Tuesday 30 June 2015

Across the Murray River!

We are currently in Burra, South Australia (SA) spending one night.

I was amused at the Driver of the Ferry across the Murray River in SA at a place called Morgan.  As he steers the ferry he reads his phone, the photo was captured looking through the windscreen of the vehicle.  The other photo of a bird was taken on the Murray way down the road at Renmark in SA.
We are heading North.

Later this week I'm going to post a few maps with the distance and where we intend to go.

Friday 26 June 2015

The Journey

We set sail for Melbourne, Victoria at 7.30pm, the other evening. The crossing took 10 & 1/2 hours. Was a reasonably smooth one, lucky we both slept rather well.
We had a cabin with an ensuite which was lovely and clean.
The call via the intercom in our cabin to arise from the bed was 5.50am, to be down below in the vehicle at 6.30am.  As soon as we were seated the vehicle in front drove off and so did we, no waiting.  There was just a little daylight.  This was excellent as we were able to get well up the highway before the heavy Melbourne traffic began.

The photo is of part of the dinning room on the Spirit of Tasmania.






Photos were taken with my phone.  I'm blogging using my iPad so I hope it's ok.

Thursday 25 June 2015

The Spirit of Tasmania

A link {Previous Post 2014} showing photos of the Spirit of Tasmania sailing up the Mersey River at Devonport, Tasmania.

The following photos are of the Burnie area - see map below.  Photos taken a couple of weeks back.
The sea is Bass Strait.





The Police Station at Burnie.  My late dad was a Commander there in charge of Traffic Branch.






A part of the Wharf


Breakwater at Burnie. 




Tuesday 23 June 2015

Forth, Tasmania.

As you read this post we are about to travel across Bass Strait to Melbourne, arriving on the June 24 in Port Melbourne.
More photos are of the area around Turners Beach in Tasmania.
The place is 'Forth' with such beautiful soil where many vegetables are grown, along with sheep and cows on many properties.


 There is a lookout but I prefer the side of the road.






The Highway and the Forth River




Forth and Turners Beach on the map - from Launceston to the end of the first black mark.

Sunday 21 June 2015

Snow, Sunset, Beach in Winter, Tasmania

On Tuesday June 23, my husband and I are going across the sea, Bass Strait to Melbourne, Australia touring States of Australia for 3 months in our caravan, this we have done in the past several times.  I will put a map on my blog where we are going.
Hopefully I can post at least one photo once a week if not more, it depends on Wi-Fi service and how much data we can use.  When we return home late September I will post more photos of the places we have been.   

I hope you all can follow us as we travel.  I will endeavor to visit your blogs.

This past week we travelled once again to Turners Beach on the North West Coast of Tasmania and stayed for 4 nights.  We had the 4 wheel drive serviced, it's 10,000km one nearby.

Nearly a year has passed since my dear dad passed away, often visit the grave of my parents there, this time someone had stolen the flowers!!  So it was into the city of Devonport to get some more artificial flowers and back to the cemetery to put them in place.  For the life of me, I can't understand why someone would steal those flowers.

On the way to the 'Coast' as we call it, snow was on part of the Western Tiers, so we stopped to take this photo below.




A winter sunset at Turners Beach...lucky it had been a lovely sunny day, then evening.


Also at the same beach there is the Forth River, this photo looks to Bass Strait.


A short walk up the river, the photo of what's on the other side.


Back at the caravan park at sunset.

 Map of where we are going.

Friday 19 June 2015

Town houses of Bicheno, Tasmania.

Below are a couple of houses at Bicheno on the East Coast of Tasmania.  The first on is an accommodation place with another apartment to the right of the photo.  This first one has a sea view.

The second house below is a private one with a sea view.  In the town there are some lovely homes many of the shacks have been replaced over time.






One of the main streets in Bicheno.


Log Cabin Store which has everything as many country stores do.


A little wooden church

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Golf Club at Bicheno, Tasmania

The Gold Club at Bicheno here in Tasmania was built in the 1960's...it's used by visitors and locals.
I'm not into Golf but many are.




Natureworld is not far from Bicheno and is a Wildlife Sanctuary for all ages.  A Restaurant is attached and offers breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
Some of you maybe familiar with the cartoon Taz modelled on the Tasmanian Devil.




A bit of bush up the road that leads to a National Park.



Monday 15 June 2015

Coles Bay, Tasmania, Australia.

Coles Bay on the East Coast of Tasmania is a small village on the edge of the Freycinet National Park.  The Bay has a small beach and the water can get rough in the blink of an eye.  Once years ago we camped there, these days it's very different, one wouldn't know that you were in the same place..  Beach Access is through the bush because the vegetation has grown back. A Parks Pass is required which we have.  The day we were there it was very windy and cold.
We drove up the hills after seeing the Hazards from a distance, and we were going to walk to the lookout to see Wine Glass Bay, but due to the bad weather plus there was nowhere to leave the caravan we didn't.
There are tours to wine glass bay, the bay being shaped like a wine glass, there are dolphins and whales along with other sea creatures to see if one takes the cruise to wine glass bay.

Coles Bay was the first place in the World to Ban plastic shopping bags in April 2003.



Part of Oyster Bay


The Hazards are a rugged mountain chain in the Freycinet National Park.  These Hazards are said to be named after a local whaler, African-American Captain Richard Hazard.
The rocks are made of granite, Orthoclase, a pink feldspar, gives the mountains their pink tint, but not the day I took photos.


Part of one of the Hazards


The narrow road back down, it's here we turned around with the caravan.


Love this Australian/Tasmanian tree.


