December 2022 - www.voyagebien.com

DAY 1 – December 10, 2022 – From New York to Los Angeles

Posted on December 10, 2022August 16, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 1 - December 10, 2022 - From New York to Los Angeles

6:00am. Well, after so many months of prep, the Big Day is finally here to go on our long-overdue trip to Australia!! Very excited to see Jessica and Alex and meet Alex’s parents. It has been way too many months since we last saw Jessica and Alex – which was at Andy and Amy’s wedding on September 22, 2018! It seems so long ago and the pandemic has changed so many things since then.

We booked our flights in February 2022 – and, yes, of course, our flights have changed a few times because the airlines keep canceling flights and reshuffling things around (both American Airlines for our LA flight and Qantas for our Australia flight). For the first leg of our trip, we are on American Airlines, direct to Los Angeles. Then, with Qantas, we were supposed to land in Sydney and fly from there to Hobart, but now we are landing in Melbourne to catch a flight to Hobart.

9:00am. What an easy day to go to the airport. Our driver was here as planned, and we were on our way to the airport. Hard to believe but we arrived at JFK in less than 25 minutes. I am sure we beat all the records for the fastest ride from downtown Manhattan to the airport.

We noticed that the airport was very quiet with very few people. Saturdays are usually quiet days but it was really, really dead quiet. No complaints from us.

Having TSA Pre and business class tickets made our check-in and security checks very quick. Wish it could always be like that… We then went to the American Airlines lounge which was rather quiet on this Saturday morning. We found a table and had some fruit, water, and coffee. Quite a nice breakfast buffet with some light fare and drinks. There is no doubt that traveling business makes a difference. Like Jim said, “I’ll never fly coach again!”

We boarded on time and the business section was quite nice with seats that go completely flat and a rather large screen to watch movies, shows, etc. I was even able to catch part of the quarter final soccer match between France and England. France won! But lots of complaints about the referee not being fair and favorable to the French over the English.

Jim plays with his seat controls… 🙂

On the plane, we had a nice lunch served with a good Cabernet Sauvignon. We both took a nap after eating. The rest of the time was spent watching a dumb movie – Jurassic Park Dominion… really the worst movie I’ve seen in a long time! Luckily, I was able to watch the France-England game.

Overall, it was a very easy flight. We arrived slightly ahead of the official time and after picking up my big suitcase (filled with gifts), we called Uber and got to the Jamaica Bay Inn in Marina Del Rey. Of course, traffic was, well, LA-messy traffic. Nothing has changed on that front. I definitely couldn’t live in LA anymore as I have no patience with traffic.

The hotel was OK and the people were nice, but the décor needs significant renovation.

After a quick break we decided to go explore the area since it’s been a while since visiting Los Angeles.

We found the canals to be much nicer than we expected. Lots of pretty houses with well-manicured yards. Must cost a fortune to buy a house in the area. The sun was disappearing on us very quickly, but we were able to take some photos.

The Venice Canals

Although the weather was not your typical California sunny weather – a bit chilly with lots of clouds – we continued our walk toward Venice Beach. The night was still too young for the party animals to be out on Venice Beach. The area still looks the same from when we lived in California except with quite a few homeless camps – these didn’t exist when we lived in LA.

Venice Beach

We wanted to grab an early dinner and I remember a restaurant I used to go to with friends called the Rose Venice (in business for since 1979). We made a reservation on OpenTable and we were there right on time for our 6:00pm reservation.

However, the restaurant was completely changed from the “old days” and instead of a relax American/Italian café it was a fancier place with Asian fusion dishes.

The waiter was super pushy and tried to sell us their truffle five course dinners for $100 + $77 for 5 wines, supposedly the best wines ever. In any case, all we wanted was something light. But it is one of these restaurants that’s trying hard to be original with all kinds of weird stuff that makes it difficult to find a dish.

I opted for meatless cheese pasta and Jim had a fish cassoulet. Although it was tasty, they messed up serving us by not bringing our dishes at the same time. The waiter tried to find an excuse… thinking we were dummies. Needless to say, we didn’t give the waiter a good tip… he should change jobs and become an insurance or used car salesman instead.

Since it was too dark and a bit sketchy to walk back to the hotel, we called an Uber (our first ride in a Tesla) and finished the evening quietly in our hotel room. We hope that our trip continues to be as smooth as it has been so far.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES FLOWN = 2,475 miles (3,983 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 4.15 miles (6.7 km)

DAY 2 & DAY 3 – December 11 & 12, 2022 – From Los Angeles to Melbourne

Posted on December 12, 2022August 16, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 2 & Day 3 – December 11 & 12, 2022 – From Los Angeles to Melbourne

With the time difference between New York and Los Angeles, we both woke up around 3:00am. Outside, there was a big storm with heavy rain and strong winds. Where is our sunny California weather? We must have brought in the cold weather from New York.

Luckily we were able to go back to sleep. In the end, we got up after 6:00am and took our sweet time to go downstairs for a very good breakfast.

We were moving very slow this morning as we had plenty of time before our flight for Melbourne due to depart at 9:05pm.

Once more… Walking in LA before our long flight to Australia

After the rain subsided, we dressed up warmly to brace for the strong winds and walk from Marina Del Rey to the Santa Monica Pier, a 3.8-mile walk.

The wind was so strong that I should’ve worn my winter hat, but I had left it in my suitcase in the room… hope I don’t get sick!

Because yesterday we didn’t have enough time to see all the Venice Canals, we decided to take a small detour through the Canals. Some streets were flooded due to last night’s heavy rains.

The Oddities of Venice Beach

We then walked along the beach going through a very quiet Venice Beach this Sunday morning – all the party animals sleeping off whatever it is they drank or smoked the night before.

Santa Monica Pier

The famous Santa Monica Pier seen in so many movies and TV shows! The pier was quiet on this Sunday, probably because of the cold weather (at least for Californians!).

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the Route 66 kiosk which marks the end of the historic Route 66 (established in 1926) that starts in Chicago and crosses the country. Lots of stories, songs, and movies about Route 66.

Once at the pier, we found a restaurant nearby, the Red O Cantina, a Mexican restaurant. Decent lunch at decent prices. We ate as light as possible so as not to interfere with our 16-hour flight to Melbourne. An Uber took us back to our hotel where we chilled until it was time to get ready to catch another Uber, this time to the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

Amazingly, it took us just under 30 minutes to get to the terminal from our hotel and only 20 minutes to check in to the Qantas ticket counter, go through TSA pre security, and then to the Oneworld Lounge. I don’t remember having done all of this in so little time. Another record on this trip. We relaxed in the Qantas business lounge until it was time for us to get to our gate.

The plane was one of those newer Boeing planes, the new 787 aka the Dreamliner. Lots of new features on this plane and every passenger in business class (no first class on this plane) has their own mini-pods with seats that lay down flat so you can sleep. It was the first time for Jim to be in on an international business class… will be hard to go back to coach, if ever! The flight attendants were very friendly throughout our flight and Jim even struck a conversation about photography with one of them.

The food was decent but not as tasty as on other American Airlines international flights I’ve been on. They served dinner quite fast as well, which was a bit unusual. Maybe because it is a late flight and people want to get to sleep.

