They have their caravan tucked up nicely on the front driveway allowing them easy access to the house when they need it.

First stop was to Strathfieldsaye to visit Trent, Donna & the grandkids. Very hot and windy day, so we were pleased to get here and put the airconditioning on.

We all went to Brodie’s Tavern for dinner, then home for a chat, then early to bed.

Tomorrow we head to Geelong

Was great to catch up with this wonderful family, the kids have grown so so much.

Organised my breakfast and lunch, Brian will most likely purchase something on board. Set the alarm, all set to leave here about 6.30 am

Tasmania, here we come.

Eldorado Caravan Park $49.00

Wait for Quarantine

Look what we parked behind - not the same as Marg’s model but the 19ft one.

We had to wait for a while in line but we eventually boarded. The system they have there is extremely well run. All the staff we very helpful.

After parking we had to climb stairs from Level 3 to Level 7. That was a bit of a trial for my poor hip. Had a bit of a look around then found our recliners on the 8th level. They were pretty well aged but the ones we had weren’t too bad. I managed to stay there most of the day while Brian went walkabout fairly frequently. The crossing was good - not too much swell. \240We both took Kwells just in case of seasickness, but the tablets actually made us feel very ill. I won’t be taking them again.

It was a long day but it seemed to go surprisingly fast. As we were in the last group to board, we were one of the first to disembark.

Once off the ship we drove to Forth, about 12 kms away to a free camp just for tonight. Easy tea of Spaghetti Bol

Early to bed tonight, it’s amazing how tired you get when you don’t actually do anything.

Forth Campground - just the edges of the local oval. Lots of vans there though.

Tasmania is certainly a hilly place, it’s hard to find a flat bit of road. We got onto the freeway for a while which was a much better road. We decided to go to Stanley today and prop there for a few days and explore just in the car.

Mileage was only about 120kms but it took us a couple of hours to get here.

Stopped at Wynard and spotted a seafood place at the wharf. I was hoping they may have had g/f but of course they didn’t ☹️☹️☹️

Brian had a lovely looking piece of gummy shark and I settled for some chips ( which were beautiful and crisp)

Arrived in Stanley, set up. Nice caravan park, looks like a lot of renovations have been done recently. The spot we have is actually on lush green

We wanted to do a river cruise at Arthur River ( about 80 kms away) which we have heard is very good but when I went to book it, they had no availability while we are here.

Needless to say I was very disappointed so I came back to the van and booked the other 2 trips we want to do in Queenstown & Strahan. Even then, we were lucky to get on them.

Decided to ring the Arthur River people again to say we could stay until Saturday if there was any chance of getting on Friday and what do you know, she said she’d squeeze us in. Lucky I took the chance and rang.

Had a Roast butterflied lamb and veges for tea.

Having trouble with our new Smart TV - we tune it in but it looses the signal frequently. We are hoping it’s the area and not the TV - we’ll try again in the morning.

Got a few things planned for tomorrow but we are looking forward to not having to get up too early.

Big 4 Tassie Holiday Park - 4 nights $180

After lunch we decided to go to the Nut, which Stanley is noted for and see what it was all about. No one can answer my question as to how The Nut got its name. The locals just look at you and say” it’s always been called that “

Took the chairlift up, now that was a bit scary. Safety doesn’t seem to be a factor here. You just jump on the seat quickly, pull a very insignificant bar ( very old style) on your lap and off you go. It only takes about 5 mins but that was enough.

The chairlift coming down to pick us up

Views going up

Our caravan park, you can actually see our van in the middle road,just before the curve

The wharf area

Getting off was just as risky, you pull up the bar and just hop off and swing to the side as quick as possible, otherwise the seat collects you. Fortunately we seemed to do everything we were supposed to

On the top they have a scenic walk with viewing platforms as you go around. The idea was that we would go to the first one- about a \240250m walk, then go back and catch the chairlift back down. But no, Brian conned me by saying that it was only another 500 m or so!!!! So off we went and went and went

500 m turned into 2 kms for the round trip, up and down all the way. \240My leg certainly got a working out today.

A view of the town from the first lookout

I had to prove to you all that I actually walked it

Saw a couple of little padamelons on the way. They are a cross between a wallaby and a small kangaroo. Looked a bit like the Quokka’s at Rottnest Isalnd

Lots and lots a steps up and down and the up again

The dotted line is where we walked

After we staggered back to the car, we went for another drive around to see the Governor of Van Diemans Land residence. It was a beautifully restored property.

View \240of The Nut from the Governers residence.

Further on we came to the Giant Photo Frame. Of course we had to have the obligatory photo taken

Back to the van to have a well earned rest.

Off to the Tarkines tomorrow

The Nut Chairlift. - $21 each return

The path into the Arch, beautiful large ferns and huge old trees

On the way back we decided to have lunch at a town called Irishtown. Unfortunately it consisted of about 2 houses and a cafe that looked very shut. Back to Smithton we went and had a very nice lunch at Hugo’s.

Filled up with diesel, then continued on home. Packed up a bit of stuff we won’t need. We have new neighbours tonight and upon having a chat, Brian found out that one of the guys ( who is also Brian) has a son that lives in St Arnaud. He visits him there regularly. Not someone we know, the son hasn’t lived there that long. Small world!!!

Brian has found a new use for my bike, doing the toilet

run. \240

Tomorrow we leave early to finally do our Arthur River Cruise.

As we cruised along we were supposed to see and feed sea eagles but they were very absent today. Saw \240one briefly but it wasn’t very friendly, very dense forest on either side of the river. Saw one of the sea eagles nest, it was huge and apparently takes a lot of building. They keep their nests for their life span.

The big mass in the fork of the tree is their nest.

Inside the boat.

After a bit of touring we stopped at the lunch stop. While one of the crew were cooking our BBQ we went for a bush walk with Emma, our captain.

Going was fairly rough and uneven but it wasn’t too far so I managed ok.

Back to the ‘hut’ for a very nice lunch. I had barbecued chicken with salad and even had a glass a beautiful cask sweet wine!!! With a lovely piece of g/f home made fruit cake.

Lovely way to array the cask wines.

Back on the boat, still no Sea eagles and headed back to the jetty . As we were coming in it was easier to see the river mouth

Lots of logs at the mouth, they become quite a problem

Drove back home, we were a bit tired by the time we got back. Packed up as much as we could to head of to possibly Strahan tomorrow.

