Planes, boats and automobile, it’s Tassie road trip time.

[bPeteb]

With a belief that there was no chance of overseas travel this year in last October we decided Tassie was as far over a sea as we would most likely get. We also decided it would be a campervan holiday, our first.

It’s four years since we visited Hobart. It was the starting point for our cruise to Antarctica. It’s 41 years since I saw anything other than Hobart.

QF had a well timed direct flight from BNE but only connecting flights home. At the time Sydney was a COVID mess so we chose a Melbourne connection… $414 each return in Y. 10 nights.

Apart from the 2017 visit we’d also been to Hobart for Dark mof_ a couple of years earlier so we decided Hobart would not get a visit this time. My must do - Fat Pig Farm for a Long Lunch. Our trip was planned around our 19 October booking for Easter Saturday lunch.

BigAl is a master planner and with FPF booked set to work on the itinerary. We chose anti-clockwise as most people travel clockwise. We wanted to see Freycinet, walk Cradle Mountain, cruise the Gordon River and I also wanted to see Lake Pedder.

Initially we were going to book a Cruisin’ Sandpiper as the fixed bed appealed to us. It was also only 6.2m long. After watching a lot of YouTube videos we wondered if it would be a bit cramped inside if the weather turned bad.

The alternative is the Euro tourer operated by Apollo, Maui and Britz. It’s 7.1m, nearly a metre longer, but has a dining area in the back that you convert to a bed each night.

It finally came down to price. The Sandpiper jumped a bit and I found I could get a 10% discount with Apollo through RACQ. With the discount it was $1401.75 for 11 days. To that we added a gas bottle refill, camping chairs and table and 2x toilet capsule ‘stuff’. When we picked up the van we added ‘drop and go’ ($75) and windscreen and tyre insurance ($77). With some fancy accounting we ended up paying $8 for the insurance as he made the gas, camping chairs/table and toilet stuff ‘free’. $1484.75. We only paid the 2.8% Amex surcharge on the extra $83.

We started researching campgrounds and 7.1m precluded us from quite a few free camp spots. We were also concerned about site availability considering the Tassie ‘rush’ that was just beginning. We decided to pre-book sites at every stop and also decided on powered sites so that we could use all the features we had access to in the camper. Paid campgrounds also gave us access to showers and toilets because even though we had an equipped bathroom, we wanted it for ‘on the go/at night’ use and nothing else.

After much discussion, mainly around getting to and staying near Lake Pedder, we ended up with -
Coles Bay - two nights BIG4 Iluka on Freycinet Holiday Park
Launceston - one night BIG4 Launceston Holiday Park
Cradle Mountain - two nights Discovery Cradle Mountain Holiday & Caravan Park
Strahan - two nights BIG4 Strahan Holiday Retreat
Strathgordon - one night Lake Pedder Wilderness Lodge, our only night not in the van
Cygnet - one night Cygnet Caravan Park
Bruny Island, Adventure Bay - one night Captain Cook Holiday Park

@kookaburra75 was going to be in Tassie at the same time as us, he and MrsKooka in a Cruisin’ Sandpiper. And of Course @RooFlyer is a Tasmanian east coaster.

With FPF and campsites booked we then also booked our Gordon River Cruise. Two are offered - Gordon River Cruises, owned by RACT and a local family owned company World Heritage Cruises. Gordon River Cruises boat is smaller and leaves earlier. They also offer a 10%discount to auto club members. We couldn’t see the value in the all inclusive ‘upper deck’. Our total for the cruise was $315 after discount.

Our flights kept changing a little bit but not enough to concern us. That was until our BNE-HBA flight was moved to late afternoon, too late to pick our camper up and get to Coles Bay. I called QF and asked to cancel that leg of the trip. Full refund was back on my card within seven days. We booked the early direct JQ flight and added the bundle that got us SCs, points, bags, seat selection and $15 f&b credit.

As the COVID situation worsened we decided Melbourne wasn’t a good connection and when I went looking for a Sydney alternative QF had reinstated direct HBA-BNE flights so I changed to that, online, for the grand cost of $19.

