River Deep, Mountain High

If you were asked what place you'd like to visit for a week, I'm pretty sure answers would range from Paris or New York, perhaps a Greek island, Tuscany or even New Zealand. But for me - it's always Tasmania with its pristine wilderness, the gently diffused light, rolling hills, rugged mountain ranges, green valleys, wild rivers, and picturesque winding country roads. Goodness - I'm sounding like Dorothea McKellars poem 'My Country'! Anyway, this is my way of introducing my recent week's stay in Tasmania. 

I fell in love with Tasmania after living there for 10 years in the 1990s and have returned a number of times. Fifteen years ago, I took daughters Sharon and Kate there on a week's jaunt. I remember the fun we had and thought why not do it again. We have not been together, all three of us at the same time, for many, many years.

After we decided that early May would be ideal, I made all the travel arrangements, a rather complicated task as we all live in different states (Sharon in Perth, Kate in Melbourne and me south of Adelaide). Excitement ran high when we were finally together and we boarded the plane for Hobart.

How lucky we were to have been given the use of an apartment (courtesy of Sharon's friend Jenni) in Battery Point, just around the corner from Salamanca Place, the heart of Hobart's tourist precinct, and a short 2 minutes from the wharves and docks ... and Mount Wellington beckoning beyond the window.

Salamanca Markets

The Salamanca Markets called us the following day. It's huge. It's crowded. It's wonderful. A few hours later we were laden with lavender shortbread, lavender hand lotion, lavender and chamomile tea, leatherwood honey, spiced apple mead liqueur, a myrtle stirring spoon, a delicious Persian mixture of nuts and seeds, mustards, books, a silk scarf and wool to knit one. A fun and satisfying time. Below, Sharon makes one of many purchases.

 

The next day we took to the road in glorious autumn weather heading for Mt Field National Park, part of Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area. (Here I pay tribute to Sharon who was our designated driver for the week and who did a truly magnificent job.)

Past the hop fields now denuded of their bounty ... 

and to the Westerway Berry Farm featuring, naturally, a BIG red strawberry.

What fun we had choosing the magnificent array of berry goodies - raspberry coulis, mixed berry sauce, blueberry jam, berry shortbread. We took a break to admire the lovely autumn colours bordering the river...

and to soak up the stillness.

On the road again, and we passed a house I would like to live in.

Mt Field National Park

After a brief stop at the Mt Field National Park's Visitor Centre to acclimatise ourselves, we took the Lake Dobson Road, the major road through the park that terminates after 15 kms at the lake. It's a narrow gravelly road with blind corners, making it a rather nerve-wracking  journey. Luckily for us, it wasn't icy or covered in snow. The drive took us through cool temperate rainforest featuring towering tree ferns, gigantic swamp gums (also known as mountain ash, the tallest tree species in Australia and the second tallest flowering plant in the world) and up into the alpine region with its big skies, glacial lakes, snow gums and the deciduous fagus. We loved every minute. 

We stopped when we could at the occasional viewpoint. Sharon and Kate did love taking selfies.

And even one of me.

We took time to breath in the clean air and to learn more about the native vegetation.

Here Sharon photographs the native pink mountain berry (I think). 

Sharon drove magnificently as the narrow road provided some scares when a car appeared around a corner and she had to pull as far over as she could, trying not to notice the steep drop below as we climbed higher and higher. Eventually, after around 10kms along the road, we were in alpine territory and the air was invigoratingly chilly with threatening clouds overhead. We had arrived at Lake Fenton, a glacial lake that is a water catchment area for Hobart (so no fishing or swimming here). 

It is also one of the best places to see the deciduous beech known as fagus, Australia's only cold-climate winter deciduous tree; it has survived from the Gondwana era and is only found in pockets in Tasmania, with a similar (but not the same) species in New Zealand and South America. And, with superb timing, we were there to witness the display as it cascaded down the slopes and in the valleys with its golden, orange and red hues. We caught our first glimpse through the trees.

Then more.

We took one of the many paths near the lake to explore further. 

Weary but happy we returned to the car and headed back; we had decided not to venture any further up the road.