Again Strahan is 253kms away so you would think it would be an easy trip. Our new neighbours tonight came from there today and said it took them 5 hours plus stops. It is apparently very hilly and windy. Should be interesting.

We may not make it all the way, might have to stop somewhere along the way.

Arthur River Cruise. $110 each Concession.

Beautiful old post office from original days. Still operates as a post office.

A helicopter has been hovering around a lot today. We saw it at the wharf - it appears to be a fire bomber, it had a large bucket attached to it.

On the way home we drove out to the Lookout to see the power of the Southern Ocean. It was very fierce - not a good place for a swim

Doesn’t look that bad, but it was

Home for lunch and a rest, then we went to see the play called -

We’ve been told by lots not to miss this and they were right. It consisted of 3 actors and a lot of audience participation. It was very funny. It was about convicts that escaped from a penal colony and made and stole a ship.

Very clever how they made the ship from what looked like scraps . Well worth the money.

The 3 actors - extremely clever

Most of the finished ship, couldn’t get it all in and some of the audience who participated. Thank god we weren’t called down.

Decided to go to the pub for tea but we were turned away for half hour or more as we didn’t have a booking \240This was strange as there were obvious empty tables around.

Decided to go next door. One thing we have noticed is the accelerated prices in the coastal towns. Certainly not a cheap option to go out.

On the way back to the van we caught the last bit of sunset

Back home, early to bed, ready for our Gordon River Cruise tomorrow

The Ship That Never Was \240- $25 concession each

Dinner - $88 at The Kitchen Strahan

Sat with a couple of very nice ladies, Lyn & Judy from Brisbane. We managed to chat for most of the day.

Brian went for a stroll and had a chat with the skipper. He even got to sit in the skippers chair and rev the boat a couple of times

Brian in his glory

Had a very enjoyable day going out into the ocean - through Hells Gate. As soon as we got out there the skipper turned the boat around and we went back into the bay. We then made our way down to Sarah Island which was a penal colony island before they built Port Arthur.

Our guide was extremely informative and very entertaining.

She was a bit of a character. It was interesting to hear what actually went on with the prisoners and what the expectation was re work etc. \240The prisioners sound ok but the governor and all his lackeys were certainly suss.

One of the ovens where they made bread for the prisioners.

The solitary confinement building. Very thick walls so they couldn’t escape

One of the barracks for the special prisoners who toed the line

Back on the boat for lunch. We were all given a boxed lunch which consisted of chicken & salad, coleslaw, a bread roll ( in my case - rice cakes & crackers), a brownie and some cheese and dried apricots. It was quite tasty.

After that was cleared away we sailed down the Gordon River. Nothing too interesting there. At one stage we stopped so that anyone who wanted could go on a Nature Walk. Brian went, I declined that one.

Back to base after that. Tour took from 9am to 3pm.

Ran out of gas in one bottle this morning so we had to go and replace that bottle when we got back.

Had a bit of a sit in the sun before we cooked dinner.

Brian has had the solar panel out all day, so we thought we’d be fine with our battery tonight but as soon as we turned the heater on, everything went out again.

The battery definitely needs replacing, which we can’t do until Hobart. The next 3 nights we are in a caravan park so we’ll be fine, but we have 3 nights after that free camping. Could be interesting .

Off to bed very early tonight.

World Heritage Cruise. - $279 concession per double.

Gas Bottle - $35

This is just one example of very very many turns

Got to Queenstown about midday, the 41 kms took us about an hour which wasn’t too bad,

Driving into Queenstown

Hills or should I say mountains all around us, the town is set into a bit of a gully. Looks a lot bigger than Strahan.

First stop was to see if we could source a new battery for the van. We found the local RACT garage, Dilbeys, \240where he did have the one we were looking for. After a bit of a chat we left with our expensive battery - $365

Brian fitted it when we got back, so now we hope all our troubles with loosing power while free camping will be over. We’ll find out next stop!

Just had a bit of restful afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll have a look around.

Queenstown Cabin & Tourist Park - $149 for 3 nights

Dilbeys Gargage - battery $365

Expensive day today.

Lots of BIG mountains surround this little township.

Back at the van, charged up our bikes as they were both pretty low, didn’t achieve much at all today.

Brian went for another ride later in the day, I declined as it came in pretty cold.

Pleased that we now have clean sheets, towels and clothes - at least for a while now.

Tomorrow we go on our Wilderness Rail Journey.

Groceries \240- $50

Bec,our guide

Waiting on the station for the latecombers

Our steam train

Our first stop was at Lychford Station, where Brian panned for gold. Every day they put in 2 gold nuggets. Unfortunately Brian didn’t find one.

Next stop was at Rinadeena, ascending 3 kms along the famous ABT track, alt of it was very steep going. In fact, the track has a special line in the middle to help it ascend up the line.

This is where the steam engine changed to the other end of thce carriage for the trip back to Queenstown.

This was when we got into the station

This was when the engine changed ends

Back to Queenstown, had lunch with out new friends, \240Marg & Darren

After lunch we \240decided to go and look at a couple of lookouts.

First one was on the road we will be going on tomorrow, very hilly, bendy and scary. Going up all the way, I hope the poor Prado can pull us up these very steep hills. I’m \240NOT looking forward to this one. Fortunately this is the last of the really hilly and windy roads, I hope.

Iron Blow Lookout

You can still see the copper residue around the edge of the water

The overhang path we had to walk out on. My visit was extremely short

The second one, we got there to a big sign saying that there were snakes on the track. We didn’t even bother with that one.

A lookout half way up the mountain overlooking the town

The town view from half way up the mountain.

Back to the van, packed up abit for tomorrow.

Had chicken nibbles and salad for tea , plus a couple of nips of whiskey - a friend in St Arnaud gave us a bottle and we have managed to get through half of it . Not a bad drop.

If this blog seemed to be a bit off, blame the whiskey.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

and after a bit of lunch we went to see The Wall. This is a magnificent display of hand crafted sculptures done on great big planks of Huon Pine. Unfortunately no photos we allowed but it was a tremendous display

Outside there were some metal sculptures that you could photograph

This eagle was just outside the door.

On the way back we drove out to Lake St Clair, but we couldn’t go in as we haven’t got a Parks Pass.

Back at the van it was rest time before we headed over to the pub for tea.

Now this was an experience!!