Even two weeks out I think we were both unsure we would be going bubbling up in Brisbane with a doctor getting infected over the other side of the river. Keep it over there we hoped.

The weather forecast was also improving and we’d taken most of our heavy wet and cold weather gear out. Spray jackets replaced the gortex.

Departure morning came and off we headed to the airport before sunrise



JQ bag drop machines are rubbish. Lots of confused people stopped at the machines requiring assistance.

The J lounge was quite busy considering the time of day. Everyone was observing the mask edict unless eating or drinking.



We boarded on time but then sat at the gate as they sorted a technical issue out. We left 25 minutes late. The flight was pretty full. We had a full row but in front and behind there were spare seats. Masks worn by pretty much everyone except a bloke across from us who clearly thought the rule didn't apply to him. It was under his chin most of the time.

 

[bPeteb]

We arrived into Hobart 15 minutes late and then bags took an age to come out. Instead of getting a cab to Apollo we (I) decided we could walk. It was a beautiful cool, clear morning. It took maybe 15 minutes but we went the Google way and it was not the best way. If you do decide to walk follow the road straight out of the airport. There is a path that runs beside it all the way to Apollo. 10 minutes tops.

Campervan virgins here. We drove out to Apollo at Nudgee to sit in one so we wouldn’t be surprised by anything. We actually sat in two as there are two floor plans. One with a small table and fixed chair behind the driver’s seat where both front seats swivel with mid-bathroom, the second with the bathroom unit right behind the driver’s seat and an extra cupboard/bench in the back of the van. We preferred the fixed table/seat version and as suggested by the person we spoke to at Nudgee I called the Hobart office to put in our preference. Told we had a 30% chance and we ended up with the bathroom forward version. The one thing we were very pleasantly surprised with was the condition of the van. The two we’d looked at in Brisbane were tatty. This van was in excellent condition.

With the introduction to everything completed I climbed up and we were on our way. After being very concerned about driving something so big the Mercedes turbo diesel Euro Tourer was a breeze to drive. It took a tad longer to stop (ok, a lot) and accelerated just a bit more slowly than our Skoda (ok, a lot) but it had no issue keeping up with traffic, climbed every hill we threw at it with ease and it cornered pretty darn well considering it’s size. Visibility forward was great and you sit above everything except trucks and other campervans. Mirrors expansive. Just the video rear view mirror was not great. Maybe we could have fiddled with it to get a brighter picture.

RooFlyer had been in contact with me and gave us quite a few hints. He also offered to catch up with us for coffee. Stopped in Sorell for essential supplies - coffee, milk, cheese, bread, some fruit, vegemite, cereal

Qld rego even!


Then to the bottlo for beer. Then we headed north to Orford.

The drive beside the river into Orford was quite special. RooFlyer you live in a very beautiful part of the world. When we were waiting to deplane I joked to Big Al about how awful it would be to land then be told you can't get off and you were flown home. I mentioned this over coffee and RF said "Haven't you seen the news? Brisbane has a cluster." OMG. Noooooooooooooooo. More on that later...

It was lovely to meet my first AFF member in person and @RooFlyer we are both super appreciative of you taking time out of your day to meet us. More tips were provided and gladly accepted and soon we were back on the road.

Thanks RooFlyer for the suggestion to pause here. Beautiful view that reminded us of Kangaroo Island


So many wineries, so little ability to stop quickly. We missed Milton and Gala and Spring Vale but Devil’s Corner was an easy pull in. The wine was fine but the highlight was the view. We took away a bottle of light pinot and a rose.



Made it to BIG4 Iluka in Coles Bay with 15 minutes to spare before the office closed. Directed to a site very convenient to facilities



and path to the pub



but I couldn’t see power or water. I raced back to reception and he pointed on the map to where the services totem was. The large group on the surrounding three sites had kind of taken over the whole totem by building their kids play area around it. It was no big deal to plug the power in.

We unpacked - huge amount of storage for us - and also took out the table that had been fixed in the ‘dining’ area. We didn’t use it at all.

Got the bed made up, closed all of the curtains and switched the gas on for our morning coffee. Then we headed down to the pub that was all of 100m or so away.

