Hartz Mountains National Park

 26 December 2021

After a wonderful Christmas Day with family, inluding a surprise visit from my sister, we decided on a day out on Boxing Day. Julia suggested Hartz Mountains - one of her favourite places, and one we hadn't visited yet. Packing a picnic lunch was easy with so many leftovers to choose from. and all the equipment needed in our camping kit.

The forecast was for the possibility of showers, but nothing drastic, so we decided to drive south to Huonville and make a final decision there. By the time we arrived in Huonville we could see some light showers on the BoM radar, but decided to press on regardless. After a quick stop in Geeveston we turned onto the Hartz Road which would take un into the national park. A Parks Pass is required so we had renewed ours online before we left home.

Arriving at the carpark we were surprised at the large number of vehicles there. We had enough time before lunch to walk to Lake Osborne, a 2km, Grade 2 track on boardwalk and hard surface. The views were magnificent and the weather was everything we expected - cold, cloudy, sunny, drizzly, windy, still.

Returning to the carpark we set up for lunch in the picnic shelter, glad to be out of the cold for a while. There is plenty of room for a number of groups but we were the only ones there at the time. 

Even though it it was still cold and windy we decided to tackle the longer (3.4km - Grade 3) walk to Lake Esperance after lunch. Not far into the walk there was a shower of quite heavy rain which, thankfully, didn't last too long. Again there were magnificent views and mostly boardwalk and hard surface, but this walk also had sections that were uneven and steep. It was worth it for the reward of the views from the lake as well as the alpine and sub-alpine vegetation along the way. Having a botanist in the group allowed us to gain a greater understanding of the eco system and its biodiversity.

After two fabulous walks, and a wonderful lunch we decided that we'd head home to Hobart, needing the warmth of the car. We didn't know what the temperature had been when we were up at Lake Esperance but it couldn't have been more than 5° or 6° - with  a "feels like" probably below 0° at times. We were very glad for our puffer jackets, beanies and gloves.

Scamander

 11 - 12 December 2021

Because the east coast of Tasmania is a very popular tourist destination we booked ahead for a spot in the caravan park in Scamander - hoping that the weather would clear. We set off from Mole Creek, through Deloraine and on towards the turn-off that would take us through St Mary's. The weather wasn't too promising and it was icy cold and drizzling rain when we stopped at the local market in Fingal. We could see blue sky ahead so were hopeful.

It was only lunch time when we arrived in Scamander so we opted for another pub lunch rather than going straight to the caravan park. Another nice meal, this time with a fire going, and a great view of the river mouth. After lunch we drove the short distance to the caravan park and checked in. We were expecting it to be quite crowded but we were surprised to see only three sites occupied (including ours). We chose a spot near the camp kitchen and amenities. It was cold and windy but the rain held off long enough for us to go for a long walk along the bush tracks to the beach then up to the river mouth and back through the bush to the caravan park. 

We took advantage of the well equipped camp kitchen, which we had all to ourselves, so we could stay out of the wind. After our final night camping for a while we set off for our temporary home in Hobart, and time with our girls.

Mole Creek

 10 - 11 December 2021

We disembarked from the Spirit of Tasmania in Devonport early and were yet to decide where we would go. We wanted to delay our arrival in Hobart until Sunday so we had a couple of days to fill in. After a quick discussion as we drove away from the port we made up our minds to head to Narawntapu National Park for a walk and to consider camping.

It took just over 1/2 hour to travel to the national park from Devonport and contemplate what we would do. We decided that a walk around the campground for a look and then the walk to the bird hide would be a good start. The parks pass we purchased on our last visit to Tasmania was still valid so we didn't need to get another one yet. After a look at the campground, and considering what we might do for the next few days we decided that we would just go for the walk and then set off for somewhere else. We had all day to fill in anyway so were in no hurry to get settled.

The walk to the bird hide is an easy 30 minute stroll but there wasn't much bird life on the water - just a few black swans and a some ducklings, without an adult nearby. Mick took some photos and then we headed back towards the visitor centre. Along the way he spotted some potential subjects in the grassy area so spent some time there with the camera.

