15. Heading to Tassie for almost four months (Part 2)

Bird parking rock
Our beach
Lucky for us the family who camped all around us at Sloop Reef was a gorgeous couple of sisters from Hobart, their husbands, kids, dogs and various other hangers on who camp there for three weeks every Christmas and have done for decades. Fiona, Pippa etc were warm and inclusive and totally feral in a good way. Every time we needed to drive in or out of the camp, several awnings had to be dropped, poles and ropes, to make room for us to pass. Never a hassle for them. We swam once or twice a day in crystal clear water, rock hopped, and the wind settled down at bit. 
Down on the beach
Pete the firebug doing his thing

Eastern view from our camp


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roadside view up Lottah Road
Lottah Road up to the Blue Tier
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

foxglove (weeds)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The sisters recommended a few places to go in the area when the weather was a bit blowy at the beach. On Christmas Eve we followed one of their leads and drove to the Blue Tier, up a magical mountain road (Lottah Rd) with giant ferns and purple flowers like triffids lining the roadside. 


Turns out they are foxgloves gone rogue and are on the list to become weeds in Tasmania.

The Goblin Walk
The Goblin Walk

At the top of the Blue Tier The Goblin Forest Walk drew us in firstly - aptly named with the trees and mosses like from a story book - remnants of the tin mining history of the area hidden in  the creeks flowing through. A short sweet dawdle.

The Goblin Walk

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summit Mt Poimena

First tiger snake sighting
Then a picnic under the trees, followed by a walk to the summit of Mt Poimena. We saw our first tiger snake at the start of that. Pete was so excited! Chased it around trying to get pics.





Summit Mt Poimena



Summit Mt Poimena
Summit Mt Poimena
Summit Mt Poimena
The Mt Poimena Summit Walk was like doing a turn around a manicured garden. Coloured shrubs placed just so amid the clipped lawns and rockeries. We loved it. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Summit Mt Poimena
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Groom River bath
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Groom River bath
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Another vague direction from the sisters was St Columba Falls - but by the time we were ready to go find that we were out of range and unable to get directions. (As I look at the map now we were 32 minutes drive away) and so we searched high and low for a creek - found Grooms River and looked along it for a waterfall. 

Groom River bath
From the road we could see lots of gorgeous spots but not accessible so we pulled into a paddock and bush bashed through to our own little freshwater oasis. It took no encouragement to have a fresh water bath here, including washed hair.

Groom River bath

There's nothing quite like washing naked sitting in fresh water among dappled sunlight and river rocks overhung by ferns. Bracing!

Our campground, as with many of the free camps, had no fresh water nor loos. We discovered a coin operated shower block in St Helens attached to a laundromat and car wash, and another in the Industrial Estate. (Discovered this one when we went to yet another mechanic, a Scottish fella, right on Christmas time, who finally sorted out our car brakes. What a Godsend he was. Pete has become very jaded with mechanics after the many he has been to and the many $$ it has cost. Only to still be in the same vulnerable state re brakes. Thanks so much to the Scottish mechanic at St Helens!)
Back to our camp, delighting in the beauty surrounding us.These pictures speak for themselves.

At our camp Christmas Eve

At our camp Christmas Eve

At our camp
Christmas Eve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At our camp Christmas Eve

 

 


 

At our camp Christmas Eve


 

At our camp Christmas Eve

 

At our camp Christmas Eve
At our camp Christmas Eve
At our camp Christmas Eve
At our camp Christmas Eve

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room with a view
Christmas lunch for two
A bed almost as big as our van

 

 

Christmas Day we started with a swim our our little beach. Santa had well and truly come to us daily for six months so no gifts to speak of. Except we booked Christmas Lunch for two at the Panorama Hotel and stayed in a room that night with a view over Georges Bay. The tiniest shower ever and a huge fresh king size bed.

Happy Christmas to us xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to our camp for a few more days.

Painting our camp

Painting of our Camp by Donna

Boxing Day I sat to paint our camp and we had a drink with the neighbours. 

 

 

 

 

Boxing Day drinks with neighbours

 

 

 


 

Boxing Day

 

 

 

 


Boxing Day Sea Mist

 

The Gardens
The Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another recommendation from the girls was The Gardens, a few kilometres to our north. So we took advantage of the amazing weather to go snorkelling there. A stunning place although overrun with tourists (Christmas time/School holidays/summer weather). 

I'd like to live in that house at The Gardens
Snorkelling at The Gardens

 

 

 

 

View back at our camp (on top of those rocks)

 

 

 

 

Playing cards Boxing Day night








On the 28th Dec we left our van there at our Sloop Reef camp, hemmed in and taken care of by our camp mates, while we headed off to Hobart for New Year via Bicheno.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

16. Heading to Tassie for almost four months (Part 3)

Image
Wild Wave - Sydney to Hobart yacht once half owned by yours truly I had a hankering to spend New Years Eve at Constitution Dock with the Sydney to Hobart revellers. The thought came to me while on board the Spirit of Tasmania - that I was in the right place at the right time to finally attend that event. A long time ago when my kids were babies; their Dad, Ian and I had a 47ft Tasmanian built huon pine yacht, Wild Wave. She was launched in 1951 and sailed in the 1953 Sydney to Hobart, was first across the line, 4th on handicap, but was disqualified for something that happened on the start line. While we owned the boat in the mid nineties, she was invited to compete as an historical boat in the 50th anniversary of the race Boxing Day 1994. The kids and I, and from memory, my sister Shayne, were supposed to meet the boat in Hobart at the end of the race, enjoy the celebrations of the race and New Year, and then sail home with Ian. Sadly this never eventuated as the boat wa...
Read more

13. Over the Snowy Mountains bound for Spirit of Tasmania

Image
Au revoir and thanks Potato Point 2nd Dec. We left Potato Point eight days prior to boarding the Spirit of Tasmania. Having visited the coast further south on our shake down trip in May; this time we crossed the Snowy Mountains to arrive Melbourne on the 6 th Dec for a caravan service at the manufacturer. On route we saw a couple of deer, drove through a windfarm and sheep properties on plateau with barely a tree in sight. A pleasant big sky moonscape. I would hate to look out my window at a wind farm. I wonder what bush was there historically. Seems incredible how many trees European settlers removed in some places. Brumby at Tom Groggin Camp on the Murray River, Snowy Mtns Glad I don't have a wind farm out my window... Down into Jindabyne where we bought wine and firewood, and on through Thredbo on the Alpine Way around and down Mt Kosciusko towards our free camp at Geehi Flats. Evidence of harsh bush fires apparent on some faces of the mountain. It was getting late and we had...
Read more

10. One last Sydney stop and South to Jervis Bay

Image
Church Point views Church Point views At the close of the last post, we hadn't quite finished our time in and around the Northern Beaches. Difficult to pass over a two day visit with Pete's mate Graeme and his wife Ruth. We parked our van in a rare flattish spot opposite their driveway. Anyone who knows the lay of the land, congestion of houses and people, and the width of the roads around thum thar hills, will know that park was a rare find. We hung out at their lovely Church Point House overlooking the southern end of Pittwater. Their house has long been Pete's Sydney home away from home. Their grown children and grandchildren are very warm and present in each other's lives. Old friends A set of twins is soon to join the grandy ranks and a new love interest for a special young lady.  I never get bored with the view of my old stomping ground; Scotland Island and the Newport Arms, moored boats and all classes of sailing races gliding this way and that. Sunrises and suns...
Read more