We stayed up as late as possible, watching TV shows and movies, trying to get to the Hobart time zone right away. We slept for several hours and woke up about four hours before our arrival in Melbourne. They served us breakfast prior to landing in Melbourne. We were not feeling so tired after all.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES FLOWN = 7,926 miles (12,756 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 5.35 miles (8.6 km)

DAY 4 – December 13, 2022 – From Melbourne to Hobart

Posted on December 13, 2022September 24, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 4 - December 13, 2022 - From Melbourne to Hobart

We landed in Melbourne at 8:00am, under cloudy skies. Walking on the gangway, we could feel the chilly air coming through… summer time, right? Um… Thanks to my Australian passport we were able to get through customs rather quickly. However, we had to wait for my big suitcase to be delivered and then it became a mess to try and get out of the Baggage Claims area due to two other international flights arriving at the same time from India and China. What a pain going through the final customs checkpoint. However, we did bypass the agricultural checks thanks again to my Australian passport.

My cell phone was working as I had bought the one-month international pass with my mobile carrier, Verizon. I texted Jessica to let her know that we had landed and were now waiting for our flight from Melbourne to Hobart at 10:50am. Almost there!

Flying off to Hobart, Tasmania!

Waiting to take off from Melbourne… yes, we’re flying coach now! 😊

Flying over Tasmania

Here we are, at last! Hobart. We landed on time just after noon. The Hobart airport is relatively smaller and our luggage delivery was pretty fast.

Bronze Sculptures of the Tasmanian Devil at the Hobart Airport…

Jess and Alex were circling around the airport and we managed to find each other at the drop-off/pick-up area a few hundred meters from the terminal. In Hobart, they no longer allow passengers to be picked up or dropped off right in front of the terminal. Not a bad idea, but a bit of a pain with luggage.

So nice to see Jess and Alex!!

After dropping off our luggage and taking a quick shower, we headed downtown to do some shopping for basic items that we didn’t bring with us. The weather was not very “summery,” but more like fall and it started to rain as we were walking through an outdoor mall.

We grabbed lunch at the Whaler, a pub-restaurant, and ate outside under umbrellas. The rain did stop somewhat, but it kept drizzling every so often.

We were able to find the additional items needed for our vacation in Tasmania. Because of the holiday season and the heavy rain, it took us one hour and a half to get out of the parking lot!!! Luckily, we were in good company and spent the time talking about all kinds of things… and the time passed by fast.

Once we were out of the parking lot (an adventure in itself), we went to the grocery store and the wine store to stock up for a few days.

Jess and Alex’s house is quite spacious. They just moved a few months ago and are still getting settled in. The inside has been renovated, and the kitchen and bathroom are quite nice.

We had dinner and talked for a while until we were ready to go to sleep. We were quite surprised not to have any jet lag – at least, not yet.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES FLOWN = 378 miles (608 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 13 miles (21 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 4.13 miles (6.6 km)

DAY 5 – December 14, 2022 – Relaxing in Hobart

Posted on December 14, 2022September 24, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 5 - December 14, 2022 - Relaxing in Hobart

Homemade bread by Alex for breakfast with fresh jams and coffee. Nice way to start the day!

Today is a day of relaxation. Good timing since the weather was quite bad – winter weather actually, with cold temperatures, rain, and winds. The coldest “winter” in summer time according to the media. It even snowed in some of Tasmania’s high peaks. We’re living right in the middle of this climate change myth…

We worked on some personal stuff and spent time with Jess and Alex. In the afternoon, we walked to the town of Moonah (the name of the town where Jess and Alex live). Their house is very well located and within walking distance from the main street. There are lots of small shops as well as larger stores for groceries, household goods, doctors, etc. and take-out restaurants. We bought some food and other miscellaneous items.

Overall, it was nice to chill… we even played some games with Jess on their large media screen. Fun not to have to worry about work and anything else.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 3.65 miles (5.87 km)

DAY 6 – December 15, 2022 – Visiting the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Posted on December 15, 2022August 14, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 6 - December 15, 2022 - Visiting the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

I was awakened by a text from my bank in the US that our credit card had been defrauded… great. We took so many precautions in LA when paying for food. As you know in the US, restaurants take your credit cards for payment to process at their bulky terminals. Unfortunately, restaurants are notoriously known for skimming credit cards. In our case, we actually walked the card to the terminal ourselves so it never left our side… however, somehow, one of the two restaurants we ate at must have had a skimmer at one of the terminals. I suspect it happened at the Rose Venice restaurant (not at the Mexican restaurant). Their skimmer must have been really well hidden.

So, here I am on the phone with Chase Bank to cancel our credit cards (the fraudsters had made large purchases at the online Target store). Chase reversed the fraudulent amounts charged with our credit card. To Chase’s credit, they processed our replacement cards right away. They actually rushed our credit cards via DHL… and they did arrive quite fast (after our trip to the Tasman Peninsula). No complaints with how Chase managed the fraud incident.

More Relaxing Time. . .

Since the weather was still cold and rainy (but not as bad as the day before), we stayed home in the morning. Jessica was working but it was Alex’s day off. I watched an extract of the football game between France and Morocco (2-0). Then, Jim and I worked on our photos.

Jessica had made reservations the day before for a later lunch (1:00pm) at the Succulent restaurant at the Royal Tasmanian Gardens. An hour before our lunch reservation, we headed off to the Gardens.

Jess was able to sneak out from work (not a day off for her) and come with us to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Even with the drizzle and chilled air we still enjoyed the gardens.

The gardens are a great representation of all kinds of plants not just in Tasmania but in other countries, e.g., the Southwestern Desert of the United States. It would be great one day to come back and have a picnic lunch there on a sunny day. Next time!

We were certainly not disappointed with the menu at the Succulent and the restaurant certainly lives up to its reputation.

Lunch at the Succulent

Check out their website and menu at https://leefrais.com.au/succulent/food-menu/

After lunch, we walked off the calories strolling in the gardens and drove back home. Later in the afternoon, we walked to downtown Moonah to buy wines, beer, and Cointreau… gotta have our priorities!

The rest of the day was spent quietly. Jess and I played some games on Stream more specifically a game called like Stray (a cat’s adventures looking for its home in a dystopian world… I know someone who would like this cat game! This cat behaves like a real cat!).

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 6.09 miles (9.8 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 4.09 miles (2.54 km)

DAY 7 – December 16, 2022 – From Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula

Posted on December 16, 2022September 24, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 7 - December 16, 2022 - From Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur

We left Jess and Alex’s house at approximately 9:00am. We stopped for gas and filled the car tires with air. Unfortunately, the weather was not really cooperating yet and it was still rainy and cold.

This prevented us from enjoying some of the sites we had on our list… and we kept missing the road signs… still getting used to the distances in kilometers, I suppose.

We canceled the scenic route on the East side of the Tasman Peninsula, hoping we could try again before leaving the area. The low clouds made it very difficult to see anything… but we were still able to take a photo of the Bay of Dunalley (see above photo, right side).

Since the weather was not getting better, we decided to go directly to the Port Arthur Historic Site. At the visitor center we bought our ticket (which included a 20-min harbor cruise and a short stop at the Isle of the Dead (those who bought special tour tickets could off-board, but we didn’t do that).

Port Arthur is quite nice and there is still a great deal of work to restore and maintain the historic buildings. Some buildings are in ruins but they’re still interesting to see – and fun to take pictures of. The rain showers and the clouds made photography a bit challenging but in the end the photos turned out quite nicely. I personally love clouds in the sky for my photos as they add so much depth and intensity to the photographs.

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority (PAHSMA) was created in 1987 to preserve and maintain the Port Arthur Historic Site – a major Australian tourism destination and one of the country’s most important heritage sites.

In 2011, PAHSMA became responsible for the Coal Mines Historic Site and Cascades Female Factory Historic Site. All three sites (known collectively as the Port Arthur Historic Sites) are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the eleven sites comprising the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.

Harbor Boat Tour

Since it was already past noon, we grabbed lunch in the large lobby area of the visitor center. We both ordered a nice hamburger with French Fries (chips rather, as they say over here)… very healthy, but at least it was good “bad” food.

