MOT Tour Day 67 - Deloraine to Devonport

One of the silk panels

One last thing to do in Deloraine this morning, with a visit to the local visitors information centre, where they host Yarns: Artwork in Silk. Sue was particularly interested in viewing the four silken panels depicting the history, landscapes and lifestyles of the Meander Valley people. She was most impressed.

While Sue attended to the panels, I walked through the folk museum and was pleasantly surprised by the scope of the exhibits and the quality of the curation. Set primarily in the former Commercial Inn, there were the usual domestic scenes in bedrooms and other rooms you would expect to find in houses of the 19th century. Bonuses were the bar area and the cellar below the bar.

There was also an interesting exhibition focusing on the history of the racing industry based on Deloraine. The town was the host of the annual Grand National Steeplechase for more than 150 years until the demise of the track. On the flat track, Malua, a Deloraine born, bred and trained stayer, won the Melbourne Cup in 1884 and a sculpture of the horse is in the courtyard of the centre. The last Tasmanian trained horse to have success in Australia's best known race was Piping Lane in 1972, keeping the legend Gunsynd in third place.

A model of jockey John Letts
in Piping Lane's Colours

The museum continued outside with sheds and garden items and several huts and rough bush houses in the fashion of those reported yesterday which Boy Miles built, with his brothers, in the mountain regions of the Meander Valley area.

It was all really impressive and one of the best I have seen.

Our next stop was only fifteen minutes away in Elizabeth Town, where we met up with an old friend and pottery mentor of Sue’s, Merv Zell at the Elizabeth Town Cafe. We had a lovely catch up for a few hours. He’s such a great bloke and it was good to see him again, with only a cup of coffee in Tamworth in the last six years since he retired and came to Tassie.

Devonport was pretty close by now, but not before a return visit to Anvers Chocolates. So many goodies to choose from!

We eventually got to our last Tasmanian digs, the excellent Discovery Parks in Devonport. It’s right on the coastline facing Bass Strait and is one of the best parks on the Apple Isle. We had opted for an ensuite site to spoil ourselves as a reward. Glad we did.

Click here to see today's photos

I went for a walk along the excellent foreshore path toward Pardoe Beach, not quite making it in order to nurse my sore knee. Had a lovely conversation with an older lady walking her dog Buddy. Buddy had lost his life-long mate a few weeks earlier and hasn't been himself, barking at people, especially those with hats. He approached me, sniffed the back of my hand and we were instantly best mates.

A few lazy days until we sail.