Bridport

 11 – 14 March 2022

Leaving St Helens we travelled up into the mountains on our way to Bridport. We took a short detour to Pyengana for morning tea at the dairy. While we were there I was able to have a quick catch-up with an old friend who lives nearby and works at the dairy. We also bought a lovely cheese box to have for lunch later on.

We continued on through the mountains and arrived at Bridport just on lunch time. We checked into the caravan park and immediately saw that the site we had been allocated was totally unsuitable. We returned to the office and were offered another one that was only marginally better, but decided it would have to do. Being a long weekend, this very popular holiday spot was almost fully booked. We were glad we had arrived early as it took some manoeuvring to get the camper trailer onto the wonky, small site, which was underneath an old gum tree. On the positive, the view was fabulous. The park started to fill up as the afternoon wore on, and we noticed many others having the same struggle we’d had to get positioned perfectly.

We went for a long walk along the foreshore path and onto the beach. This caravan park is enormous and hugs the beaches. There are more than 250 sites and you can see the water from just about all of them. We went for a drive to try to find a birdwatching spot and found the “food truck park” instead. It was too early to eat so an ice cream seemed like the thing to do. We decided we would return for dinner one night over the weekend.

On Saturday we visited the local market. Run by the CWA there was a good assortment of arts and crafts, local produce, jams and preserves as well as plants and second hand goods. We then walked along the foreshore path in the other direction to the one we had taken the previous day. In the evening we walked over get dinner at the food truck park – pizza for Mick, and Thai for me. Good food and great value.

On Sunday morning we set off again to try to find the birdwatching spot – this time down to Adam’s Beach and a long walk along the beach to the estuary. No luck with the birds, but another good walk. Later in the day we drove to Scottsdale, the next big town, to use the carwash and to stock up on some groceries. Back home and it was time to start preparing for our journey on the Spirit of Tasmania on Monday night.

Bay of Fires – Grant’s Lagoon

9 – 11 March 2022

We set off from Port Arthur and drove back through Sorell, then on to the East Coast. The day was quite windy and the forecast overnight temperature was only 10° so we were unsure about whether to head to a caravan park and a powered site to be able to use the heater. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Triabunna in the park near the marina. The cold wind had us seriously considering a caravan park. On our way out of Triabunna we came across a book sale in aid of local charities so we stopped and I restocked my supply. I always carry lots of books with me as I like to read while Mick wanders about with the camera, and usually buy them from op-shops, or exchange them in caravan park book swaps.

We continued north and eventually decided that we would drive through St Helens to the Bay of Fires, and look at a couple of campsites for a sheltered spot for the night. We had a look at Grant’s Lagoon and then at Jeanneret Beach. We ended up coming back to Grant’s Lagoon as it seemed to be more sheltered and less crowded – although without access to a beautiful beach like many of the others. This is a free campground so we thought we would stay overnight then decide whether to have a second night. We walked down to the boat ramp to have a look at the lagoon but there were not many birds on the water.

Grant’s Lagoon

The temperature dropped as soon as the sun started to sink so we had a quick and easy dinner, then retreated to the comfort of the camper trailer. Surprisingly the Telstra signal was excellent so we were able to stream some favourite shows before bed.

Even though the night had been very cold, we decided that we would stay at Grant’s Lagoon for a second night. We took another walk down to the lagoon, but there is no walking track around the outside – just a boat ramp, and the track we walked on, down and back. There were plenty of birds around in the bush around the campground so Mick was happy to set up at camp with the camera.

Female Scarlet Robin

Male Scarlet Robin

Around lunch time one of our neighbours brought over a fillet of the fish he had just caught – too much for him, so he was happy to share. We gratefully accepted and enjoyed it as snack with drinks in the evening.

On Friday morning our pack up didn’t take long as we hadn’t used the awning, or unhitched the car. We headed into St Helens to top up with fuel that had risen more than 20c per litre in the previous few days. From there we set off towards Bridport to stay for our last three nights in Tasmania.

 

Port Arthur

 7 – 9 March 2022

We spent the weekend in Hobart with our daughters and made our final preparations to leave Tasmania. After a long, leisurely and delicious cooked breakfast with the girls we headed off to Port Arthur. We chose to stay at the caravan park and arrived in time for a late lunch. The park is well set out and each site has a fire pit. We were surprised to see an echidna foraging for ants on the top of a large tree stump. It seemed totally oblivious to all the people around it taking photos. It did eventually climb down through the inside of the trunk and continued to wander the grounds for some time. Later we went for a walk in the afternoon along the track towards Garden Point then down to Stewart’s Bay for a walk on the beach.

