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!

Day 70 (part 2) - Discovering Derby

After leaving the Eddystone Lighthouse up on the north-east, we started our journey home to the Old Dairy.

Coming down into the windy road into Derby is like arriving on another planet. Grey barren hills, bereft of any vegetation with terraced ledges and big holes, are the trances left by one of the most profitable tin mine in the world (in its time).

 We had a wander around this quaint town, which has now become an adventure mountain biking hub. There were cycles and cyclists everywhere you looked, including the sweet outdoor café where we had lunch and the puppies were treated to bacon. The Bandycoot had heard about an old mining tunnel that you could go in to. It took some finding but after negotiating a bit of brush we found our way to the entrance on the dank, damp entrance. It was just so crushingly black, that I didn't think I could go in but the Bandycoot ventured in and was amazed by it.

Old mining tunnel at Derby

At a house, just down the main road from the café, we saw the sweetest sheep grazing on their terraced front lawn and we stopped to take some photos. There were also some beautiful birds swinging on the fence just soaking up the sparse rays of winter sunshine.

We drove on to a Lavender farm that the Bandycoot had visited when he was a kid, but it was already closed. Took the scenic way back home, down some dark windy roads and across the famous Batman bridge (NaNananaNaNa...batman!). Spectacular!

Day 70 - In love with Fire

Restless after sleeping in a strange bed, it was up early to let the pups out on to the back lawn. The unit we were staying in was really like an old house split in two. There was an old man on the back landing of the other unit having a bit of a chuckle watching the pups in their onsies happily sniffing around the lawn.

Once the Bandycoot was up and about we took the pups on a long walk along the sandy shores of Beauty Bay, near St Helens. The pups had a lovely time sniffing in the grassy dunes and considering if they could swim out to the seabirds gently gliding along in the smooth seas.

Then we were off to St Helens, driving along the sparkling coastline for a bakery brekkie and on to Binalong Bay. A tiny township of about three streets right on the water with an incredible diversity of homes from beach shacks to mansions worthy of the best Tasmanian celebrity.

Next stop was the famed Bay of Fires reserve and I must say that it totally stole my heart. With massive rock formations in various shades of ochre and crystal clear blue water, I declared to the Banycoot that this is where I wanted to live! We all had an amazing time scaling the rocks and taking in the spectacular view.

The Bandycoot enjoying the rock formations

Clear blue (freezing) waters and soft sandy beach

"I want to live here!!!"

This has been my favourite place in Tassie (so far) and I didn't want to go, especially since we had it all to ourselves. So much of the region is natural conservation area which is wonderful to know, as when I'm a hugely successful writer I know I can come back here and snap up a holiday home to continue my Tassie inspiration (well, I can dream!).

After much exploring, we took the track up to Anson's Bay and on to the Eddystone Point Lighthouse, which had wonderful views back down to the Bay and over nesting bird islets.

Eddystone Lighthouse

The Bandycoot taking in the view from the old signal house

What a view!

Today I've seen such natural beauty that it is difficult to absorb it all. If you come to Tassie and only visit one place, I recommend the Bay of Fires area. It's spectacular!!


 

 

 

Day 69 - It's a long way to the top

We’ve got the Tassie travel bug now and it doesn’t take much convincing to have us packed and off again with our sights set on the East Coast. We’ve left Brutus behind though this time and are travelling in a bit more comfort in my car aka The SEXI Beast.  The pups are happy to have the back seat to themselves, and with the cold weather we’ve got the seat heaters cranking.

There’s been reports of snowfall in the highlands and the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) is keen to go to Ben Lomond to see the snow. At over 1500m it’s one of the highest peaks and Tassie’s hotspot for snow activities. The Bandycoot is a bit of a snow bunny (or should I say, snow bandy) and wants to see if it’s any good for snowboarding. Myself, while learning to ski years ago, I managed to take out an entire group having a ski lesson (not my group) including their instructor before I even went up the ski slope. So it’s not really for me.

There’s a beautiful alpine nature reserve at the bottom of the mountain and so different to the landscape at the Old Dairy. On the drive we spot a wombat that had been hit by a car and the Bandycoot stops to check if there are any joeys (baby wombats) that might have survived. We don’t find any and so hope for the best.

There are heaps of cars parked at the bottom of the mountain waiting for the shuttle bus to the top and we think it’s going to be crowded up there. It’s a very steep, very narrow zig-zag up the sheer side of the mountain and quite a scary, yet spectacular experience. There are specials spot where cars can pass and we squeeze past the shuttle bus on its way down (eeek!!).

