How Tassie changed me...

During my adventures in Tassie, I was blessed with an inordinate amount of freedom. This allowed me to focus my time as my heart desired. I chose beauty, creativity and love. Tassie is a true natural beauty, with picture postcard views at every turn, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to share my adventures with you in this blog. (Thank you for joining in the fun!)

In my Life Before Tassie (LBT) it felt like I was constantly rushing, always trying to do too much with the time I had. Learning to slow down took some time, until I was able to really be in the moment, see what was around me and to stop and smell the flowers (literally!).

Flowers blooming at the Old Dairy

 

Though at times I felt slightly isolated, with very limited phone and internet links out to the rest of the world, it let me really become close to those who were on this adventure with me: the Bandycoot, our fluffy puppies and the Tassie branch of the Bandycoot's family (who I was just getting to know).

I also learnt a great deal about the folk who call Tassie home. They seem to fall under two groups. Many were former Mainlanders who had seen the light and transitioned to a Tassie lifestyle, without ever looking back. Many of these were creative types, often with young families, who were seeking a more alternative way to live. With the goal of being closer to nature, living their dreams in Tassie had become a reality for artisans and those seeking sustainable lifestyles.

The second type of Taswegians seem to have had ancestors who had settled this wild and rugged lans and had lived in Tassie for generations. They could tell amazing stories of their history and how places had changed to become the countryside I was still getting to know.

When the opportunity arose, we took Government contract jobs that had us driving down backroads and seeing parts of the countryside that most wouldn't see. Upon knocking on some doors, we discovered that there was a reason these folk chose hidden away locations...they did not want to be found! The Bandycoot even spoke to one fellow who had not left his house in 8 years!! There were crazies, crackpots and also kind-hearted folks who invited us in for a cuppa or even a beer. Wherever we went we found that people were not afraid to be open, to share their thoughts and often share the benefit of their local knowledge.

Though now living back on the mainland, I still refer to myself as 'part-Tasmanian' and know that I keep a bit of Tassie in my heart wherever I go.

Final days in Tassie - Goodbye sweet apple isle

They say that all good things must end, but I feel my love affair with Tasmania will last a lifetime.
Sadly, we've had to say goodbye to our Tassie adventure and return to new lives in sunny Queensland. 

Leaving the Old Dairy and our handsome herd of alpacas was such a difficult decision to make, but I know that one day we'll return to the sweet Apple Isle.

The puppies were sad to leave after so many adventures and the freedom to explore our little farm. Jazzie was heartbroken to wake up one morning and find her feathered sisters (the chooks) had moved out. She sniffed all over the coop and around the property in search of them. They went to live with some kind-hearted relatives of the Bandycoot's, who had a big property further south. Even now if we say 'chook-chook' her head turns and she is on full alert, ears pointed.

Over the next couple of posts, I'll share the highs and lows of our last few adventures in Tassie and I hope you'll enjoy them.

Life in Queensland is treating us well, and the sunshine must have set aglow the Bandycoot's heart and he proposed on a sunny beach in Noosa. So I'm now officially Mrs Bandycoot. And we have a sweet little farm on the Sunshine Coast. You can follow my new adventures in my blog: Gaily goes crazy in Queensland

😊

Day 75 – Time to build an ark?

I have decided that it is possible that the rain might never stop. My sister recently suggested that it might be time to consider building an Ark. I’ll check in with the Bandycoot to see if he’s up to the task. We certainly have enough timber here. I’m glad the Old Dairy is up on a hill, though I worry how the alpacas are coping with it all down in the paddock.

Jazzie with cabin fever: 'Can we please go for a walk!'

I don’t know if it’s the cold weather or the change in environment, but little pup Indie has become quite skinny and I decide to take her to the vet for a check-up. It’s early when we arrive in Burnie so I take the pups for a run at the beach. They love attention and once we get down on to the sand, they make a big fuss of lady from Tullah (which got snow this morning). She’s quite taken with them too, and when she sets off further down the beach, I can see that they're facing the dilemma of whether to follow her or stay with me.

We get a different vet from last time and it’s quite an elderly gentleman. He’s very thorough and declares she’s in great health, not skinny but toned from all the exercise they’re getting down here. I’m thrilled to get the all clear from vet! Now that I know that Indie is a lean mean puppy-machine, it’s off to fish & chip lunch at a different beach to celebrate. Both pups get lots of pats from strangers as we have our meal, which is their favourite thing in the world (at the moment).

Day 74 - Snow day!

We wake up to our first real snowstorm as we can see snowflakes streaming down outside the bedroom window. The Bandycoot (my boyfriend) leaps up to grab his camera to capture this moment. It’s short-lived and proves almost impossible to photograph. There are showers and sleet throughout the grey day, where we spend most of it by the fireplace.

When we have a break in the weather, we take the pups out for a run in the damp fields as they are starting to get cabin fever. The winds are howling, the rain is intermittent but somehow we make our way down to the river. Before I only used my gumboots for music festivals, but now I don’t know how to get through the day without them. I tromp through the mud and puddles, try not to get blown away. The wild weather doesn’t seem to slow the puppies down at all and they are wet and muddied through when we get back to the Old Dairy.