The caravan park is a great place to see the, endemic, Green Rosella

A cold night was predicted so we took the opportunity to use some of the firewood left over from our stay in the Huon Valley. A campfire is always a bit of a treat, especially on a powered site in a caravan park.

We didn’t visit the Port Arthur Historic Site this visit, instead taking the time to explore the Tasman Peninsula. Our morning excursion took us to the Tessellated Pavement, Devil’s Kitchen, Tasman’s Arch and the Blowhole. Each is accessed via a short walk and are within close proximity to each other. We constantly marvel at the amazing work of nature, especially in this part of the state.

We returned to the caravan park for lunch and headed out again mid-afternoon. This time we travelled on the scenic drive along the coast, turning off to visit a number of points of interest. We discovered another beautiful beach at Safety Cove. We also visited White Beach before driving on through Nubeena, then turning off to visit the Coal Mines Historic Site. This site is an Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property – one of eleven. A National Parks pass is required to visit, but there is no entry fee.

Coal Mines Historic Site

There are a number of walks throughout the site, of varying lengths and grades. We chose the easy half hour walk as our introduction on this visit. Interpretative signage tells the story of the discovery and mining of the coal, as well as personal stories of the convicts who were incarcerated there.

From there we continued towards Port Arthur, taking one last detour to visit Fortescue Bay. There as a campground and day use area which is accessed from a 12km forestry road. This is the departure point for those undertaking the Cape Hauy walk. We returned to camp late in the afternoon and enjoyed another chilly night by the fire.

We checked the weather and were a little undecided about our next destination but figured we would drive north along the East Coast and hope that we could find a sheltered spot somewhere in the Bay of Fires.

Riversedge Camping – Lonnavale

 

2 – 4 March 2022

We had heard about Riversedge Camping on the Russell River, and decided that it would be a good place to stop with a couple of days of nice weather ahead. We drove through Huonville and turned off towards Judbury and on towards Lonnavale. Arriving at Riversedge we were greeted warmly and invited to pick a spot from those available for the next couple of nights. We were very impressed with what we saw, and ended up settling on Site 18 – the one that had been recommended to us by friends.

As you look around it is clear that the people who developed this campground have put a lot of thought into creating a fabulous spot. Each campsite is huge - some with enought space for two or three caravans or motorhomes. Prices are dependent on the type of site chosen, are charged per person and are fairly reasonable. Most sites are along the river - with premium sites right on the river's edge. Our site was set back a bit but still with direct access and a great view. The amenities block is right at one end of the property and quite a way from the last sites, but composting toilets are situated strategically along the access road. There is also an overflow area away from the river. Each site also has a fire ring, and firewood is available for purchase - delivered to your site. There is also a morning rubbish collection from your site. There is no Telstra access but a booster up on the hill is only a short walk away. There are even a couple of seats up there.

We had a very relaxing couple of nights, with a fire just because we could. We were fortunate to have some beautiful warm weather while we were there so we spent time walking, reading and taking photographs. This is definitely the sort of campground we like - and one that we will return to some time. 

We left Riversedge to spend a couple of nights in Hobart with our daughters, before continuing our journey towards Devonport and our departure from Tasmania.

Southport

 28 February – 2 March 2022

The trip from Adventure Bay on Bruny Island to Southport only takes a couple of hours, even allowing for the ferry, so we arrived at Huonville well before lunchtime. Huonville is a fairly large centre so we took the time to do some grocery shopping as well as browse the nearby shops. From there we drove down to a picnic spot on the river for lunch. There is a nice shelter, as well as toilets and playground, along with ample parking. This has become one of our regular stops along this way.

We continued on to Southport and checked into the caravan park attached to the hotel. This is the southern-most hotel in Australia (although the Bruny Island pub claims this title also). We spent the afternoon wandering around the grounds checking out the pond and nearby scrub for birds.

It had always been our plan to have dinner at the pub, so we wandered up and enjoyed dinner and drinks – generous serves and good service as always. Mask wearing was still mandatory in Tasmania so we didn’t linger once we’d finished our meals and drinks. There had been rain about so we weren’t surprised to hear rain on the canvas roof during the night.

Despite the cloudy skies and drizzle we decided to head down to Cockle Creek (the end of the road). We wanted to have a good look at the numerous campgrounds on the way with a view to camping in a few days’ time, if the weather improved. We found there are lots of campgrounds that would have suited us very well, but the weather forecast indicated more rain.

While we were at Cockle Creek – in the Southwest National Park – we walked down to have a look at the Whale Sculpture, and then walked along the beach, passing a number of national park campsites. Many of these are only suitable for self-contained vehicles. By the time we walked back to the road to return to the car, the rain had started again.