Alpine scenery on Ben Lomond

Incredible zig-zag road up the mount

We make it to the top (phew!) and I’m nervous as the roads are icy and we don’t have chains. We manage take a walk around the edge of the snow without falling over and the Bandycoot is disappointed that it’s not very deep and that snowboarding here would also involve the added challenge of rock dodging.

Snow on Ben Lomond

Going down the side of the mountain is not quite so scary and affords an incredible view. We make it to the bottom and work out a route of back roads to our day’s destination of St Mary’s.

In our enthusiasm this morning, we forgot to check the fuel gauge before setting off and now the fuel light has come on and there’s no towns showing on the map with a population of more than about 20 people. We’re in the wilderness now and there’s no phone or internet reception, so we just have to push on and hope for the best. We reach a junction where the road splits but ends up at the same destination. Not knowing which to take we choose the shorter, hoping to get further on our fuel. We’ve worked out that we have just enough to get us to the next major centre (50+ people) but it’s touch and go. We’re not too far down the road when we realise it’s actually a forestry track and must not get used very often. We’re about half way when we come to a tree down across the road. It’s not too big and the Bandycoot manages to move it enough for me to drive around, though I do get the top few branches. We push for another few k’s only to find a huge log barring any progress further. On this narrow road, with a sheer drop, the Bandycoot manages to turn the car around and we backtrack to the junction. Luckily we spot a couple of forestry workers just about to knock off for the weekend and we stop and ask where the closest fuel is. They direct us to take a short diversion off the main road to the only place with fuel for miles. Relieved, we stop at this tiny town where the local pub and grocery store is also the servo and the lady there fills up the tank from a pump that looks like it was installed in the 1930s.

We pass through a number of small townships along the way with beautiful churches and old buildings that have been converted into the local bakery or trendy café and stores. We get a truly golden sunset over us before we finish our long drive at our pet-friendly apartment in St Mary’s where the Bandycoot cooks up a seafood treat for some very tired travellers.

 

 



Day 68 - Chills and spills

It’s another freezing morning and we set off around the farm to check on the alpacas and to get the blood flowing to our frozen extremities. I guess the Alpacas are bred to endure weather extremes, as nothing seems to bother them!

The pups have their warm fleece coats on for the run and they’ve discovered that they can duck under the barbed wire without any problems when they are wearing them. Jazzie even found she could run through the blackberry brambles without getting spiked while hot on the trail of some mystery animal. All that activity must have got them overheated, as they decided to go for a swim in the cutaway pond – in their coats!

It was a brisk walk back to the Old Dairy, a warm bath and an afternoon drying in front of the fire for them!

Indie getting warm by the fire

Day 67 - Is that Hedwig?

We ventured out for a Sunday morning stroll through the Wynyard Markets, only to discover it was the off week and they weren’t on. Not wanting to make it a wasted trip we found a sweet café and treated ourselves to cuppa. It was the only place open and we sat at the large plate glass window, soaking up a bit of sunlight and watching the world go by (well the townsfolk of Wynyard anyway). It was wonderful to just sit, cozy warm, and think about ‘what next?’ with our Tassie plans.

On the way out of town we spot a sign for a monthly market at nearby Somerset, so we turn left instead of right to check it out. It’s a very small indoor market at the Primary school with a strange layout so that different stalls are in different rooms. I turned into one room and it only had an guy in camouflage gear selling knives and army stuff and I quickly exited as I knew that stuff was not for me! We did find an old-fashioned metal kettle to go on top of the fireplace, which we’d been looking for for ages.

Driving along Pages Road we slow down when we spot a large, pure white bird loitering over some fresh roadkill. The Bandycoot is entranced as he is an avid twitcher (bird watcher) and knows that he has never seen this bird before. He’s keen to get home to try and determine what it is! For me, going home means a truckload of washing of all the towels and other cloths used to mop up last night’s household tsunami and to try to get them dry. The Bandycoot (my boyfriend) even rigs up a whole new set of lines in front of the fireplace using elastic car tie-downs to hang the mountain of washing on. He’s such a treasure to have around!  

