MOT Tour Day 62 - Rest Day

I say rest day but ...

Franklin Nature Trail

I spent three hours driving the laptop this morning, crunching the numbers and making the columns of $$ add up to the right results so that I don't have to take a job in order to leave Tasmania. Its never my favourite task at home but one that has to be done every fortnight to make sure we are on the right financial track.

After lunch, we visited The Honey Pot. They have a screen from a hive which is placed behind glass and you can watch the bees do their twitchy thing and try and find the queen. Neither of us could. Wandered through their shop - which is the rest of the experience apart for the disclosed hive screen - and found it very expensive. Did think of buying Sue a Huon Pine jewellery box - plain wood about 10cm by 20cm by 5cm deep - but thought I might need that $450 before I get home. Rebrand necessary: The Honey Trap.

Drove back down to Franklin to walk the nature trail. Mostly a board walk which travels along the bank of the Huon. Plenty of seats for canoodling and a lot of effort being made to reclaim the area by planting natives and cutting back the invasive species. Not long but very pleasant, especially since the weather continued its morning trend of overcast and drizzle and the thermometer was hovering in the mid teens. Had a lovely chat with a couple from the Gold Coast. About our age. About our temperament. About our viewpoints. Because of our concerns about the ongoing nature of Covid, we haven't had much opportunity to chinwag with others and we've missed it.

Click here for today's photos

Starting the journey toward home tomorrow. This week we reached the furthest point away from home
(2,026 kms) when we went to Hastings Caves. We take the first 160 km of the return tomorrow when we drive to the historic town of Ross.

MOT Tour Days 58 & 59 - Huonville, Geeveston & Tahune

Camp site in Huonville

 Yesterday was spent moving from Hobart to the Huon Valley. It wasn't far but we took our time and set up up fully in our new digs. The Huonville Caravan Park is a friendly and well appointed spot and our part of that was right beside the Mountain River, a tributary of the mighty Huon River which dominates this area. We could kick a loose stone from beside our van and see it make circles in the Mountain River.

Today, we drove down to Geeveston and enjoyed the information centre and its wonderful representation of local woodworkers. It has traditionally been the centre of the "Piners" who took out as much of the Huon pines that they could. Two days a week, the centre plays host to a local woodworker who works away while you watch behind a glass partition. Not so today. There are a lot of wood crafted items for sale that have been made locally. Upstairs, there was a display of old woodworking machine based on treadle power and an art display by a local artist who suffered ill health during the Covid disaster period and used art as a restorative tool.

The information centre also has a display of photos and memorabilia from the ABC TV show Rosehaven, which was filmed in Geeveston and several other small towns with in this are of the Huon Valley.

The Huon River

We took off west along the Avre Road, through a long, slow drive under 60 kph, often winding, often under steep descents over 30 km, to arrive at Tahune Air Walk on the Huon River. Where we left the Huon at Geeveston, it was a widening bay on it way to join the Tasman Sea. By Tahune, it had worked a giant loop to the north and was a robust wild river about two thirds of its journey from Lake Pedder. The Air Walk is a metal walkway that loops through the forest about 30 metres above the forest floor until it culminates it the breathtaking Cantilever, a metal walkway that is suspended out away from the last pylon with no further support at the other end. You hang there, swaying a little and looking down on the Huon, now 50 metres below you. Its a buzz and well worth the effort, because you have a climb up the hill to get to the entry point. Unfortunately, the experience is weakened by the fire in 2016 which ripped through the area of the Air Walk, destroying major trees and razing the underfloor.

Strangely, I enjoyed the more traditional Huon walk, normally a half hour stroll which leads you through forest of a variety of tree types. A combination of board walks and track, tacks you through some giant trees, the dominant species being Springybarks. They are normally resistant to fire because of their fibrous bark and although some are black from the flames of 2016, they remain. The under storey is brim with huge ferns. We stopped and ate lunch in a lovely spot in forest. Further on, beside the river, there were more Huon Pines, which we had come to recognise by their unique leaves. It was a really pleasant walk.

Click here for today's photos

We retired to the very well appointed cafe - well appointed because this is truly a wilderness area - and had ice creams and enjoyed a glorious view of the Huon flowing past.

The drive back was another chance for me to enjoy some real driving, something Tasmania has provided for me constantly.