Longford Mania in Tasmania

  View from Cape Bruny Lighthouse A week ago, we headed back to Hobart for a change in vehicle, after some beautiful days in St Helens .We had planned 10 days in the motor home, and that's what we did. Whilst we are a  happy family, we knew we didn't want to test relationships by sleeping in a bedroom you drive around in, any longer than that, at least not for our first venture into Campervan world. While I had a ball in the Van, enjoying singing my rendition of "On the Road Again" on and on again to my adoring audience, as a first time camper, I wasn't crying when we returned it. I would definitely do it again, and I enjoyed driving it for a while during our travels because it made me sing louder,  I was pretty happy with the prospect of a decent sized bed a shower and 5 minutes of private thinking time. I'd do it again, maybe for 14 days next time. For me the Campervan was a good learning curve, the main one being that I have been packing too much luggage fo...

  If I said that I never really cared about my name, which I doubt I have, that would be because of two things. The first is that when I grew up most people had close approximations to the Bible for names such as Phillip, John, James, Luke, David and Roger and so although I was down the pecking order Stephen was ok. The second was that I rarely heard it. I heard “Shorty”, from my Dad, “Idiot” and “Stink” from my brothers and sister, and either “Longy” or my favorite, “Longschlong” at school, so it didn’t matter.   Mum called me Steven, or Kay, or Wayne, or Robbie, depending on what she was doing. Add to this I am a tall blue eyed blonde male that took German in Grade 8, I was comfortable telling everyone my heritage was German and without invoking the Aaryan call   (which I didn’t learn about what that even meant until the second year of training at the police academy) I felt superior enough that it could end there. That’s what Toowoomba can do for you. Again, two thing...

   King Solomon's Caves After two wonderful days on Cradle Mountain we unplugged Van Diesel from our powered site and set off for Launceston. Steve said he had done some research about a detour we could take on the way. About an hour and a half of typical Tasmanian, winding, hilly roads later, we pulled up at King Solomon's Caves. I commented to Steve on the way, that if you were the type who wanted to kill someone, and you had no idea what you were doing, Tasmania would be the place to do it. There are so many areas that are so remote and vegetated, hiding a body would be fairly easy. But I digress......... We have visited Caves before, in Tonga and in Niue. In Tonga there was a sign outside that said, "No dogs or firearms". Pretty clear instructions, so no excuses if you're caught down there with your poodle and a loaded weapon. King Solomon's Caves in Tasmania, outside Mole Creek, had no such sign, and actually, the walk into it was far more surprising. I...

  I’m cool. Zip-lining is very cool and I have done zip-lining. I did it well.   This argument should not be lost on anyone because it is deductively logical. (Shout out to anyone over the past decade who has done the “Art and Science of Analysis” with me). For context though, so did my wife who is terrified of heights, so logically she must be cooler than me, but this post is not about that. Maybe it is.   The Hollybank Wilderness Adventure Hub, 25 minutes outside Launceston is where you can be anything you want to be, and it can let you redefine what cool is about. (The term “cool” transcends time for a very good reason). This place is another example of an experience that is well marketed and has a great on-line presence but fails to explain the full intensity of what is offers. I can compare it to a full body massage I had booked for me by a great mate of mine in Bankgok, during my 50 th birthday celebration tour, (see Longybig50only3arrests blog). What goes away sta...

  This post was supposed to be about walks on Cradle Mountain, but I might suddenly say, as I start to write, a blog post by me about Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, part of a World Heritage Wilderness area, won’t come anywhere close to doing it justice. So, I might stick with that sudden thought and not even try to paint a picture with words. Everyone has their own response to magnificent, pristine landscapes and environments, some see them through a photographer’s eyes, some see them through a scientist’s eyes, some see them through an artist’s eyes, or a writer’s eyes, or a botanist’s eyes, or a wildlife enthusiast’s eyes. I don’t have a strong enough expertise in any of those areas to serve Cradle Mountain, so I will just say that for me the experience of it was spiritual and humbling. We really are just specks in this world, and walking at Cradle Mountain reminded me of that. Last year I read a book called The Rich Man’s House , it was written by an old friend I had at universi...

  The chances of us coming back to drive ourselves around the central highlands of Tasmania in a rolling Hilton is about the same as any Kiwi in Australia not currently playing first class Rugby claiming, after a few beers, that they, or their brother, were an All Black triallist. The chances of us doing anything more than driving though Rosebury on any subsequent journeys, is roughly about the same as any of the said Kiwis, or their brothers, having actually trialed for the All Blacks.  It is such a stark contrast to the effort, clear priorities and care that have been put into the hundred kilometers we travelled before, that I am still struggling to reconcile the difference.  It has a really cool gold and zinc ore bucket rope conveyor with rusted buckets on it as you enter town that, based on the drive in, comfort you, thinking that this mining shenanigans obviously was not happening anymore. One kilometre later, and acres of desolation open up showing you just how wron...

 Leaving Strahan we visited Hogarth Falls, just a few minutes from the Strahan township. It is an easy walk in and out, and is rated as one of Tassie's best short walks. The track is edged by ancient tree ferns and we had fun trying to spot a platypus in the creek. The lush green walk in, with the air full of the smell of Sassafras, was rewarded by Falls that were tanking. This was a stunning walk so close to a township. Hogarth Falls , just outside Strahan After the Falls we headed to Cradle Mountain. The drive was just under 3 hours and an interesting drive, again with such  contrasting scenery along the way. Scrub and tundra quickly turns to rolling green hills and back again, lakes and wildflowers break up the rest of the drive. One thing we found really interesting is the relics of some of Tasmania's past industrial pockets. Rusting aerial pulley systems that were  used to move ore down mountainsides, rusted rail lines, man made watercourses that would have been used...

Twilight-Strahan Here’s some things I’m learning about campervanning:  • Any ad you might see that portrays people lounging at bench seats and tables in the back of the Campervan, whilst the Campervan is mobile, is a fantasy – they are having their fillings shaken out, particularly on the roads in the “Wild West” of Tasmania.  • If you lose something in the Campervan, you are not finding it again until the end of the trip when you unpack the van.  • Even if you pack really lean, like we did, you will end up wearing items of clothing for three days because it is too hard to get a clean item out of what ever hidey hole it's been packed in.  • Under no circumstances should anyone use the onboard loo unless it is absolutely necessary, drawing straws for who is going to empty the bog tank, becomes increasingly nerve wracking. Public toilets and campground toilets are your go to option, every time.  • Whatever slope the van is on for a night, that’s how your bed is sl...