Planes, boats, oh no, the thread name has been stolen!! Instead I’ll call it ‘The trip that nearly wasn’t.’

[bPeteb]

I called Pipers Brook Visit Pipers Brook | Kreglinger Wine Estates from Bridport to check if Nadine’s Cafe was open for lunch and headed there. Shared two tasting paddles of eight different wines





and the most amazing platter.





The only thing that was missing was the pate, that neither of us is a huge fan of so no loss.

We bought a couple of bottles of wine, a Kreglinger Brut and a Pipers Pinot Gris.

 

[bPeteb]

When we got to George Town we drove up to the lighthouse




the famous foghorn


mini castle up near the lighthouse


and had a wander around the headland then after a quick drive around town

not sure what the story is with this beautiful chocolate brick fence in front of a early 1800s house


the old pub and now Comfort Inn


checked in to York Cove York Cove Holiday Hotel - George Town, Tasmania

the hotel rooms are in the building to the right, apartments to the left

 

[bPeteb]

Another humungous room, more like a luxury apartment, but down below ground so actually quite weird.





bathroom with a view


living room with a view of a pool that has apparently been out of action for months



bAl's favourite birds out on the lawn below the restuarant/bar

 

[bPeteb]

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant The Crazy Duck. A really great meal with excellent service.

duck bao


salmon


sunset


shank


roast duck


brownie (I think)


lemon pudding (terrific)

 

[bPeteb]

Another short drive, just into Launceston.



First we drove across the Tasman Bridge (?) around to Beauty Point we here we went to the Platypus House. Home

The platypus were cool





but for us the highlight was definitely the echidna. You sit on the ground and they just wander around you. Brilliant!!

 

[bPeteb]

Then we returned to George Town and visited the Bass and Flinders Museum. It was also very interesting,. Silly things amuse me and when told that one of them was 6’2” and the other was 5’8”( or something) it was funny to see two identical shop dummies of the same size representing them in a case beside each other.

The Norfolk recreation

 

[bPeteb]

Into Lonnie and the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania. A small but excellent collection of cars and bikes.







forget the Oz muscle, this one was the star

 

[bPeteb]

Upgraded to a Verge Luxe Stay at Hotel Verge Launceston on arrival at the Verge Hotel in Launceston Hotel Verge Launceston. Kind of wish that we hadn't been as the aircon made a super annoying hum, some wire or coil was touching another. I let reception know straight away but it wasn't fixed and it was the weekend so I didn't expect it to.

The room was really nice. Industrial vibe with exposed concrete, metal, moody greys and timber. Beautiful bathroom products in dispensers not small tubes or bottles.






Wandered around the block to the Boags Brewery (viewed from our room to the right)



where we had a late lunch and some cleansing ales. Our favourite was the Wizard Smith ale.



Delicious!! RooFlyer was on his way onto town to have dinner with us and drron and called on for a couple as well.

Dinner was at Kosotan KOSATEN. It’s already been mentioned on drron’s thread but I’ll repeat a bit here. Dinner was excellent. Drron described it to me as a up marker sushi train but that is selling it short. It’s a cool modern Japanese restaurant with great food, ordered by ipad, and delivered by a one way train system. Bloody excellent. Good beer, good sake and excellent company. I’m just sad mrsdrron hadn’t stayed another few days so we should have met. A great night!

 

[OZDUCK]

Into Lonnie and the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania. A small but excellent collection of cars and bikes.

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forget the Oz muscle, this one was the star

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My brother has owned a White version of that 2 door Pacer since new - so coming up to 52 years.

 

[bPeteb]

We spent the day between Woolmers Woolmers Estate - Come Visit Woolmers Estate in Tasmania and Brickendon | World Heritage Listed Colonial Farm Village & Accommodation | Longford Tasmania.. UNESCO World Heritage sites. Both amazing.



We went on the convict and house tours at Woolmers. Both really great, the house tour terrific. Walking around inside a time capsule.







Sparkling Reingold, I can still remember that tv ad

 

[bPeteb]

 

[bPeteb]

ancient mulberry trees in the garden



the shearing shed, incuding 200yo graffiti

 

[bPeteb]

The carriage house








The only jarring thing to me was the large statue of the founder of Tatts in the rose garden. Donors are important but does it really need to be so prominent?

We’ll go back in spring one day to see the gardens at their best.

 

[bPeteb]

Brickendon was also super interesting and another time capsule but this one inside a working farm. An hour was enough to see it all.

 

[bPeteb]

We then went across the road to look at the gardens of the quite spectacular daily home. Amazing to think a single family has lived on this land since the early 1800s.

 

[bPeteb]

the entry to Verge Hotel



We had a wander around City Park that is across the road from Verge



An amazing old pear tree that clearly wants to live!








a couple of old jags and a torana waiting to be restored


couple of

 

[bPeteb]

Launceston kind of shuts down on Sunday night so dinner choices were limited. We ended up at Rupert & Hound Rupert & Hound – Restaurant and had a great evening. Lovely staff and very good food.





we had cauliflower tacos



Nepalese momos



the lamb shoulder (fantastic!)



and shared the yoghurt bavarois

 

[bPeteb]

Day 10 Launceston - Thousand Lakes Lodge

A long drive today down to the Mole Creek Cave system then back to Deloraine for lunch and platypus spotting then up into the Central Plateau to Thousand Lakes Lodge.



Before we left we raced over to the park to have a look at the macaques. Very cool but what an odd thing to have in a park in the middle of a city.





When we tried to visit the caves at Mole Creek last year they were booked out for days in advance so we arrived with a booking for the glow worm tour at Marakoopa Cave.

We’ve been in a lot of limestone caves over the years and this cave system is the best we’ve ever been in. The formations are amazing. So delicate and not a broken tie, mite or column in there. Just beautiful.

Time to remove anything that says europeans discovered anything in Australia



entrance to the cave



and a very cool worm on the path



to the beautiful caves. The glow worms were in abundance but we're seen plenty. It was the caves we came to see

 

[bPeteb]

the sign on the oustide of the restored 1827 Van Dieman's Land Company's grain store in Chudleigh cracked us up. Clearly quite the neighbourhood dispute

Building restored November 2003 despite the best efforts of the National Trust and Mrs Patricia Woods



Back into Deloraine for lunch. No platypus but lots of ducks.

 

[bPeteb]

The drive up onto the plateau was beautiful. Great road and amazing scenery as the lakes open up below you.







The sign for Thousand Lakes Lodge Thousand Lakes Wilderness Lodge | accommodation in Tasmania is what I’ll describe as discreet. Blink and you’ll miss it. It is then 13km of gravel road that varies between ok and pretty ordinary.



One of two cottages on the road to the lodge, both rented by the lodge for staff