Christmas Time, Tasmania.

 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment over the past year and before.  

Keep safe and well.  I will be able to view your blogs whilst away but not post one.  Hopefully I will see you all early next year.

At the time of writing this post there is no Covid-19 in our State of Tasmania. However, there are a couple of people in Quarantine returned travellers but no local transmission.  Most things are back to near normal for us.  We are ever so lucky.

In a few days we are heading down south to the Huon Valley for a few weeks holiday. Eldest son, his wife and two little ones are coming to - bringing their caravan and of course we will be taking ours.

Youngest son is staying in the house with his children.

The photos are of the Huon and beyond taken 2019.

 

Lilies at Christmas

 Christmas in Australia.  The photo I acquired of the Internet and it's 'free'.

The Lilies from my garden are in bloom and the garden does look colourful.

 

Old digital Photos 1998

Old digital photos.  I really can't recall my first digital camera certainly had one in 1998 as the photos below were taken with it.  I somehow remember having an earlier camera with the resolution so small and nothing good to store the photos on only floppy discs - remember those?

The Launceston City Mall has changed over the years and was the first Mall in Australia in the 1970's.

These days the Mall in near empty of retail businesses and nothing like in the past.  We certainly don't have big shopping centres here in Launceston, it's just the times, buying online and so forth due to the decline.

The first photo is of the Quadrant Mall up around the corner from the Brisbane Mall.

A link to the Launceston Mall in 2012.

 

Both of the Brisbane Street Mall - looking south, looking north

Campbell Town, Tasmania

Campbell Town is about 70km south of Launceston Tasmania.  It's a nice place to stop and have a rest when driving to Hobart.  Campbell Town offers  coffee shops, grocery store a park, a pub and nick knacks along with a few other things.  Population is about 750 to 800 people and is a friendly rural town with farming being the main business in the area.  My 2nd great grandfather coming as a free settler in 1854 from Kilkenny, Ireland with his wife and a few children to live in a place behind Campbell Town called Isis River which is in fact just a river and a farm or two.  2nd great grandfather grew potatoes in this area and extended his family, but not satisfied with his crops he moved to Tunnack, Tasmania further south east where he remained until his death in 1880.

I've shown photos of the Red Bridge the oldest used bridge on a the National Highway in Australia built by convicts.  (These photos of the bridge I've never shown)

It took convict 15 months between 1836-38 to build and the bricks were made of clay. The bridge goes over the Elizabeth River.

The sea

Oh well I forgot to do a post for Friday so Saturday it is.  Thought I would share some ocean/sea photos of The Friendly Beaches on the East Coast of Tasmania. 

I love this beach, the sand is silky and white it goes through the toes so easily.  The sea itself is a beautiful colour in reality and it's a long beach in a National Park area to get to it.  So a park pass is essential.  The beach is never ever crowded.

Mountains

Thought I show you a couple of mountains.  The first being Mt. Roland which is 1,234 meters high 4048ft so it's not a high one.  Mt. Roland can be seen from afar along the north west coast of Tasmania, the mountain is inland.  A Doctor from Adelaide in South Australia killed his wife up there some years ago.

We have Cradle Mountain along the north west coast as well and inland.  Dove Lake is what the lake is called and one can walk around the lake on a good walk track and take a while to walk it.  Yes, I have walked it a few times when up there but not the last time a few years back. Cradle Mountain is 1,545 meters above sea level and is very popular with tourist.

I remember going to Cradle Mountain when about 14 years of age certainly nothing like it is today the road to it.  We didn't have to pay back then to take the shuttle bus to the parking area as there was no such thing.  Just drove to a parking area some distance from the lake then walked, there were no paths, just a track but what fun it was.

The Nut at Stanley is 143 meters high one can get a chair lift of walk up the steep hill - once we used to walk up the steep hill as there was no chair lift.

Richmond, Tasmania

That's 'him' waiting patiently for me whilst I walk over the old bridge to take photos. Certainly no place for caravan parking.

Oldest stone span bridge in Australia built by convicts the foundation stone was laid in 1823, bridge finished 1825. I've shown pictures of the bridge before but never shown these from 2015.

A poem cleverly written.

Saw this poem the other day it's appropriate for anyone who drives a car with a passenger. I hope you enjoy reading it till the end :)

By Pam Ayres,

I have a little Satnav

It sits there in my car

A Satnav is a driver's friend

It tells you where you are

I have a little Satnav

I've had it all my life

It's better than the normal ones

My Satnav is my wife

It gives me full instructions

Especially how to drive

"It's sixty Ks an hour", it says

"You're doing sixty five"

It tells me when to stop and start

And when to use the brake

And tells me that it's never ever

Safe to overtake

It tells me when a light is red

And when it goes to green

It seems to know instinctively

Just when to intervene

It lists the vehicles just in front

And all those to the rear

And taking this into account

It specifies my gear.

I'm sure no other driver

Has so helpful a device

For when we leave and lock the car

It still gives its advice

It fills me up with counselling

Each journey's pretty fraught

So why don't I exchange it

And get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house,

Makes sure I'm properly fed,

It washes all my shirts and things

And keeps me warm in bed!

Despite all these advantages

And my tendency to scoff,

I only wish that now and then

I could turn the f ****er off.

The beach at Devonport, Tasmania

Whilst at Devonport the other day we went to look at the Mersey River, the tide was out as you can see.  This is the river that the ships sail up to Bass Strait, the ferry to Melbourne and freight ships. 

The first 2 photos are of the Mersey River, one looking southwards down the river, the other where Neptune is looking north and the mouth of the river and beginning of Bass Strait.

Then we have Coles Beach around further to the west of Devonport and houses directly opposite the beach.  There is a good parking area and facilities there.

My parents lived at Devonport for a number of years till their passing.

 

St. Mary's Anglican Church, Hagley, Tasmania

Called into the Anglican church named St. Mary's Church at Hagley on the way home on Thursday.  The lane to the church is very narrow as you can see in the last photo. The church's beginnings was in 1856 and opened in 1862.

The Lighthouse, Devonport

The Lighthouse near the mouth of the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania helps guide The Spirit of Tasmania and a few freight ships into the river to berth.  The lighthouse is built on a stone base and is made of bricks, was built in 1889.

Yesterday we drove north west up to Devonport just 100km from home, my parents are buried in the lawn cemetery there and we visited putting flowers on their graves.

The area the photos were taken yesterday is known as 'The Hat'.

.

A Shark Killed a Man in Broome, WA

Tragic news from Broome in Western Australia (WA) where a shark attacked and killed a man off Cable Beach where the man was body surfing.  His body was recovered. This happened a few days ago.  The last time a shark killed a man was back in 1993.  The beach has been closed for the time being.

 My photos of Cable Beach when we were there 5 years ago.  It's a small town with this beautiful beach where people come to watch the sunsets, have picnics on the sand mainly for their evening meal.  The town is isolated as there are no large towns or cities near it.

I have included a map. Broome is about 6,000km from home here in Launceston, Tasmania.  There of course is a shorter route by vehicle but for a part of it is just a track.