I've been every where (remember the song)

Well the title might be a slight exaggeration but today we did get to the most southern point you can reach by road in Australia at Cockle Creek in Tasmania and what a trip it was.

The day dawned clear and cool but by 8am it was cold and getting colder with threatening rain, then our daughter rang to warn us there was a tsunami warning out for the east coast of Australia. We decided to go anyway and the further south we went the worse the weather got. We stopped off at the Ida River Railway and almost turned around but decided to press on on the dirt roads ahead. By the time we got to Cockle Creek it was bleak and very cold and we huddled inside the motorhome and had hot soup for lunch. The buses had changed colour with a thick layer of mud. We had intended to camp down there but common-sense dictated we return to Geeveston and camp in preparation for the Tahune Airwalk tomorrow.

This afternoon we spent quite a bit of time in the Forest and Heritage Centre at Geeveston until they chucked us out at closing time. This centre is well worth a visit and to see the tools and equipment the early settlers and timber getters used was very enlightening. Also the carving done with chainsaws was amazing. 

First Cold day

Well I suppose we can't complain but today has dawned with misty rain and it is COLD!, well at least by our standards although there are still some mad southerners walking around in shirt sleeves.

Yesterday we broke camp early at Gordon and took the coast road to Cygnet which surprise, surprise is named after the black swans in the area. We stopped in Cygnet to attend to the necessary motorhome chores and do a bit of shopping and it is funny to see the same motorhomes hitting the same town as you are in. I guess we are all doing the same round trip of the Island. We turned off the main highway at Cygnet and headed for Wattle Grove, nobody told us it was a bitumen goat track we had to climb over the hill to get to Wattle Grove but the view was worth a million bucks over Port Houn on the Huon River. Our friends Bryan and Trica had bought a derelict house about seven years ago on a desolate piece a land and tuned it into a magnificent home with gardens and fruit trees everywhere and even a level parking spot for visiting motorhomes.

We hadn't see them for fifteen years but it was just like yesterday when we met again and many hours were spent going over old times. We rolled into bed at some ungodly hour this morning and needles to say we were a little later hitting the road this morning. The drive along the Huon River from Wattle Grove to Huonville was a pleasent distraction with the chilly condition and the sneaky wind the south pole has thrown at us today.

We bumped into Allan and Maureen in Huonville and they were camped a few K south at Franklin so we decided to join them there and snuggle up under the doona.

Tomorrow we are off to Geeverston and the Tahuna Airwalk, sure hope the weather improves but that can happen from hour to hour down here.

Bruny Island and beyond

Well our time on Bruny Island was interesting, after panel beating Allan's trailer and me giving him a suitable rubbishing for his driving I was very thankful that the trusty Coaster dug itself out of the bog the next morning and I didn't have to get towed by a Hino. I never would have lived it down it that had happened.

The camp was quite nice in a bush setting but the "girls" were not too happy to spend another night there. We pushed on to Adventure Bay where the road came to a dead end without warning and turning around with Allan's 11meter rig was "interesting". We had decided to take the short route to Lunawanna through the forestry only to discover after 2 kilometres that trailers and buses were not permitted on the road. Now I argued that my bus is a motorhome so I was alright but common sense (we haven't had much of that lately) dictated that we turn around and take the long bitumen route so did about 18k instead of 7. Nothing is a long way from anywhere on Bruny.

We had lunch at Lunawanna where you could have the choice of pies, curried scallop, venison, wallaby, crocodile,rabbit, etc but we opted for those we thought would not be road kill LOL. After lunch we headed for the Cape Bruny Lighthouse and passed Alan and Willa Ross on the way back. Had a chat on the UHF and got all the good goss. At the lighthouse, which is promoted as a tourist attraction, the narrow road suddenly and without warning comes to end which makes for a very interesting turnaround for a 7 1/2 and an 11 meter rig. I managed a multipoint turn without taking the grill out of a Nissan car but the two girls in the front seat were holding their breath while I turned.  Allan had to wait until the very small car park was empty to do a U turn. Common sense would have dictated at least some warning signs but there is s decided lack of that with the signposting at venues down here. We had a photo taken to prove we climbed the hill to the lighthouse but must admit we were puffing at this stage.

Anyway the day ended well and we saw Allan and Willa camped in beach-side accommodation, so we joined them for the night and had a lovely evening on the foreshore before heading off for the ferry this morning. The passage back was calm but we got separated from Allan on the ferry and where we turned left he turned right and headed back to Hobart. Thought we had finally lost him for a while but he (muttering unprintable things about Tom Toms) eventually found us at the Gordon camp site which has a lovely outlook over the D'Entrecastaux Channel.