Day 66 - I met a Pieman

It was up early this morning after a restless night in Strahan. I think the ghosts of the past in the jailhouse had the pups' nerves on edge and they kept me up too. Jazzie seemed like she’d prefer to spend the night out on the front lawn, though it was icy and I almost froze bringing her back inside. A quick cuppa, pack up, and then a hurried drive back to Corrinna for our cruise on the Pieman.

It had been a lifelong dream of the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) to take this cruise and we were both excited that it was actually happening. By some miracle it turned out to be the best day, weather-wise, that Tassie may have ever had. It’s a small operation and the flirty receptionist convinced the Bandycoot to carry the milk on our way to the old-fashioned cruise boat for the guests’ morning tea.

 

We sat waiting to board in the sweet morning light admiring this beautiful wooden vessel, the Arcadia II. We later learnt that it had been built from the local Huon Pine for cruising in Tassie just before the Second World War and was quickly commandeered to the Navy service around Papua New Guinea.

The water was so crystal calm that we could see the magnificent vegetation and blue sky clearly reflected in the river’s watery mirror. We learned about the native trees and history along the cruise before being dropped off on where the river meets the ocean to have a brown paper bag lunch. There were miles on logs washed up along the beach and shore, a fresh remnant of the recent devastating floods. I could see the Bandycoot was trying to work out some way that we could get some of that timber back to the Old Dairy.

 

We sat out on the deck most of the way, but towards the end of the cruise we went inside to admire the old wrought fixings and imagine the stories this boat could tell.

We picked up the pups in Corinna and drove them just up the road to ‘stretch their legs’ when we stumbled upon a couple of abandoned shacks. I guess they had belonged to some old fisherman who no longer came down to try his luck at the banks of the Pieman River. I guess we’ll never know!

We continued our journey on up to the Tarkine Drive but a cool change in the weather drove us home. We walked in the backdoor, exhausted, only to discover a mini flood inside the Old Dairy. Water has seeped through the house but we can’t work out where it is coming from. The Bandycoot suggests it may be our front-loading washer but declare ‘it can’t be, as the washer is empty. I grandly swing open the washer door to demonstrate my point, only to unleash a tidal wave of water spilling through the house. After my initial panic, we grab every towel, tea towel and cloth in the house and spend the next few hours mopping it up. I’m terribly apologetic but my lovely man just says: ‘these things happen..’.

Day 65 - In the lock-up

I woke with the sunrise, after a surprisingly restful night.  Must have been the sounds of the waves giving me a good night’s sleep. I was rather keen to freshen up and we had been told there was a public toilet somewhere in the township. So, looking somewhat bedraggled, we made our way down the hill track along the road through the shacks.

It was interesting to see the variety of shacks in Trial Bay, which ranged from a few pieces of rusty corrugated iron loosely tacked together to a two story solid brick home with full wrap-around verandas and a lookout to the stars. There were some fascinating history boards down at the bay which listed all the shipwrecks and fisherman lost in this wild section of Tassie shore. With no other signs of life, we let the pups run free on the soft sandy beach. They were so happy, chasing each other in crazy circles and having lots of new things to sniff along the beach. A bit further along we saw an older man with a rather boisterous collie-type dog and we ended up having a nice chat. He let us know there were some great rock formations further down, including one called ‘the seat’ which had great views. We had a great time scrambling up and over the rocks, including the pups who were quite fearless.

The Bandycoot taking in the view at Trial Harbour

 

When we got back to the bay, we found the toilet rolls that we had left on the park bench were now floating high on the wild wilds like streamers. We managed to reel them back in for future use. As we made our way back through the township to our camp. The gentleman we met at the beach (Ian) saw us and invited us to come in for a cuppa. The invitation was like manna from heaven to have a soul warming cuppa in their cozy shack. He and his wife Pamela shared some lovely stories with us, while managing to keep their big pup restrained as he was keen to play with Jazz and Indie but they were somewhat less inclined. After thanking them for their hospitality and then calling in on the way back through to top up all our water bottles with their fresh rain water, we hit the road again headed for south to Strahan.

We fell in love instantly with this sweet, historic town. With a fabulous main street of colonial buildings overlooking a beautiful wide harbour. With both myself and the Bandycoot starting to feel a strong desire for a hot shower and a proper bed, we decided to book a cottage for the night. It was a bit of a luxury, but we ended up in the original Police Constable’s cottage (which included the old holding cells) now converted into quality tourist accommodation. The managers there were very hospitable getting the fireplace warmed up for us and even donating a bottle of wine to help us enjoy our stay (and keep warm!). I’m not a drinker but the Bandycoot enjoyed getting cosy by the fire with a glass or two. I was pleased to find it had a great big spa bath and really enjoyed having a good soak. It was a lovely timber cottage, but for some reason the pups just couldn’t settle down and kept wanting to out into the garden stay there. I wonder if they were picking up on any of the old police/prisoner vibes from days gone by.

