Day 369 Woodbridge Tuesday 31st January 2012

Hello,
The fair weather campers survived last nights 60mm of rain and 60km/h winds by sleeping in the car. I have had better nights sleep since the front seats won't recline fully due to the chattels on the back seat. However whilst the weather was grey and sullen with a goodly breeze this morning there was very little rain. I toodled around and loaded the trailer, hitched on the bike racks and other paraphernalia. Susan backed the Pajero and we were soon hitched up . We called on Julie and gave her a bottle of wine to say thank you for letting us impose at the bottom of her garden. Seeing as she didn't know us from a bar of soap when we arrived we were very appreciative. Next we journeyed around the corner to Linda's house where she cooked us eggs and potato slices for breakfast. I hauled the expresso machine inside and made us all a coffee. We arrived at the ferry well before the 1130 departure and were the third car in line which is better than missing the boat. Julie and Linda and the rest of the Bruny people we met made us feel very welcome.
After dropping the trailer and reacquainting ourselves with Ann at Woodbridge we journeyed to Cygnet where we met Alan who guided us to his property at the top of the hill. We first met him at Nubeena and being impressed by his knowledge we have been trying to arrange to catch up with him for a while.
Alan practices sustainable living and has an interesting setup. This includes the use of Timbercrete bricks in his bathroom, his waterless toilets that you flush with sawdust (yes they really work) and his grey water treatment system using gravel filters and azolla, a floating pond weed. He has a wealth of practical knowledge and we had a good discussion. I think we will be guided by his setup as we look to create a sustainable living solution.
In other good news the roof bag was dry and dusty inside after last nights/yesterdays deluge which put a smile on my face. The swag also only had  couple of wet spots on the surface of the bag as it was wrapped in the old roof bag. After 2 years on the road I am learning, slowly.
We provided a corned beef roast for tea tonight and have slipped easily back into Ann's house. We were both impressed by the amount of growth of our plantings since we have left. It is very satisfying to see how well they have done. This blog is being typed in a bedroom with great views of the channel and no fear that the laptop battery is about to give out.
Night folks!

cheers Simon

Bruny Lighthouse

Bruny Island Ferry

Day 368 Bruny Island Monday 30th January 2012

Good evening viewers,
Just to show you life isn't all beer and skittles we are currently holed up in the car with a good rate of rain falling although if you believe the Hobart weather radar it isn't here.
Today started well. Warm and cloudy but giving us enough time to pack away the camper and do some sorting out of our kit with Susan compressing it into smaller spaces as we use up some of the non perishable food we have brought with us. A short light shower of rain was enough to spring us into more rapid action. We packed the trailer away and leaving things in good order we headed up the road for a day trip to the Cape Bruny lighthouse. The further we drove the worse the weather became by the time we reached the Cape it was raining and blowing hard. We stopped at a couple of lookouts and could see the view just but not enough to photograph. We pulled into the lighthouse car park and looked up the hill through the rain. Would have been a nice short walk. The views of the coast showed it to be quite rugged and picturesque. It was a great pity the weather spoiled it. We also drove around the camping area which was served by a fairly agricultural road. There were a few campers in residence struggling with the weather. Looked like a very nice camping spot and would be worth a visit another time.
As we returned up the coast the weather gradually improved and by the time we were in the vicinity of the ferry departure point we were actually able to have a short walk around the Apollo Bay housing estate.
We returned to camp and parked across the breeze and put the awning up with just a light drizzle. The plan being to throw the swag down and snooze in that.
However the weather has deteriorated markedly so we will go for the sleep in the car option. Which no doubt means a Quasimodo like stoop tomorrow.
Mercifully we had enough time to set up for Susan to prepare a superb hot cooked tea which included 10 vegetables. Yes we had a few odds and ends to use up. 
The blog must end now as the wind is picking up with 60km/h breezes predicted so it is time to pack the awning away lest it become a twisted mess. This means we must first pack away the chairs and tables into the back of the car. Time to get wet!
Night folks!

cheers Simon

Day 367 Bruny Island Sunday 29th January 2012

Hello,
A nice warm day here might have got to 30 I think. After breakfast we picked up Linda's phone from Julie and donated Linda our spare charger. We had volunteered to do some jobs around Linda's house today. I trimmed carpet and installed skirting boards and some quad in the shed she has had lined as a sleep out. It took me most of the day. I also coaxed her printer back into full working order. Susan swept out the shed, erected a gate/barrier in the woodshed, trimmed and trained creeping vines and installed a shade cloth infill in the pergola.
We were able to have a nice hot shower at the end of the day our first since we left Mount Field. We also had a nice lunch and have an offer to use the sleep out tomorrow night. We may accept this as the forecast is for heavy rain starting tomorrow. It is 22 here at 930pm with a few clouds on the horizon. I was debating whether we should pack up tonight and sleep in the swag or leave it till the morning. We have one more night after tonight before we head back to the mainland and will not be using the camper immediately so i would like not to have to put it up again Wednesday just to dry it. In the end laziness took over, besides it is more comfy than the swag mattress and space wise. Fingers crossed it is dry in the morning. Tomorrow we will drive down to Cape Bruny lighthouse. Walking is off the agenda at the moment as i now have 2 blisters on my right heel.
There has been some sort of boating get together in Quarantine Bay out front of where we are camped although i don't know how organised it is. There has been a large cruiser parked about 50 metres out front of our camp for 2 days invading our privacy. I hope they weren't too offended by my squatting over the "bush toilet" this morning. Susan was more considerate and I had to stand holding a sarong up to block any view. I am sure this is something you needed to know dear reader. I had a good chuckle whilst holding the privacy screen! I might also add the ground is that dry and hard it pays to prepare holes well in advance as it is not possible to dig a 30cm hole quickly.
On that note it's good night!