After lunch it was time for our small harbor cruise… luckily we both had our hats and rain jackets as the weather was not improving… well, at times the sun was trying to pierce through the clouds but without much success.

On the left photo, you can see the small cruise boat for the harbor tour. From the boat, we had beautiful views of the shores, Isle of the Dead, and the houses along Mason Cove.

Photo gallery taken from the boat

The Penitentiary

Mason Cove Houses

Isle of the Dead

Discovering Port Arthur

In spite of the rain showers, we had fun discovering the ruins and buildings of Port Arthur. It wasn’t very crowded and it was easy to take photographs without people in them… which is always much more pleasant!

The Penitentiary (#1 on the Map) is one of the largest buildings in the site. It was originally constructed as a flour mill and granary in 1845 to aid the settlement’s endeavor for self-sufficiency.

Ten years later, the building was converted into the Penitentiary with 136 cells, a dormitory, a dining hall, a library, and a Catholic chapel. The building fell into a state of ruin since 1877 due to fires and people taken away the bricks to build local houses and sheds.

Behind the Penitentiary is the Hospital (#9 on the Map; see photo above and photo on the right).

In the Hospital, convicts were treated for numerous health conditions contracted from working outdoors and sleeping in cold cells.

By the early 1860s, many convicts were housed and treated in the Paupers’ Depot (#11 on the Map) or the Asylum (#12 on the Map), according to new ideas that recognized the importance of mental healthcare. The Asylum today includes a museum and café.

Photo Essay of the Penitentiary

The Separate Prison

The Separate Prison (#13 on the map) was designed to deliver a new method of punishment and reform through isolation and contemplation. Convicts were locked in single cells for 23 hours each day. Here they ate, slept, and worked, with just one hour a day allowed for exercise, alone, in a high-walled yard. This building went through extensive restoration between 2007 and 2013.

Above photos: Isabelle standing at the pulpit inside the chapel. Jim in a cell (I doubt they were smiling), Some of the people were in prison for stealing food or other small stuff… basically the Brits were trying to get rid of the poor so they could put them to work for free, or in other words, as slaves.

Walking through the Gardens

The rain finally did stop – somewhat – and we were able to walk around the gardens and visit other buildings. We walked through the gardens of the Trentham cottage (#15 on the map) and, inside the cottage, we learned about the history of the family who used to live there.

We walked up toward the area called Civil Officers’ Row (#16/17/18 on the Map) where there are several cottages and gardens. The Row area consists of the Magistrate’s House, the Roman Catholic Chaplain’s House, the Junior Medical Officer’s House, the Accountant’s House, the Parsonage, and the Government Cottage. All “important” people for running the prison.

Checking at the Stewarts Bay Lodge

We could have spent more time at the site but we had to check in before the reception closed, which was before 4:00pm. They were really nice at the reception and provided some insight about the region. We took the keys to our cottage and got settled. The cottages are scattered in-between Stewarts Bay and Port Arthur site itself (within walking distance to the site). Our cottage is really nice with a large balcony (too cold to use though), near the Bay, and it is very comfortable with a kitchen, a large dining and living area, and three bedrooms (just in case Jess and Alex could’ve joined us, but they still had to work).

Dinner at the 1830 Restaurant

We had made dinner reservations at the restaurant of the Stewarts Bay Lodge, but unfortunately the reception had told us earlier on that the restaurant was closed due to the Chef having Covid. On our behalf, they called the restaurant that is located inside the Port Arthur Site and we were able to make a reservation.

We had a very nice seafood dinner (I had a deep-sea fish from Tasmania but can’t remember the name) with some white wine from the region. All in all, a very pleasant dinner.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 75 miles (121 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 3.3 miles (5.3 km)

DAY 8 – December 17, 2022 – Touring the Tasman Peninsula

Posted on December 17, 2022September 24, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

Day 8 - December 17, 2022 - Touring the Tasman Peninsula

We woke up fairly early and had breakfast (breakie as they say here) at the On the Bay Restaurant around 8:00am. Since the breakfast and lunch crew is different from the dinner crew, there was no Covid risk, and as such it could be open for breakfast and lunch. We had a hearty breakie and were quickly on our way.

Our first stop for the day was the Tessellated Pavement State Reserve. The rain did stop. Hurray! We walked down to the shore and spent some time exploring (and, yes, taking pictures) of the Tessellated Pavement. Quite an unusual phenomenon only found in a few places on Earth where rocks have fractured into polygonal blocks and appear just like man-made tiles.

Views of Clydes Island from Tessalleted Pavement

Our first stop for the day was at the Tessellated Pavement State Reserve. The rain did stop. Hurray! We walked down to the shore and spent some time exploring (and, yes, taking photographs) of the Tessellated Pavement. Quite an unusual phenomenon only found in a few places on Earth where rocks have fractured into polygonal blocks and appear just like man-made tiles.

A brief lesson in geology. The depressions are called pan formations; the opposite is called a loaf formation as the stones look like rising bread. Supposedly, sunrise is a must see for photographers… next time!

Photo gallery of the Tessellated Pavement

Tessellated Pavement - The "pan" and "loaf" formations

Tessellated Pavement - The "pan" formations

Tessellated Pavement - The "loaf" formations

Leech and Lunch

Before continuing on to other sites and doing other short walks, we stopped at the famous Doo-Lishus food van right outside Devils Kitchen. As I was getting out of the car, I noticed something itchy on my leg… saw something slimy on my knee… screamed and brushed it off only to realize that it was a leech. Disgusting! It had bitten me through my tights… I must have gotten it when we were walking on the trail to the Tessellated Pavement State Reserve. Gross. I sent a photo to Jess so she could ask Alex if it was indeed just a leech and not some other poisonous “beasts” only found in Australia! To my relief, she confirmed it was just a leech.

Recovering from my leech scare, we ordered our lunch from the van. Fish and Chips and Calamari and Chips – so much fried food! But it was very fresh and very good… but I don’t think I can eat more fried food for a long time.

Although the weather was still not the best, we decided to continue our scenic route. The coast of the Tasman Peninsula is incredible! Gorgeous views from anywhere you look.

The Eaglehawk Neck-Pirates Bay is famous for being the point that prevented convicts from escaping Port Arthur due to the narrow sandbar that connects the Tasman Peninsula to the rest of Tasmania. During the Port Arthur days, this area was protected by a pack of dogs to prevent the convicts from crossing the line; it was called the Dog Line.

We were able to do some short hikes in the area, but the rain made it difficult to do lengthy hikes. This part of Tasmania is certainly an area to visit again – and it is so close to Hobart.

Blow Hole at Pirates Bay

Photo gallery of the Blow Hole at Pirates Bay

Our day was not quite over yet! We drove back toward Port Arthur, stopping at the Tasman Chocolate Factory to buy some chocolates for Alex’s parents and for us too!

We then drove past Port Arthur and stopped at the Safety Cove State Reserve, which is right around the Port Arthur Historic Site. Thanks to the beautiful light through the clouds we were able to capture very nice photographs walking on the beach.

Photo gallery of the Safety Cove State Reserve

Photo gallery of the beach with seagulls in flight

We decided to check out the other side of Tasman National Park, which was only a few kilometers from the Safety Cove State Reserve. When we got there, we were pretty much all alone. We stopped only for a short time as it was very windy at the edge of the Park.

Tasman National Park - View on Mount Brown

Tasman National Park - View on Cape Raoul

Back to our cottage, we took a short walk behind our cottage where there is a small beach called Stewards Bay Beach. The wind had died down and it was almost “warm.” We were looking forward to tomorrow as the weather forecast was still holding as being super sunny and warm!