The old Police Constables cottage

We did a big walk right around the harbour on dusk, watching all the lights come on around the bay. We had heard there was a decent pub at the other end of town and wanted to go out and celebrate, as I’d just got news that I had successfully passed the final course in my postgraduate study. Yay!! It was quite a long walk, but just on sunset we passed a small park that led to a waterfall. We figured we had time to get in and out before dark, but the further we got in the larger trees cast a big shadow and it was hard to see where the path was taking us and it got very spooky. The waterfall was lovely though the spray coming off was icy and it was too dark to capture it in a photo. As I have no night vision, the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) had to lead me all the way back to the park gate. Even the rest of the walk around the harbour to the pub (and back home) had few lights and we relied on passing cars and our phones to light the path. I had the most amazing piece of fresh caught trout which rounded out another wonderful day.

Strahan Harbour

Day 64 - On Trial

Today the adventure continued down a wild and scenic road known as the Western Explorer which joins the north and south ends of the Tarkine.

It’s a lonely drive (we only saw one other vehicle) through bushland and rocky mountain ranges (with me singing ‘Rocky Mountain High’ most of the way). Apparently this dirt highway a bit of locals’ secret.  Large swathes of bush and trees showed signs where they had been burned by the wild bushfires earlier this year. With no traffic around, the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) allowed the pups to ride up on his lap and look out the window. They were intrigued by the smells and scenes that we drove through, along the track which cuts through the world’s largest remaining stretch of temperate rainforest.

Pups enjoying the view

First stop along the way was at a place that Tasmanians call the Edge of the World. It's a short boardwalk that takes you to the western most point of the island. It was incredible to look down over the big swells filled with logs that had been washed downstream in the floods. Also, to think if you started swimming out from that point, where would you end up? Maybe South Africa?? It would be a long way away!

The edge of the world...!

The Bandycoot and the pups

 

At the end of the road is the settlement of Corinna, which is like being transported back to a different time. We didn’t realise it was an old colonial mining town which had been restored and the old huts and cottages are now traveller accommodation. We did a short walk into the rainforest before deciding that we would like to camp here on one of the wooden platforms on the edge of famous Pieman River. We went to book in at the pub, only to discover that the whole township is pet-free. It is apparently part of the agreement between the company that now owns the township and the Parks and Wildlife Department, as the whole area is natural reserve. With a quick change of plans, we caught the last barge of the day across the Pieman River and were back on the road.

We drove on to Trial Bay Harbour, a place recommended by the surfer family we met at Green Point. After a quick take-away stop to make sure we had enough drinking water, it's apparently very remote, we made our way down the windy road to Trial Bay in the dark. It’s amazing we found it, as there was no signage along the way and the road spit several times. After driving down the only road there, we realised it was a shack township, something we’ve only really seen before in Tasmania.

We made our way up to the free camping space on a rocky and washed out track. Thank goodness for Brutus! We were high above the water on a cliff edge and could hear the waves smashing into the rocks below. The ground was soggy and large trees loomed over us like ancient guardians in the dark. The Bandycoot, champion that he is, set up the campsite and cooked us all a BBQ dinner on the back of his ute, as I was pretty much exhausted by this point. There was no-one else at the campsite and in the quiet we heard wildlife rustling in the bushes, and later nibbling on the pups' crunchies that I had left outside when we were sleeping in the swag.  

Day 63 - Wild west

The west coast is calling. We’ve heard that landscape in Western Tassie is quite different to the green rolling hills around the Old Dairy. So we’ve packed up the pups and loaded the swag and camping gear onto the Bandycoot’s ute (Brutus) and hit the road, due west.

We stopped off at Smithton for a lunchtime snack and also managed to find a couple of camping chairs at an op shop (thrift store) for $2! We had hoped to get to Tassie’s most north-western point, known at Cape Grimm (which must have quite an interesting story behind it). We followed the road until it became little more than dirt country tracks until we reached a locked gate – ‘Private Property’ – and we could go no further. Apparently you need to go on a guided tour to see that part of Tassie, which is a shame for spontaneous explorers such as us. All along that distant coastline are huge wind turbines on wind farms as far as the eye can see.   

