Drron takes on the DPRT aka he's off to Tassie again.

[drron]

Saturday and the prediction was for a partly cloudy day but no rain.So i decided on the walk from the Mersey ferry pontoon to DPO and back.
From the pontoon the Empress and the Goliath-a cement carrierUnusually the Goliath is an Australian flagged ship and takes cement manufactured at Railton to Melbourne.
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Fishing in the Mersey.
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Walking beside the Mersey towards the eastern breakwater.
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[drron]

East Devonport beach.
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A dog club was having a gathering there.definitely no social distancing but they were outdoors.
For the first third of the walk it is one long area of parklands.Plus a caravan park,villa resorts and a Seniors village.
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Looking back at Mersey Bluff and the rocky point between beaches.
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The path is sealed.
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[drron]

Not sure what this building is but a great position.
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Pardoe beach.
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Good visibility today.
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I have now reached the end of the sealed pathway and the boundary of the Devonport Council.But 500 metres down a dirt road and a new pathway.
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Still an easy walking track.
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[drron]

The reserve along this part of the track was quite narrow.To the left glimpses of Bass strait and to the right farmland.
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Lots of frog noises coming from this lagoon.
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still views back to Mersey Bluff.
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You pass the sewerage works and contented cows.
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Then down to a beach with lots of cuttlefish and a bridge across a creek.
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[drron]

Over the creek the rerve became wider though not as much diversity.typical low bushes.
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Though saw a couple of small marsupials.Probably the long nosed potoroo as they went into these typical bolt holes.
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Then the end of the track.DPO comes into view.
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The track doesn't quite get you to DPO.You have to go onto the beach,jump a small creek then up the dunes to DPO.
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[drron]

I went back along the beach.
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If you are very observant you might realise I had stumbled across a murder.
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Of crows.
In fact there were several murders along the beach front.
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And a few hermit crabs.
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[drron]

Back to the sealed pathway and some other visitors.Someone introduced them to Tasmania.
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When I started to walk back along the beach i noticed a sailing vessel that appeared to be a long way west of the Mersey River.
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However just after this picture it turned and headed towards the Mersey at speed.
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This is an old Bass strait fishing ketch that was renovated for the Bicenntenial.Now in the hands of some locals who started taking passengers just over a month ago.

Julie Burgess Tall Ship Experiences

www.julieburgess.org

And back to the start.
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[drron]

With daylight saving now being here I can get out in the afternoons if it isn't raining.So in this 6th week I went back to the orchid reserve.A lot more wildflowers out.
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[drron]

Still not many orchids in flower but some greenhoods in a different area.
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And another species about to flower.
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[drron]

So to the weekend.As usual it rained all day Saturday.However a much nicer day on Sunday so it was off to Deloraine with a plan for a walk along the Meander river,a lunch at the Deloraine Deli then visit a couple of nearby waterfalls.
Still a nice show of spring flowers and lots of waterbirds.
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[drron]

The shorter walk is also a sculpture trail.Includes an indigenous fire pit.
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And exercise equipment.
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A beautiful walk.
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The river was flowing fast.
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[drron]

I had intended to include the longer Wild Woods walk.
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But around the first corner the plans changed.The dry gully wasn't dry.
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So back and crossed over the river.
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[drron]

Another sculpture over the river which is said to be inspired by boat design to fit in with the river.
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I understood the bush hens though looking after their young.
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Again a pleasant walk.
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The trees along the path are Yoshino cherries donated by a Japanese owner of a buckwheat mill.Tasmanian buckwheat is very close in quality to Japanese buckwheat but it is fresh when out of season in Japan.The cherry trees were donated as they flower when Tasmanian buckwheat is being milled in Yokohama.So if you have eaten soba noodles in Japan in winter you may have eaten Tasmanian buckwheat.
Here is a picture from the net of late September in Deloraine.
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Unfortunately there have been idiots who have made the occasion much less than it should have been.The mill owner has donated over 500 cherry trees and the number now is a lot less because of events such as this.

Tree gift comes to cruel end

In a second mindless act of vandalism within a few days, 60 Japanese cherry trees donated to Deloraine...

www.examiner.com.au

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[drron]

More flowers and art.
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Some older buildings across the street.
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[drron]

The walk continues.
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Across the rail line.
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And across the river with a lot of water going over the weir.
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Which means these paddlers were having to work hard.
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[drron]

More of the river.Looking back to the rail bridge then downstream.
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On the left is the old power station built in 1907.The weir was built for this power station.
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[OATEK]

Where's the photo of the old steam loco in the park for us train tragics?

I really love how they have inforporated the old mill race into a contemporary building.

 

[drron]

Where's the photo of the old steam loco in the park for us train tragics?

I really love how they have inforporated the old mill race into a contemporary building.

Coming up tonight.

 

[drron]

As promised the old Steam train.It is E 1 built in 1907 and used for heavy freight.
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And if you are coming to Tasmania and are a steam train buff then this is a good guide as where you can see various locos and where you may be able to enjoy a steam train ride.

Tasmanian Preserved Steam Locomotives

Some history of indigenous life in the area.
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And other sites for planning your Deloraine and area trip.

Deloraine, TAS - Aussie Towns

www.aussietowns.com.au

Great Western Tiers | Discover the Magic

Book comfortable accommodation in the Great Western Tiers, Northern Tasmania. See What’s On. Short Walks. Things to do in the Meander Valley. Deloraine. Westbury. Mole Creek and surrounds.

www.greatwesterntiers.net.au

 

[drron]

Gardens under the bridge.
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A group of Californian redwoods.
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A grove of flowering trees.
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