I just completed my husbandly duties with the washing and tomorrow we are off to visit long term friends Trica and Bryan at Wattle Grove.

Life wasn't meant to be easy

Well Allan's birthday has come and gone and we all had a good day culminating in a barbecue tea in his son Bob's annex. The weather was a little unkind and the rain fell and the breeze was "chilly" and we all huddled up in borrowed clothes. Lucky Bob has lived down here during a winter and he his lots of spare jackets. Allan's phone rang non stop all day from family and friends and there were a "few" emails from club Forum and Chapter members.

The cake was great and no doubt there is enough left over to keep us in morning tea for a month or two.

Now Allan's 80th day was an auspicious occasion but his 80th year plus one day was a rather inauspicious day and no doubt one he would prefer to forgot. It all started with him getting out of bed, BIG mistake. While he was packing up preparing to travel he was loading the car on the trailer and I was giving him a hand to guide him into the right position on the ramps. Allan will no doubt tell you a good story about how it happened but suddenly the car (all by itself) leapt forward and rocketed itself over the loading ramp to sit on the spare tyre with the front wheels resting on the A frame. Somehow Allan had managed to jump the car sump over a bolt which was sticking up and the car could not be moved backwards without ripping the sump out. How he managed to get it there without damaging the sump in he first place is a miracle.

Much head scratching later and with a few miracle tricks with hydraulic jacks and blocks of wood, two hours and much effort we managed to somehow jack the car high enough so that it could be extricated without ripping the sump apart on the offending bolt. To add insult to Allan's injury he had to be towed backward by the trusty Toyota Coaster which we used to snig the while rig backwards. We even took photos to ensure he never forgets this one.

 

NOTICE WHO'S DOING ALL THE WORK WHILE THE SUPERVISOR LOOKS ON.

Anyway the rest of the day was pretty uneventful except for me getting Allan lost taking a shortcut through Hobart, the second gear goat track we had to take to get back to the highway and the "little" incident when Allan hooked up the trailer on a stump while setting up camp on Bruny Island. Bush panel beating has fixed that one.

Now I won't mention the fact that the Coaster has dug a hole in the sand with a set of duels while I was putting it up on ramps tonight. Sure hope I don't have to get towed out by a Hino in the morning or I'll never live it down.

Gee this holiday stuff is fun.!!

Birthday Party time.

Well it is Sunday and Allan hits the big 80 tomorrow so we have left Hobart to rejoin him at New Norfolk and would you believe it nobody is at home when we got here.

Yesterday we went into the Salamanca Markets and they sure are large but like most markets they tend to try and sell stuff that you definitely don't want to store in a motorhome for the trip home, at least that was my excuse for dragging Wendy away from the stands. Must admit I was really impressed with some of the artists playing for the crowd, particularly a jazz guitarist and the fellow playing the drums on pots and pans and plastic buckets. Nice picture I took with the toilets in the background.

Today we left the camp site at the Showground after again attending the showgrounds markets which were also quite large and made our way towards the Tasman Bridge (the one that fell down some years ago) and proceeded to the north side of the river to wind our way back to New Norfolk by a very picturesque route. The view from the top of the bridge was spectacular but they wouldn't let me stop my bus in the traffic lane to take a photo. You would think they would have a parking bay up there just for visiting Queenslanders. At one stage I pulled over to let a timber truck go by, which is my normal practice on these winding roads and he took the trouble to get on the UHF and thank me for my courtesy.Nice touch from a professional driver.

The Derwent river is quite impressive with all it bays and good sailing waters. I could get interested in sailing again if I lived down here, but in summer only. We have been really lucky with the weather which has been warm and most kind to us. Last night however the wind sure did blow and rock the rig quite a bit.

Having a bludge this afternoon to build up my strength for the party.

Fickle Hobart

Well I had typed a whole days Blog and suddenly it just disappeared without warning so here goes with a second attempt.

Today broke with clear blue skies and promised to be a good day. We were up early and heading for town to catch to tour bus for the Hobart and Mt Wellington tour. The bus takes almost an hour to get to the top of the mountain and by the time we got there all we got was a beautiful view of low cloud which shrouded the top of the mountain. Pity really as we were really looking forward to the trip. Sure am glad I didn't decide to take the motorhome up the hill, Wendy was even more happier but I reckon the Coaster would have done a better job of the climb than the tour bus which was a late model Mercedes, even the driver complained at the lack of power.