Wind farms at Cape Grimm

 

The lady at the Smithton op shop had mentioned there was a beautiful free camping site right on the beach at Marrawah. We found it easily enough down at a surfing break known as Green Point. Incredibly, in the middle of this Tassie winter, there were serious surfers down there checking the swell. We scoped out the camping grounds which looked ideal, a lovely green grassy patch on a slight rise overlooking the magnificent ocean, but decided we had enough daylight to explore a bit further. We then went on down a rough track to check out the wild and smashing waves at Bluff Hill Point.

Wild surf and driftwood at Bluff Hill Point

 

We set up the swag at Green Point and with the mini-explorer pups, went climbing over the rocky point overlooking piles of rubbery kelp.

The Bandycoot setting up our accommodation

Adventure pups fearlessly climbing in the rocks

We fired up the BBQ in the nearby park and soaked up a stunning sunset over the waves.

Sunset over the West Tassie coast

We met a family that were travelling around Tassie on a surfing trip and they hoped to head out surfing the next morning. We spent a cold but beautiful night under vast twinkling of stars, with only the sounds of waves breaking on the sandy shore as we all snuggled in the cozy swag to stay warm.

The Jazzie monster checking out the view

 

Day 62 - Turbo chook

The recent trip to Waratah seems to have given the pups a bit more confidence in the water. At my previous home on the coast in Queensland, whenever I took them to the beach they would run away in fear from the waves. Sometimes at the river mouth they would wade in and try and chase the tiny fishes in the clear water.

On our daily stroll around the paddocks, we saw a Tasmanian native hen just on the edge of a small dam on the Bandycoot’s Nan’s farm. Jazzie and Indie spotted it straight away and took off chasing the hen (aka turbo-chook) in to the long grass around the dam. We heard a splash and saw Jazzie jump in the smelly dam water in hot pursuit of the hen, which was already swimming. But not for long as it took off down the back paddock with a couple of barking pups trying desperately to keep up. The hens are really fast! We knew the pups couldn’t get far, as they can’t get through the tiny squares of the wallaby fencing.

After about a minute, we heard some strange sounds that we weren’t sure if they were being made by the pups or the hen. Closer inspection saw Jazzie at the wallaby fence whining to get through. We thought the turbo chook would be long gone, but low and behold it makes another run back to dam. It’s game on again with the pups, but as soon as they get in the long grass there is no sign. They sniff and splash and weave their way up and down the bank trying to work out where it’s gone. We literally have to carry them out, wet, whining and smelly, to get them back on the path. Looks like someone’s getting a bath once we get home!

Day 61 - Ghost towns and freezing falls

Today we took a drive to Waratah, which is a bit over an hour south. We had considered moving there when we decided to come to Tassie as it looked like we’d be able to find a decent property quite cheap. After a quick drive around this tiny town, it soon became clear why properties were readily available, it is almost a ghost town. The whole time there we only saw one other vehicle driving around and did not see a single soul out on the streets.

We took a walk with the pups up the gravelly path to the old mine lookout. The mine is right on the edge of the town, as the township sprung up after the mine opened back in the 1800s. It has long since closed and there doesn’t seem to be any other shops or any type of industry in the area. There is a stunning waterfall that the original miners used to power the hydro for the mine. There is a lot of history here around early explorers and optimistic mining ventures.

Waratah Falls

A rich history

In the centre of town is a huge park with a large lake and lots of birds strolling about. Despite the near freezing temperatures and the almost constant drizzle, we let the pup out for a run. They were having a wonderful time running about and trying to sneak up on the birds in the park. We did a full lap around the park, losing feeling in our extremities in the process, mostly because the pups had a real fear of walking over the metal bridge that crossed the quickly flowing water running out of the lake. We were walking back to the car when I turned just in time to see Jazzie easing herself down into the freezing lake water (still wearing her coat) in an attempt to surprise the wood ducks paddling there. I was shocked that she would even go into the water when it was so cold. Back in the car I gave them both a good towel down and turned up the heater for them (and me too!).

