The final day of the GCE dawned. We packed up the van and started our final leg back towards Cambridge. We had a noon drop off, so we were in no rush.
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The drive along the River Derwent was picturesque, and we just dawdled along, having got use to the slower pace. As we were ahead of time, we dropped into Lindisfarne for a coffee and also to check out where the AirBnB was, that I had booked. It certainly had a view, it was at the top of the suburb.
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At Beltana Park in Lindisfarne
After the coffee and cake top-up, we travelled out to Cambridge to drop off the mighty Sandpiper at the Cruisin depot. It took no time to repack the bags and call for an Uber to take us back into Hobart. It was sad to see Ed go, but we had really enjoyed ourselves.
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Goodbye to Ed
The Uber got us to our AirBnB. In the posting it described itself as "
Amazing Views, Stone Bath, King Bed", with images of views across the Derwent. I picked that as somewhere different, as we usually stay in the centre of town, and also the relaxing bath might be necessary depending on how the trip went. And it lived up to the hype.
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Panoramic photo out the front
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View from inside
We dropped off our suitcases and caught an Uber into Salamanca Place, where we caught the last couple of hours of the Markets, had a couple of relaxing drinks at Jack Greene, stocked up at Salamanca Fresh for food and drinks, and then got another Uber to get us back. All while experiencing an unheard of heat wave of 30 deg!
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We made sure they drove us right up to the top of the driveway, as it is almost impossible to walk it. You can see in the photo above how the driveway climbs up on the right hand side of the photo, around to the back of the Studio Apartment.
We then settled in and watched the sun set on our final night in Tasmania.
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The next morning we did our final packing, and decided to head into town for lunch before our flights back to Canberra (via Sydney). I managed to book at Frogmore Creek at MacQ, so we didn't have to travel too far. Plus, one of my ankle/foot had started to play up with what felt like the start of a gout attack. So I spent the day abstaining from alcohol and shuffling along at a very slow pace. Our AirBnB Host was kind enough to look after our bags until we got back, so off we went again in our Uber and me shuffling around Salamanca Place.
After a great lunch (and fine wines says MrsK), we went back for our bags and out to the airport, to settle into what passes for the QF Lounge. The flights home were uneventful (apologies to anyone stuck behind me as I shuffled up the ramp from hell at Hobart), and at least we arrived at Gate 3 in Sydney, with our flight to Canberra departing from Gate 1. If it had been over at gates 16-19, I would have hijacked one of the trolleys, as I wouldn't have made it on my own.
We were picked up in Canberra by one of the kids who had come down from Sydney and were staying at our place over Easter, so we were able to take them through the photos and tell the tales. They had been following MrsK's exploits through Facebook and WhatsApp anyway. Next time I would also try and take more photos, just to keep up with the Joneses - looking at you
@bpeteb and
@RooFlyer
So, in summary, it was a great trip and MrsK and I did something different together. MrsK enjoyed the campervan life and would do it again. The Sandpiper van was the right size for us, and was easy to drive for me. For six days hire, it was $1070 all up, including all insurances, refills, table and chairs - I had booked it back at the start of November, so it pays to get in early. Of the caravan parks we stayed at, they were all excellent, except for the Strahan Beach Tourist Park, which I would rate as just good. If we stayed in Strahan again we would check out the Big4 Park across the road.
So, now we're checking out NZ South Island for this time next year.
Your family's poo is WAY bigger!!