Of course the trip down was a little easier and would you believe it, by the time we were back in town the Mountain was clear of cloud and in bright sunshine. We must have the luck of the Irish. Couple of pictures to show how it looked as we left and how it looked at the top.

I have been having trouble with my six month old mobile phone and now after three trip to the Telstra shop I have swapped the sim card into the old LG phone we had with us and it is proving much more reliable. So much for modern technology. At least the 3G modem is giving good reception.

We have been expecting our forwarded mail to arrive but no luck so far, the assistant behind the counter telling us it can take 7 days from Bundaberg to Hobart. So much for Aust Post service. It is unbelievable in this day and age that such poor service is tolerated by the local community. We wil have to check again when we pass through Hobart on our way north again.

We will spend Saturday in Hobart as Wendy wants to see the Salamanca Market. We will no doubt return to New Norfolk by Sunday night to be there for Allan's OBE party on Monay. After that we will be heading further south than Hobart to have look around.

Some of our Pictures

The King River taken from the Wilderness Railway. The river is "dead" due to pollution from the mining and nothing lives in it.







The camp site at Hamilton, it was full every night. A small village that really knows how to treat the travelling RV public

The Railway line from Strahan to Queenstown, a marvellous effort to build in two and a half years with no explosives and all hand labour

The steam engine that pulled us into Queenstown, one of the original engines used on the line in the heyday of mining

Wendy just had to paddle in Bass Straight but the water temperature made sure it was a short paddle.

Just to prove that sometime I take Wendy "out" to dinner in luxurious surroundings .

The "twins" at a waterfall lookout.

  The Gunns Plains Caves in Northern Tasmania.

Hobart here we come!

Well we left Hamilton and undertook a big day to journey to New Norfolk, about 35k for the whole day I think. We were wandering down the street to do a bit of shopping (again) and ran into CMCA Chairman Diana and Peter. Diana was less than complimentary about my beard but I was too polite to say anything about her hair do, being the gentleman that I am. They were heading west as we headed east. (I've had a trim since the photo was taken. ) Also checked out Tassie Lotto results while in town but sad to say I won't be returning home in a new rig.

We met up with Alan and Maureen again here and decided to spend the night at the caravan park where they were encamped. The first thing we noticed as we drove in was that Allan had had a little accident and had wet his bed and it was put out to dry. There is a long story about how this  happened but I'll leave you in to ask Allan the details. I prefer my version of the story but I had better not print that.

Also caught up with Alan's son and D in L, Bob and Jenny at the park and had a good chin wag.

The park is right on the banks of the Derwent River and is an idea setting. We spent a quiet night there but as Alan is still awaiting repairs to his fridge and can't be seen till Thursday we moved on this morning for another big day of about 35k to camp at the Hobart Showground. Even managed to get a powered site to charge everything up to tip top conditions. I am finding the while the solar is keeping us going with some driving everyday we really are not getting enough sun light (even with daylight savings) to fully top up the system each day, particularly if you cane it with TV and lots of computer use.

We are constantly meeting up with people we have met on the road as we are mostly travelling in the same general direction. Baz and Karen who only live 1/2k away from us in Bundaberg as our next door neighbours tonight. We have booked into the showground for 4 nights and tomorrow, weather permitting we are going to do a tour of Hobert and Mt Wellington. Hobart is a pretty town with all the hills and the river but the weather is changable, it being warm and sunny as we drove into town but now blusterly and cool with threatening rain.

We will spend a few days here until Monday when we have promised to return to New Norfolk for a little bit of a birthday party, with Allan receiving his OBE that day (Over Bloody Eighty) (No wonder he wet the bed)

Day 29

Well we left Strahan farewelling our friends we had made in the past few days and headed to Queenstown where we had been the day before on the train but it is the only way out and I am glad we did as you get a whole different prospective from  the road in and out. It is quite a climb out of Queenstown but the views are spectacular. We stopped at Lake Burbury for lunch before the mountainous and twisting drive to Lake St Clair National Park. No doubt this would have been quite pretty but we couldn't see anything for the low cloud and rain. We cam across a large tour coach on one range where the driver was trying to change a flat tyre in a most precarious position. many of the coach passengers were out on the road in the rain directing traffic. Such are the joys of coach travel.

