MOT Tour Day 19 - Burnie to Launceston

Whoopee. Left the caravan park before 10am for once: 8:30 in fact.

The Big Penguin

Road day today in order to move the 139kms to Hadspen, which is on Launceston’s door step. Superior caravan park in a chain we have been members of for quite a while. They’ve changed names a few times as they have bought out other groups and become bigger, but their quality has always been consistent. The one we stayed at in Burnie was below par. Clean enough - just. Sites were good enough - just. No one died, although the young bloke living in Toyota van near our site probably will and won’t be found for a week or two!

First stop was at Penguin, east of Burnie and still on the coast. Quaint little place. The big penguin statue was decorated in the colours of some coming event, which is a regular manner of advertising. Friendly locals and nice coffee from the one we chose, The Letterbox Cafe, which was located beside Australia Post. Penguin adorned the garbage pins, were on the notice boards, in shop windows and of course, there was the big bugger at town centre. The only problem was, they were the black and white variety and the ones who come ashore along the northern coast of Tassie are the Little Penguin, notable for a shiny, blue coat. I knit pick.

The Uniting Church deserves special mention. On a rise, facing the ocean in two directions, it opened in 1903 with its unique design by William Henry Morris. Morris was a well known architect in the North West. The window design is most unusual. Shaped like keyholes, they feature stained glass. We couldn’t see inside, but I read that carvings by Morris feature, including the handrail on the gallery. Most of the windows have been protected with clear Perspex on the outside but not from vandals or passing boys trying to mark their position in the group but rather from hail. The coloured glass would be very expensive to replace. A new cross stands at one of the high points on the top of the gable, illuminated at night to advertise the faith of those who attend.

A passerby - a local - engaged me with commentary about the church, which started with admiration for the building but ended in caustic comments about “the homosexuals who run the Uniting Church”. In accepting his point of view I did pose the question, “so you’d prefer the pedophiles that run the other churches?” He left.

As did we.

The other cool thing in Penguin was a street library, located in a replica of Dr Who’s TARDIS and senior lady, standing nearby, encouraging people to borrow.

The House of Avers, on the Bass Highway at Latrobe, is a chocolate factory and cafe, which provides you with information about the history of chocolate making and a collection of museum pieces which illuminate that history. Lots of chocolate moulds. You can also watch chocolatiers doing their thing on the other side of the glass, which was fascinating. Sue went shopping. Wyndarra Lodge, as the building was formerly known, is an oversized Californian bungalow, built in 1931.

Down the road a bit further - nowhere was far today - we stopped at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm, with the raspberries filling the hills behind the cafe/restaurant. Two big dams provide all the water they need to grow the berries and they are covered with netting to stymy the birds. We ordered gluten-free scones and raspberry jam. Judging by the time it took to clear up the debris in my moustache, they were delicious. Ron was pleased.

Click here for today's photos

We hoped to visit Pearn's Steam World but ran out of usable time. Shame, I love steam engines. We had several other things to see on our way but for a combination of reasons had to scrap them. We did find time to call in at Westbury Oval to see and photograph the giant  wickets. After seeing “big things” all over Australia, I declare these my favourite!

Hoping to catch up with former Tamworthian,  Marcus Wilson for coffee tomorrow.