Just Hanging Around

Sign at Dunalley Pub

View from the Dunalley Bridge, towards Fish Market

Bridge opened to let boats through Denison Canal

Waiting for his friend

Good to see at least one place left untouched by last year's fires

Where's my fish???

Sorry, my old bones don't fancy cold water today

Who needs zoos?

Ask a busy person to do a job, and hey presto, it will be done.  Give 2 travellers all the time in the world and they will achieve nothing!

It’s 9 days since our last blog, and here we are in New Norfolk, 5 nights of doing nothing very much other than walking up town for coffee (an excellent find), frequenting the local Woolworths for essentials, and swimming every afternoon in the nearby Olympic pool.  New Norfolk is a very pretty little town 38 kilometres northwest of Hobart.  Established in 1811 and originally called Elizabeth Town, the name was changed in 1825 in recognition of the influx of soldiers, convicts and free settlers from Norfolk Island.  Apart from the Oast houses, a couple of old Inns (The Colony and Bush Inn), many antique shops, and the oldest church in Tasmania, (St Matthews Anglican Church with its beautiful stained glass windows), the main claim to fame of New Norfolk is Willow Court.  It was originally built in 1832 to house sick and invalid convicts but four years later facilities were added for the insane.  In 1848 it was reclassified as a lunatic asylum and remained as such for the next 150 years, closing in 2000.

Backtracking a little, we left Oatlands for Dunalley, a quick trip down the highway towards Port Arthur.  There’s a free camp behind the pub at Dunalley, high on the hill, overlooking the town which was so devastated during last year’s fires.  It was good to see the Fish Market still operating, plus the general store which sells excellent crayfish rolls.  Our greatest find, though, was on an early morning walk down the hill to the jetty.  We saw what we though was an old tyre, swirling around in the tide, but as we got closer saw that it was a large seal meandering round and round outside the fish market.  Evidently it’s a local identity and hangs around waiting for the market’s fish bones which appear magically around 10am.  The Market's old dog evidently gets on very well with the seal and occasionally swims with it, both licking each other’s faces when they get the chance.  We watched the dog intently watching the seal, and wondered from the intensity of its gaze, whether there was any silent communication between the two. 

After a couple of nights at Dunalley we headed to Port Arthur, not, this time for a visit, but to check out the camping area for Ingrid’s arrival next week.  Like New Norfolk, it was a great find, with plenty of room, and trees, between each campsite and immaculate showers and toilets.  There was wildlife aplenty at night; wallabies, bandicoots, and very tame Green Rosellas which we discovered were particularly partial to our almonds.

While at the campground we were joined by a large Honda Goldwing motorcycle complete with trailer which opened out into a large-ish and very comfortable tent.  On talking with the owners we were amazed to find that the female of the duo was the sister in law of my cousin Nancy, from Warialda.  What are the chances of that so far from home?

On the way to the campground we stopped at the Blowhole, the Tassellated Pavement, (an interesting rock formation which gives the impression of paving stones) and Eaglehawk Neck, which joins the Forestier to the Tasman Peninsula.  This is where the “Dog Line” was set up to capture escapees from Port Arthur.  Ferocious guard dogs were chained to a row of posts at the narrowest point, to alert guards to any likely escapes.  Also at Eaglehawk Neck is an old wooden building which was the original Officers Quarters (possibly the oldest timber military building in the country).  In many ways it is more interesting than Port Arthur itself, with each room being stripped back to bare bones, and many historical stories to lead you through the various ages.  In the beginning of last century it became a family home, and the young girl who moved in with her family lived there for 77 years. 

So from Port Arthur to New Norfolk where Ray is happily playing with his new small Weber BBQ, which he feels will be more useful than the previous BBQ, which didn’t cope well with windy conditions.  We had delicious steak last night, and I agree that it was better cooked on the new one, than stewed on the old!  It has taken quite a bit of rearrangement to make room for it, but in the meantime we have downsized quite a bit and will head to Vinnies tomorrow to offload everything. 

Tomorrow?  Who knows.  We’re just about to head uptown for lunch, then a swim before school gets out, and tomorrow perhaps a visit to sleepy Hamilton or Mt Field National Park, which has excellent walks to magnificent waterfalls.  No matter where you choose to go in Tasmania, there are hidden treasures and beautiful scenery everywhere.