We were tired after the drive and wanted to camp but I would not recommend this site at Lake St Clair. Run by the National Parks Dept. is is expensive at $25 per night unpowered and $35 per night with power and by the time we got there it  power sites were booked out. The facilities are substandard with just bare ground and little else, no sullage point, no drainage, no nothing. With all the effort we in the CMCA makes to leave no trace it is disappointing to see a government department. provide such poor camping facilities. I was also amazed at the power supplied to sites which was run down tree trunks to somewhat unprotected outlets. Just try that at your own home and see what the authorities have to say about safety.

The rain eased through the night but we decided to call it quits and pulled out around 10am. Just a few Ks down the road from Derwent Bridge there is a tourist attraction called The Wall in the Wilderness and a local artist is in the process of carving  a 50 meter wall of Huon Pine with pioneering scenes. This is a 10 year project for the artist and he has now been on the project for 5 years. A truly spectacular attraction and the best $8.50 entry fee we have ever paid.

The rest of the day was spent driving in rain untill we stopped at the Nive River where there are two hydro power stations and spectacular lakes and man made lagoons to store the required water.  One thing they are not short of down here is water. We had morning tea here and pulled up behind a Jayco and would you believe it the people were from the next street to us in Bundaberg only about 1/2k form our place. Small world when you travel.

We have continued on to Hamilton which is just 50 odd k from Hobart and are now camped on the river bank and there are platypus in the river so we are told. We are determined to see on in the wild before we leave this little island. Will probably stay here two night as it is a pleasant spot and the fellow campers are a nice group.

A Month Today

Well it is four weeks today since we started this epic (??) journey and tonight we are camping at Lake St Clair in the National Park. What a rip off these parks are, $25 for an unpowered camp site with pretty ordinary amenities but I guess they have a captive audience and if you want to come here you pay, and pay through the nose.

Well yesterday we finally got on the Wilderness train from Strahan to Queenstown and bused back to Strahan. It was a wonder day full of surprises and information. We had "Thomas" doing the commentary and he was quite a character, only young but obviously loved his job and was full of information and stories. The first part of the journey used a diesel loco but you change trains for the last bit into Queenstown with a steamer to climb the steepest grades in the southern hemisphere.

When you see the devastation of the Queen and King Rivers (both dead with no life in them) caused by the mining, mankind has a lot to answer for. I don't consider myself a "greenie" but this is an eye opener as to what man's greed can do. Fortunately we are waking up and genuine efforts are being made by the current owners of the mine with noticeable results. Many of the denuded hills around Queenstown are being given back to nature with reforestation and maybe in another fifty years much of the damage will be reversed.



We had intended to once again go north from Strahan but we decided to abandon that plan and make for the East Coast via Queenstown. As things happen Allan poked his out this morning to say his fridge had gone on the blink (yet again) and he was going to make a dash for Hobart to see if he could get repairs done. We also said our goodbyes to Sandy and Mary-Jean  ( from the Gold Coast) who we have been travelling with us for a few days, and shared an ale or two, and are now alone in this wild wilderness (with about 30 others camped with us)



Tomorrow, weather permitting we will have a look around the lake before moving on. I don't like our chances of this rain lifting but we can't complain as this is the first rain we have had since we have been here.
 

As Far West As We Go

Well here it is the 26th day of our epic journey and we are parked in the car park of the West Coast Wilderness Railway.It had been our intention to be on the train today but it was booked out and by the time we had booked for tomorrow we got the last two seats on the train, such is the popularity of this attraction. It cost $256 for two people but we got it for $141 as we had bought a Venture Experience pass (highly recommended) while we were at Devonport which gets us discounts or free entry into five attractions. I won't mention names but a couple of the rigs we are travelling with at the moment didn't buy the pass and had to pay full price. The cruise boats and the train here seem very expensive but popular.

On the way to Strahan fromTulla we passed through Rosebery where we enriched the local community with our wallets and also at Zeehan where we catch up with the washing at a laundromat. We have found it quite strange in the west here when you enquire if you have a laundromat and are told, "no not in this town but there is one in the next one" Same applied to electrician, auto electricians etc.  The towns are quite quaint but mostly with limited facilities.

There is much mining in this area and it is littered with old mines or operating ones. The train journey we are going on tomorrow is a relic of foregone years of mining, now turned into a tourist attraction.

Allan finally had an electrician make temporary repairs to the fridge so hopefully (fingers crossed) he will have no more troubles.

The road in this part of the country are either narrow or hilly or probably both and we find ourselves travelling mostly in the 40/70 KPH range and feel quite comfortable doing it. Life wasn't meant to be a rush anyway.