cheers Simon

Day 366 Bruny Island Saturday 28th January 2012

Hi All,
Today we were slowly away from camp due mainly to all the pictures and video for yesterdays blog. We must try and do less in a day.
We journeyed up the road to the CWA market day. Julie whose land we are camped on and Linda who arranged it and has now made us 2 meals and offered us use of her shower and washing machine are both members so of course we had to go. We purchased and consumed some pastries that were delicious. Whilst we were sitting talking roast pork was bought out so we shared a plate and that was lunch. The talk was interesting. A Tasmanian couple that had moved to Cunnamulla, which we visited on Day 32 2010. I am happy to report you can now buy expresso coffee there thanks to a couple from UK who have opened a cafe called Boulders. This story was recounted by the the fellow who is a minister and now has a parish twice the size of Tasmania!
Leaving the friendly people at the market we travelled towards our walk for the day to Cape Elizabeth. I decided we needed to stop at Bruny Island cheese to have one of their excellent expressos.
We did have an appointment to view a house at 5pm near here and this stop is probably what made us late.
The walk was quite pretty with no overly challenging terrain. Up around the back of sand dunes with some excellent beaches and out along the point to Cape Queen Elizabeth. The views were your standard precipitous drops that abound around southern Tasmania. The return trip was a bit of a forced march since we needed to return by 5.
We eventually arrived at the open house with Linda at 545. An interesting property with a house that was far too large for us. The house is passive solar and is "off the grid" Electricity coming from a 1.4kw solar installation and 1kw wind generator. It does have a backup generator but it gets little use apart from when welding is being performed. The $35k cost to be connected to the power grid was the impetus for the current arrangement. Susan and I felt the property was quite well priced for the package and will not be surprised if it sells quickly. However not to us.
We had tea with Linda and then we all journeyed back here for a a few games of Rummikub with Julie. Tomorrow we are going to do some HelpEx at Linda's as well as refill our water bottle and more importantly have showers. There is an odd smell around here and i think it is me.
Longer term the weather looks like being pretty wet come Monday afternoon so the plan which of course may change in any moment is to pack up the camper and use the swag. Not because the camper leaks but because it is a a bit of a trial to get it dry if you want to have it packed away for a couple of weeks.
The weather continues to be glorious.

night folks

Simon

On the way to Cape Queen Elizabeth. Trout in the swamp apparently

Cape Queen Elizabeth



Day 365 Bruny Island Friday 27th January 2012

Hi Folks,
Day 365! A whole year away.
After a perfect calm morning awakening we drove down to Adventure Bay which is the premier sandy beach, holiday shack destination on the island.

Today's exercise was the Fluted Cape walk. We climbed steadily from the land side and worked up a good sweat as there was very little breeze. From sea level to the top of the cape is around 272 meters. Once at the top we were rewarded with a magnificent view and a gentle sea breeze. Perfect conditions to sit for a while and consume our sandwiches for lunch. The rest of the walk was down hill along the cliff top taking in views of Penguin Island and the bay.
From Adventure Bay we travelled back up to Bruny Island cheese for an excellent expresso bearing in mind we don't have enough power to run our machine at the moment so are feeling deprived (it's a tough life).
From there we journeyed down to Lunawanna the site of our evenings entertainment "Hoppy's Jamboree" The pub at Lunawanna where we were to have tea didn't exist so we journeyed back up the road to Alonnah to the Bruny Island Hotel where we just managed to squeeze in on an outside table and were able to get a meal since we ordered before the kitchen was open. Fully booked as usual according to the waitress. The meal was good and we sat overlooking the water albeit with  a road and parked cars in between in the late afternoon sun.

Fluted Cape 272m

We returned to Lunawanna. Julie whose property we are staying on met us at the hall and we were escorted back to a local house for some more food (2 teas in one day). The evenings entertainment was a parade of locals performing music. The content and the talent was varied but was most enjoyable. We were invited since Linda is a member of the Ukulele group who were performing.
We left at 10 and returned to our campsite. Susan drove since i had had a couple of ales and the police had been out in force during the day. It was a slow drive home with Susan adding a possum to her road kill score. She now leads 3-1. I should add the dirt roads here are fairly rough and a lot worse than when we were here before Christmas.
Tomorrow the CWA market and a walk i think.

cheers Simon

 Quarantine Bay

Fluted Cape

 Ukuleles

Day 364 Bruny Island Thursday 26th January 2012

Hi Folks,
Happy Invasion Day! A restless nights sleep due to a rather fresh breeze rocking the canvas and rattling the zip pulls. We awoke not overly early and breakfasted making the camp a bit tidier after last nights blundering around in the darkness. We then went up the track from the camp site to the see Julie the owner of the property where we are camped.We had a convivial chat comparing travels and destinations. Julie has been to many more places than us and was eager to pass on information. After an hour we drove up the road to Dennes Point which is the largest community on the northern side of the island. The main purpose was to buy toilet paper which we managed and we also took the opportunity to have foccacias and a coffee at the  Dennes Point art gallery/general store/cafe/community hall.

We returned to Killora (our location) and called in to see Linda. We made some plans to attend a couple of local events and to do a bit of ladder work at her house. Returning to camp we pottered around. Susan sorting and reading while I fiddled with the solar. The lure of the oysters was too much and i ventured down to eat 3. If I am still alive tomorrow i will have some more.

Susan cooked up a nice chicken curry for tea with rice. As we were finishing Linda returned with some more news about a sustainable house for sale that we can view.
Tomorrow we are off on the Fluted Cape walk and a music evening at Luwanna,
Apart from the wind it has been very pleasant sitting here next to the water.

night folks

Simon

Oysters natural

Camp site with a flock of cormorants taking off

The trailer is level unfortunately the tent isn't and looks a bit demented

Day 363 Bruny Island Wednesday 25th January 2012

Hi Folks,
From North Bruny Island. We are currently "bush" camped on a property adjacent the sea. We arrived on dusk and it was dark by the time we had established a habitable tent. It's a bit breezy but we are well tied down.
We awoke this morning at Mount Field under cloudy skies and a very heavy dew on the canvas. We packed in a very leisurely fashion and our reward was the sun coming out and drying everything nicely. By the time we had packed and showered it was 3pm. We drove to New Norfolk and shopped for groceries and then on to Hobart and back down the Channel Highway to Kettering. We were about 4 cars too far back in the queue to catch the immediately departing ferry so had a 45 minute wait.