Jazzie exploring the park

As the day was still young, our exploring took us further down the road until we found ourselves at the start of the walk to Montezuma’s Falls. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the walk was dog friendly but were concerned with taking the pups as the walk is 8kms return, and they’d never walked that far before and already had two walks today! We made our way through some beautiful Tassie rainforest and it was a fantastic walk along an old mining tramway, though very damp from recent rainfall. Montezuma’s Falls is one of Tassie’s highest at 104m with a large volume of water flowing down. To get the best view of the falls you have to walk across a very, very narrow metal suspension bridge with a huge drop down to the fast flowing waters below. Knowing that the pups wouldn’t walk across, the Bandycoot and I had to carry one each very carefully and hold on to the swinging bridge with the other hand. It was quite scary, as I knew if they squirmed they would be gone and no getting them back.

The pups on their biggest walk ever!

The Bandycoot crossing the scary suspension bridge

Majestic Montezuma Falls

 

Immediately below the falls is the viewing platform, but there was so much spray that it was like taking an icy shower, so we didn’t linger long even though the view was spectacular. Also the daylight was fading and we still had to powerwalk out to get back to the car before dark. Indie really started to tire and had to be carried by the Bandycoot for short sections. But the pups managed to do their biggest walk for them ever and I sensed a little bit of a tired but proud strut as we made it back to the warm car. Needless to say they slept all the way home.

 

Day 60 - Reaching out to the community

Today I worked at a community event happening at the local community hall. It was a great chance to meet some of the other people who live down this road. It’s quite different when you move to a rural community, as it’s easy to become isolated when you don’t have any close neighbours.

I’m a bit of a people person so it was fun to be chatting to some new people, and hopefully making a few friends or at least people I can say hello to when I’m shopping at Woolies. I did meet an interesting fellow who used to live in this area but has retired in to Wynyard. I discovered that he was the man who installed kitchen and cabinets when the Old Dairy was converted into a house. When I asked him why the sink and benches were made for hobbits instead of humans, he explained that back in the day, new kitchens were built for the person who would be using it the most. This was apparently a very diminutive Italian lady.

It was big day. Getting up and going to the centre before the sun rose was a bit of a shock. I can appreciate that it’s a bit of a luxury, but I’ve become accustomed to waking naturally, not to the sound of the alarm clock. I read somewhere recently that the top 5 areas where people live the longest have a society where people tend to wake up when they like. Who knows? My time in Tassie might just end up giving me a few more years.

I ended up driving home in the foggy darkness too. It’s been a long time now since I spent the whole day away from the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) and pups and I really missed them.

Day 59 - Day in Devonport

Around the time we moved down to Tassie, the Bandycoot was in discussions with a guiding company who were keen to have him on board, if he had guiding qualifications. Today we went to Devonport to find out about study options with TasTAFE. Having worked in the university environment, it was interesting for me to see how they approached their open day. The Bandycoot turned out to be the only potential student for their guiding program. I left him to chat with the instructor and went to find a good coffee place.

I found a friendly little takeaway right across the road that must be popular with the TAFE students. It had been an early start to the day and after the drive over, we were both ready for a boost.

Though neither of us are big shoppers, we found the Devonport mall user friendly though tricky to find a park. I bought myself a new watch, though I’ve been quite happy living watch free for the last few months. I used the birthday $$ my folks were kind enough to send me.

We did a lovely drive right along the Devonport waterfront admiring all the old colonial homes and then we spent the afternoon sitting on a grassy hill overlooking the river and the big ships, dining on some very oily fish and chips.  

Day 58 - Pups go wild

So the puppies have decided that they love it here. I think that they think they’re living in the world’s biggest park and they have it all to themselves, except for the alpacas and an occasional visit from the spritely spaniel next door Lassie.

Playing with Nan's dog Lassie

This afternoon after I arrived home from quick visit to town to pick up a few parcels (yay! My thermals arrived.) I opened the backdoor to find two very excited pups, jumping and dancing around, as if to say ‘are we going on our walk yet?’. I could hear the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) down in the back corner of the farm with the chainsaw and they were very eager to get down and see what he was up to. Once I’d dropped my bags and put on some outdoor shoes, we were off. Literally. The pups took off like pocket rockets, as if they were in hot pursuit of a swift rabbit, ducking and weaving and circling around each other in a state of absolute joy. They were ¾ of the way there (while I was still ¼ ) when we realised that Brutus (the Bandycoot’s ute) was heading straight for us. Indie came back when I called, but Jazzie  was having so much fun that she ran alongside the vehicle gazing up at the Bandycoot through the open window, grinning from ear to ear.