No report tomorrow as we will be "playing trains"

Dramas, drames and more dramas

Well we waited at Waratah, a town with much history and once the largest tin mine in the world while Allan and Maureen caught up and as we were running low on fuel had to wait until new supplied arrived. Decided to camp at The Fossey River rest area and met up with fellow Qlders who were doing the same as us in a caravan.

Of course while camped there Allan's fridge goes on the blink and won't work on 12v. By the time they realised it was not working everything was starting to melt. Some was transferred to our fridge to save it but I think Allan had to live on thawed out sausages. It was discovered the converter gizmo (technical term) that runs it on 240v was only working intermittently and the fridge would work perfectly on the generator but not off batteries. It was decided Allan would return to Burnie to have repairs done while we went on to Cradle Mountain and he would catch up later.

We pulled into the car park at Cradle only to find we were parked nose to nose with Wendy Purvis, one of our Chapter members so we exchanged good camp sites after we had been up the mountain. Only wish we were 20 years younger and fitter for places like this that require so much walking. It is a truly spectacular mountain and you could walk for a week and not see everything. To our surprise when we returned to the car park we saw Allan's bus there, apparently the frig started working on 12v and still is but your truly will be effecting a bypass of the "gizmo" as soon as we get to a town where we can buy suitable cable for the job.

Tonight we are camped in the back of the Wee Georgie Wood 2' gauge railway tourist attraction at Tullah, only wish we were here on a day when it was operating. Haven't had time to read up on the history of the steam engine but would suppose it was used in the early mining industry around here. We started chatting to another Qld couple on the UHF as we approached Tullah and they are camped with us tonight.

Tomorrow who knows where but there are lots of alternatives with various lakes and towns within easy reach.

The West Coast begins

Well it has been a few days since my last blog but we have been busy or out of range. On Thursday we left Sulpher Creek and headed west along the north cost. All these towns are just a stones throw away from each other and you are there before you know it. Burnie is a big town but we didn't spent to much time there, just attending to the necessary duties we all have with motorhomes and dump points. I was still looking for a part for the annex and the locals directed me to Somerset where there was a large caravan dealer who fortunately had the part but not a workshop as they were going out of the caravan business.

They directed me to a man at Wynyard, who of course was not at home. After filling the gas bottle we decided to camp at the show grounds for the night. Alan went on ahead and was in a panic that he could not get in with the car on, &;^%$#@ cars on caddies. Sure am glad I left mine behind in Bundaberg, there really is no need for one down here, at least that is my opinion, it really has been a pain in the proverbial. Anyway he managed to unload the car and get in to the rather confined camp site and we stayed two night here to catch up on the washing etc. Nice town with the friendliest caretaker you could imagine. The information centre has one of the best vintage car displays I have seen including the equally oldest Ford in existence (only two in the world)

We moved on from Wynyard taking a coastal road the locals had put us on to and what spectacular views. We also saw the opium poppies being grown, quite a big crop down this way but I suspect strictly controlled by the look of the warning signs everywhere.

Called in at Sisters Beach for morning tea, quite a pretty spot and here were all these motorhome and caravan camped in a clearly marked "no camping" rest area. One of them told us the locals had told them to camp there but it is no wonder councils can get off side when you see this type of behaviour.

We pressed on to Stanley and climbed a hill to a great lookout over the whole coastline and then toured through the original house of the owners of the Van Diemans Trading Company. The history was amazing and tragic when it came to the local inhabitants, the early settlers in this part have a lot to answer for.

While on the hill I heard a voice on the UHF and I called up and sure enough it was Ronnie Penfold, small world down here.

Took a while to talk Wendy into going up in the chair lift to the top of the "Nut" at Stanley and it was only after we got up there that I discovered Allan had never been on one before and had to change his knickers. It was a new experience for him at nearly 80. Now to get him to skydive LOL. From Stanley we did a quick run out to Smithton and returned along the coast to Black River where we spent the night in a National Park.

We parted company here as Allan and Maureen had to go back to Burnie while we took the back country roads via Myalla, Milabena, Meunna, Preolenna,Calder and Yello to get to the Hellyer Gorge State Reserve where we spent the night. This was a magnificent drive but not for the feint hearted, climbing mountain ranges on narrow but good quality dirt roads. Never saw another vehicle except for three quad bike riders who were having a Sunday ride.