 We arrived on the island after 7 and journeyed to Linda's house at Kilora on the northern end of the Island. Linda is a friend of another lady Lin we met at Nubeena who was supposed to meet us here but has had a change of plans. Linda actually had tea for us when we arrived which was very welcome. After some short pleasantries she led us down the road to her friend Julie's property where we are now camped on the foreshore. True bush camping no facilities. The ground is pretty dry as i found when i had to dig a hole in the dark tonight. We will have to be careful with energy consumption since we will be relying on solar and running the car. I don't know what we are going to do about bathing but it's not too hot here so we should be able to miss a few days of showers.
Ok that's it for the day. Great pictures of tonight's sunset are courtesy of Susan.

Night folks

Cheers Simon

Day 362 Mount Field NP Tuesday 24th January 2012

Hi Folks,
A quiet day for us before we depart Mount Field tomorrow. It was warm here today 32. Susan washed the clothes, I washed the car and wrote yesterdays blog. Apart from a walk around the grounds after tea we just ambled through the day with a few small chores. New people arrived and we took the opportunity to gawk at their rigs.
We contacted people to stay with over the next few days plus a van park in Queensland that have yet to respond. I shall follow them up tomorrow with an email at breakfast. Looks like the weather will be fine in the morning so no wet canvas dramas. Hopefully the ferry to Bruny Island won't be chockers tomorrow afternoon, it being a public holiday the next day.

We celebrated the last night with a fine tea crafted by Susan. Pork fillets with corn cobs, pumpkin and potato mash and brocoli washedd own with a drop of alcohol in the late afternoon sun a gentle fresh breeze blowing.

Farewell Mount Field it has been fun! Especially now the weather is co-operating. People still look surprised when we tell them it snowed on the mountain last week.


night folks

Simon and Susan

Day 361 Mount Field NP Monday 24th January 2012

Hi Folks,
Today's blog starts last night. My departure for the airport was slightly delayed as i fulfilled my role of unofficial platypus guide trying to remember what the proper ranger guide said the other week. I was guiding Andrea, plus Roger and his wife from Saskatchewan Canada. Eventually a platypus showed up and after I left they did better by themselves.
Susan and I returned in good time and didn't add to the road kill score.

Tarn Shelf lakes

Lake Seal

This morning we had a leisurely start to the day and said farewell to Andrea.
We decided to head back up the hill and do the Tarn Shelf walk since Susan had not been up there. My blistered and patched heel felt good in the boot so off we went.

Sundews

We savoured the views and had lunch in the Rodway Hut. We then headed along the shelf not quite reaching Lake Newdegate before i declared turnaround time. We were a bit late starting and spent time looking at the flora and scenery as opposed the the quick march that i generally do. One interesting sight was when a whirly crossed the water of one of the lakes. It wasn't huge but would have made a good video if i could have got my camera out in time.
On our return passing Lake Dobson I had a few casts into the lake not expecting to catch anything. My expectations were once again realised.
Tea was nibblies plus some sausages in bread. We spent some time taking to our new neighbours Sue and Bert and ended up taking them to the glowworms. Susan had not seen them this trip. As i recall in the last trip we only saw them in the hollow trunk of the huge fallen tree on the way up. This time there were plenty of them in an "official" glowworm viewing area. We returned to camp around 11pm. A quiet day for us tomorrow as i managed to send my heel blister backwards today plus there is the washing and an attempt to make a plan for what we are going to do for the next 6 - 9 months. Actually the planning is not too hard it is the decisions that are difficult.  In the immediate future we will depart Mount Field Wednesday and head to Bruny Island. where we will spend around 2 - 3 nights. Then back to mainland with 5 or 6 days before we are doing the Salamanca market for Ann on February the 5th.
I have really enjoyed the time at Mount Field no doubt in part due to a week of fine weather. There is a weak change forecast for tomorrow so hopefully there will be no wet canvas dramas when we pack up.

night Folks

Cheers Simon

Day 360 Mount Field NP Sunday 22nd January 2012

Evening folks,
Early blog tonight since i have to be at Hobart International Airport at 930 to pick up Susan.
A quiet day today. The weather was gorgeous but I decided to give my heel a rest day from walking. I did go for a gentle stroll to the top of Russell Falls and return. I spent some time observing the small trout catching insects that alighted on the water to drink and even leaping from the water to catch them in the air. Other than that i have just been pottering and doing some Internet research into various items of no huge significance. I did spend some time at Workaboutaustralia There are some assistant manager positions available in some parks in Queensland for their dry season which might be worth some discussion. Especially since they are paid.
Anyway that's it summer is in full swing and it looks like we might get three days in a row before the next cold front. The average rainfall for Maydena (nearest town) in January is 68mm and so far this month only 37 has fallen so drier than average. Let us hope this "drought" continues.

night folks

Cheers Simon

Day 359 Mount Field NP Saturday 21st January 2012

Hi Folks,
The days at Mount Field are drawing to a close and although a lot has been seen and done i feel that there is more to do and know.
Today was pretty quiet. I spent the morning on small chores but had some conversations with my current neighbours retired caravanners Ian and Jenny who are from Adelaide and departed today. They have had some interesting misadventures with their van. The worst being losing a wheel in outback SA. He was over here to sail radio controlled model yachts in a competition.
I also had a long talk with a couple from Tasmania who were trying out a camper trailer with a view to buying it. He was in IT and she does house sitting. It was a S/H Cavalier made in Adelaide with trim much the same as ours. They were interested in looking at this one and conversely i had a look at theirs and passed on my "expert" views. He is also a trout fisherman and did the walk to Lake Belcher 15 years ago when he was 35. The fact hat he would not contemplate it now made me feel a bit better about being so knackered after i did it yesterday.
Needing some band aids for my blistered heel I headed to New Norfolk and was surprised to see the chemist shop open. They did lock the doors once i was inside after all it was 130! I was sold some Compeed blister patches that you stick on and leave on until they drop off or you foot drops off.
After fuel and some food supplies I returned to the park and following more chores, packed minimal gear for a walk to Lake Seal to check out the fishing. The walk was good and i passed and chatted to several people heading in the opposite direction. Unfortunately without waders the only bank access was into shallow water. I had a few token tasks but without any obvious fish rising it was a lost cause. I do have my waders with me but probably won't get back there.
On my return to camp I was chatting to Andrea who i passed on my walk. She was having a training run with a full backpack for the Overland track in a few days time. Her mode of travel was a roof top tent on her jeep. For something that cost $700 new including delivery it was good value. As long as you don't mind packing it up every time you want to go somewhere. She had been a derivatives trader(whatever that is) and was now studying biology with part of this trip collecting and pressing tree specimens for an assignment.