After this full and fun day, we decided to stay in our cottage for dinner – which was really more like an indoor picnic. We even had time to check out some of the TV stations… nothing very exciting was on.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 83 miles (134 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 3.7 miles (6 km)

DAY 9 – December 18, 2022 – Tasman National Park – Cape Hauy

Posted on December 18, 2022August 16, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 9 – December 18, 2022 – Tasman National Park – Cape Hauy

Entering Tasman National Park

At last, a bright and sunny day in Tasmania. Deep blue skies with only a few white clouds here and there. We had our breakie at a diner called Port Arthur Centre around 8:30am, which is right across from Stewarts Bay Lodge. Since we knew we were going to have a long day on the trail today we selected a hearty breakfast.

After organizing a few things, we drove to the Cape Hauy trailhead in Tasman National Park, which is located at Forescue Bay. On such a gorgeous day, the area was already packed with cars but we found a spot up to park a bit further up the dirt road. It was 11:00am by the time we hit the trail.

We registered our departure and itinerary in the hiking log (see below photo), and off we went.

Warming up on the Trail

The Cape Hauy trail was rated at Moderate but I would rate it Difficult. Cape Hauy is part of a three-day hiking trail (a 34 km or 21-mile circuit) that crosses two other capes: Cape Raoul and Cape Pillar.

Flora and Fauna on the Trail

Halfway Point on the Trail

There were many stone steps on the trail and most of them were uneven with some quite high… and with long uphill sections! I got more workout than I bargained for. And, yes, more complaining: it was rather hot under the bright Tasmanian sun!

On the trail, we met quite a few backpackers who were doing the three-day hike. There were also some organized tours where they take care of everything for you, including cooking meals and living it up with wines and other goodies. But most hikers seemed to be on a shoestring budget, carrying their food and water, and doing everything for themselves, that is the old-fashioned way (we used to do this back then too).

On the above photo, you can see the type of steps we had to maneuver… in reality many were even higher and rougher than what you can see here (no, I am not exaggerating! Check out the below photos!).

Nevertheless, every step (pun intended) was worth it as the scenery is spectacular every which way you look. We took a lot of breaks for water and for pictures, of course!

Photo Gallery of the Cape Hauy Trail

To the End!

Photo gallery of Cape Hauy itself

Cape Hauy from the End of the World!

Photo gallery of Cape Hauy cliffs

We were back to our car at about 5:00PM, after all the breaks we took, lunch, and the many photo opportunities along the way. Not sure I want to see steps for a long time! Walking back felt longer due to the heat… however aside from one tough long hill it was a bit easier and more downhill than walking to the end of the Cape – but same amount of steps, unfortunately…

Back at our lodge, we cleaned up and rested for a short time as we were quite hungry. We had dinner at the Port Arthur Motor Inn Restaurant which was quite pleasant. The food was much tastier than expected and the portions were rather generous.

Our table had a good view of the Port Arthur Historic Site and we were able to take some nice photos thanks to the golden hour.

After dinner, we drove to the Remarkable Cave area within Tasman National Park to see the sunset. But on the way, I realized I had left my camera on the table at the restaurant. When we got to the Park, it was a bit too dark so we didn’t stay and decided to return tomorrow morning.

Of course, we stopped at the restaurant and they were kind enough to have stored my camera in a secure place. After this little incident, we went back to our lodge and collapsed for the night. A great day outdoors even if at times it was rather challenging.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 37 miles (60 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 8.4 miles (13.6 km)

DAY 10 – December 19, 2022 – From the Tasman Peninsula to Hobart

Posted on December 19, 2022August 19, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 10 - December 19, 2022 - From the Tasman Peninsula to Hobart

Checking out of the Lodge and Last Stop at the Safety Cove State Reserve

On our last morning on the Tasman Peninsula, we didn’t rush out the door. Outside, it was a cloudy day but not too bad. We had breakfast at the Port Arthur Center, same place as yesterday. After our breakie, we checked out of our lodge and drove to the Remarkable Cave.

One last time, we stopped at the Safety Cove State Reserve to take pictures of a cruise ship anchored outside Port Arthur (see below photos).

Remarkable Cave

At the Remarkable Cave, we were alone and we climbed (nooo…. more steps!!) down to the cave and, of course, took some pictures. We didn’t stay too long as the weather suddenly turned really cold and rainy, with low clouds. The forecast was telling us that the rain would stop at about noon and it would clear up as well. We hope so.

Photo gallery of the Remarkable Cave

On the photo above, you can see Cape Raoul… one of the three Capes connected by the three-day hiking trail on the Tasman Peninsula.

Shipstern Bluff

Since the weather forecast was positive, we decided to do one more shorter hike before going back to Hobart. Our new destination was the Shipstern Bluff, which is on the Cape Raoul hiking trail. Shipstern, called Shippies by professional surfers, is known around the world as the “most dangerous wave in Australia.”

As we were leaving the parking lot for our short hike to the Shipstern Bluff – after admiring this humongous 4×4 RV – it started to rain more. But we had faith in the weather forecast!

Surprise… 😉… the weather forecast turned out to be dead wrong. As we were climbing up the bluff toward the Shipstern lookout it became worse and we were now walking inside the clouds.

Animal skulls on a farm post by the Shipstern Bluff trail

The low clouds and the rain made some interesting (spooky) photos. Would be great to shoot a thriller in those woods! See the photo gallery of the woods in the clouds.

Our goal to see the Shipstern Bluff was to watch the surfers and the big waves, but of course there was no view from the top since we were in the clouds. At least, we got to stretch our legs – a bit sore though from yesterday’s long and “moderate” hike.

Back to the car, we texted Jess that we would drive back earlier than planned since the weather was not cooperating with us today.

We arrived at Jess and Alex’s house around 3:30pm. For the rest of the afternoon, we chilled and spent quiet time talking with Jess and Alex. For dinner, Alex made homemade pizza and it was delicious!!

Wrapping up the day, we watched Top Gun (the original) as Jess had never seen. Always a very entertaining action/drama classic from 1986.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 90 miles (145 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 4.3 miles (7 km)

DAY 11 – December 20, 2022 – Richmond

Posted on December 20, 2022August 19, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 11 - December 20, 2022 - Richmond

It was an easy and slow morning. Since Richmond is only 30-40 mins from Jess and Alex’s house we didn’t have to rush anywhere. Outside it was a nice day – not too hot, a few clouds, overall very pleasant.

Around 10:30am, we left the house to drive to Richmond passing by Alex’s childhood’s first house up in the hills. The drive wound through fertile farmlands with orchards, vineyards, and cattle.

Richmond is a quaint charming village with a long historic past. The town was considered one of the most influential areas in the foundation of Tasmania. Most of the village was constructed by convicts serving time at Richmond Goal (Gaol as it is spelled down under) between the 1820’s and 1840’s.

We parked on the main street and walked toward some of the highlighted sites, starting with the famous Richmond Bridge.

After taking some photos of the Richmond Bridge, Jess bought a board game at a game store that had lots of classic games as well as newer games – all board and card games in view of our trip to Corinna where there is no TV, no Internet, and no cell connection. This little store made me want to learn how to play all these games… it was fun to browse through all these games spanning across many years.

Since we had time for our 1:00pm lunch reservations at the Coal River Farm, approximately 10-15 minutes from Richmond, we relaxed in the backyard of a quaint café/cottage called the Czeg’s Café. Jess and Alex enjoyed their very fancy smoothie drink…

Afterwards, we did some window shopping of the many shops and antique stores Richmond has to offer. Most of them are filled with local artisan wares, some very exquisite and expensive. I bought one Christmas ornament (our long-time tradition for our Christmas tree) made by a local artist following the beautiful aboriginal artistic style.

