout.

Cape Tourville Lookout.

White's Skink (Egernia whitii), Cape Tourville Lookout.

Mmmmm, I wonder what's in here, Cape Tourville car park.

Waubs Bay, Bicheno.

Lagoon Beach

At first, from the road, I thought she was, umm .....................taller. 
Four Mile Creek Beach.

Four Mile Creek Beach, near Falmouth.

St Helens Wharf.   
I'm not sure if there's an ointment that will fix that rash.

Late afternoon walk at St Helens.

Looks like more rain on the way.

Tuesday 12th. A drive up to The Gardens before heading of to Scottsdale.

'Photo crashed' by a bee while photographing the fishing fleet at St Helens.
(no, I didn't add the bee)

Skeleton Bay

Skeleton Bay

Sloop Lagoon Beach, Bay of Fires.

Sloop Rock (left) at Sloop Lagoon, Bay of Fires.

The Gardens, Bay of Fires.

The Gardens, Bay of Fires.

St Columba Falls

Lunch at the South George River crossing, near St Columba Falls.

Lunch at the South George River crossing, near St Columba Falls.

South George River

This could be a mountain bike town, Derby.

Derby

Derby

Derby

Choose a track, Derby.

In the old days, horses, not bikes, were hitched up here.

Derby

Derby

Derby

In the late 19th century Derby's population reached over 3,000 after tin was discovered.
After the mine closed, in 1948, the town slowly died. 
In 2015 a network of mountain bike trails opened and has transformed the town into a new tourism hub.

Derby Town Hall 1923.

Derby

National Bank of Tasmania, 1888, one of the smallest bank buildings in Australia.
No longer a bank but a 6 bedroom house with shop.

The gardens of our next 3 night's accommodation, Anabel's of Scottsdale.

In 2007 this fellow thought we were the expected guest. We weren't but he still gave us a tour of the gardens.
Never thought, then, that we would stay here 12 years later.

Anabel's of Scottsdale. Our unit, out of view, is to the right.

Our unit at Anabel's of Scottsdale.

The garden.

The garden was not at its best due to the recent strong winds and lack of rain.

Add caption

Old rail line are being transformed into bike and walking trails. 
Scottsdale

Wednesday 13th

Wrong time of the year to visit Bridestowe Lavender Estate.

He had just been fed, so we felt safe. 
 Lilydale

The wind was really howling at Windmill Point, George Town.

No wonder they put a windmill here.

Wood Sculpture, Windmill Point.   
Chainsaw sculptor Eddie Freeman created these three men pulling a cable, a whale and its calf and five penguins. 
Paterson (took possession of Northern Tasmania in 1804) , Bass and Flinders are to the right.

This Porsche Panamera was one of 31 Porsche's I enjoyed driving
with on Tassie's great roads over the previous couple of days.

She Oak Point Lighthouse

Mouth of the River Tamar from Low Head Lighthouse.

Low Head Lighthouse

Low Head Pilot Station

Christ Church, 'Historic Church Built 1877'.

East Beach, George Town.

Chainsaw sculptor Eddie Freeman also created these out of pine trees that......................

.............................looked like this in 2010.  (Google Street View photo)

Fishing fleet at Bridport

Hooded Plover

Thursday 14th.
The north east corner is another area that we hadn't visited on previous trips.

All this feed hay in lush looking paddocks surprised me.

Lined up, for a bath, in their best bath robes.

Capital punishment, Pioneer style. 

Pioneer Tasmania.

Plants at morning coffee stop near South Mount Cameron.     

Clockwise from left:  One of the native peas.         Pimelea sp.               No idea.

Little Blue Lake, South Mount Cameron.

This feral chook (chicken) that came out at Little Blue Lake to say hello.

It's like the flower seller's sign. Flowers and Roses.
'Count The Animals and Birds' Gladstone.   

Put the date in your diary, Gladstone.
 'HALLEY'S COMET TIME CAPSULE 
The Contents Will be Examined May 9th 2062'

Another windy day.

The land of the wind farm.

Cape Barren Geese.

There are some 85 (could be more) wind turbines on 2 wind farms here on Cape Portland.

White sand and the Tasman Sea, Cape Portland.

The entrance to Little Musselroe Bay, Cape Portland.

Our lunch spot at Cape Portland.

Should have bought a pillow. 
 PbL

Cape Portland.

The blades are pretty big,Tebrakunna Visitor Centre, Cape Portland.

I thought this was going to be all National Park but it was farmland.

The last one standing.  Near Boobyalla.

This Wombat was doing its bit in keeping the grass down at the Tomahawk Caravan Park.

Friday 15th.   
Our last full day in Tassie.

Leaving Anabel's of Scottsdale.
That is Wisteria climbing up the tree behind our car and a red Sacred Flower of the Andes hanging over the fence.

At first I thought these were 'old', but then I could see that these Royal Enfields were all new.

The owners were keen to talk about their Royal Enfields at The Sideling Lookout.

Finally found a Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea truncata).

The Eastern Spinebill was also enjoying a 'drink', in the waratah at the Abandoned house, with us.

Abandoned house where we had morning coffee (told you that we pick all the good spots),
Targa Hill Rd, Targa.

Asparagus growing near the Tasmanian Arboretum, Eugenana.

Mersey River opposite the Argosy Motor Inn, Devonport.

Mersey Bluff Lighthouse,  Devonport.

The 'Spirit of Tasmania' heading for Melbourne.

Saturday 16th.
We leave Tassie and head to the the BIG Island to the north.

Houses built in the early 1900's.
Devonport.

The Grand On Macfie, an elegant old Victorian home, built in 1899, now a B&B. 
Devonport.

The old Devonport Courthouse, opened in 1903, now the Paranaple Arts Centre.

Roll-on cargo ship, Devonport.

Bye bye Tassie.

Deep thinking , with closed eyes.         
PbL

Looking for pirates.

Just after passing through Port Phillip Heads.

House with a view.

Sunday 17th. 
Melbourne to Holbrook via Kilmore.

Back at our accommodation (Seaside House) in Elwood (Melbourne).

This tower, constructed of stone from the old
Kilmore Gaol in 1924, was built to commemorate 100 years
since the explorers, Hume and Hovell, reached this hilltop.

Have to be careful when stepping backwards up here.

The view from the top of the tower.

The old Kilmore Post Office (left) , built of basalt in 1861.
The courthouse was built in 1864

Old Police Station & Barracks.

The old Kilmore Town Hall, built in 1894.

The main road through Kilmore.

Thirty-three monuments were erected to Hume and Hovell in 1924,
and I have seen a few this shape and size. This one is at Broadford, Vic.

Chiltern Old Cemetery, opened in 1860 and closed in 1881.

Chiltern Old Cemetery, opened in 1860 and closed in 1881.

Monday 18th. 
The last leg, via Goulburn.

HMAS Otway was a Oberon-class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy. Otway was built in Scotland during the mid-1960s, and commissioned into naval service in 1968, ad was decommissioned in 1994.   Holbrook.

Our lunch spot at the Gundagai Lookout.

Afternoon coffee at the old St Joseph's Orphanage, Goulburn (1864 - 1975).
The surrounding 23 hectares, of the main building, are now being subdivided into 117 residential lots.

THE END

( click here to go to part 1 )

Cameras:  Canon PowerShot SX70 HS and Samsung S5  (phone)

Photos edited in Picasa, On1 and ArcSoft PhotoImpression 6.5