We decided to go to Mole Creek to camp as we had never stayed there before and reviews suggested the caravan park was a good place to stay. It was still early so we took some back roads through Sassafras and enjoyed the country scenery. On the way to Mole Creek, we stopped at Melita Honey Farm in Chudleigh for some local honey and a honey ice cream. The ice cream is a favourite of Mick's and it was a warm day - so why not? 

We arrived at Mole Creek well before lunch and after much deliberation settled on a creek side site. There was a fire pit adjacent so we purchased some firewood for the forecast cold night. We hadn't had a pub meal for some weeks so decided to celebrate our arrival in Tasmania with lunch at the local. Nice pub, nice meal and still most of the day to explore - or not.

After our very early start to the day onboard Spirit of Tasmania we both needed an afternoon nap before going out for a drive. We had previously visited the famous Mole Creek Caves so headed in a different direction to investigate a possible camping spot. The campground at Honeycomb Caves looked nice enough but there had obviously been lots of rain recently and the track was in very bad condition. In good weather it would be a good spot with lots of bush around. From the campground we followed the sign to Westmorland Falls only to find that the walk to the falls is a 2 hour return walk. We decided not to as it was getting late in the day. 

Back at camp we organised dinner and lit the fire. It was lovely to be able to have a fire on a cold night. We didn't use all the firewood before bedtime so we had another small fire in the morning while we had breakfast. We had made up our minds to move on so we gifted the remaining wood to the neighbours.

The weather on the east coast looked to be nice enough so we decided on a night at Scamander before going on to Hobart.

Spirit of Tasmania

 9 - 10 December 2021

We left Mount Gambier and crossed into Victoria, ready for the long drive into Melbourne. We found a park in Hamiltion for lunch which we at in the car - partly because of the really cold wind that was blowing. From there we made a toilet stop before we reached Ballarat. Once we were on the motorway it was non-stop into Melbourne - with only a short detour thanks to the GPS sending us in the wrong direction. One day we will get to drive through Melbourne without getting lost.

We had booked a night sail on the Spirit of Tasmania and the current border restrictions meant we had to stay overnight in South Australia and then travel directly to the Spirit of Tasmania without any stop-overs. All on-board facilities (bars, restaurant, shop etc) were closed and travellers were required to remain in cabins at all times. We packed some drinks and some food for our evening meal as well as some muesli bars for breakfast. We also packed a DVD to watch and scrabble cards to help pass the time. 

We arrived at Station Pier about 1/2 hour after check-in had begun and had our border passes checked, our biosecurity quarantine check, then were issued our cabin cards. We then drove on-board and were in our cabin in just a few minutes. It was clear from the slow trickle of cars which we could see from our window that there weren't many passengers compared to previous trips. 

Onboard, we were provided with a "care pack" as well and were grateful for this extra that we hadn't expected - chocolate, cereal and milk, fruit, snack bar, chips and water. The sea was relatively calm and we both slept well throughout the night. In the morning we used the special door tag to summon a member of staff to arrange a coffee. We were pleased with the prompt and friendly service.

We disembarked quickly and had our Covid checks - Tas-E-Travel passes scanned and temperature checks, as well as some questions about how we had travelled to Melbourne and we were on our way.

Mount Gambier

 7 - 9 December 2021

We left Meningie for Mount Gambier intending to stay for 2 nights in a cabin. With the border restrictions that were in place at the time, we would be permitted into Tasmania as long as we didn't stop-over in Victoria, and provided we hadn't been in a venue that was deemed to be a Covid exposure site, With this in mind we decided to travel to Mount Gambier via Robe to visit the bird hide at Fox Lake.

We travelled south along the Coorong, with a stop for a stretch in Kingston SE. From there we drove on to Robe and Fox Lake. There had been a reported sighting of a bird Mick had not seen before so he was very excited when he saw it almost as soon as we arrived. We spent some time there and then went down to Jumbo's Landing on Lake Battye for a picnic lunch. We were doing our best to avoid crowded venues and indoor eateries, so picnic lunches in parks suited us well. 