That's part of the fun of the road, everybody has a story. Most of them are a bit more succinct than the ones in this blog though.

Night folks,
Simon

Day 358 Mount Field NP Friday 20th January 2012

Panorama on the walk

Hello Blogophiles,
I arose to a low cloud cover which prompted a change of plans with respect to walking to the highest peak. Instead i though i would do the Lake Belcher walk "5-6 hours some muddy sections" We had already done a little bit of the track to view the moor mosaic. After I read This fishing report I was convinced to pack my spinning gear.

I drove up the hill again and about 3/4 of the way up the cloud vanished. Typical but now too late in the day for the climb to Mount Field East.
I set off up the rise across the moor. It was a bit boggy but no worse than ankle depth if you put your foot in the wrong place. It was a long shallow climb for about 1.8 km before the ground hardened into rock and a long steeper decent began. There were some very nice views over the valley towards Maydena. The mountain i have been calling Mount Field West looks more likely to be Tyenna peak so as usual i am wrong. I will confirm this when i download the GPS track. I descended and descended around 350 metres vertically to the stream bed with the only excitement being a 20cm diameter paperbark snapping off as i was using it to hang on to.White ant poop is not very strong. At this stage I was already not looking forward to the return climb but it was well within what i am used to. After crossing a single plank bridge the track deteriorated into a button grass swamp. This is one occasion that the gaiters came into their own. Progress was slow as the track was poorly marked and very boggy necessitating hopping from spot to spot.  As i walked into the swamp I came across the owner of a Commodore parked at the start of the walk. A younger man with some circumference and a shipload of gear. He was staggering around off the track so i redirected him. He had finished night shift at 7am and had driven up for an overnight fishing trip. We exchanged pleasantries and moved off me galloping ahead. I am guessing there was about 1.5km before i arrived at the hut which was in good condition and suitable for an overnighter. I filled in the visitor book and headed towards the lake. The track became even more indistinct and boggy so i decided to turn back especially as is still couldn't see the water.. I then found a more distinct track and decided to go forward again. This lasted about 40 metres and after evaluating the terrain ahead, the time and my physical condition I decided to return. I figured if I did push on then I would fish, lose track of time, be late and more tired returning and if i did catcha couple of 3 pounders i would either have to let them go or carry them up the hill.
As I started the return journey my right foot disappeared up to the knee in the mud. Great! I passed the other fishermen and we stopped for a fishy chat before I headed back through the swamp. Another episode of the disappearing leg convinced me i had made the right decision. The gaiters did their job and kept the mud off my legs and out of my boots. i had taken one litre of water and as this was nearly gone i finished it off and refilled my water from the clear stream flowing from the lake.. Finally i cleared the swamp and began the long slow climb out of the valley. A few rests and a few cramps and I was at the top of the hill. Obviously somewater had entered my right boot as i could feel a blister forming on my heel. Unfortunately no tape was available to pad it. A bit of an oversight in the hiking packing department. Should also carry some spare dry socks too. I should mention i was also lugging the 2 cameras in their bag plus the obligatory and unnecessary warm jumper and wet weather gear.

I reached the car, confirmed the blister and drove back to camp in my Crocs. On my return my neighbour a retired scout leader applied treatment from the scouting days. Cut off the loose skin, apply metho and a large bandaid. Somehow i don't think i will be doing a big hike tomorrow.
That was the day. A departing camper had left a bundle of slightly old mushrooms which i had on toast for tea. If i have food poisoning it will either be the stream water or the mushies.
I can't believe it is Friday already!

Night Folks

Cheers Simon

Lake Belcher walk (16Mb)

Day 357 Mount Field NP Thursday 19th January 2012

Hi folks,
Short blog tonight. Mainly because i didn't do much today. In between that last sentence and this next one i have done the scare the possum thing. Makes them jump and run when you bang the tent roof under their feet!
This morning I breakfasted leisurely and chatted with the neighbours while they packed. I then completed a job that has been on the to do list for a while. Establishing the backup for Susan's laptop using Synctoy. This is a one button solution for the the user who is always too busy to back up their precious data but who would be devastated if it were lost. It took longer than I expected as i had to do the job twice. Plus it takes a long time to transfer that many gigabytes of information. Anyway it is done now so some peace of mind. I also took the opportunity to sync all my data. At one stage i had all three laptops running in the tent.
The rest of the day was spent doing various little chores plus some more chatting to new neighbours. When you arrive at a new tourist spot you know very little and once you have been there for a week or so you can sound like an expert. Note i said "sound like" not "be".  It's always good to have an exchange of information about things to see and do and avoid. Amongst todays subjects were, walks, platypus,  possums,  potable water,  camper trailers and fishing.
The weather is looking good for tomorrow, it was sunny today but a bit breezy.  The plan tomorrow is to be up early and up the hill to do the Mount Field West walk. 8-9 hours return which will be a good work out!
As to where to next week. It will probably be over to Bruny Island for a few days then maybe somewhere else for a little while before heading back to Woodbridge as we have volunteered to do one Salamanca market for Ann in early February.

night folks

Cheers Simon

PS for those that have missed Susan is in Anna Bay, NSW until Sunday.

Day 356 Mount Field NP Wednesday 18th January 2012

Tarn Shelf panorama (click for big)

Hi Folks,
First up some trivia. The town adjacent to the entrance of the national park is named "National Park"
As mentioned last night we had a good thunder shower session last night that continued after i went to bed. Averaging the 2 closest weather stations i would say we had around 10mm after a maximum of 34C.
The rain washed away all the possums until later in the night when they had to reestablish their territorial markings. The roof of our tent was one such battleground. A quick bout of punch a possum through the roof fixed that. Of course this morning one had marked out his territory in the kitchen.