MONA and meeting up with a friend

We split up on Monday, with Sharon and Kate catching the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art. They enjoyed the experience of the often startling exhibits, such as this one below, but also loved the Egyptian mummy exhibition that showed a scan of the sarcophagus in a dark room surrounded by a moat. 

They especially enjoyed the ferry ride up the Derwent - in particular the 'tigers' they could ride.

Meanwhile, I left on another ferry (minus tigers) and headed to Bellerive on the eastern shore to meet friend Maggie. The ferry was extremely comfortable and I arrived after a smooth 15 minutes across the water - a contrast to the little red ferry I used to catch when we lived in Bellerive.  

Maggie and Pharaoh dog Jill were patiently waiting for me.  Yes, it's disconcerting to have a dog with your name - especially when the owner barks commands such as 'Sit, Jill' - and I promptly sit down on the nearest chair.  

We had a glorious day doing what we always do - eating, chatting, drinking - and a bit of walking.

We partook of a light lunch! 

 
I have such fond memories of Bellerive and its picturesque Kangaroo Bay, so the day passed pleasantly though far too swiftly, and soon I was heading back to Hobart - to be greeted by Sharon and Kate following their day at MONA, which was a lovely surprise.

 

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary 

Tuesday saw us at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary which rescues and rehabilitates injured and homeless native animals. Loss of habitat, natural disasters and road accidents contribute to the number of animals the sanctuary looks after. They are lovingly cared for and we were impressed with the rehabilitation program the staff and volunteers undertake. 

We joined a guided tour which provided insights into the sanctuary and the kind of animals they care for.

I thought this bronze sculpture was very dramatic. 

What was Kate trying to photograph? 

We waited patiently for a Tasmanian Devil to appear. Suddenly, one emerges.

While another lurks nearby.

We all loved the birds.

Richmond

Not far from Bonorong is Richmond, well-known for having the oldest bridge in Australia, built in 1823. Its mellow sandstone arches give it a gracious charm. We photographed it from many angles ...

Looking back from on the bridge you can see the wooden deck and walkway that have now been added to the surrounding area. The decking provides a handy spot from which to feed the many ducks.

We then proceeded to a nearby tea rooms to have a Devonshire tea. It was everything a tea room should be - cosy and quirky and warm with delicious food.

And a game of Chinese Checkers. I hadn't played since I was 10! 

Mt Wellington

A must-do in Hobart is to drive up Mt Wellington, the mountain which has such a presence looming over the city. We knew it is always freezing at the top so we dressed accordingly. And even then we froze. It was bitterly cold, a fierce wind whipped around us, rain pelted down, ominously black clouds scudded across the sky faster than an American Cup yacht. And I lost feeling in my hands. Could snow be far behind? We sped to the enclosed lookout to momentarily thaw...

... then braved the conditions outside. At least it had stopped raining.

Kate imagines she's a Viking while Sharon simply hangs on to her hat.

But what views. You can see how rugged the landscape is.

It was fun spotting our old house across the river. 

Not surprisingly, when we descended and arrived back in Hobart the sun was shining and there was a gentle warmth in the air. We looked up to where we had been - the top of the mountain was now invisible, shrouded in a swirling mist. 

The afternoon saw us in a much more benign setting, a stroll along the Cascades Walk, hoping to catch a glimpse of a platypus. It was more of a park-like setting but lovely nonetheless with its golden-leaved poplars giving that warm autumn vibe.

We stopped in at an antique shop in South Hobart where we browsed for a while.

Sharon found a 1960's Japanese bull-and-toreador - evidently a collectable item these days. She said it will go well with her matador poster.

Our last day

On our final day we revisited the Salamanca Place and Brooke Street Pier shops for more retail therapy.

Some hair clips for Kate. A scarf for me. Earrings for Sharon.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment ready for our departure.

And a lovely vase Kate selected for me, just waiting for a bunch of daisies. 

Sharon was an expert in plaiting Kate's hair. (Kate has since said the new hair clips are perfect.)

And we tried to eat as much as we could of all the food that was left over. I think Sharon and Kate were making French toast to get rid of the bread and eggs.

The following day Kate and I flew back to Melbourne and Sharon flew directly to Perth. We'd all had a great time and made lots of memories. 

Thank you Sharon and Kate for sharing the holiday with me and for making it such fun. 

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