We have been giving them a bath almost every day after our wet walks, and it’s quite a process of giving them a soak in the laundry tub and then rinsing them off and quickly rolling them around in a towel before they take off for a big shake. So today, we decided, was the day to see how they would go in the shower with the Bandycoot. Overall, I’d say a success, aside from a few scratches where they tried to make a break for it. I was waiting in the wings with a towel before I let them out of the bathroom and over to the fireplace for them to twist and roll on the carpet to get dry.

A wet Indie with my fabulous gumboots behind.

Day 73 - Big Dip

A decent downpour last night was far from ideal with the outside walls of the Old Dairy freshly painted. Emerging with his morning coffee the Bandycoot was very disappointed to see that the fresh paint on the second level had actually run down the concrete wall of ground floor.

He straight away started scrubbing these paint streaks off before they could set, but what to do about the paint, still wet, upstairs? Will the rain still sprinkling lightly down, the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) ran into his tool shed, climbed back up the painting ladder and started drying the paint – with a blowtorch! Naturally I had concerns that he might set the house on fire, but he insisted he was staying a safe distance away. This had some success and after a while he decided to let nature take its course, and hopefully dry the paint during the day.

To cheer ourselves up we decided to go for a drive. The Bandycoot recalled visiting a lovely waterfall in his younger years, so we headed just down the road to Dip Falls. On the way we saw beautiful Australian Shelducks in the fields and stopped to take a photo. That’s one of the things I love about Tassie is the beautiful birdlife (also that you can just stop in the middle of a country road and don’t have to worry about traffic).

The Falls turn out to be quite lovely, especially full after all the recent rain. Navigating a very long and slippery set of stairs to the bottom was well worth it for view off the steel platform. At the bottom of the falls were a large number of logs that had been washed down in the recent flooding and were now diverting some of the water flow.

Dip Falls

We walk in the nearby bush and find old tracks used by loggers, with broken down pieces of machinery rusting slowly away among the trees. Then the Bandycoot insists we have to see the ‘Big Tree’. Considering how many huge species I’ve seen already in Tassie, I wonder what makes this one special. After a beautiful stroll along the boardwalk, I catch my first glimpse of it. At 62m it is quite humbling and you can help but feel dwarfed by the power and beauty of nature. We both give this amazing specimen some big hugs and take a few happy snaps to remember this awesome feeling.

The Bandycoot hugging the 'Big Tree'

Day 72 – Feathers, flock and flee

Sunshine! It feels like I have come to life and the world around with me. Ever the optimist I put a load of laundry through. When I’m hanging out the clothes on the line I notice that grass is green and lush from all the rain. The small native birds are revelling in the sunshine and form a feathery carpet around me as they dance and duck about searching for bugs and grubs who may have also emerged in the warmth.

Later it’s time to put a second coat on yesterday’s paintwork. I’m nervous about climbing back up the ladder and on to the awning roof after ripping my leggings and cutting my leg trying to get back down. The Bandycoot (my boyfriend) suggests climbing out of the upstairs window instead, which I manage to do (though very awkwardly). I quickly cover the boards, worried about the dark clouds looming behind us. The Bandycoot has a lot more wall to cover than me and insists on painting late into the day. I express my doubts that it will dry before the evening dew arrives.

We take the puppies for a late afternoon walk and they are excited to go down to area where the Bandycoot has been chopping wood, next to the creek. On the way back we find ourselves the centre of attention with the alpacas following us up the hill until we also come face to face with the sheep and cows that the Bandycoot’s nan has put into the paddock to keep the grass down. Before we know it, we’re in a rather scary Mexican stand-off situation with none of the animals wanting to back away. This is all too much for our little pup Indie, who looks a lot like a fox, and she makes break for it and runs all the way home to the Old Dairy being chased by some cranky cows. Jazzie sticks close to us and after some yelling and loud hand clapping we make it safely back to the house yard. Phew!

A worn out Indie...happy to be home safe again!

Day 71 - Just keep chewing

Today it was back to work on the renovations at the Old Dairy. We finally got a break in the endless rainy weather, so it was time to break out the paint cans. The ground level is almost all concrete, just as it was when it was still a functioning dairy. The upper level is timber and the paint has started to fade and flake off.

The Bandycoot (my boyfriend) is perched atop a rather rickety old ladder, balanced on the very top rung. It's difficult for me to even look at him that high and not get nervous. I'm in a (somewhat) better spot standing on the frame of the back awning. At least I can put my paint can down and have something to hold on to.

The Bandycoot painting the Old Dairy (at a safer height!)

We make funny jokes and tell stories while we paint, ever watching for the weather to take a dark change. I know some places say they have 'four seasons in one day' but here in Tassie it's more like 'four seasons in one hour', as it can change so quickly. One time as I looked out over the field I saw some of the alpacas, cows and sheep gazing up at us. I'm sure they were wondering how we got this high.

Always watching...

When the Bandycoot's folks were still visiting, his mum made us some delicious abalone for dinner. The Bandycoot decided tonight was the night to try his hand at this precious seafood. He found a number of recipes and tried out a few. It's a bit of new delicacy for me and I must confess to being a bit dubious. While he whipped up a storm in the kitchen for several hours, unfortunately the result was not great. The abalone was more like rubber and no matter how long I chewed for, it didn't seem to change the texture. I gave up on the abalone pretty quickly while the Bandycoot chewed on and said that some of the other recipes he made were more palatable. Tassie has certainly been a place to try new things!