Board walk

The day started grey but improved. I decided to drive up and walk to the tarn shelf again this time with my still camera. When i started walking misty clouds were scudding over the hill tops but by the time i finished they were mostly gone and sunshine reigned although the breeze was stiff. I returned a different way along an unmarked path which took me past the rest of the ski village, well a couple of huts and tows. The warm sun complemented the scenary and i absorbed the serenity.


Returning to the camp ground i had a late lunch/early tea.  A fatty fry up of all the camp favorites. This was followed by  quick drive to Maydena for some bread.

Later my neighbours invited me to share their csmp oven roast lamb and veggies. It is a tough life but someone has to do it.

I am considering the walk to Mount Field West. At 8 or 9 hours it is a big walk


Night Folks
Cheers Simon

Mountain pink berry

The "ski" village

Lake Dobson and car park

Lake Dobson (no they are not tyres)

Mount Field West viewed from Maydena

Tarn shelf

Day 355 Mount Field NP Tuesday 17th January 2012



Mountain Rocket

Hi Folks,
As i type this it is 1130 with fairly steady thundery rain falling accompanied by thunder and lightning, still quite warm around 20 degrees.
Big walking day today. I was up at 650 thanks to a screaming  small child running around the park.
After breakfasting and preparing i was up on the mountain quite early and walking by 930. The weather was not over pleasant warmish with a stiff northerly breeze obliterating the sound of my voice on the video though some might say that is a good thing. The ascent up to the tarn shelf takes in a fair bit of the service track to the ski chalets and is quite steep. Once up on the shelf the view is quite spectacular down to the glacial valley. The track then wends it way around the small glacial lakes. I was the first car in the car park and thought i was going to have the walk to myself. However i filled the card up in the video camera and while i was standing deleting old movies two groups of people passed me. I felt over equipped compared to everyone else. There are dire warnings about carrying warm and weatherproof clothing due to sudden weather changes. I of course heed these while everyone else with no packs laden with water and Antarctic survival clothes glides past me. This loading caused me to leave my digital camera in the car and use the video which does take stills, exclusively. Consequently I have a lot of video much of it with the soundtrack being the wind.

Pencil Pines

I had lunch at a very pretty spot Lake Newdegate. The ants were a menace and i blame them for spilling the gypper from my tuna tin on my new hat. I washed it in the stream and strapped it on my back pack which was an immediate cue for the sun to come out.
The scenery and the plants on the shelf were quite outstanding and i am thinking of returning with my still camera. I would do a retrace walk from Twisted Tarn rather than the full circuit of today. The circuit is OK but you end up descending below the car park and climbing up again through some typical flora for the region. Where as the retrace would be back through the tarns and down hill to finish. I hope the pictures and video give a good idea of the beauty.
I would have to say that the walk is as good as the lakes around Cradle Mountain.
I swapped positions on the walk with a couple with 2 teenage girls. When they stopped i would pass them and vice versa. On the homeward leg i though i was well ahead, not that it is a race! However on the flat i spied them about 50 metres behind me. As we climbed up the hill i strode hard and soon left them behind. We were chatting after the walk and i told them i couldn't let them finish ahead of me. They said the girls almost staged a rebellion in the last section because they were tired. We had a good laugh and i spent some time chatting to them in the campground afterwards. Nice people from Smithton. Coincidentally  she also has had a BCC removed from her nose.  The campground still has a selection of people in it but nowhere near full.

Lake Seal

The teenagers next door swam in the river today and found a submerged laptop and phone no doubt dumped stolen goods. The laptop is from the same series as mine i.e. it looks exactly the same. I did a double take when i saw it  propped up in the sun next to the BBQ's. I think they have some dream that it might magically spring to life however i think electrolytic corrosion will have taken care of that. It did look in reasonable condition though (for something that has been submerged!).
I also can't believe someone drove their big Maui mobile home up to the top. Sure the road is wide enough if there is non one coming the other way!

night folks
Simon

Sorry about the wind noise...

View across to Mount Field east then over Lake Seal to the Rodway Hut and rope ski lift. Lastly to the tarn lakes.

Tarn lakes

Think I was on about the lakes being formed by glaciers

.

Glacial gouging and the valley cut by the glacier.

Skeleton trees

Lake Newdegate

Day 354 Mount Field NP Monday 16th January 2012

Good evening listeners,
Finally after many days of waiting summer has arrived in Tasmania. I sit here at 2215 with the temperature a very pleasant 18 degrees.
Today started last night when some mentally deficient person put so much rubbish in the bin adjacent our camper that the lid wouldn't close. I had to venture out and deal with the possums fighting over the spoils. Apparently feeding natives gives them "lumpy jaw". If they disturb my sleep they get "lumpy head". The brawlers were dispersed and the rubbish secured.
The day proper started with an alarm at 630. Never a pleasant way to wake up.  It was a bit of a struggle but we were in the car and gone by 735. The trip to Hobart was unevenful and Susan was delivered to the terminal just after 9. After one false start where i had to return to repay some money I owed her I journied to my favorite shopping area at Cambridge. The purpose of this visit was to buy some more magnetic led lights from K&D(Home). I have one which i tried a couple of days ago and it is very effective. Two more at $7.95 and some batteries. I am glad I tried them out in the car park because neither worked. The first replacement didn't either but eventually I had 2 new working items. More high quality oriental goods. Since they take AAA batteries i stopped at Jaycar on the way back to pick up some rechargeable batteries.
I returned via Woolworths at New Norfolk to replenish the supplies of lobster and prawns which we normally have in the fridge. Back at camp i pottered in the domestic area. My boots took a fearfull battering on the rocks yesterday so i tried to make them a bit more presentable.
I toodled down for a spot of lure casting to an area i saw when walking on the rail line the other day. Not a nibble but no lures lost which was a bonus. Plus I saw a couple of Platypus. They are actually quite abundant here.
Such was the temperature today there were people bathing in the Tyenna River that flows through the back of the camping area.
Anyway that's the day. Big walkaround the plateau up the hill tomorrow. Forecast for 30 in Hobart so it might nudge 20 up there. I am looking forward to it.

Night folks,

Cheers Simon

PS i see the new Norfolk forecast is for 35! Must be a misprint!