First off, the bar fellow tried to give me a flat glass of Sparkling, the last 1/2 glass that was in the bottle. When I asked how long the bottle had been open, he said ‘only 2 days’ \240I told him it was flat so could I have a fresh one. He told me it was ok as it lasted 3 days before going flat. I insisted so he reluctantly gave me a fresh one. Then he only 3/4 filled the glass so I asked him to top it up - he refused to as he said it was where the standard drink line was. Then we went and sat outside in the sun at some tables and the same guy came out and told us we couldn’t take alcohol out there. Funny how later there were guys sitting out there drinking beer!!!

We then ordered our meals. I had a Sri Lankan curry and Brian had Sticky Pork Ribs. This same guy had to check with the kitchen staff to see whether the curry was g/f. I said to him, it says it is on the menu. His reply was - they make it fresh every day so I’d better check ??

Well, that curry was not made that day, it was cold, dry and stringy. The best part was the rice.

So when another waiter came to collect the plates he asked how we enjoyed the meals. I told him mine was not nice

By this stage the staff must have thought I was the customer from hell. I have never complained about a meal but I did 3 times in one night.

And to top it all off, it cost $99 - for the worst meal I have ever had. $15 for not even a full glass of Sparkling, $12 for a beer and the rest for 2 meals.

Brian’s Pork Ribs

My cold chicken curry.

Inside the pub

Came back to the van and watched a movie from Mary’s thing that she lent us - it’s a hard drive with about 200 movies on it.

New battery is working fine, we haven’t run out of power at all, thankfully.

The Wall. - \240$22 each entrance fee

Pub - $99. 2 meals and 2 drinks.

Brian could see fish jumping about in the water so he got his trusty fishing rod out and thought he’d have a go

Unfortunately, the fish were smarter than him - no fish.

Met the guy in the caravan not far from us, Wes who decided to take Brian fishing on the rocks

Wes and Karen are from Port Macquarie and know the Watsons (Jayco dealers)

It was a fair distance away but that is the 2 of them

Still no fish ☹️☹️

I was sitting reading my book when I felt something wrong with my tooth - the one on the plate. It just fell off in my mouth, so first thing we have to do in Hobart is find a dental technician. So I am now walking around with a big gap in my teeth.😥😥😥😥😥😥

Tonight was the first time we have had a chance to have a fire. It was lovely sitting outside by the fire with the lake in the distance.

Found a little echidna burrowing away in the dirt. They are really different here, more fur and less spikes than on the mainland. Everything is different over here!!!

Watched another movie - The Book Club which was quite amusing, then off to bed. Not quite as cold tonight.

Perhaps the idea of sitting in the water was to attract the fish ???

Later in the afternoon Wes encouraged Brian to have yet another go. Had his rod in for about 10 mins when we got a surprise visit from the Inland Fisheries Officers. Oops!! - no fishing licence

We explained that we thought we didn’t need a fishing licence as we don’t in Victoria but that is not the case here. He

Perhaps the idea of sitting in the water was to attract the fish ???

Later in the afternoon Wes encouraged Brian to have yet another go. Had his rod in for about 10 mins when we got a surprise visit from the Inland Fisheries Officers. Oops!! - no fishing licence

We explained that we thought we didn’t need a fishing licence as we don’t in Victoria but that is not the case here. As Brian was removing the fishing rod from the lake I explained that he wasn’t really a fisherman - he doesn’t even have a tackle box with him. He was just having

Perhaps the idea of sitting in the water was to attract the fish ???

Later in the afternoon Wes encouraged Brian to have yet another go. Had his rod in for about 10 mins when we got a surprise visit from the Inland Fisheries Officers. Oops!! - no fishing licence

We explained that we thought we didn’t need a fishing licence as we don’t in Victoria but that is not the case here. As Brian was removing the fishing rod from the lake I explained that he wasn’t really a fisherman - he doesn’t even have a tackle box with him. He was just having a bit of fun and hadn’t caught anything. He was a good fellow and just gave us a caution.

Perhaps the idea of sitting in the water was to attract the fish ???

Later in the afternoon Wes encouraged Brian to have yet another go. Had his rod in for about 10 mins when we got a surprise visit from the Inland Fisheries Officers. Oops!! - no fishing licence

We explained that we thought we didn’t need a fishing licence as we don’t in Victoria but that is not the case here. As Brian was removing the fishing rod from the lake I explained that he wasn’t really a fisherman - he doesn’t even have a tackle box with him. He was just having a bit of fun and hadn’t caught anything. He was a good fellow and just gave us a caution.

Perhaps the idea of sitting in the water was to attract the fish ???

Later in the afternoon Wes encouraged Brian to have yet another go. Had his rod in for about 10 mins when we got a surprise visit from the Inland Fisheries Officers. Oops!! - no fishing licence

We explained that we thought we didn’t need a fishing licence as we don’t in Victoria but that is not the case here. As Brian was removing the fishing rod from the lake I explained that he wasn’t really a fisherman - he doesn’t even have a tackle box with him. He was just having a bit of fun and hadn’t caught anything. He was a good fellow and just gave us a caution.

Trying again.

Early night - off to Hobart tomorrow.

Good news is that we have had about 18.5 mm of rain at home - that is the most we have had for ages.

The night lights of Hobart from our van, featuring Mt Wellington

Good news from the house sitters - the 28mm of rain we had is already turning the lawn green again. Don’t think much went in the dam though. Hopefully they’ll get some more soon.

Dental Technician. \240- \240$150

Vietnamese lunch. -$42

Gluten Free Bakery $22

Nails - $43. ( cheaper than home)

Our front yard at home.

The big Red Bus

Good view of Mount Wellington.

The route where we went.

And the names to the letters

It was a really good way to have a look around the city. When we got to the Cascade Brewery we decided to get off and have a look around. We had just missed a tour so we opted for a tasting paddle instead - Brian did, not me

Beautiful historic building

Brian settling into his tasting paddle

The order they were in . His favourite was the Draught.

I had an alcoholic Ginger Beer. I haven’t had a Cascade one before but it was really nice.

Before we knew it, the hour was up and we got back on the bus.

Back to the Information Centre at about 1.30pm. Collected the car to drive around to the restaurant- BlueEye Seafoods - that we were having lunch at. Tash & Liss had a meal at this place when they were here a few months ago and said it was great. Brian had Scallops and I had G/f \240battered fish and chips. Both were really yummy.

Unfortunately I had left my phone in the car, so no photos.