We strolled a bit more in the village and took our time to photograph the historic buildings, one being the Richmond Arms Hotel (see photo on the left and above).

I also took photos of the paintings on the Village Store, depicting the history of the village (see photo gallery below)

Next, we visited and photographed St John’s Church. Perched upon a small hill overlooking the Richmond Bridge, this small church lays claim to being the oldest catholic church still in use in Australia.

Candid camera of Jess and Alex walking down the church gardens… nice to be able to take photos in “motor-drive” mode.

After all this sightseeing, we were rather hungry. There wasn’t enough time for us to visit the Richmond goal. Got to save things to see and do for our next trip!

It was now time to head to the Coal River Farm for our late lunch. The farm/restaurant was very busy and we could see it was a very popular spot for people living in/around Hobart – and for tourists like us as well.

Unfortunately, the service was not very good as the waitress forgot to place Jim’s order. We asked to be comped (which they did, that is they didn’t charge us for his entree). Jim finally got his meal when we were all finished eating ours.

The food was good but the place is overrated and I wouldn’t recommend it as a stop for lunch due to poor service (or maybe we had bad luck that day).

Nevertheless, we did buy some chocolates and cheese (their triple brie) as treats. And all of this was very tasty.

We drove back to Richmond as Jim wanted to take photos of the bridge without so many people around and I wanted to go back to the Copperstone Gallery to buy a couple of gifts: a tote bag for Jess, a postcard from Maman, and Tasmanian coasters for us.

The rest of the day was spent playing computer games, talking, catching up on blogs and photos… chilling. I could get used to doing just fun stuff ALL DAY LONG…!

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 47 miles (76 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 3.5 miles (5.6 km)

DAY 12 – December 21, 2022 – Downtown Hobart

Posted on December 21, 2022August 19, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 12 – December 21, 2022 – Downtown Hobart

Today was a perfect day to visit downtown Hobart and other points of interest. Alex had made a reservation for lunch at one of the really nice restaurants on the wharf called Mures.

We left the house mid-morning and stopped at Kmart so Jess and Alex could buy some summer clothes for our trip to Corinna. Then, we had one more chore to do which was to get the car keys fixed. As we were waiting for the keys, Jess, Jim, and I walked in the neighborhood where there was a small park.

On the above photo, Jim and Jess are relaxing in the park. Right behind them, there was a house (see photo on the right) that was really nice… with many rainbow lorikeets in the trees. I wouldn’t mind living in this nice house at all.

Downtown Hobart, we parked near the Mures restaurant. Since it was too early for our lunch reservations, we walked around the port area called Macquarie Wharf. We could see that a lot of development had been undertaken to make this part of downtown Hobart very enjoyable, lively, and of course touristic. But it was not very crowded when we were there, which made the exploring very pleasant. There is definitely no lack of cafes, restaurants, and shops.

We observed prep activities to build the village (see the below photo) for the upcoming Sydney-Hobart yacht race, which leaves Sydney on Boxing Day and finishes in Hobart a couple of days later. I remember seeing the departure of the race when we used to live in Sydney. Quite impressive to see all the yachts gathered at Circular Quay in Sydney.

The above photo shows the typical seafood menu (this one was very artistically done) you can find as “fast food.” Lots of fish (often it is fried) and chips (or French Fries as the Americans say). We’ve always found the fish always tastes quite good, but after a while “fried anything” is a bit too much.

It was a perfect day for our little promenade in Hobart. Jess sure enjoyed taking in the sun and chilling (or rather taking in the warm sun rays) amid the bronze sea animal sculptures… and the relentless Paparazzi Parents were on the lookout again. Caught you, Jess!

The Mures is a very nice restaurant, great service, great location, and great food. Our lunch was a pre-holiday lunch before our wilderness trip to the Northwestern region of Tasmania. We knew we wouldn’t be able to have fine dining in the middle of nowhere.

We all chose various seafood dishes served with a very good Sauvignon Blanc called Bay of Fires from the East coast of Tasmania. We took our sweet time to enjoy our beautiful lunch in great company.

Battery Point has quite a few winding, narrow streets lined with houses built in the colonial architecture style. The historical ambiance makes the area very pleasant to visit. I could see myself living in this area!

Walking through the historic streets of Battery Point, we did some shopping. Of course, I bought a coffee cup – can’t break away from tradition – with a Tasmanian Devil illustration and some postcards to mail to family and friends. Jess found a book on Tasmanian birds for Jim as a Christmas gift.

We also bought some groceries at an international fine foods store, some to eat tonight, and other food like Merguez sausages to freeze for New Year’s celebrations.

After our lunch, we drove toward Jess and Alex’s former neighborhood called Battery Point and parked the car on one of the side roads. We spent most of the afternoon walking around the Battery Point area. Jess and Alex were telling us that Battery Point is one of the most fashionable and desirable neighborhoods in Hobart while maintaining its historical past.

Yes, there are interesting people in Hobart… not only in New York City!

After a very good and pleasant day (the weather remained absolutely perfect!), we went back to Jess and Alex’s house to get ready for our trip to Alex’s parents the next day.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 13 miles (21 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 5.4 miles (8.6 km)

DAY 13 – December 22, 2022 – From Hobart to Shearwater

Posted on December 22, 2022August 19, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 13 – December 22, 2022 – From Hobart to Shearwater

The morning was busy getting ready to leave for Shearwater. Before getting on the road, Jess and Alex’s Christmas gift (a hi-tech BBQ) was delivered. Then, off we were – on the road to Shearwater, at approximately 10:00am.

Leaving Hobart was rather easy with little traffic but we did encounter some road constructions. According to Alex, the construction has been going on forever. The usual incompetence of government and the construction industry – a constant in this world.

Driving North, through the center of Tasmania, it is mainly all farmlands. There are also many poppy fields for the pharmaceutical industry (legal, at least that’s what they say).

For lunch, we stopped in a small town called Campbell Town, which has a restaurant that Alex and Jess like to stop for lunch when they drive to Alex’s parents. The Restaurant, called Zeps, was quite nice and we had a decent lunch. I noticed beautiful artwork on the walls and took a few pictures including the contact info of the artist, Ornella Imber. I wouldn’t mind one or two of her art pieces in our apartment.

After lunch, we got back on the road and arrived at Alex’s parents in Shearwater around 4:00pm.

At Alex’s parents’ home, we were welcomed by Rupert and Narelle; Alex’s sister, Harriet, and her daughter, Madi (2.5 years old). The property they live on is quite impressive and has been in the family for several generations. The property is a 10-hectare farm and it is quite beautiful. The house is very Australian – one-story ranch style, tin roof, sunroof. Lots of character.

We celebrated our getting together with a toast and some snacks. But before getting too comfortable, we still had to do some prep work for our trip to Corinna. Narelle had already planned the meals (thank you, Narelle!), but we still needed more food items. I went with Jess and Alex to the nearby grocery store for food and to the liquor store for wines and beers.

Back at the house, one of Alex’s uncles and aunts and their daughter dropped by (they live very close) to visit with us. It made for some fun conversations!

Narelle explained that they sold their house in Hobart and decided to stay in Shearwater. Over the next few months, they plan to make upgrades inside the house with the kitchen and the bathrooms. Rupert also has plans to grow crops and plants on the farm once more. Lots of work ahead, for sure!

Rupert’s mother had passed away a few days ago and the funeral was taking place the next day in the morning. We were invited to attend. After the funeral and lunch, we would leave for Corinna.

