Enjoying NYE Dance at Bellerive with Kerry.
Had a great NYE dance that night, & caught up with our good friend Kerry,
who has covered far more ground in Australia than we have!
The next day, the 3 of us went down for our last day at the Taste of Tassie.
Sadly we said goodbye to Kerry, as the next morning
we were off to our next destination, which was the riverside township of Franklin.
We stayed at a campsite right on the river.
Down to our left from the Campsite.
Up the other end of our Campsite
Original steam driven Ferry used to ferry passengers up & down the Derwent.
Sitting at Franklin waiting for refurbishment.
Franklin is known for its wooden boat building history.
You can actually do a diploma in wooden boat building there.
We visited the centre where it all takes place,
& there were several boat building projects on the go while we were there.
All the boats are handcrafted from Tasmanian timber, such as
Huon Pine, a slow growing timber, not actually a pine, & can grow to be
2,500 years old! It's water & insect proof, ideal for boatbuilding.
They also use King Billy pine & Celery Top pine.
They also do timber boat restorations, & a Viking Longship was even built there.
A few more examples of the timber boats in the area
We have eaten some delicious fruit since our arrival in Tassie.
The Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, strawberries, Raspberries,
& Apricots are so fresh & sweet,
the likes of which you just don't get from the Supermarket.
Not to mention the smoked & cured Salmon, the oysters, the scallops,
the cheeses, the honeys. I could go on. In fact I think I have!
With a view to our next camp, & further exploring, we did a day trip
down to Cockle Creek, which is the southernmost part of Australia you can drive to.
There are walking tracks to take you further South,
down to South Cape Bay & beyond.
The place was chockers! Every campsite was taken, which is understandable,
as it is a beautiful spot, with the ocean on one side & creek on the other.
Sculpture of Southern Right Whale at the end of the Cockle Creek carpark.
These whales were almost hunted to extinction down here.
Me driving back over the Cockle Creek bridge
Ocean side of Cockle Creek
Franklin is a great central base to explore the region, so the next day
we headed off to Tahune AirWalk, out from Geeveston.
The AirWalk is a steel canopy walkway located in the Tahune Forest,
and sits over the banks of the Huon River.
Cantilevered platform 50M above the Huon River
Vegetation & humans on the canopy floor
1 of the 2 swinging bridges spanning the Huon and Picton Rivers.
Jan standing alongside the flood level indicator. The top level was in 2016
You can float down the river this way, but there are a few rapids.
We heard of a Jazz afternoon happening at Cygnet the next day, which is on the other
side of the river from where we are at Franklin, only further South.
To get there, we drove North 7k until we reached Huonville, crossed the bridge,
then 16k South to get to Cygnet.
The distances to most places in Tasmania are small,
however the roads are hilly & twisty, so you have to be alert when driving.
It takes longer to cover a given distance than over in the West,
but the scenery is worth the drive, with mountain backdrops, green, rolling hills,
with a mix of pastureland, masses of fruit trees, & forested areas.
The entrance fee into the Town Hall at Cygnet was $15, & we were treated to
a great afternoon of Jazz, by 3 different groups, the first of which was a 14 piece band!
We managed a few dances, & met a few of the locals,
a pleasant afternoon's entertainment.
Cygnet Town Hall
.
Our last day here today, was a bit laidback, we drifted up to Frank's Cidery,
had a coffee, & listened to some live piano music
Tonight, we go to the old Picture Theatre to watch a doco called The Eagle Huntress.
Everybody takes a plate, we watch the first half, then intermission, during which
we socialize, & stuff our faces, then the 2nd half, should be fun.
Some random pics below from various places in the area.
The elusive Bumblebee
Church at Huonville
Waterwheel at historic Franklin Pub
Leatherwood flowers
Mushrooms? found on Huon walk
More mushrooms?
Frank's Cidery & Museum
Car scrap yard.
We leave tomorrow for Bruny Island. A ferry trip over with our Van,
hoping to find a campsite.
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