Today we are in Waratah with its beautiful water fall right in the heart of town. The town is only small and has run out of diesel and of course we are waiting for the tanker to arrive. Of course trying to tie them down to when that will happen is a joke in itself, maybe this morning, maybe this afternoon, can't really say type of answer. Allan and Maureen are supposed to join us here today and we head off to Cradle Mountain as our ne t stop.(if the fuel tanker arrives)

Will post some more photos when I get time.

Day 19

Today we took off for the interior, although nothing is very far from the coast in Tassie. We left Sulpher Creek and headed for a little town called Riana in the hills. It is a typical small country village and then we continued on to Gunns Plains and was greeted with he most spectacular views as we topped the range to see one of the most beautiful valleys in all it's spender. The decent into the valley was a second gear slow crawl and I was glad we didn't have to go out the same way. Gunns Plains Caves is one of the attraction in the area and good value at only $10 entry. Originally discovered in 1903 by a local who shot a possum which fell into a hole in the ground and disappeared. A few days later he returned with a rope and lowered himself into the caves with only a candle, six years later he started conducted tours through the caves and it has been an attraction to tourists since. These days the entry is a little easier than by rope but non the less spectacular. We then continued on to Preston Falls, just a short walk off the road in the highlands. The drive to Leven Gorge was steep and winding and unfortunately the weather was closing in and by the time we had walked to the lookout the gorge was shrouded in light rain.

The run back to the coast was a lot easier being downhill and we returned to Hall Point to camp for the night. I don't think we will be sitting out to watch the penguins tonight as the winds are quite strong although not cold.

Tomorrow we will continue further west up the coast. It is 7.40pm as I write this and the sun has suddenly come out from the cloudy skies and blue skies are appearing, might be a better day tomorrow.

First Day on North Coast

Well we said our fair wells to fellow campers in Devonport and headed off. Allan had to get his Hyundai attended to so went off to find the dealers and we headed to Ulverstone to find a caravan dealers to get a part. We detoured via Braddons Lookout to get a magnificent view of the whole north coast. Next thing we knew we were getting a phone call saying where are you, Allan and Maureen were already there and trying to find us. Ah he beauty of not having a plan, you can take any turn you like.

Couldn't get the part I want in Ulverstone, just sold the last one the day before and it would be a week before more would arrive.Spent most of the day in Ulverstone looking around and shopping and of course I found the local hobby shop and had a chat with the owner, the store was called Big Boys Toys which sounded appropriate. Nothing is very far apart down here so went went on to Penguin where a camp site was listed but it was full.

We pulled into a spot on the rugged coastline where a local retired farmer dropped in and advised us to move to the next point along the coast, a few hundred meters away where we could see the penguins come ashore. He dropped in later to just say gidday and invited us to see his rose garden next morning. The locals or so friendly, it's amazing. We managed to see the penguins but it was quite dark and would have been better with a full moon

Last night after we settled in for the night a group of back packers camped close by in tents and were a bit noisy and kept us awake, This morning they are freezing out side with strong cool winds while we are nice and cosy inside. Serves then right for disturbing us LOL

Not sure where we will head today but who cares

First Day in Tassie

Well the trip over was a little rough, so I'm told, as I managed to sleep all through it. We arrived at Devonport at 6am and were quickly off the ship, going through quarantine inspections, which took a while and then on our way. We decided to go to a local camp site, Girdlestone Park where lots of travellers stop for the night after arriving on the ferry or before joining the ferry. We found  our friends John and Marion in camp here having arrived on the day trip and were joined by people we had met on the boat. (or is that a ship). I hear Alan and Willa are on the boat at the moment and will arrive tonight.

We went into town with John and Marion and bought some provisions and checked out the tourist information centre, came home loaded with tourist brochures. Allan has ordered the part he needs for the Hyundai and I have managed to break one of the levers on the awning so tomorrow Allan will have his part fitted and we will seek out the part that we need. I am atold there is a good caravan repairer in Ulverstone not far away. Our shower floor has also developed a hairline crack while will no doubt become a problem requiring attention.

Today we are taking things easy, and everybody seems to be taking the opportunity to tidy up or do minor repairs.

First impressions of Devonport is that it is much larger that we anticipated but not as green as anticipated. It is funny how you have have preconceived idea of what to expect. It was rather chilly this morning as we disembarked but the day has improved with just a nip of coolness in the breeze. The locals are running around with next to nothing on and think it's hot.

All being well we hope to head west (go west young man) tomorrow but just where we end up is anybody's guess.