Nice sunset across Coles Bay to the hideously expensive Saffire.




I had a pretty good vege curry and BigAl maybe ribs but can’t remember to be honest. Beer and cider was good.

 

[RooFlyer]

We couldn’t see the value in the all inclusive ‘upper deck’

I'll be writing about that soon, so we can compare notes . Great to catch up with you both.

 

[VPS]

Always enjoy your TR - following along

 

[bPeteb]

Planning what to take to Tassie from a clothes perspective is a bit NZ four seasons in one day. A couple of weeks out it looked like it was going to be cool and mainly wet. A week out things were looking better but day one of our Coles Bay stay was forecast to be wet so we decided to book the Wineglass Bay cruise with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, Vista Lounge (lower deck) $165 each. Wineglass Bay Cruises We like our drinks but $270 each was $105 too far.

We woke to a cool grey, but fine morning, made our first campervan breakfast and walked around the headland to the Coles Bay wharf where the cruise departed from.

The Olive parrot (?)






They asked where where we were from when we checked in and once we confirmed we hadn't been to any of the known Brisbane hotspots we were given our boarding cards.

Open seating and the lower deck was about 2/3s full. Forgot to take any pictures inside the boat.

First stop after departing was Freycinet Lodge.



RF had recommended a meal at the bistro but when we saw we couldn't walk, and would prefer a glass or two or... with dinner we decided to stick in town for our meals. As we approached we could see these amazing looking glass pavilions perched above the water. I did a quick search and decided they would have to be very nice for $745/night



After loading up with a group who over the course of the day did their best to drink the bar dry, we started off around the island. Stopped at the quarry that we were surprised to hear had only shut down in quite recent times



We saw a lot of the peninsula





including a giant sea eagle's nest. Hard to get a concept of the scale but I'm sure they said it would weigh over one tonne.





before we headed out into the ocean for the trip to Wineglass Bay

 

[bPeteb]

Before I forget I'd like to call out the excellent skipper. The seas were not exactly smooth once we went out past Schouten Island. We love the whole being on a boat thing no matter the sea conditions but some don't. He did a great job warning everyone if we were about to hit a big swell and kept the boat as much as possible either going direct into the swell, or with a following swell. Enough boat talk...

The moment we went out between the headland and Schouten we started seeing dolphins. We saw hundreds. They were literally all around us the whole time we were in open ocean.

Piles of videos taken but this is the only still photo that caught one


Then there were the dozens, hundreds even of albatross. It was just amazing.




Freycinet peninsula coast





much calmer in Wineglass Bay but apparently not calm enough to serve lunch. We started on the Gala rose





The sky started to clear a little on the way back



I think it was called Brian's Beach where we returned for our box ploughman's lunches, this time with a riesling from Morton (maybe)?





It was a fantastic day. Excellent sea capable boat, great crew, crazy good wildlife, a nice lunch and excellent quality overpoured wines

 

[bPeteb]

Couple more from the cruise



enjoying a very nice ginger beer








we decided to book dinner at Geographe on the street above Coles Bay and then went for a wander back around the headland to the caravan park

 

[RooFlyer]

Stopped at the quarry that we were surprised to hear had only shut down in quite recent times

Strictly, the quarry is excised from the National Park. About 10 years ago, when the Parks Service upgraded the Wineglass Bay walk car-park, they took a number of big boulders from the quarry to decorate the car park without telling anyone. The NP service got served a notice for 'illegal mining'.

 

[bPeteb]

Time for cheese (more) and ham (from the 'little' IGA in Swansea), and beer sundowners



before we wandered back around to Geographe. Foolishly we decided not to take umbrellas and were a little damp when we arrived but luckily got there just before the rain poured



Very nice squid starter


Tassie wine


a rainbow for intermission


a couple of very nice pizzas


the peninsula looked amazing when the sun came back out


and for those who know about this the obligatory Samsung camera phone moon shot. Yes, this is taken with BigAl's S21 Ultra, handheld...

 

[bPeteb]

Destination day three Launceston. The sun was out so we headed to the National Park to walk to Wineglass Bay.