Although the weather was still nice, but a bit chilly, we built a bonfire outside where we had our dinner: corn on the cob, steaks, and chocolates. Alex is having fun cooking the steaks on the brick BBQ. Lots of fun all around, relaxing, playing with Madi, talking about everything under the sun! Everyone is very talkative in Alex’s family 😊…

Photo gallery of our BBQ dinner at Alex’s parent’s house

Because Harriet and Madi were not going to be with us in Corinna, we opened some gifts and kept others for Christmas Eve. Also, since we had brought some gifts from New York, it made sense to open them now instead of taking them all the way to Corinna… besides, we knew we were going to be loaded with stuff in our cars.

Photo gallery of opening Christmas gifts (only the best selection as we took a lot of pictures that evening!) at Alex’s parent’s house

After a very enjoyable evening, we called it a night and we slept very well in the sunroom.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 169 miles (272 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 2.2 miles (3.5 km)

DAY 14 – December 23, 2022 – From Sheawarter to Corinna

Posted on December 23, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 14 – December 23, 2022 – From Shearwater to Corinna

It took us some time to load the cars and get everyone rounded up. But we did quite well timewise and we left Alex’s parents’ house at 10:30am, direction Hagley for the funeral.

Alex’s extended family is rather large and many people came to the funeral; lots of relatives living nearby but also some people who came from the mainland. The burial service was held first in a small cemetery and then we drove to a nearby church for the religious service. Afterwards, we all gathered at the RSL (a club for military personnel) to have lunch. Alex’s grandmother served in the Australian Air Force during World War II. She was born in 1923 and lived a very long and productive life.

At approximately 3:30pm we were on the road to Corinna. From Hagley, it is a 3–4-hour drive, depending on how many stops we would take on the way. We decided to take the scenic route to enjoy Tasmania’s wilderness.

Scenery photos taken from the car

Black Bluff Nature Recreation Area

We stopped at the Black Bluff Nature Recreation Area to stretch our legs and take some photos as the scenery was gorgeous. Beautiful clouds and light across the wide-open spaces all around us.

Below is a photo gallery of the wide-open scenery

Almost There!

The last 50 km of the drive was on a silica road so our speed was a bit slower – and there were lots of curves. We arrived in Corinna just past 7:00pm. The place was not full yet as people tend to take their away-from-home vacation after Christmas.

The scenery reminded me of the Southwest in the US – wide-open spaces, big skies, empty roads! I just love this feeling of freedom, away from it all!! And the temperature was perfect… nice to feel the sun on our faces…

Hard to believe that after so many months of planning we were in Corinna!

At the reception, the attendant explained the facilities, what water to drink/not drink, the activities around the area, etc. He reminded us that there is no cell service at all and no Internet access in this wilderness area. It is as if we were at the end of the world in the Western part of Tasmania, near the Piedman River. We later learned that most of this isolated and vast wilderness (mainly a rain forest called the Tarkine forest) remains unexplored for miles and miles.

Below are the photos of our cabins: The left cabin is where we stayed with Jess and Alex. The middle photo is the cabin for Rupert and Norelle. The last photo shows the water tank that collects the rain water for each cabin.

For dinner, we had lamb chops on the barbie – thank you, Narelle and Rupert!

We played darts as Alex was toiling over the BBQ, cooking the lamb chops.

We had the common area of the village to ourselves and had fun playing darts and goofing off… see the below photo gallery.

We all went to bed near midnight. A day filled with excitement and beauty for everyone, and quite emotional for Alex and his family.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 186 miles (299 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 2.5 miles (4 km)

DAY 15 – December 24, 2022 – Corinna

Posted on December 24, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 15 – December 24, 2022 – Corinna

First day in Corinna! A bit cloudy, chilly, but not too bad – yet… as it would get worse later on. Today is our outing on the Pieman River. A while back, we had booked a cruise for all of us on the Arcadia II (see below photo). Departure time was 10:00am toward Pieman Heads and return time to Corinna was 2:30pm.

The Arcadia II is a boat that was originally built of Huon Pine in 1939 and was listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels in 2009. In 2006, the boat was refurbished, refitted, and returned to its original pristine condition. Today, the Arcadia II is the only Huon Pine river cruiser still operating anywhere in the world.

The boat is run by an older couple, the captain and the skipper. The captain provided the commentary on the history and the unique features of the area. The skipper took care of everything else on the boat – from docking/undocking to serving snacks and drinks, all parts of the cruise. The snacks were very fresh and generous (fruit, cheese, crackers, tea, coffee). The cruise also included a brown bag lunch (a wrap, muffin, fruit drink), which was just enough food on the go.

On the way down to the Pieman Heads, it started to drizzle a bit more and some people found it too cold and went inside the covered part of the boat. Our group – not deterred by a little wind and rain – remained, for the most part, outside under the canopy of the boat. Being Christmas Eve, there were not many people on the boat, which was just fine for all of us.

Above are some photos I took from the stern of the boat as we were going down the Pieman River toward the ocean. This spider web at the bottom of the mast was quite interesting. You can even see the rain on the river (last photo of the above photo gallery).

Below is a photo gallery of the Pieman river and the Tarkine Forest

On the way down to the ocean, the captain pointed out several points of interest including some birds like a white eagle. We also passed a few kayakers (planning to do that the day after Christmas!). The vegetation is incredible in the Tarkine rain forest: thick, green, tall, wild. No wonder most of it is still unexplored.

By the time we arrived to our final destination, the rain had stopped and there were even some sun rays… but, of course, they didn’t last very long. However, in spite of the clouds and some wind, it was not too cold and quite pleasant to walk on the sand. We docked about one mile from White Beach.

There are only a couple of ways to get to Pieman Piers: by boat or by 4×4 via a barge that crosses the Pieman River. The area is habited only during the warmer months of the year with fishermen or people who want solitude.

We walked past the fishing shacks (temporary residences in the summer) called Pieman Heads to arrive at a wide-open beach of white sands for miles… so vast and no one!

Just Plain Fun… Talking, Walking, Taking Photos!

Photo gallery of playing with driftwood washed onto the shore by winds, tides, and waves

We took our time, walking around, taking photographs, eating lunch, and talking. Such a nice day, so far away from everything!

Below is another photo gallery of the vast beach and the ocean. Jim, with his telephoto, was able to capture the far-away rock formations… it would be nice to go all the way to the end in a 4×4 and camp, away from everyone and everything!

Time to Walk Back to the Boat

On our way back to the boat, we took some photos of an interesting tree… lost boots??!

Photo gallery of the going back up the Pieman River

Wonder what they were looking at… another white eagle?

Yep… you guessed it… the Paparazi parents again (don’t worry, Jess, I didn’t use the “other” photo you didn’t like !)

In Corinna, the weather was warmer than before, and even a bit sunny! The weather can change so fast in Tasmania!

Back at our cabins, Narelle prepared hot tea and cookies, which was really nice. And then, everyone was on their own – napping, reading, chilling, or hiking in the area. So many activities to choose from in Corinna: hiking, kayaking, boating, four-wheeling, fishing, etc.

Hike on the Whyte River Track

I joined Jess and Alex on a 90-minute hike on the Whyte River Trail, a path through the Tarkine flora.

We even saw an echidna (see below photo) and since the echidna was right in front of him, Alex was able to take a very good video. I also took a couple of photos but I was behind the echidna, so I didn’t get a very good shot.

On the path, we could hear noises but unfortunately we didn’t see other animals.

The Whyte River Track is a great representation of the Tarkine Forest with tall trees (e.g., giant Swamp Gum aka Eucalyptus regna) and Manferns (oversize ferns). Rupert and Alex can name all the vegetation… but I didn’t take notes ☹…

We finished our hike around 5:30pm, and it was time for a highly needed hot shower and a well-deserved break after a full day of fun activities.