Drove back to the van just in time as the heavens opened again. We’d only just got inside. This was a huge storm, lots of thunder and rain. This rain is the first decent lot \240we’ve had since we’ve been here. We did have a bit earlier on, but not much.

Had a bit of a rest, we’ve had a big day.

Tomorrow is a visit to MONA - Museum of Old & New Arts.

Rissotto for dinner tonight.

Hop On Hop Off Bus. - \240$60

Lunch - BlueEye - $69

Cascade Brewery - $29

An amazing metal structure built to resemble a cement truck on a trailer and truck.

The kids playground, someone had a great imagination

First thing we came to on the 3rd level was the VOID restaurant, good marketing skills - selling coffee, food and cocktails.

We didn’t partake.

The first walk was to go down a long corridor with a sheer rock wall on one side.

This part of the Museum is underground, imagine cutting through that rock - this was only half of the length

Everything was featured with a very dim light which was hard on me as I felt a bit unsteady. The art was certainly very diverse. Brian did make a comment at one stage that he has never seen so many unclothed people in so many various positions 😂😂😂😂😂. He actually phrased that quite different but I wrote it in nicer terms.

It was very easy to become quite disorientated- rooms just kind of kept going off each other in all kinds of directions

Made it the next floor and joined a queue to see - we weren’t quite sure. It ended up being a space that was filled with engine oil - lots of it, right up to the walkway. The walls reflected off the oil

You can see the level of the oil here

But from above you can see it more clearly. That’s the little walkway that only one person can go out on at a time. No touching anything !!

Wandered around this level for quite some time - I think we got quite lost at times.

Came across a very interesting display of the human bowel. This machine is fed every day so that it replicates the digestive system - from start to finish. It was originally designed to allow people to understand the process and to discover any blood particles or nastys that may be present.

It apparently ‘poops ‘ at 2pm each day. We didn’t hang around to see that bit.

We came across a Porsche that had been expanded to resemble a bubble car and also a replica of a collapsed army tank that had been made completely in pure leather. You could smell the leather

Look at the work involved in making this.

Poor car was so blown up, waste of a good Porshe

We were trying to get up to the top floor but kept going around in circles. Eventually we decided to go to the lower level and find the circular elevator we had come down on.

Finally made it up into fresh air.

Made it back up the steps to the food area for some lunch \240 Brian had a fish burger that was enormous and I really went all out with a small plate of hot chips. Plus we added a very nice gin & tonic. Also had a to add a lovely Sorbet as dessert

This place was enormous, you could have taken a 1000 photos and you could stay there for days to see everything.

We stayed for about 3 hours, by then we were both tired from walking around and I was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic from being underground and in the dim lighting.

Certainly something worth seeing \240- we were surprised with all the diverse art on display.

Home for a little rest again, for some reason both of us are feeling tired at the moment.

Brian went for a bike ride to Woolies for some bananas, milk and bread - I was wondering if he could find his way back, but he was fine.

Cooked Mussels in a chilli Sauce for Brian ( with crusty bread). I had leftover Rissotto

Tomorrow is a bike ride into the city.

MONA - $80 for both of us.

Lunch & drinks $46

Woolies - $9

I had to stop to take the photo, you can just see Brian way up ahead. The track is really good to ride on

The mighty Tasman Bridge.

We were hoping to go all the way into the city but we were stopped on the edge due to works of some description

Turned around and headed back to Moonah to collect the scripts.

Altogether we did about 20kms.

Watched a bit of the Grand Prix before dinner, and the footy after.

Salamanca Market tomorrow.

Lots and lots of people.

One of the buskers, he did a variety of dances and was very good.

There were lots of various stalls, a lot of gin and whiskey displays ( which we didn’t partake in). We thought there might have been more produce but other than a couple of fruit stalls, there was little else. Lots of food venues. Brian had some Tempura Mushrooms and we both had a Scallop Stick each. Forgot to take a photo but it was pretty good. Bought some fruit and also a Scallop Pie for Brian to take home for lunch. My lunch was some sushi.

After a couple of hours walking, slowly, we were both feeling the effects so we headed back to the car.

Recently I read a book called The Jam Maker by Mary Lou Stephens. It was about Henry J Jones who started up IXL jams in Hobart, \240Tasmania - his story from a young boy to when he owned the company. It was a very good book, worth reading.

His factory is now a very flash hotel on the waterfront.

Back at the van, lunch , then we both had to have a nanny nap.

While at the market we also bought some G/f Salted Caramel Popcorn. We opened it to have a taste, and OMG it is the best ever. I’m not a real fan of popcorn but this was fabulous. We managed to eat the whole packet today ( it was only a small packet though - thank god we didn’t buy the bigger one)

Magnificent.

Lucky we put up the awning yesterday as the weather has deteriorated. We are having massive winds, so much that the van is really rocking around. I hope it stays on its wheels. It’s not cold though.

Light tea and early to bed.

Salamanca Market - not sure what we spent here, maybe $100?

Baby duck and Mummy

Brian having a chat, as usual. Gives you an idea how cold it was

Kerry and Mary feeding the ducks oats and spinach leaves

Geeveston RSL. \240- \240$60 \240 $20 a night, 4th night free. We are staying 4 nights

This is actually the Huon River but gets extremely wide as it goes out to sea.

After lunch went for a bike ride into town. Geeveston has lots of wood carvings in the streets which are very well done

Different people seem to have carved them but they are well done

Unfortunately the Bakery had closed which was a pity. Looked like a nice shop

Found the Lolly shop . Brian bought some choc fruit and nut and was most astonished how little he got for his money. I refrained, even though there were some g/f options.

Just one section of the lollies on display

Back at the van we got the Piggy Pot out at last. Haven’t used it for a while, we tend to use the fire places that are available. We had bought a $10 bag of wood from a roadside stall as our supply was getting low. Brian has left his axe at home - you know the rule - never take anything out of the van as you invariably forget to put it back. That’s what happened here. This wood was a bit big - he had fun trying to split it with his little kindling axe. \240May have to go to Mitre 10 this morning and find a new axe.

Sausages for tea so cooked them on the fire as well

Early night - of to the Tahune Airwalk tomorrow. Bit of walking involved but we’ll be right I hope

Long way down there

A fire had gone through here 6 years ago - lots of dead trees around.

Not sure how far the walk was but we were a long way up in the treetops. We then came to the cantilever- a section that protruded out over the river. Thankfully today was not windy as I’m sure it would have been very shaky out there if it was. \240I bravely walked out there quickly for a photo then hightailed back \240as fast as I could.