The extra few kilos we've put on, COVID not to blame, BigAl's gammy knee and my previously clotted lung got us to the lookout but no further.





the walk down was no easier for BigAl. His knee much prefers up whereas I definitely prefer the opposite



BigAl had his eye on the time and we had grand plans to have lunch at Josef Chromy but the best laid plans...

 

[bPeteb]

Originally we intended to back track to Spring Vale to buy some gin that had been recommended to us while on the cruise but after heading in that direction we worked out it was a minimum half hour detour that we didn't have. It was a fortuitous decision.

We paused in the lovely little town of Bicheno for morning tea and then made the fateful decision of walking through the doors of The Farm Shed THE FARM SHED EAST COAST WINE CENTRE

Ever conscious of me being the driver we tasted some wine, and then some gin, and then bought some wine, and some gin, and some cheese and they threw in the block of chocolate I was going to buy. Thank you ladies for a very enjoyable not short visit...







The coast along from Bicheno was just beautiful and next time we will meander leisurely along there.

We then drove over Elephant Pass, an interesting choice in a 7m camper but we literally met no-one coming in the opposite direction.





Drove past some truly beautiful old houses and pretty little towns







eventually we got back out onto the highway and saw the signs for Brickendon and Woolmers so took the exit. It was a Monday and Woolmers was closed so Brickendon it was. Last entry was 3.30 and it had just turned 3.35 as we pulled up outside. Next time...

Drove into Longford





then on to Launceston and the interestingly located BIG4 Launceston

 

[bPeteb]

Maybe someone can explain the history of the truly ginormous churchy building just down the road from BIG4 Launceston Holiday Park | Book Direct & Save With BIG4. It was more convention centre than church from what we could work out.

Despite having advised every park we'd booked the length of the van this hadn't been used to actually allocate the site at Launceston. Luckily the lovely person on reception looked outside and said "You won't fit on where we have you". Gave me a couple of choices and we chose corner site with panoramic view into Launceston.





We asked how long it would take to walk into town, and to Cataract Gorge. 20 minutes to town but the walk to Cataract was not recommended as it was all uphill. Do I really look that unfit?

Parked, connected the electricity and headed for Cataract Gorge. They were right, it was initially uphill and then finished downhill. I visited Cataract back in 1980 and hated both the chairlift and the suspension bridge. I hate anything suspended. Al saw the chairlift and said "let's do it" and with gritted teeth we boarded as the last passengers of the day.

I'm not sure it passes any H&S laws. You can just lift that thin metal bar at any time. BigAl regretted it as soon as he looked up and saw how it was fixed to the cable. Bizarrely I was remarkably ok as we dangled over the basin and then the fast flowing river.




me all smiles, BigAl not so keen




the river was pretty spectacular. Someone could have been making a fortune with white water rafting

 

[bPeteb]

wandered along the river and found some roses for drron in a garden further into town









we had dinner at Ramen | Gatsu Gatsu ガツガツ | Launceston. It was excellent, even if there was no beer and BigAl got the wrong tea!! Wanted cold, got hot











we moved on to Saint John Craft Beer Bar | Launceston, Tasmania where we tried one, or two, or maybe three beers, including one that included a shot of pink gin



The walk back to the park was quite a bit more than 20 minutes

 

[bPeteb]

Day four and we aimed south west for Cradle Mountain.

Al's decision to use shortest distance wasn't necessarily the best. C roads and a 7.1m camper don't always go together well but we saw some great scenery. First stop was Deloraine where we managed to see a platypus both in the water (trust us, it was a platypus)



and on the river bank


then it was onwards towards Mole Creek where we stopped at Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary


and saw lots of cool animals

 

[Daver6]

Loving this TR!

Do you have any pictures of the inside of the van?

 

[bPeteb]

more from Trowunna












stopped for lunch at the Mole Creek Hotel and a burger that tasted better than it looked





we then made an assumption that we'd be able to visit the Mole Creek Caves. Yeh, no. Bookings only, next available the following day mid-afternoon. Same for King Solomon's. Another place for next time.

Beautiful central Tassie scenery

 

[bPeteb]

Loving this TR!