Day 353 Mount Field NP Sunday 15th January 2012

Mount Field East Panorama



Pandani (Richea Pandanifolia)



Scoparia (Richea scoparia)



Tasmanian Waratah



Lake Nicholls



Lake Nicholls


Evening all,

The end of a busy day.

We completed the watch search this morning and turned a big blank. It is now wait and see what turns up.

We drove back up the hill and parked at the start of our chosen walk the Mount Field East circuit. After a conversation with a couple around our age who had camped at Lake Nicholls over night we hit the trail. We soon warmed up and removed our jumpers as we climbed to the first beauty spot the glacial tarn Lake Nicholls. This has a hut suitable for sleeping overnight. The lake was very picturesque aided by the absence of the usual howling gale and the presence of sunshine.

We pushed on upwards past Lake Rayner a smaller lake and across the first rock scree. We were soon on the moor and gazing up at the scree slope that forms Mount Field East. We scrambled over the rocks and within half an hour were admiring the views from the top. After a brief rest we descended which is of course more difficult for Susan with her knees.

 We crossed Windy Moor which didn't live up to it's name as the air was quite still and the sun pleasant. The moor was quite boggy and aside from the usual tadpoles i was quite surprised to see mountain shrimp in one of the pools. Susan was taken by the aroma from the area which she described as a cross between jasmine, honeysuckle and earl grey tea. I thought it smelt like baked beans.

We continued our descent crossing 2 more scree slopes as Susan's knees became sorer and sorer. Finally we reached the road way and finished off with a pleasant 2.5km stroll downhill back to the car. An enjoyable walk under sunny skies. Total distance around 10.4km time taken 6 hours!

On our return to camp we observed many new arrivals. Those with campervans will not have the access to the top of the park and it's walks and will have to satisfy themselves with Russell Falls, gloworms and platypus.

After introducing ourselves to our new neighbours who farm in NSW and have the biggest camper trailer canvas i have seen we joined them for drinks and nibbles. The rest of the evening disappeared in a blur of getting ready for tomorrow and having tea plus the blog of course.

Tomorrow off to the sirport at 730!

Night folks

Cheers Simon

Mountain Shrimp

Lake Nicholls

Mount Field Pan

Day 352 Mount Field Saturday 14th January 2012

Hi Folks,

A lazy day today. The walk we planned did not eventuate due to general inertia this morning. We have for some days been turning everything in the camper, car, roof bag etc etc upside down in an attempt to find Simons watch. Last seen at the side of the mattress 2 days ago at 8am. Many of you may remember the famous lost keys episode found in Simons mouth see day 48 25th August 2010. At this rate I might have to order an xray! It has been most frustrating as there are not many places the watch could be, hopefully we will find it when we pack to leave.

After our second cup of coffee, from our trusty mobile coffee machine, we did set off for a stroll along the disused railway track toward Maydena. Simon found some promising fishing spots which he will investigate next week when I am away. At this stage he has decided to stay put, do some of the more rugged walks and catch up on a spot of fishing.

At Maydena a couple of entrepreneurial fellows have set up a human powered rail riding business www.railtrackriders.com.au along the disused track, apparently these are popular in the USA and Europe, we didn’t get to try it but it does sound fun.

A busy night at the campground tonight with lots of children and a mini soccer match adjacent, resulting in a couple of bodies disappearing under our camper to retrieve the ball, alas no watch.

Simon is researching caravans as I type, the Borama make which is down the road a bit and looks like the taj on wheels is a no go as the business is apparently in receivership with lots of disgruntled owners.

Night All

Susan

PS Simon says, the leviathan caravan down the road was also $152k when new. However i am happy with our camper. Not quite as quick to set up and knock down as a van but more space, good off road and it is paid for!

Day 351 Mount Field Friday 13th January 2012

Seager's Lookout click to enlarge



Hi All,

Well today was a special day of sorts, my birthday, except Simon forgot. I was hoping for a "Happy Birthday" greeting as I awoke (now now a verbal one!), but nothing.... the morning progressed... breakfast, check emails and Facebook, then a sheepish greeting from Simon as he saw a message on his homepage sidebar, thanks FB!

We decided to undertake the Mt Field East walk which starts up the road about 5 kms and can be tackled as a circuit or a retrace. We decided on the retrace which is a bit shorter, but then after commencing the walk we decided to climb to Seagers Lookout instead as the weather looked as if rain was closing in and the lookout was a shorter walk again.

Simon and I have quite different approaches to our walks, I amble along mainly because I am not as sure footed as I once was, and have no wish to stumble which I am prone to. Simon on the other hand crashes through the bush at a rate of knots, but does remember every so often to wait for me to catch up. He says it is like walking with a grandmother, I remind him I am one, to which he retorts "but not mine". Charmer!

We actually made excellent time on the walk and were close to the recommended time of 2 hours, usually our time is at least 50% more than recommended time due to my ambling, maybe I am improving!

After a knock up lunch thanks to our depleted supplies - damn possums, we headed into New Norfolk to shop. I also needed to purchase a post bag to send a gift to baby Lola, Amanda and Phill's new baby, although we have known she would be called Lola for some months. Again thanks to FB we were able to confirm her arrival on the 8th.

We had a leisurely happy hour with nibbles and bubbles, and a walk around the park to check out the new neighbours rigs, all on the expensive side, a couple of new models to research.

Simon cooked dinner and then we cocooned ourselves to watch a movie and nibble chocolate. All in all a good day.

Night All

Susan

P.S. There are benefits of being an ambler rather than a crasher, you get to notice quirky things, like the cairn someone poised on a rock in the stream on yesterdays walk (see pic below)I wonder who would think to build one in the middle of nowhere - whomever you are I noticed it!


A cairn in a stream in the middle of nowhere!


The narrator is gibbering and rotating quickly since the battery on the camera is about to expire. The view from the top of the lookout.

Day 350 Mount Field Thursday 12th January 2012

Hi Folks,

The weather has finally improved a bit and my outlook has followed. We pottered around this morning attending to housekeeping duties in many areas, from backing up the GPS tracks to zip mending and breaking out the fishing gear in the sunshine.
Our activity today was walking to Russell Falls and then onto Lady Barron falls.
I am sure Russell Falls is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Australia. We walked through the temperate rain forest marvelling at the tree ferns up to 3 metres high and the swamp gums reaching 80 metres. Lady Barron falls are much smaller but still attractive. It was a pleasant afternoons walking of around 3 hours duration.