Brian was much more relaxed than me

Spectacular views

We finished on the Airwalk and the decided we’d do the longer walk- 3kms around the base and over two swing bridges.

Managed the walk quite well, except for the report from others walkers that a black snake had been sighted nearby. \240Fortunately we missed seeing him.

View from the walk of the Cantilever.

On the path

Walking across the Swinging Bridges was interesting, of course Brian went first and made the bridge sway for me. Good chap isn’t he 😊😊

The first one was actually quite long

Tackling the bridge after Brian had got off so it wasn’t as wobbly.

Along part of the path somewhere.

They said the walk would take an hour to complete - I think we did it in about One hour and ten minutes. Not too bad.

The section in orange is what we did. \240We didn’t do too badly for a couple of geriatrics. 😊😊😊

Had lunch at the cafe, Brian had a Scallop Pie and I had a g/f hamburger. My burger was fantastic, tasted like I think a Big Mac may have tasted - if I can remember back that far.

Drove back to town where Brian purchased an axe from the hardware store. His little Tommy Axe just wasn’t doing the job.

Had to have a little nanny nap when we got back, then had another fire where we heated up some leftovers for tea.

Tahune Airwalk. \240 - \240$59.70

Lunch - $59.00

Axe. - $29.99

This was a challenge for me - 250 steps in and 250 out. As the light was very dim with only parts lit and the guides torch, I struggled on some sections. Going down was ok but the old adage is ‘ when you go down you have to go back up’ I didn’t fancy staying there all night in the dark, Cossy turned all the lights off at one stage and it was pure black. So I had to keep going whether I liked it or not. Brian thankfully was always on hand to make sure I was ok and a big help over the more difficult parts.

Fortunately the caves were worth all the trouble

Depicting how large the caves are and how far we had to walk.

Just some of the features of the caves. When the torch lit up the stalactites the natural crystals glistened. The photos really don’t do it justice.

You can see how steep the steps were. \240

All shapes and sizes

And colours

This one was called the Princess Pavilion.

A Stalactite that collapsed by itself. The workers dragged in down and cut it in half to show all the crystals.

I had to hang onto the rails to steady myself but they were quite wet and slippery so I had to be extra careful

To get to the entrance again we had to climb some VERY steep steps. I think we were all very grateful to be back \240in the light. The tour took all of the \24045 mins that was promised.

Drove back to the visitor centre to have a swim in the Thermal Springs Pool. It was very relaxing after all our previous exertions.

The weather was quite mild, the water just a nice warm temperature and we had the pool all to ourselves. Although after we’d got out and had a shower, lots more arrived.

Headed towards home again. Stopped in Dover at the Salmon Van and bought some cooked off cuts ( for salads and pasta dishes) and 2 Salmon steaks.

Along the way we also stopped at the Apple stall to buy a bag of fresh Huon Apples. We sampled one tonight and it was beautiful, nice and juicy. No idea what type they are - the bag looks like a mixture of different ones.

Packed up a bit for our departure tomorrow.

Hasting Caves. - $39.70 for two

Huon Apples. - $4

Salmon Van $28

4 x Kilpatrick, 2 x Sweet Chilli. This was only the first lot.

He doesn’t look too happy does he, not sure why not.

No TV so early to bed, Brian is still engrossed in his book. It’s the most I have ever seen him read. It’s called the Changi Brownlow by Roland Perry. When he finishes it I’ll read it. It actually features sections on the Battle of Singapore when I’m sure Dad would have been there.

Tomorrow we go sightseeing to the Port Arthur Historic Centre.

NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park. \240— $ 115 - 3 nights unpowered

Groceries $120. ( no alcohol 😊)

Boomer Bay Oysters - 2 dozen. - $27

As part of your entry fee we had the choice to do a brief cruise in the harbour showing us the Piont Puer Boys Prison where they sent the juvenile boys so they wouldn’t be corrupted by the older men. Most of these boys ages ranged from 9 to 17 and were mainly pickpockets or caught stealing food. Harsh penalties for some so young.

We also went around the Isle of the Dead, a small island next to the Boys Prison where half the island was for the Prisioners graves and the other half for the guards and officers. About 1100 people have been buried there

On the boat just coming up to the Isle of the Dead

Boys Juvenile Prison. Look at those high cliffs, no escaping from there.

The Isle of the Dead

Back at the dock we were able to ‘catch’ an golf cart thing that took us up to The Seperate Prison. This was a silent prison - no talking allowed, even by the guards. It was designed to deliver an alternative to corporal punishment. Had a very eerie feel about it

The cell that they were locked up in for 23 hours each day.

At this stage my phone lost all power as I hadn’t charged it last night. I’m finding that solar charging doesn’t hold nearly as long as 240v \240I didn’t bother charging it as it had 65% but this morning it was down to 10%. Brian of course hadn’t taken his phone, so no more photos today.

We walked back to the Penitentiary where we were just in time for a guided tour - sheer luck on our part. Claire, the guide was very informative and very humorous with the telling of her stories. Glad we managed to make the tour. Looked at the hospital, the Paupers Depot ( can’t remember what this was about) and a few other buildings.

Port Arthur was quite intact for its age until 1895 and 1897 when fires raged through and destroyed many of the buildings. Some have been recreated but most are still in ruins.

By this time we were both struggling a bit so decided to head back to the canteen for some substance. There is a lot of walking involved around this place.

Tomorrow when we come back, we’ll try and catch the little bus ( enlarged golf cart) which is like a hop on hop off bus. At least it might minimise the walking a bit.

Brian had some fish and chips, I of course just had chips. We paired that with a nice local ginger beer and pear cider

After leaving there we went for a further drive to a Distillery - McHenrys. It was in the back of nowwhere - down a dirt road for a couple of kms.

They distill craft beers, gin and whiskey. Brian tried a dark ale - McHenry Dark McAle. He said it was very similar to Stout. I tried a Gin Paddle - 3 tastings for $15. One was the basic London Gin, next was a citrus one and the last was a Sloe Gin. I didn’t mind the first two but didn’t like the Sloe Gin at all.

Back to the van, rested for a bit, then cooked tea. Had a talk to Peter and Tracey next door. They have a very distinctive van that looks like a horse float. We’ve run into them the last 3 stops.

This is the back of it

Our van , had to put it on an angle to keep it level

I was amused at the couple next door, sitting around their fire when it was raining, with an umbrella 🤣🤣

Port Arthur entry fee. \240- \240$76 - for 2 days.

