MOT Tour Day 39 - Pedder to Derwent Bridge

Reflecting on Lake Pedder

A better than average traveling day, despite an uncomfortable start with a long standing physical complaint causing me a bit of gip. We got on regardless and were away on time.

It was hard leaving Lake Pedder behind. Such a beautiful place. I've finally found the perfect place to have a tap beer. There could be no troubles discussed for such a background prohibits them. My only regret was not scoring one of those perfect reflection photo that you see so often of Pedder but each day there was enough wind to cause a slight ripple across the lake.

Regrets were over-ridden about ten kilometres down the road. as we turned a bend, with the Sentinels in sight, the last reaches of Pedder smiled upon me and there it was: a still lake, mountains, clouds distant shoreline all in perfect reflection. the problem was the road. it was constructed to have verges but as I was shrugging my emotional shoulders, a broad area opened on the outside of the bend, right beside a view created with poetic licence.

The resultant photos were stunning, Make sure you click on the Canon below to see them.

We stopped for coffee at Fika Time Cafe in Maydena. What a lovely spot. Their business card says "A blend of Swedish, Austrian and Australian classic pub fare". Now there's a combination. Our coffees were superb and the restroom a revelation. Had a nice chat with three bikers we had met the night before in Strathgordon. One had a colourful blue Hawaiian shirt. He offered me a pup when the time comes.

Meadowbank Lake and its Black Swans

Another stop - for fuel - at Westerway. Despite its closeness to Maydena, the convenience store was only one close and on our path offering 95 octane. From here we were on a constant alternation between steep climbs and steep declines as we worked out way onto the Central Highlands. Had a short stop for a chat with some fisherman at Meadowbank Lake, which is a lake in the River Derwent about fifty kilometres from its origin and Lake St Clair. The lake is currently being drained to expose the river in its bed because maintenance work has to be carried out downstream at Meadowbank Dam. A decrease in water level didn't affect the number of Black Swans present. The guys were full of good cheer and information and its such conversations that you come out on the road.

Only a handful of kilometres later, we turned on the Lyle Highway: main road which runs between Hobart and Queenstown. He we had a crossed a wide plain and had some relief from the bends and inclines.  Beyond Ouse the road was back to its old tricks and by Wayatinah, we were again slowly but steadily pulling the van through mountains again. A quick stop at the Liapootah Power Station to see the giant, flower bed clock, proved to either be a disappointment or an exaggeration. Maybe both. The clock tells the right time only twice a day, the flowers are dead, it keeps the public at bay behind a human-proof fence and it was almost impossible to find (no signage).

Tarraleah Power Station of the Nive River

Things got really serious after the terminated timepiece as we climbed and climbed and wound and wound up and over a huge ridge, with the River Derwent to our south west and the Nive River to the north east. We had only just crossed the Nive while we were looking for the BFG's pocket watch and now we climbed hundreds of feet up and then descended at a dizzying gradient to meet it again where the Tarraleah and Tungatinah Power Station sit on either side of the Nive. Both are being fed in the time honoured way of sending water hurtling down a series of huge pipes and paste turbines to create electricity. Hydro Tassie have put a lovely park just past the bridge and beside the river. We popped the top and had our sandwiches and a cuppa while a bus load of crinklies had a loo break and stood outside the van admiring it, apparently unaware we were inside. 

After lunch, it was straight up until we established reasonably flat ground and passed more pondages created by Hydro Tassie. The last thirty kilometres to Derwent Bridge were a breeze. We had a coffee in Derwent Bridge while we waited for our hosts to be available and would you believe the lady at the next table used to live in the Hydro Tasmania created town of Tarraleah while the power station was being built!

This is our luxury stop. Four nights in the middle of the trip (tagged with three at Pedder) where we abandon the van and enjoy a chalet. Derwent Bridge Chalet & Studios are just the ticket. Fully self-contained, our chalet is literally on the edge of the bush and is sort of rustic luxury. The female owner is an acquired taste, perhaps treated unfairly by untrustworthy clients in the past, she is a "suffers no fools" type but at least you know where you stand. I find her honesty refreshing and one can't fault the job she and her husband have done in creating these superb chalets.

Click here for today's photos

When we arrived, I had to reverse the van 40 metres down a driveway, through an 90 degree gate, make an immediate return to a parallel line as the first reverse and steer along a fence to miss two chalets, perhaps another 30 metres. Sue, of course on the other end of the iPhone offering guidance but I was pretty proud of that effort. Reminded me of years ago and reversing Dad and Brian's boat down his driveway and around the garage to its land mooring.

Looking forward to walks and discovering more about this, the bottom end of Cradle Mountain/ Lake St Clair NP.

265 km @ 12.34 L/10 km (3542 km @ 11.90 L/100 km)