We returned late afternoon and had some cheeses, wine and nibbles. I had a few casts into the Tyenna River next to our campsite not expecting success. My expectations were met! I also rode down the road a bit to check out other fishing locations in this stream. Susan cooked a curry for tea.

After tea I strolled around to see platypus which I did but I had left it a bit late and it was too dark. Plan b was then to walk up towards the falls and see the glow worms which were present in reasonable numbers.

Returning to camp I was writing the blog around 1130 and Susan sent me out to investigate the rustling. Damn we left the vegetables out in unzipped Coles bags and are now minus the tomato’s, half a dozen carrots and the cucumber is well mangled by the possums. I am miffed at our oversight. I had earlier applied a stick to one that was running around on the tent roof. We have been keeping the veggies in the tent but because it was warmer in there today Susan decided to take them out and I didn’t see them when I did the possum cover up. Mind you if that is the worst thing that happens to us we don’t have much to complain about.

We will wait to see the weather before we commit ourselves to an activity tomorrow. If fine we will drive back up the mountain for some more adventurous walking
We are still battling to surf the net as it is very slow here to the point of being unusable between 4 and 11 pm which frustrates us both!


Night folks

Cheers Simon



Russell Falls!

Day 349 Mount Field Wednesday 11th January 2012

Gordon Dam



Button grass plains



Lake Pedder panorama (click for larger picture)


Hi folks,
Blog posting is a bit of a trial at the moment with respect to the pictures and video so bear with us due to the flakey internet overloaded by tourists.
Today we drove down to the south west wilderness. It is not a huge tourist destination judging by the traffic today. However it is quite beautiful and deserving of its World Heritage status. The mountains and valley vistas are quite striking. The weather was cold and windy with some scudding showers.
It would be fair to say that the two most photographed items are man made being Lake Pedder and the Gordon Dam.
Lake Pedder withs it's own construction controversy in the early 70's was really the start of the green movement in Tasmania. The fruition of which came in 1983 with the kybosh on the construction of the Gordon below Franklin Dam. The sole purpose of Lake Pedder is to supply water to Lake Gordon which has a hydro electric power station of around 500MW.
We pottered around the Dam. One improvement on my last visit in 78 is you can now walk across the dam wall which i did. Susan was unable to negotiate the open stairway down to the wall. Looking down the dam can be a fairly bracing experience a drop of 143 metres. It was very impressive. We returned more slowly checking out a few items of interest on the road. We stopped at Lake Pedder Chalet which is housed in the Hydro building at Strathgordon. They should do pretty well as they are the only business for about miles around. We had a nice plate of wedges, coffees and muffins.
On our return to Mount Field Susan knocked up some tasty pasta and at 730 we joined a small group on the platypus tour. After a little delay we did sight some. As far as i recall the first ones i have seen in the wild.
The weather is slowly improving so we will do some more walking tomorrow although not right up the mountain.

Night folks

Cheers Simon


Platypus


Gordon dam


Where's Susan?

Day 348 Mount Field Tuesday 10th January 2012

Pandani Palms

Hi Folks,

Your intrepid travellers arose latish and weary after being disturbed many times in sleep last night. Bloody possums! Rummaging around in the kitchen, knocking down the pots and pans, biting the soap and then finally running across the roof of the camper. Susan, waking up and shining the torch out through the window and hissing. Tonight everything is away and the kitchen has a tarp over it. I also have the possum attitude adjusting pole leaning outside ready for use. If all else fails then it will be earplugs!

On a more cheery note it rained overnight. I have no idea how much we had, I would guess at 20mm. The cheery part is I could not find one drop of water in the camper this morning. It has always been pretty good but Queensland rain did manage to penetrate in 2010 mainly through some stitch holes in PVC where there is no canvas to swell. I did repair these with “seam sealer” and touch wood or canvas so far so good. When we returned home today the canvas was dry so it should be nicely reseasoned and a bit cleaner.

After breakfast, where I have returned to weetbix due to no microwave to make porridge (too lazy to clean a saucepan) we had coffee. I fired up the expresso machine and the result washed much of the tiredness away.

The campground at Mount Field is at the bottom of the hill. We took the 15km drive to the top up a fairly narrow and twisting dirt road. When we left the clouds had lifted and the sun was shining. It was much the same up the top although the wind was strong and there was more cloud. We decided to do a relatively short walk to Platypus Tarn. This is marked as easy and so it was although it was slippery in the descent down at the end due to all the rain. As we walked the weather gradually deteriorated. Susan already had her long rain jacket on. I put on my jacket and had to remove my boots to get my leggings on. There were a few snowflakes drifting down from time to time. We reached the lake had half an orange each and returned towards the car. After a burst of sun we had the heaviest “snow”of the day. Mount Field is a skiing area so the out of season snow was no surprise. There are a few ski lodges at the top. On our return down the hill we stopped for several short walks. These were to show the 4 types of forest found as you go up the hill.



Back at the bottom we pottered around camp and had tea. It’s now 930 and just dark, we have had some more rain and possum time approaches. Tomorrow depends on the weather. If it is crappy we will probably drive down to the Gordon Dam and if good it’s back up the hill for another walk.

I have been unable to find any reference here to glow worms, which we did see in 2007. I am unsure why they are no longer mentioned. We will check out where we saw them last time one of the evenings when the weather is better.
Anyway that’s all for now.

Night folks


Cheers Simon


Snow!


Platypus tarn

Day 347 Mount Field Monday 9th January 2012

Yes kids Possums do eat soap

Good evening from a very damp Mount Field National Park.

We finished packing and tidying our little cabin at Woodbridge this morning and were on the road by 1130 I think. As we were leaving Ann was returning with the new helpers so we were introduced. We fuelled at Wooolworths at Kingston and drove through Hobart to New Norfolk where we food shopped. It was then on to here arriving around 4 from memory.

We decided to do a full setup including the awning since we are going to be here for 7 nights. This was a fortunate decision in part guided by the weather forecast for rain this evening. It has been raining steadily for the last 3 hours. Our canvas seasoned by the Queensland tropics seems to be holding up well with no leaks apparent.