Lunch. \240- \240$55

McHenrys tastings \240 - \240$ 22 ( remember when tastings used to be free!!!)

The remains of the Broad Arrow Cafe

The reflective pool

We then caught the little golf cart bus and had a bit of a tour around. You are supposed to go to one place and hop off but our lovely young girl, Raelene, \240let us stay on for a few stops, \240before she had to go somewhere else.

She took us past the church and the Government Cottage. It was compulsory for prisioners and staff to go to church every Sunday. Only problem was, no one like the minister who was full of fire and brimstone.

The remains of the Church. The architecture was amazing to have been built some 150 years ago.

The Government Cottage, not sure what they did here!!

After our bit of tour, Raelene took us back to the Parsonage, which is reputed to be haunted. We didn’t see or hear any ghosts, they must have been napping.

The parson ( minister) lived here with his wife and numerous children. The men must have been pretty randy back in the old days, they all had lots of children.

It was eventually a post office.

From there we walked to the Junior Medical Officers House and then proceeded to the Commondants House. This was built on a hill overlooking everything and was much more lavish than the officers houses.

Lovely exterior

The parlour

I have the same Blue Willow dinner set in my kitchen.

Walking back we passed the guard house and the Law Courts.

The Guard House

Remains of the Law Court.

Remains of the Hospital on top of the hill

By now, we figured we had seen everything so a coffee was in order.

Thoroughly enjoyed going through this Historic Site. A lot of it gave you an eerie feeling - it’s hard to imagine what the prisioners went through here.

On the way back to the van we detoured abit and went to the Lavender Farm up the road. Sat in on an interesting little video explaining about the cutting and distilling of the lavender.

A smaller replica of the machine used

As is this one

One of the lavender fields. There are lots and lots more

Didn’t buy anything in the Gift Shop as it was all very expensive.

Back to the van where I made some Pumpkin Soup. Doug and Sloane, a couple we keep running into, came around for a drink and sit by the fire for a while.

Tomorrow we head for Richmond, which is half way back to Hobart. You do a lot of backtracking here in Tasmania.

The photo shoot they had at the Historic Richmond Bridge

Mark 2 Zephyr the same as Brian’s belonging to Pete

Due to spending a fair amount of time with this group we didn’t manage to do much else. Tomorrow we’ll do some sightseeing. We did come to the conclusion that Brian’s Zephyr looks a lot better than any of these 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

At least we got to see the Richmond Bridge

Caravan park - 2 nights - $100

Ellie’s popcorn - totally addictive - $12.50

He sneaks a read in when he’s waiting for me

I noticed a little second hand book shop in the Main Street yesterday so we went in to see if we could find something else that might be of interest. Brian found a memoir of Malcom Fraser - he used to deliver stock feed to Malcom & Tammy’s farm in the Western District, so thought that might be interesting. Only problem is the print is fairly small. I might have to buy him a magnifying glasss 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Lots of wineries around here in the Coal Valley so thought we had better have a look at some.

First stop was to the Every Man and his Dog Vineyard where we were met very enthusiastically by said dog - Jax, a beautiful black Labrador.

Jax

Tried a wine sampling each, just white wines. The sparkling and the blend were both SO good but wasn’t keen on the Chardy or Sauvignon Blanc. Unfortunately the prices were high so I refrained from buying any. We also had a lovely gluten free pizza for lunch. One of the owners is a coeliac so I was sure everything would have been fine.

Nice pizza, crust could have been a little crispier though

Sampling the wine

Price list

Jax waiting very patiently for any scraps, which we were forbidden to give him

From there we went next door to the Wicked Cheese Company. Bought some cheese and other goodies - looks like I better get the lacteeze tablets out.

Don’t usually travel with honey but bought a little one to try

Soup for tea tonight with a little platter to start I think.

Just as we were about to organise tea Doug & Sloane pulled up. We didn’t realise they were coming this way.

Had a few drinks in the little BBQ area beside us until it got dark.

Vineyard. — $50. tasting and pizza

Cheese Co. - $50

Brian’s book. - $8

Gas bottle. - $19.95

Rain preparing his fish.

The Marina, lots of boats and big money around here.

Brian cooked one of his fish for tea tonight, I reneged, having a piece of salmon instead. He’ll have to have entrees for the next couple of days to finish them off.

Probably stay here again tomorrow- we’ll see what the day brings.

Fish - $10

Free Camp - $10

The old original pub from 1838 - hadn’t changed much at all

Over the road from our free camp, now a B & B \240- very expensive

Friday 28th

Left Triabunna this morning to go to \240Bicheno, decided not to stop at Swansea. Not quite as hilly and bendy as the west coast which is much better, especially for my stress levels.

Staying at a carvan park due to the weather. We have got a large site at the back of the park which is very good.

Had a drive around this afternoon to see what we could do tomorrow. Got a few things in mind. Tried to get a haircut for Brian but the hairdresser is not open until Monday, so he’ll have to wait till then.

Had an icecream, sorbet for me which was very nice. First lot of \240d/f sorbet I’ve found for a while.

It has got quite chilly tonight so the diesel heater has been turned on. We’ll work out what to do tomorrow

Some of the coloured rocks that we will investigate more tomorrow

The Lobster Shack where we will go for lunch tomorrow hopefully.

Caravan Park \240 3 nights. - $135

Very yummy.

Brian said his chowder was also really good

Lots of people there having a good time

We had intended to look at the Blowhole on the way back but the wind had increased so much we thought we’d be blown out to sea. We’ll have a look tomorrow

Had a rest day today, which was nice. We’ve been pretty busy lately

Lobster Shack. \240 - \240$101

The rocks here have a type of lichen on them that gives them an orange appearance- apparently the reddish orange covering is to protect the lichen from sunlight and salty air ( according to Mrs Google)

Lots and lots of rocks on the seaside around here.

Quite afternoon at home, too cold to venture out. We are getting soft in our old age.

Organised an itinerary for the next couple of weeks- again. It changes frequently. We’ll see how we go with this one

Nasty one on his leg

Looks like a claw snatch.

After setting up, we drove into town to the Information Cente to work out what we are going to do. Got some intel for the next few days.

Stopped at the Reject Shop to stock up on g/f lollies - these shops are not very prevalent around Tasmania.

Home for a little rest before dinner.

Big 4 - St Helens. \2406 nights x $48 =. $288. \240Premium site.