Do you have any pictures of the inside of the van?

A couple of detailed videos to show friends but can't post here. I think we have a YouTube subscription so if I can work out how/if I can post something I will, and then add a link. Here's what I have, apologies for the mess!

Bathroom immediately behind driver's seat and then large hanging cupboard behind it


kitchen unit



walk through to front


if you have the mid-bathroom and fixed table at front you lose this cupboard on the right below the tv. Speaking of the tv, it was a dead loss. We got it to work one night, when we were in Launceston. Aerial or tuner who knows.


Packing on our final morning

 

[Major]

Fabulous fauna photos. What type of camera did you use ?

 

[bPeteb]

Fabulous fauna photos. What type of camera did you use ?

Thanks Major. The majority are our phones. How far they have come!

If you select an image you can identify them by file name. IMG_nnnn is my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Yyymmdd_nnnnnn is BigAl’s Samsung S21 Ultra. DSCnnnnn is a Sony RX10 IV. I don’t think I’ve posted anything yet from my Samsung NX500 but that’ll be anything else nnnnnnnn

 

[bPeteb]

Once we got off the C roads and onto B and finally A roads the quality of the roads was excellent. To be honest even the Cs were good the majority of the time. They were just narrower and often without any centre line.

We arrived at Cradle Mountain | Discovery Parks about 4pm.

We'd been listening to the radio during the day and were aware that Brisbane was potentially going to go into lockdown. As you can imagine we were a tad concerned. But, and the but is important, we'd been listening to Peter Gutwein and reading the Tas health website and unless we had been to any of the Brisbane hotspots we were still clear to travel.

The receptionist was not at all keen in checking us in. They actually said we couldn't but we pushed the point and said yes we could. They re-read the advice and agreed that we could but that if we felt sick we needed to lock ourselves in the van and call them as they were the on call manager for the night.

Accessing the park was odd. You put a code into a key pad and then the metal cable across the track dropped. We found our spot and backed in.



site 28 was fantastically located for the camp kitchen but it was also a through path for everyone who wanted to use the camp kitchen. The path was another two sites along but that was soooo far for some people... For a big park having a single amenities block seems weird. If you aren't self contained it will be a long and potentially cold and wet walk to use the loos or showers.

Investigated the amenities and the crazy good camp kitchen. Two open fires and pizza ovens!!







we walked over to the national park visitor centre, checked what walks were available, booked our shuttle tickets for our stay, decided we'd do a quick one just from the ranger station then realised our dress was not really appropriate and headed back to the van park. We had nothing for dinner and after seeing the pizza ovens and having seen pizzas in the store at reception BigAl stopped and got pizza, and also brought back some recommended beer.

It was just after 5:30 when we got to the van and as we sat down our phones pinged. We'd been ordered to isolate. Brisbane had gone into lockdown and Tassie had rightly locked us down too. The morning before we'd attempted to get tested at Launceston but the entry was too difficult to drive down in the van so we kept going.

As the message advised I jumped on the phone to Tas Health and they confirmed we needed to self-isolate and get tested. We said we were in a self-contained van at Cradle Mountain. They gave us details of testing centres in Launceston, Devonport and Burnie. Drive in for all three and no booking required. We mentioned that we couldn't drive into the one at Launceston and were told we could have just parked and walked in. Ah, hindsight...

We then called the night manager and she said she'd thought of us as soon as the announcement was made. We told them we would not leave the van and would be heading to Devonport or Burnie first thing in the morning to be tested. Results would be 24 to 48 hours. We asked if we could come back after being tested. They confirmed that although our site was available the night after our two night booking they thought we would not be allowed back into the national park. They'd check with the van park manager in the morning and if we weren't allowed back they would see if we could stay at the Devonport Discovery Park.

People constantly walking past instantly bugged us so I moved the van so it was kind of diagonally across the site and made it very difficult to walk past. Some still did.

To shut ourselves off from the world we pulled the curtains, got Netflix going, drank red wine and ate cheese

We ended up just drinking the pinot...


that Coal River that we bought at The Farm Shed was amazing!!! The other two were delicious as well


the beers that were bought but not consumed