As Narelle and Alex were fixing Christmas Eve dinner, I took some photos from the cabin’s window and was able to see a pademelon, a member of the macropod family like kangaroos and wallabies – except tiny. I could see that there were other pademelons hiding in the bushes but this one was more brave.

Time to open the gifts! Surprise… a bug-killer gun!

We had a very nice meal for Christmas Eve served with a Taylors Shiraz wine, which was quite good. Others opted for beer.

Although we had opened some gifts at Rupert and Narelle’s house, we still had some left. Rupert got a bug-killer gun… it works quite well! Alex has one at home and he successfully demonstrated how to get rid of flies!

After dinner, we went for a short walk in the area and saw many pademelons, but it was a bit too dark for good photos. We could feel that the weather was getting somewhat warmer and tomorrow promised to be a very sunny day.

It was just before midnight when we all went to bed. Tomorrow, Christmas Day, is a free day to do anything or nothing!

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 0 miles (0 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 5.5 miles (8.9 km)

DAY 16 – December 25, 2022 – Corinna

Posted on December 25, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 16 – December 25, 2022 – Corinna

Jim and I got up around 8:00am. We had some coffee and caught up on blogging, photos, etc. as we were falling behind. Although I take notes every day, I am sure I am forgetting some things… oh, well.

As promised, today was to be a very sunny day, bright blue skies… and, yes, rather hot! But there’s always a fresh breeze when not in the sun.

As promised, today is a relaxing day. Everyone on their own, chilling, walking around, napping, taking photographs, or doing nothing.

e-Withdrawal

Jess, Alex, Rupert, and I decided to drive the magical 15 minutes up the silica road, where we were told we could get a cell signal. After some back and forth in the middle of nowhere we finally managed to catch that elusive cell signal.

I was able to download a message and photos from Andy and Amy who had put together a nice little feast for Christmas Eve. Jess and I sent messages back and explained the lack of cell signal where we were staying. But this elusive signal didn’t allow me to send an email to Maman and Sylvie and Eric as it kept going in and out.

All in all, it was quite funny to see four grown-ups trying to get a signal in the middle of nowhere.

The Huon Pine Walk

After our brief e-stint, we drove back to the village and had lunch. Because it was too hot to walk around, I took a short nap and played off-line games on my cell phone. Fresh and rested, I went for a short walk on the Huon Pine Walk. Majestic trees and flora all around… and so silent. Even though it was hot, walking under this green canopy kept me very cool.

Majestic trees and flora all around… and so silent. Even though it was hot, walking under this green canopy kept me very cool.

Christmas Dinner

Narelle prepared a very nice Christmas dinner even though we had no oven: turkey, potatoes (from their garden), broccolini, and sweet potatoes. We had plenty of wine and beer to accompany the holiday meal. She had also brought a Pavlova, an Australian Christmas tradition: meringue cake covered with fruit like passion fruit and all kinds of berries and served with whipped cream. It was really good.

After such a nice dinner, we all took it easy and went to bed quite early as we were tired from all the activities from the past few days.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 22 miles (36 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 2.2 miles (3.6 km)

DAY 17 – December 26, 2022 – Corinna

Posted on December 26, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 17 – December 26, 2022 – Corinna

Another gorgeous day, lots of sun and blue skies. A couple of days before, we had booked kayaks for a half-day outing on the Pieman River, from 9:00am to 1:30pm. After some basic instructions, we were provided with our life vest, paddles, and kayaks. Jim and I decided to have a single so we could both take photos separately on our journey on the river.

As we were leaving on our kayaking adventure, Jess and Alex are having their photo taken by one of the staff for their marketing brochure or website.

The beginning of our kayaking adventure was very smooth. No wind and plenty of sunshine. See below a photo gallery of our kayaking exploits…

Sunken Ship Site

As recommended by the staff, we took a small fork to the right of the river going upstream to see a sunken ship, the S.S. Croydon shipwreck (sunk in 1919). However, due to the heavy rains the river level was too high for us to see anything.

It is quite acrobatic trying to get out of a kayak that’s in the water… Alex managed it and took a look around the area.

Lovers Fall

After this small detour, we continued our way down the Pieman River toward Lovers Fall, where we crossed paths with the Acadia II on its way to Pieman Heads.

To reach the falls, we had to get out of our kayaks… a challenge in itself when a kayak is in the water and it’s difficult to hold on to something stable. We all managed to do it, more or less elegantly.

Lovers Fall is a small oasis in the Tarkine Forest with a waterfall. Very refreshing to stand under the tall gum trees and manferns..

Then, it was time to head back to Corinna as our deadline to return the kayaks was 1:00pm.

Killer Wind… Killer Waves… and Rescue!

A few minutes after leaving Lovers Fall, the wind suddenly blasted across the river… quite a bit surprise for everyone! The river became very rough and the waves were going over the kayaks… humongous waves…! Jim and I realized that having a single kayak made it very difficult to paddle against the wind and the waves.

No more photos for the rest of the day… except the one with the big wave… then my kayak went under and I had to swim to shore, until… well, there’s got to be a story somewhere!

It was rather scary as we could see we were not making lots of progress paddling upstream. The double kayaks took off way ahead of us.

At last, the wind did die down somewhat, which made it easier to keep going on… but still quite exhausting. “Last time to kayak!” said Jim. As for me, I’ll go kayaking again… but I’ll have to watch out for killer winds and waves 😊 !!

As we were about 15 mins from the pier a small catamaran checked on us (we were past our half-day tour, and the rest of our group had told the staff that we were far behind). There were other tourists who were waiting for our single kayaks.

Rescued, at last! We got a lift on the catamaran back to the pier. Definitely, a touch of adventure on the return trip to Corinna.

Wrapping up a Fun (almost Scary) Day

After all these emotions, we spent the rest of the day relaxing, napping, as it was too hot to do anything else. We eventually ended up at the bar drinking beer and wine. As you can see here, Jess and Alex are well underway!

After a few drinks, we were more than ready to have dinner at the Tannin Restaurant where we had booked a table for 6:15pm. It was quite busy now as people were starting to arrive to Corinna for their summer holidays.

The restaurant uses local Tasmanian ingredients whenever possible, like seafood, fruit, vegetables and meat from local businesses. The meal was really flavorful and well prepared, even in the middle of nowhere.

The dinner was a great way to wrap up our last day in Corinna… beautiful memories we won’t forget! I would love to come back and see other sites in the Tarkine wilderness.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 0 miles (0 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 1.2 miles (1.9 km)

DAY 18 – December 27, 2022 – From Corinna to Stanley

Posted on December 27, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 18 - December 27, 2022 - From Corinna to Stanley

much stuff!! Lots of empty bottles of beer, wines… must’ve been some wild parties these past few days. Rupert and Narelle had a full car hauling everything back to their house. They also had to take some of the garbage with them.

Before leaving, Jim took some photos of the water station that we used to fill our bottles. Each cabin has its own water tank but there is a central water station that is fed by both rain falls and the river.

After settling our accounts with the reception, we were ready to depart at about 10:00am. After goodbyes (we will exchange email addresses and Jessica will be the photo “router” for everyone!), we were off – Rupert and Narelle toward Shearwater; the rest of us toward Stanley.

On the below map, you can see the road we were going to travel today. I had to draw the itinerary in red myself as Google does not have all the information to provide details about mileage and directions… it shows how this area of Tasmania is still unexplored. I love it!