BMW - $88

IGA \240- $60 odd

This is the top of the falls that we could see from the carpark.

As we were leaving the falls Brian decided to follow a dirt road that led to god only knows where. I know there was lots of ups and downs and twisty turns. Finally got him to turn around before we got ourselves lost.

Doesn’t really show the steepness of the road.

Next stop was the Pub in the Paddock, one of the iconic bush pubs in Australia

Even comes with a beer drinking pig called Priscilla

This pub is literally in the middle of a paddock

Had a nice meal and even bought a stubby holder that took my fancy.

Steak Sanga

I had a pork steak \240and salad

Cute

Had to go and see Priscilla and her mate but didn’t take her a beer, much to her disappointment. She did see my stubby holder and thought that we had one for her though

2 Priscilla’s

Next stop was to the Pyengana Dairy where we thought we might score an icecream. They only had little tubs so we didn’t bother. Bought some jam & offcuts of cheese though. You could also see them making the cheese but by the time we got there, they had finished for the day.

Nothing terribly interesting in here.

Next stop was to Halls Falls. From the carpark we had a 2km round trip to the falls. The track was very uneven and I had to be extra careful that I didn’t trip up. In fact, we were told by another walker that a lady had tripped up back down the track and hurt her face.

Brian hiding in a big tree.

This was a good bit of the track

Not as good as the other falls. We didn’t go down to the Rockpool as it was a further steep track down

Headed toward home and made one last stop - \240The Shop In The Bush

Had a quick look, \240it was mainly full of old books and magazines and lots of very old crockery, glassware and lots of Knick nacs. I already have sufficient of these at home.

Weather has improved today so we had a lovely pleasant day.

Imagine our surprise when we entered the cinema and we were the only ones there.

Personal sitting.

Great little place

Cinema only had about 48 seats but it was very comfortable and looked new. The movie started a bit slow but was good, even bought both of us to tears at the end.

Home for lunch then a ride back into town

The bay where the town is situated

A cray boat.

The walking/riding track

We did go down to the wharf were they were selling lobsters. Thankfully they had sold out of lobsters, they were over $100 each !!! They were selling lobster rolls at $25 each. Left that there also. So we went away empty handed.

Went back to the Cinema complex to have a drink and spoke to the young Scottish fellow from this morning. He is also the singer. He wasn’t too bad.

Great area, apparently they get lots of custom at night. We were there a bit early

Unique stools

Home to new neighbours from WA. Had a bit of a chat as usual. Pork snitzels for tea tonight.

Cinema - $34

Drinks - $20 ( at cinema later)

Mitre 10. - Beeswax to clean my wooden cupboards

Groceries - $20

Swimcart Beach, swell was pretty strong.

Brian getting some hints from a fisherman

The path from the Sloop Carpark to the Lookout. We thought it was not far but ended up being about 1 km each way on a very narrow pathway

From the Lookout - lots of the orange rocks here also. In fact there are rocks everywhere around this area.

Sea was fairly strong today, Brian thought he might have a swim!!!

The end of the track.

Bit calmer waters here at The Gardens

Seen enough by now, weather wasn’t good enough to stay so we headed back to St Helens for lunch at the Japanese Restaurant. We both had Soup. Brian’s was Chicken Bone Ramen in Soy Broth

And mine was \240Miso Butter Soup with Shaved Pork.

Brian’s was very tasty and he thoroughly enjoyed it, unfortunately mine was quite bland and I only had about a third. Brian enjoyed it for dinner tonight with a few extra additives - soy and sweet chilli sauces.

Home, had a drink with the neighbours around their firepit - Dan & Adele with Zoie (daughter) and Ella (dog). They are on a 12 month journey from WA, spending 5 weeks in Tasmania. Nice young couple.

Brian had a dozen of his oysters tonight, Kilpatrick and the rest of my soup. I had some Sushi that I bought at the Japanese Restaurant.

Settled down now to watch a, the AFL footy & b, The Matilda’s in Sydney.

The mountains we went over, right to the top - up, over and down. Several times

More mountains

A while ago we met Pete & Tracey who had the funny horse float looking van. They are here as well. It was good to catch up with them again. \240They have been in similar places to us at the same time but this is the first time we’ve reconnected since Port Arthur.

Had a drive around the town, it’s a fairly large place. It’s even got a Woolies which is pretty rare. Usually the supermarkets are IGA’s

Came across The Big Thumb which is a farewell from the town

Different

Had a drink with Pete & Tracey and caught up with what we’ve all been doing.

Tea, then watched the final of Australian Idol. I picked Marshall weeks ago but doubted myself lately. Gisella really should have won, her voice is brillant.

This is the whole trail, the cross is where we got to

The old railway station.

The rail track - we were hoping the track was like this all the way - it wasn’t.

This is what a lot of it was

Just when a toilet stop was required we came across Dons Dunny.

10kms and our turn around.

Oops, Poor thing has run out of battery, lucky Brian had that rope in his bag

What I actually did, if I had riden back into town it would have been over 20kms

Brian is quite taken with Tracey’s little skirt.

Arrived at the caravan park - no free camps here and booked for 2 nights. We wanted power anyway as my bike was dead flat. Was surprised when told the price of $57 a night. Very expensive for where we are. Lucky we are only here for the 2 nights.

Not a bad site, this park is enormous and we are nearly down the end.

While we were having our lunch we had a little visitor looking for scraps. Poor little thing was missing a foot and seemed to be on its own, unusual for seagulls.

The view out the front. No sand, only rocks.

Charged up my bike enough to go for a quick ride on the track in front of us. It goes for about 3 kms, right along the edge of the park and bypassing the town centre.

Back at the van, put the awning out as I have to wash tomorrow. Lucky, no wind.

Caravan Park. \240$114

Gas bottle. $29.95. \240Expensive one!!

Alcohol - $49

Plastic ties - $20. ( for a very important use I was told)

Beautiful view from our awning.

Brian out on the rocks pondering the world.

Easy day today. I did washing and put on a slow cooker for tea while Brian went for a couple of rides on his bike. I was feeling a bit off so I stayed home.

God only knows where he was here

A few snaps of the bush track he was on

He had to abandon the bike to walk along this pathway.

Cooking his bacon & eggs for lunch.

Had a surprise tonight, an old friend from many many years ago contacted me after not having any contact for a long time. Leanne and I used to be quite close but somehow we lost touch with each other. She is still living in Bendigo so I’ll catch up with her next time I’m over there

Off to Launceston tomorrow.