From Robe we continued on to Mount Gambier where we checked into a cabin. The weather wasn't great so we were glad we had decided to do this. We had time to do some rearranging of the gear in the car, and to plan how we would get through Victoria to Station Pier and the Spirit of Tasmania. We did some shopping to allow us to have a couple of days camping when we arrived in Tasmania.

We had booked a night sail so we could drive through the day rather than the night and were able to get a slightly later check-out from the cabin on our last morning. We packed a picnic lunch and set off towards the border.

Meningie

 5 - 7 December 2021

After 5 nights at Hahndorf, and having both the car and camper trailer in to repairers we were ready to start making our way towards the Victorian border. We chose Meningie as our next stop and managed to book site in the caravan park, right on the lake. We'd stayed there before and it's a nice town, on beautiful  Lake Albert. 

We left Hahndorf and made one last stop at Laratinga Wetlands. Mick was rewarded with some shots of a blue-billed duck. From Mount Barker we drove on towards Langhorne Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula. This is just one of South Australia's many wine regions. From there we made our way to Wellington, where we crossed the Murray River on a ferry again.

We arrived in Meningie, on the northern edge of the Coorong, just on lunch time so stopped at the park in town to have a picnic lunch and a walk. We were surprised at just how many people were doing the same thing. It was a beautiul day, but quite windy. After lunch we drove on the caravan park and set up on the lake's edge site that had been allocated for us. It is such a lovely place to sit and watch the lake and it's resident birdlife. 

We had a  quiet couple of days in Meningie but did get down to the bird hide just near the school. Unfortunately we had timed our arrival to coincide with a school activity! We left them to it, and headed up to the lookout. 

Our next, and final nights, in South Australia would be Mount Gambier so we decided to stop in Robe on our way there.

Hahndorf

 30 November - 5 December 2021

We set off from Gluepot, carefully negotiating the mud and damaged sections of road. We had hoped to spend a few more days there but a problem with the camper trailer, which would require a repair meant we had to make our way towards Adelaide. We crossed the River Murray back into Waikerie and then headed for Blanchetown where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

While we were at Waikerie we tried to book in to the caravan park at Mount Barker. Unfortunately they were only taking bookings from fully self contained travellers so we had to look elsewhere. We were able to book a site for a couple of nights at Hahndorf which is close enough to Mount Barker to allow easy visits to Laratinga Wetlands.

From Blanchetown we followed the river until we crossed again at Walker Flat - again on a ferry. From  there it was on through Mannum and on to Murray Bridge. At Murray Bridge we pulled into a car wash to remove the vast quantities of sticky mud from Gluepot that had adhered to every lower surface on the car and camper trailer, and the dust covering the rest.

We checked in at Hahndorf with plenty of time to make an afternoon visit to Laratinga Wetlands. Laratinga has become a favourite when we are in the Adelaide Hills area and we have visited a few times. This time the water level was much higher than previously and the bird life wasn't as good as Mick had expected but he did meet a fellow birder who told him about anothe spot - Cox Scrub - that would be worth visiting.

We decided that a morning visit to Cox Scrub would be in order so we set off quite early and found our way there. Chris provided very explicit directions and we were able to find the right spot - two small puddles of water on the walking track that attracted a number of birds. Mick sat happily with the tripod for some time. It was a lovely spot but quite cold, with the early morning mist still low on the hills. There are no facilities at Cox Scrub, but there are a number of well marked walking tracks.

When we returned home we contacted a repairer to enquire about having the zip replaced on the Cub and they were able to fit us in straight away. This led to a mad dash to cancel our campsite and find a cabin for the rest of the week. Fortunately they were able to meet our needs where we were at Hahndorf so we unpacked the trailer and moved all our gear into a cabin, before driving in to the repairer in Adelaide. We would have some luxury for the next 4 nights.

We also had the car booked in to have some work done so that was another trip in to Adelaide as well. While we were staying at Hahndorf we revisited Cox Scrub a couple of more times and generally stayed out of the way of the "touristy" spots. We didn't want to compromise our ability to enter Tasmania without quarantine by being caught in a "hot spot". We collected the trailer on Saturday and left Hahndorf on Sunday morning. We had decided Meningie would be a good place for a couple of days as we worked out way towards the Victorian border.