Driving back towards Southport we took a detour to have a look at Southport Lagoon. Unfortunately the road we took travelled along beside the Southport Lagoon Conservation Area, but terminated before we were able to see the lagoon. We decided not to take the other road a bit further along, even though it promised the campground and most likely the lagoon. It was lunch time so we just headed back to camp.

There is a walking path that goes from the Southport Hotel to the jetty so we followed it all the way, and went for a walk on the jetty. The rain persisted, on and off, throughout the evening and through the night but we were hopeful that the sky would be clear in the morning. No such luck. We did some packing up and requested a late check out in the hope that we could dry things out a little. We were able to stay long enough for the sky to clear and the breeze to assist. Everything was damp, but not wet when we finally folded up the trailer.

Back on the road and we were hopeful we could get a spot at Riversedge Camping at Lonnavale. We took a scenic drive along the coast from Dover – another road we had never travelled on before – and rejoined the highway at Franklin. We stopped at the Franklin Regatta Grounds for lunch. Another beautiful spot on the Huon River – with a picnic shelter and toilets. BBQs and even a sink were also provided.

We called ahead to Riversedge and set off towards Huonville again.

Adventure Bay - Bruny Island

 25 - 28 February 2022

After almost three months staying with our daughters in Hobart we felt it was time to pack up and head off in the trailer for our last couple of weeks in Tassie. Bruny Island is another on our growing list of favourite spots so we looked for the best weather and booked three nights at the caravan park.

The drive from Hobart to the car ferry at Kettering only takes about 45 minutes so we did our final pack up and left home after 11. We didn't need to stop along the way and arrived at the ferry terminal at around midday. We ate our packed sandwiches in the car while we watched one ferry load up - but not everyone could fit on. Fortunately it was only a short wait until the other ferry arrived and we boarded for the short trip across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.

The only caravan park is situated across from the beach at Adventure Bay. Although we were further away from the road separating the park from the beach we could still hear the waves. We had a good bit of setting up, sorting and repacking to do so it took a while before we were ready head for a long walk along the beach. There had been forecast rain but the sky remained clear and the temperature was warmer than expected - until nightfall anyway.

We decided that a drive to explore North Bruny was in order so we headed off straight after breakfast on Saturday morning. Most of the accommodation and camping is on South Bruny so we hadn't really explored the north on previous visits. Along the way we did stop at a spot on Great Bay where the birdwatching is usually good, before continuing in to Dennes Point.

Dennes Point looks out across the channel towards Tinderbox and South Arm. It's a lovely, sleepy little spot so we spent some time walking on the beach, enjoying the views and taking photos. From there we continued along the coast to the Bruny Island Quarantine Station.

The Quarantine Station has an interesting history, starting life as a colonial property, then becoming a quarantine station for overseas arrivals to protect Tasmania from infectious diseases. At the beginning of World War I it was used for the internment of German nationals who just happened to be on a vessel which was in the vicinity. It was also used to quarantine soldiers returning from the war, at the height of the Spanish Flu epidemic. More recently it was used as a plant quarantine station. There are a number of buildings to visit, each with interpretive information, as well as points of interest within the grounds. We didn't spend as long there as we might have as it was quite late in the morning when we arrived. We will probably schedule a longer visit some time in the future.

We returned home to the caravan park in time for lunch and had a quiet afternoon before taking a long walk all the way to the northern end of the beach. The weather continued in typical Tasmanian style - clear, cloudy, hot, cold, windy, still - but we didn't get any rain until the night.

On Sunday morning we started with a walk along the creek at the back of the caravan park, and then onto the beach for the long walk to the southern end. Later in the morning we drove up into the forest behind Adventure Bay to the Mavista Nature Walk. This walk is an easy half hour or so, through rainforest along a small creek. There is also a picnic area at the start of the track with picnic tables and a shelter, but no toilets.

After lunch we headed off to visit the Cape Bruny Lighhouse. It's a steep walk up the hill to the lighthouse but the views of this rugged coastline are fabulous, as expected. You can take part in a guided tour and climb to the top, but we were happy to look around outside - especially as Mick had spotted a bird to photograph. There is also a small museum back at the car park, housed in one of the lighthouse keepers' cottages. I poked around in there while Mick continued to chase birds. The weather wasn't great, with some light drizzle making photography a bit difficult.

From the lighthouse we decided to drive down to Cloudy Bay but the light rain persisted so we didn't spend much time there this time. There were the usual assortment of beach birds including Sooty Oystercatchers, as one lone surfer.

After three days on Bruny, we decided that we would go down to Southport for a couple of days as the weather forecast suggested clear skies – but this is Tasmania and anything can happen. We drove to the ferry and there was some light rain coming across the channel while we waited.

Once back on the “mainland” we headed towards Margate, then turned off to travel through Sandfly before joining the highway that would take us through the Huon Valley to Southport.