We had sausages and vegetables for tea. Cooked on the stove and the camping area BBQ. Tasty fare. We tidied our food away and hoisted the rubbish up a tent pole so the critters couldn't get it. The hopping critters couldn't but the possums were soon making a nuisance of themselves. Including one that managed to climb a tent pole to get to the rubbish bag. Another decided to eat the soap that I had left out. Anyway everything is now locked tightly away.

I spent some time talking to a couple with a nice Quantum off road camper. These caught my eye last year but oh so expensive at over $80k. I can but dream.

Speaking of dreams, bedtime. The rain is getting heavier!

Night folks

Cheers Simon

Day 346 Woodbridge Sunday 8th January 2012

Hi Folks,

An exciting day packing today. Not much you can say about packing except that it gives one the chance for another reorganisation of the kit. It rained first up which was a fly in the ointment. However the clouds blew away to a sunny day and by the time the afternoon deluge arrived everything was safe and sound.

I have been thinking about our mode of travel and the setup. A smallish off road van would enable a faster setup and packup. Our food, clothes, chattels would be located each in their place and when the van is full that would be it! Something to contemplate in the future.

I managed to snap our 3G aerial hauling the roof bag onto the tray. Fortunately being a hand made (in Tasmania) item I was able to unpick it and repair it which, allowing for the fact it cost about $140, was a relief.

I am looking forward to the picturesque surrounds of Mount Field. Hopefully we can get a powered site. The $4 a day extra will be worth it to run the expresso machine!
Else we will have to rough it i.e. grind the coffee coarser and use the plunger.

Goodnight from the gypsies,

Cheers Simon

PS Finally the net is running well enough to do the video uploads!


Pelverata falls


The lawn

Day 345 Woodbridge Saturday 7th January 2012

Hi folks,

Our day off today. We started with 30 minutes of helping Alby put the trestles out for the market tomorrow in the hall.

I decided that instead of flogging all the way down to the southern most end of the road to do a walk that didn't make it into the walk book we would go to Pelverata Falls which is a lot closer and was in the walk book.

The day was warm and cloudy with little wind. The walk was mainly uphill travelling to the falls.

It was relatively easy with a rocky section to test those with sore knees at the end. The flowers pictured right were from some spindly shrubs or small trees. Very fragrant and as yet unidentified. We had lunch at the falls and returned back to the car. The water flow over the falls was small due to the small catchment. It is better when it is raining!

There were other people on the walk all travelling faster than the old people.

To celebrate our exercise we stopped up the Margate train for a plate of pancakes ice cream and cream each. Mine with bananas and caramel and Susan with mixed berries.

We returned to Woodbridge and after a short drive around the back streets spent the rest of the day/evening relaxing. Ann prepared a delicious roast lamb and vegetable tea which we thoroughly enjoyed.


The picture at right is a bottle brush growing on the boundary of the property. More rounded leaves than you normally find on them.

Anyway bedtime. A warmish humid night with the promise of much rain tomorrow to facilitate our packing and sorting of all our valuable travelling chattels.

Ann is making enquiries tomorrow bout us doing a short helpex on Bruny Island when Susan returns. Either the cheese factory or the pig farm!

Night folks

Cheers Simon

Day 344 Woodbridge Friday 6th January 2012

Ho Folks,
The word for the day was mowing so that is what i did for many hours apart from the time i drove to Kettering and picked up the gas bottle and sprayed the outside of the house and sweat shop with surface spray to try and control the web makers that are cocooning the buildings. I started at 9 and finished just before 7.  I was afflicted by the "wanting to get a job finished before we leave" syndrome. I did experiment with the tipping pint of the mower whilst it was stationary on a slope with the engine off managing to get 2 wheels off the ground. Made the change to the push mower in the steeper sections easier. We have made a marked visual difference to the surrounds here although the creek remediation will be in the hands of the next helpers who arrive Monday.
All this work of course was done with the back drop of the ocean, plenty of sun and a pleasant sea breeze.
Tomorrow I want to go to the end of the world and do the walk to South Cape Bay. Susan has volunteered us in the morning to help "Alby" (whose legs are now dicky) set up the marquees for the Woodbridge Market on Sunday. Hopefully this will not eat into the day too much else i will be having one of my grumpy attacks. If it does i guess we can pack up tomorrow afternoon and do the walk Sunday. It's easy to be flexible when you don't have to be anywhere at anytime as long as you do get to anywhere eventually!

Susan spent the day mulching, did a bit of mowing, planted seedlings and cooked tea.

Todays pictures were some faraway bird shots. I have been looking at "proper " telephoto lenses to improve my long shots but they are well beyond my budget and in fact exceed the price of my camera with it's two lenses.

Night folks

Cheers Simon

Day 343 Woodbridge Thursday 5th January 2012

Hi Folks,

This morning I finished off cleaning the shelving before joining Susan to continue the mulching. We use the mower to pull the yellow barrow with the compost in it to place on the beds. As you are aware the property is quite hilly and the mower is fairly feeble, We also had a couple of showers this morning which made the grass wet and slippery. To navigate to today's work location you have to go up the driveway before going back down. The natural inclination is to load the barrow as much as possible. On one of the early trips I had put too much in. Susan has been regularly pushing me and the mower up hills. Today I had to also alight and push the throttle down whilst also pushing. This caused much laughter from Kathy and Ann as we went passed the kitchen. Susan set Ann up with the video so we could film the next load. As you can see it is not quite Dean Semler quality but you get the idea.

I toodled up to Kingston after lunch to get an LPG fill and go to Repco for their sale. On my return I used the Mothers clay bar kit I purchased to clean the bonnet paint work of some very adherent particles discovered when i tried to polish it. The product works really well which it should do for the price they charge for it.

Lamb shank casserole for tea was excellent.

Tomorrow is a big mowing day. I started today since we needed the cuttings when the mulch ran out.

Our days here are drawing to a close and there is still much to do! Once again we will run out of time. We keep having to remind ourselves to stick to 30 hours per week. Or should I say I keep having to remind Susan!

cheers Simon

Mower antics