Another Winter in Tasmania.

[drron]

The first week in July and I was off to Georgetown after a sleep in to make up for the late nights watching Le Tour.Arrived there about 1330 so had lunch first.Decided to have it at Mario's an italian restaurant that has regular TV ads.I had the roasted pork belly.it was overdone.I don't need to try it again.It is though next to the Bass and Flinders Museum.
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Across the road a house with a bit of style.
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After lunch I wandered next door to the museum.Replica of one Tom Thumb ,there were 2 ,in which they explored the Georges River and then found Lake illawarra and Port Hacking.And a replica of the Norfolk in which they proved the existence of bass strait and cicumnavigated Tasmania.
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And how they got the replica Norfolk to here.
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So information on the original Norfolk.
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And the buiding of the replica and the builder.
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[drron]

You can walk all over the Norfolk.
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You can go below decks but with my increasing mobility problems I thought this was not on for me.Fortunately I have long arms so could get views of below decks.
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There was an extra crew member on board.
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[drron]

The histories of Bass and Flinders.Bass on the left.
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Rather sad endings for both.

 

[drron]

A little more of Tasmania's early maritime history.
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And more recent history.
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And basically an early sailboard.
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An early Tasmanian surfboard.
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[drron]

Also here is what is thought to be the oldest surviving Australian built boat.Spotted by a couple of Tasmanians near Taree who recognised it and knew the history.
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[JohnM]

Fascinating stuff about Bass & Flinders.

Bass a surgeon at age 18 and Flinders training as one at age 14 . What was wrong with you @drron?

Flinders did a lot of roaming around the SW coast as well.

 

[drron]

I was going to walk around a bit of Georgetown but the heavens opened up so went around on 4 wheels instead.The vietnam monument and on the riverside the Paterson monument.
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And the old customs house now a private dwelling.
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Though when it rains it can bring out a rainbow.
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The pot of gold should be on the table.
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[drron]

Fascinating stuff about Bass & Flinders.

Bass a surgeon at age 18 and Flinders training as one at age 14 . What was wrong with you @drron?

Flinders did a lot of roaming around the SW coast as well.

Sorry but I am a slow learner.Indeed 51.5 years after starting my medical career I am still learning.

Flinders did a lot of roaming right around Australia.

 

[drron]

Now off to Low Head and the Lighthouse.A very bright rainbow looking back to Georgetown.
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[drron]

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And from here you can see the Semaphore which took over the task of sending a signal to Mt.George.
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There doesn't seem to be an entrance to the paddock where the Semaphore stands.I did go a bit past it and turned towards the coast.A nice beach but no track into the paddock.There might be a way if you walk along the beach but there are cliffs there and the rain was obviously coming again.
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[drron]

Now it is off to Mt. George where the second semaphore is located.Though a few more modern communication towers now.
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But to one side is the semaphore.
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The old buildings here have disappeared.this might have been where one building was.
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And looking towards Mt.Direction where the next semaphore is located.
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When originally built this station received messages from the Georgetown port office by flag.
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[drron]

Good views up here across the Industrial area and the old Bell Bay power station.
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And out to the Tamar River mouth,Georgetown and across to Beauty Point.
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[drron]

You can see some of the Batman bridge.
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This looks like it could have been another building under the lookout.
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And down at the car park what might have been an entrance pillar.
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[drron]

Late afternoon and I decide to make a little detour up C727 along the Tamar to Hillwood.A delightful although a gravel road.
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[drron]

On Sunday I drove over to St.Helens via the direct road through Scottsdale.A very windy road and raining at times with mud across the road in places.I never ceased to be amazed at the driving of some.i was going ~90Kmh which I felt was morethan adequate for the conditions I pulled over for a Ford Ram doing 20-30Kmh more than me.I didn't want to deny him the chance to kill himself.
Derbu was really jumping with the Mountain bike folk.pity the rain was a little heavy there.Just before Scottsdale a funny bush store that we stopped at 45 years ago.It has been tarted up since then.Closed on a Sunday.
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Took nearly 2.5 hours to get to Scottsdale.In time for lunch.Decided against the fish and chips place.
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So walked along the harbour towards a restaurant.
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As I walked along a boat from NSW arrived.A young couple with a toddler and a babe in arms.Boat was from tuncurry so if from there they would be allowed in.
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So the restaurant.
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And the view from my table.
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Only about a dozen customers in the time I was there.

 

[drron]

So to the meal.
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I started with the tempura cauliflower which I enjoyed.
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I then had the lobster roll.It was nice but too much aioli and too little lobster.
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Lots of chips which I used later.
Washed down with a dark light ale.Appropriately named.i did enjoy it.
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[drron]

After lunch I drove out to Binalong Bay.You come to Grant's Lagoon as you enter the town.
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Then the beach where looking northwards is the Bay of fires.
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[drron]

Then drove up to Skeleton Bay.
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[drron]

Then out to the Skeleton point track.
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The start of the track.
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[drron]

I then drove back through St.Helens and out along St.Helen's point road.A very well protected harbour.You can just see the entrance.
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And some locals.
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And now at the end of the road.
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And some of the crowd that finished my chips.
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Not as well trained as the gulls at Beauty Point who are very good at catching the chip in the air.