At the top of the hill looking down at our van . There is a very steep descent to the campground - it’s not going to be so easy going back up!

The tasting room. Unfortunately we were not allowed in this part🤣🤣🤣🤣

The Managers office and residence. \240(In the old days) \240We started the tour from the bigger building.

A few old artifacts

The varieties of beer that James Boag make, some that we haven’t seen in the mainland.

The tour was really good and informative. The main thing that stood out was the lack of human staff, a lot of the processes are done by robots now. Being a Saturday, nothing was actually in operation. They only work the lines Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and clean Thursday & Fridays.

At the end of the tour we were all offered tastings. As I couldn’t drink the beer I was given a lovely glass of sparkling. The others started of with a Boag St George, a beer that I hadn’t seen before

Brian liked this one - he even bought a slab of cans at the end.

The other two they tried were the XXX Ale and the Wizard Smith Ale, which was a stronger darker beer.

After the tour ended we walked around the corner to a lovely gluten-free cafe ( the waitress at James Boag told us about it) - Samuel Pepys Cafe.

The cafe is 100% gluten free which was a treat. Brian had a Steak Sandwich which looked great and I had my normal - fish and chips.

Both meals were really good. The owners were also very nice, they were very chatty and amusing

Brian’s meal was huge - it had pickles, \240Camembert cheese and fried onion rings plus other stuff.

Yum

Lovely couple with a very good business.

Back to the van for a little nap, then had a fire in the piggy pot. Very little for tea tonight.

James Boag Tour. $30 each concession

Lunch - $ 60

Harvest Market -$20

Getting off the chairlift.

Hope that cable doesn’t break

Log way down there!!!

On the other side we had a coffee at the canteen then walked the Cataract Gorge Walk - about 3 kms return

First part of the walk, it opened up more later

Dog Rock - along the path

Back at the start looked at a few other features.

Huge tree

This used to be the music gazebo - not used as this now

Back on the \240chairlift and returned home to the van. Brian was having a lovely little nap until Crossy rang. 1 & 1/2 hours later Brian finally got off the phone. In that time I had a nap, organised veges for tea and read my book!!!

Weather is very mild tonight - we had the heater on but I got too hot so we turned it off. Trying to rain but not much happening yet.

Chairlift. - $15 concession each

Cafe - $20. - coffees & chips each

We have a mystery in the van. - \240I know I packed 2 pair of long socks for Brian but can only find one pair. Then I remembered he had worn his good brown shoes some where along the way. So I thought, the socks will be in the brown shoes. \240EXCEPT I can’t find the brown shoes!!! We have both looked everywhere in the van & car but they have disappeared. Our conclusion is that a). Brian left them outside and we didn’t notice them and left them behind. - \240 very unlikely or b). He left them outside and someone has knicked them - more logical. \240Maybe when I’m unpacking they may come to light - I certainly hope so. Thankfully they weren’t his good brown shoes but they were good bamboo socks.

The yellow lift is were the boys came out of upon their rescue. The board when they put their tags from in the mine to out has been moved to the front section.

The Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre was very well done. The first section was all about the accident that happened 19 years ago, then the rest of the display was about the mine and its workings.

It was a very moving tribute to Larry Knight, the miner who lost his life and to Todd Russell & Brandt Webb who survived.

After a couple of hours there we started back towards Launceston, veering of the highway go to Marion’s Winery. We had been told by some other travellers that this was a good winery to go to. Lots of others must have also got this information as there were quite a few there. We were after lunch, which they didn’t provide ( except for a cheese plate- no good for me). Decided not to stay and kept going to Exeter where a friend, Brendan Cornfield has a mate with a heavy equipment business there. Found the yard but Dick - the owner, was away.

Continued on, stopped at Brady’s Lookout

This is the Tamar River - it is enormous, biggest, widest river that we’ve seen I think

Home for a rest, this sightseeing is very strenuous 🤣🤣

Beaconsfield Mine Centre. - \240$40

They had a good variety of cars on display. These are all privately owed and just lent to the Museum for a 3 month stint. Saw some cars that bought back memories for us.

Hicksy has one of these Toranas - his is pink though. Worth a lot of money these days

The same type of Monaro that Vern & I had when we first got married. Now this is worth lots and lots. Ours was silver and black.

Even Brian’s trusty Honda 110 was on display

Lots of bikes as well.

From here we decided to go and visit Evandale, 20 odd kms south. It is noted for being the home of the first Penny Farthing bikes. There is a festival to do with the bikes every year.

We saw a sign to the Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company. I’ve run out of home made sauce so thought we might find some there. They had lots of sauces but no tomato sauce unfortunately. What they had was very expensive. Bought some mustard ( a little one)

As it was lunchtime we stopped in at the pub

It was a nice old fashioned pub. I had Garlic Prawns which didn’t do my d/f problem much good. I suffered for a couple of hours after. Serves myself right.

A nice meaningful sign in the pub

The Penny Farthing statue in the Main Street.

Museum entrance. - $34

Lunch $55

This time next week we’ll be back on the mainland. That 8 weeks has gone incredibly fast.

Something I did do today was change our Recliner Seats on the boat for a cabin. I decided that paying an extra $131 was worth having somewhere I could stay in peace and comfort for the 11 hours. Brian tends to wander around but the movement is too hard for me to walk around a lot. We had a pretty calm crossing coming over, god only knows what it will be like going back

I’m sure he’ll be happy to have a nanny nap after lunch 🤣🤣🤣🤣

This is the channel it goes out of from Devonport after it turns around in a not so large space

Didn’t do \240much at all today, had a fire which I didn’t realise we could have. We’ve nearly run out of wood so we’ll have to buy another bag

Brian is still reading much to my surprise - he has picked up a book about Malcolm Fraser and is enjoying that ( he used to deliver stock feed to Malcom’s farm - Nareen near Hamilton and met him quite a few times)

Watched the Spirit go out - it was actually late leaving - should have left at 6pm but didn’t go out until after 6.30

Bit hard to capture in the dark

Early night to bed to read our books !!

19th April

Rest day again, Brian went for a ride - I stayed home

Weather has changed - quite cool. Had lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant, it was ok but we’ve had better

No fire tonight as it’s raining.

Viet Eats $51.30

Kmart- Brian’s socks - 2 pair for $12 - not bad value for Bamboo Work Socks