They day before, Jazzie had decided to roll in something particularly ripe and earned herself an evening bath (a rare treat) and a dry off by the fireplace. They seem to find all sorts of smelly things to roll in here, and are getting three times as many baths as they used to get before. Indie is quite hilarious after her bath a she loves to run and roll and twist and dig into her cushion for ages.

I have started cleaning their teeth, on the vet’s recommendation, which is quite an interesting experience. They really don’t like being touched around their mouth and their jaws lock up tight. I don’t think I would have any success at except that the toothpaste is chicken flavoured and they open up their mouths in anticipation of a tasty treat.

Pups out exploring with the Bandycoot

 

Day 56 - Putting on a good show

Today was the first time I’ve really taken the pups for a proper stroll around town in Wynyard. It’s a very pet friendly town and they had a great time sniffing around where lots of other dogs must have made their mark. In their cute winter coats they got quite a few pats from some of the lovely old ladies we met in the street, which is one of their favourite things and really made them smile.

The reason we were out and strolling about, was that we were waiting for the Bandycoot (my boyfriend) to come out of the doctors’ surgery with the news of his test result. He was in there for quite a while and I was starting to get worried. He came out with a printout from the doctor with so many medical terms I’d need a medical degree to understand, except for the last sentence which recommended hasty removal of some skin from his face which had a suspicious mole. He took it well and had already scheduled the appointment for the procedure. I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised as he has, what I like to refer to as, ‘Viking skin’. So fair and really not suited to the harsh Aussie sun.

That night I started a new challenge, to put together the exercise bike I bought out shopping the other night. I’d been looking for a second-hand bike for ages, online and at garage sales, but apparently they’re hot property down here in Tassie. I’m not really a fan of flat-pack technical assembly and the directions were very open to interpretation. However, I now have no excuse not to at least try and stay fit during the chilly Tassie winter, as I have a fully functional exercise bike which only needed minimal Bandycoot input to make it go.

Day 55 - Still cold (escape from Alapacatraz)

This morning at 7am it was -1 degree…brrrr!! I recently ordered a long sleeve thermal and a down jacket and have now also ordered more winter stuff, as I’ve been wearing them a lot and winter has only just begun!

The one thing I do love about this cold change is the clear skies. I can see for miles out to the mountain ranges in the distance and the sparkly stars in the Milky Way at night. While writing this a spectacular rainbow has appeared outside my window, with such vivid colours while a misty rain falls.

 

As the alpacas usually start their morning grazing at the grass at the back fence, I thought it strange that I hadn’t seen them as I was hanging out washing on the line (ever the optimist hoping to get things dry). I decided to take a quick look around their usual haunts and couldn’t spot them anywhere. I really started to stress when I realized that the back gate to our yard had been left ajar, as the ‘pacas could have strolled straight through our back yard and out on the road. I imagined them miles down the road, getting in to the forestry reserves and having a grassy banquet. I ran into the house loudly declaring an alpaca escape!!

The Bandycoot assured me that they wouldn’t have got out and may have just been hiding behind some of the bigger trees, or be down in the old mine railway track cutting. Even he started to get worried when we scoured the whole paddock with no sign.  He took off on his dirt bike and came back in about 10mins after spotting them in the next paddock. I jumped on the back of the bike, even though it’s not really build for a passenger and we ended up chasing the alpacas around the farm on the motorbike. They were actually pretty good to direct as they always play follow the leader. I ended up with a bit of a sore butt from bouncing around on the back of the bike through the dips and bumps but was quite pleased I didn’t get bounced off!

Day 54 - How cold??

This morning the Bandycoot got up early for an appointment, but it was far too cold for me and the pups so we decided to stay in bed.

There have been all sorts of clues to let me know that the Tassie winter has really arrived. See if you can guess what the signs and hints were that I picked up on:

Was it…

a)      Finding ice freezing on the windscreen of my car after dinner at the Bandycoot’s nans?

b)      Walking down the paddock to get some firewood and my face is frozen

c)       Waking to the sounds of ice sliding off the roof into the gutter

d)      Noticing that the water coming out of the tap is lots colder than the water in the fridge

e)      Considering buying ugg boots for the puppies

f)       All of the above

If you guessed (f) all of the above, you’d be correct. Today was crazy, cold with a maximum (that’s maximum) of 4 degrees Celsius.

At least I had a long online chat with my best gal pal to warm my heart!