The Boat sheds at Coles Bay.  Lots of Chinese tourist about all taking many photos like me.


Friday 12 June 2015

A man from Somerset, England in Tasmania.

How is was back in the 1800's   Interesting reading.

The grave of Mr. John Allen is located at Bicheno, Tasmania.
His Obituary was taken from The Mercury Newspaper 32 December 1879

OBITUARY.   31 Dec 1879
MR. JOHN ALLEN. — A few days ago Mr. John Allen, one of the oldest settlers in Glamorgan, passed away at the age of 73. He was born in county Somerset, England, on the 16th November, 1806, and left London for this colony in the early part of 1826 in the ship Hugh Crawford, commanded by the late Captain Wm. Langdon, R.N. He arrived in Hobart Town on the 20th October of the same year, and on the recommendation of Governor Arthur, he resolved to go to Oyster Bay with the late Mr. W. Lyne and family. They started in a small vessel a few days before Christmas, and spent Christmas Day in Stewart's Harbour, now called Port Arthur. Shortly after they arrived in Oyster Bay, and landing at a place now called Moulting Bay, the first things they saw were flocks of kangaroos, which were very numerous then.

Mr. Allen took up his first grant of land at Milton, in Glamorgan, near Swansea. In March, 1828, when he had finished reaping and secured all his crops, and when all hands were away except one boy, the blacks came and burnt all the buildings, the stacks of wheat, and nearly everything Mr. Allen possessed; the loss being about £300, besides books, papers, etc., which could not be replaced. Undaunted, however, by this disaster, he set to work again, and so deter-mined was he to succeed that for nine months after the fire he never took off his clothes except on Sunday, and used to sleep on a sheet of bark, with his musket beside him, and his ammunition pouch strapped around him, until he received   another bed from England. On December 28, in the same year, he fought single handed a tribe of native blacks, numbering from thirteen to eighteen, besides "gins" to bring them spears, waddles, etc. For   eight hours on one of the hottest days recorded, Mr. Allen kept the natives back with a musket and pistol, neither of which, singular to say, he fired; the presentation of the fire-arms in the direction of the blacks was sufficient to scare them. Nor was he in any way hurt, though he had to dodge the spears and waddles the whole time. After this the Police Magistrate at Swansea allowed two soldiers to be stationed on the farm for protection, upon his taking the oath as a special constable, and they remained there about two years. Mr. Allen prospered, as he well deserved to do.

In May, 1832, he walked to Hobart Town — he always did his business on foot — and there found his sister, who had just arrived from England with money for him to return there, his relatives being anxious to see him. Accordingly he sailed in the barque Science, which was loaded with wool and specie. For the first six weeks they had bad weather, and then, on the 21st June, the ship was caught in a storm in lat. 56 S., and long. 125 W. Getting among the icebergs she was struck and capsized, but very soon righted. Mr. Allen, who was the first on deck, found the mizzenmast broken short, the mainmast split up, the foremast tottering, the rigging being across the deck, and the bulwarks smashed; besides which nearly all the best hands were gone. The captain gave up all hope of being saved; but Mr Allen determined to make an attempt to save their lives, so he cut away with the loose rigging, stopped up the holes in the deck with wool, and with the aid of one or two others, showed that the hull of the ship was still good. Six days after they fell in with a South Sea whaler, the barque Worrence, which took them all on board to the number of fifteen. Mr. Allen left in the last boat, after looking round for any valuables; but unfortunately he had not been told about the specie, which was therefore lost. It is related that one old man would not leave the ship because he could not find his treasury bills; but when all his friends had got aboard the Worrence, he was seen beckoning to be taken off, so a boat was sent for him. The hull was set fire to, and she was seen to founder. The Worrence landed the distressed people at Rio Janeiro, whence Mr. Allen went to England in H.M S. King William IV., a sloop of war, in command of Lord Colchester.

The first night he was in England he caught a severe cold, and never had good health while there. He accordingly soon returned to Tasmania, in the barque Ann, and remained here till his death.

Mr. Allen was a man of indomitable perseverance, and was an excellent farmer, as many persons who have visited Picnic Place, Bicheno, will testify. He was a great walker. About fifteen months ago, he was at the Campbell Town Show, and through some mistake horses were not sent to meet him; so he   and his daughter walked home, a distance of forty miles, and were not much fatigued thereby. Mr. Allen passed away peacefully, after only eleven days' illness, and without the slightest pain, on Friday, the 19th inst. His remains were interred at Bicheno on the 23rd, there being a very large and respectable funeral, many friends coming long distances to be present. The chief mourners were six sons of the deceased, and the pall-bearers were Messrs. Henry Lyne, Clarence Lyne, Fred. Hume,
and Alex. Robertson.





Wednesday 10 June 2015

The General Store at Swansea, Tasmania

Morris General Store at Swansea on the East Coast of Tasmania has been one for over 100 years.
It's in the main street, which is a busy one for the small population.
An IGA Supermarket is joined onto the store, then you go through the door to view so many things one could and can buy.  There is another room which sells all kitchen ware, I had a great time looking.  Wool is also sold along with needles, crochet hooks and patterns.
The store has been in the Morris family all of the years.






Sunday 7 June 2015

Churches of Ross

Ross has 3 Churches.
Ross Uniting Church was built in 1885 and is noted for it's Blackwood pews.


The steps are well worn to the entrance of the Uniting Church.












 The Catholic Church which was once a store and converted in the 1920's to a Gothic Revival style.
The inside is extremely dark making a photo impossible without a tripod.


St. Johns Anglican Church built in 1868 and contains a 100 year old organ.  The church was closed so hence no photos of the inside.