Launceston to Devonport

Day 342

Wake up to a sunny albeit nippy Sunday morning and of course being a Sunday there are no busses running today and so we have to pack up Polly and drive ourselves into the city. First port of call is Cataract gorge, literally a stone’s throw from the city centre and we park up and are immediately greeted by a beautiful pair of peacocks strutting about in the car park.

Head off for a stroll around the gorge and a look at ‘the world longest single span chair lift’ (what an accolade!). The gorge itself is actually very nice and we cross a lovely little suspension bridge and walk right up one side of the gorge towards the city where we cross another bridge and come all the way back again, stopping for some lunch beside the pool (thankfully closed otherwise I might have been tempted).

Gorge walk completed we head back into the city and pay a visit to Launceston’s museum and something I have been looking forward to the planetarium. The car park is packed to the gunnels and we think the museum must be very popular and it takes us a few laps of the car park to find a spot and park up. As soon as we have parked we realise that there is a big AFL game on today and all of the cars (or rather the occupants) are here to see the match rather than the museum which turns out to be all but empty. At first we are both rather unimpressed with the museum, lots of the galleries seem to be closed for refurbishment and there is a large room dedicated to the history of Tasmania’s railways which is all a bit dull but worst of all, being a Sunday the Planetarium is closed! We persevere however and find ourselves in an excellent room with exhibits on native Tasmanian animals, a big section on Port Arthur and upstairs an exhibition of illustrations from children’s books.

Feeling suitably cultured we head back to the camp site and wrap up for another freezing cold night

Day 343

Before leaving Launceston in the morning we park up in the city and pay a visit to the Art gallery which despite its bad lighting was filled with some excellent and very evocative Tasmanian landscapes and a good exhibition of aboriginal bark paintings from Arnhem Land in the far north.

Leave Launceston and head north and back to the coast to Narawntapu National Park. This park is perhaps most famous for having a large population of wombats and we were both very happy to see as we arrived that here were indeed loads of them.

Funny little creatures wombats, they look almost like small bears with their short little legs and big, cuddly furry bodies and we were both enthralled to see so many of them just milling about. Head off on a nature walk around a large lagoon and spot plenty more wombats and some pretty big kangaroos along the way, returning to the van to see yet more wombats and paddymelons hopping about.

After dinner we head out again to observe yet more of the cuddly creatures doing what wombats do (mainly eat it seems) before returning to the deserted campsite for a good night’s sleep.

Day 344

Decide to move to a different campsite in the same National Park this morning and so pack up and drive literally 2 minutes away to the horse yards. The air is filled with a certain country smell as we set up with the whole campsite to ourselves and head out for a cycle ride along the beach to Bakers point. It’s a lovely sunny day and with the wind behind us we fly along the wide, flat beach reaching the point in what only seems like a few minutes.

Of course coming back against the wind takes considerably longer and we are both knackered when we get back to the van but with a nice fire lit (the reason we moved campsites) we settle back and watch the (large) community of paddymelons come out as the sun disappears.

Day 345

Head off to Tasmania’s only underground National Park today, Mole Creek Karst National Park is a short drive along some great country roads and despite the rain we arrive in high spirits and eager to visit Marakoopa cave (I was eager, Carmen less so). The park houses at least 300 caves and sink holes but only 2 are open to the public and we join our jovial guide at the caves entrance and head inside.

The limestone cave is pretty spectacular with some amazing formations and cathedral like spaces and even has a resident population of glow worms which, with all of the lights turned off twinkle on the roof of the cave like a starry night sky.

Back above ground and the rain hasn’t let up so we jump straight back in the van and head off in search of a campsite for the night. Drive up and over a few mountains to what promises to be a great free campsite in the Mersey white water forest reserve but are a little surprised to arrive down the gravel track and find that its chokka block with a tour group of mountain bikers. A little disappointed we head back down and find ourselves at Gowrie Park where we check in to the campsite and are told there are a group of Russian divers staying here on an underwater welding safety course (not what you expect in the mountains of Tasmania)!

The campsite has a TV and games room with an open fire and (once the Russian divers have finished their course for the day) we spend the evening playing table tennis and keeping warm in front of the fire.

Day 346

A look at the map in the morning reveals that we are just down the road from Promised Land and so of course we go in search. There are no signs telling you that you have reached the Promised Land and so after passing through a few tiny hamlets (one of which must have been it) we instead find ourselves No Where Else!

Next stop is Sheffield and the ‘town of murals’. There are murals painted on just about every bit of wall you can see and some of them are pretty good (lots of them are not however) and we do a lap of the town stopping at one of the best junk shops I have ever been to, run by and ageing hippy and filled with many oddities and curiosities and a good collection of rare Beatles memorabilia.

Continuing along the road and after a brief stop in Latrobe where we counted at least 7 hair dressers in the small high street (each one of them busy too!) we arrive back in Devonport, our lap of the island complete. We check in to the same campsite we stayed in on our first night here and take an evening stroll to watch the Spirit of Tasmania head off back to the mainland (we are on tomorrows boat).