As we drove for several minutes out of Corinna, at last, we had cell reception – euphoria! Lots of ding-dings in the car. Some very “important” text messages: Netflix account issue due to the stolen credit card, CVS pharmacy prescriptions ready to be picked up (sure, I’ll be right over), and holiday messages from friends. Having satisfied our electronic cravings, we were able to enjoy amazing wilderness across Northwestern Tasmania.

From Corinna to the junction with C214, it is the famous “white” road, over 77 kms (48 miles), and approximately a two-hour drive through amazing wilderness. Once more, the scenery reminded us of parts of the Southwest in the US.

Break to take some photos of the wide-open spaces at the top of the world!
And, yes, it is also the place where we had Internet access for a very brief instant…

At the C214 Junction

After a couple of hours on the white gravel road, we arrived at the C214 Junction. Our direction is West, toward Arthur River and Marrawah. We had read in our guide book that along the way there are amazing sites to see with plenty of outdoor activities (we will need to come back to explore this wilderness area…).

After stretching our legs and taking some photos, we continued our road trip. Next stop is Couta Rocks.

On the way to Couta Rocks we saw this interesting sign about watching out for the endangered Tasmanian Devil. However, we didn’t see one this time.

Couta Rocks, a tiny fishing village, has a population of 7 and is located in the middle of the Western wilderness along a very rugged coastline. All around, we could see that there are so many areas to explore on foot or with a 4×4. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to live in this part of the world. Even in the middle of the summer, it was rather cool because of incredibly strong winds. We could hardly stand straight and it was even challenging to take photos. No wonder this part of the world is considered having some of the cleanest air!

The colors were so brilliant that the ocean was deep jade. The photos did a good job to capture the beauty of the area – but you have to be there to really experience it all!

Photo gallery of Couta Rocks

Our next stop was Arthur River where there is a national preserve called the Edge of the World. The views from the outlooks were stunning. The brilliant colors of the ocean and the rocks made for some beautiful photos.

The plaque (see below photo to the left) commemorates the Edge of The World National Preserve.

Front Inscription
The Edge of The World
North West Coast Tasmania

“I cast my pebble onto the shore of Eternity.
To be washed by the Ocean of Time.
It has shape, form, and substance.
It is me.
One day I will be no more.
But my pebble will remain here.
On the shore of eternity.
Mute witness from the aeons.
That today I came and stood
At the edge of the world.”

by Brian Inder

From the Edge of the World site, looking directly west, the line of sight continues far beyond the horizon. While this point isn’t the westernmost of Tasmania, it is a point where if our sight had no physical limit, we would eventually land on the eastern coast of Argentina, all the way around the globe. This expanse of sea is known as the furthest-reaching stretch of ocean on the globe.

Photo gallery of the Edge of the World (like at Couta Rocks, you can see the brilliant colors of red and deep jade)

After spending some time at this amazingly beautiful sight, we left Arthur River. On the road, we took some photos of the residents’ houses that had some interesting characteristics as can be seen on the photos here.

We crossed the Arthur River bridge, heading toward Marrawah, a small town and the only place to get gas between Corinna and Stanley. You cannot miss filling up your car at Marrawah or you’ll run out of gas for sure!

We made it to Marrawah just before 2:00pm. First, we got gas at the only gas station since Corinna (lots of warning signs to fill up before going anywhere!). For lunch we stopped at the Marrawah Inn/Black Bull Bistro, a very traditional Aussie eatery facility: bar, pub, restaurant, all in one.

Our lunch was copious and OK (didn’t like mine as it was way too creamy but nibbled on French Fries and chicken schnitzel).

After the beautiful coastal drive (part of the scenic Tarkine Drive), we drove through very rich farmlands with cattle, mainly cows. The area is known as one of the best in Australia for beef. It was interesting to see how the houses and farms were often surrounded by very thick and tall hedges to protect against the gale-force winds (called the Roaring Forties) from the ocean. We did get a small taste of what the winds could be – even though it was summertime.

It was quite a sight to see the Nut (volcanic rock formation) as we were arriving in Stanley. There was a ring of dark clouds hanging around the Nut, which eventually dissipated. It made for some interesting photos.

After a very full day of beautiful sights, here we were. In Stanley. It was windy and chilly but the sun was shining.

We crossed the town toward our lodging called the Stanley Village, right at the foothills of the Nut and on the wharf. At the Village, we learned that we had to get our room keys from the Stanley Hotel (on the main road) which also operates the Stanley Village.

Since we hadn’t done laundry in a few days (and were running out of clean clothes), we took advantage of the washer/dryer facility on the premise. At the same time, we took showers, downloaded photos, relaxed.

We also made reservations for dinner at the Hursey Seafoods Restaurant and we were lucky to get the last reservation for the evening, which was for 7:30pm (the restaurant was closing at 8:00pm).

Laundry done, all cleaned up and re-energized, we had one hour before dinner, so we took a walk on the wharf up to the port and then in the small village of Stanley. Below are two interesting signs that we took when strolling in the wharf area of the town.

Currently, there is a fight to stop setting up wind turbines on the Stanley Peninsula (see below photo on the left). Nevertheless, there are already many wind turbines on the Northwestern tip of Tasmania due to these gale-force winds that are common. The other sign (below photo on the right) commemorates the last aboriginal family in Tasmania that was purchased by the Van Diemen’s Land Company. Van Diemen’s Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century.

Pre-Dinner Stroll

The light was beautiful – the beginning of the golden hour – and we were able to take some photos of all the quaint cottages on Alexander Terrace.

After our short walk, it was time for dinner at the Hursey Seafoods Restaurant. At last, as we were all hungry. Although it was toward the end of the evening (for the restaurant), it was still quite full. Being the last reservations of the day, the service was slow (but the food tasty), and we entertained ourselves with wine and beer in great company with Jess and Alex.

After dinner, as we were leaving, suddenly both Alex and Jess started to feel nauseous. They went directly to their hotel room. The next day, we found out that they both fell ill with Covid. More on that in tomorrow’s blog.

Jim and I finished the day by walking one last time (to digest) in the area, and taking some photos at dusk. What an amazing day filled with so much diversity. The photo on the left is original; the photo on the right has been manipulated to be black and white.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 123 miles (198 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 3.6 miles (5.8 km)

DAY 19 – December 28, 2022 – Stanley

Posted on December 28, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 19 - December 28, 2022 - Stanley

This morning, we woke up to strong winds and chilly weather. The door to our hotel room was shaking hard with the wind but we managed to hack it so it would stop shaking. It also rained throughout the morning, but the weather finally cleared up in the afternoon, and the wind did die down eventually.

Unfortunately, both Jess and Alex felt sick with a sore throat and stayed in their room to rest.

Jim and I had breakfast at Marleys @ Sticks and Stones Shells and Bones (talk about a long name for a business…), a nice little eatery in the center of the town. And, yes, they did sell all kinds of stones, shells, and bones. Their breakfast was really good. We ordered some food for both Jess and Alex to take back to their room.

After breakfast, we went to the pharmacy to get Covid-19 antigen test kits. Jess’s test was not conclusive but it is more than likely that she did get Covid. We went back to the pharmacy to get some over-the-counter medicine. Alex decided not to take the test yet. The two of them stayed in their room all day, trying to get better.

Jim and I decided to follow our original itinerary, which was to visit the Allendale Gardens at Smithton and Cape Grim.

Unfortunately, as we were driving, we saw a sign indicating that the Gardens are closed permanently now due to the owners retiring – and the lack of funds. We drove through Smithton and quickly found out that it is a dying town with many empty stores. Due to Covid? Or other economic reasons? Probably a combination of both, but for sure there is nothing to do or see in Smithton.

Cape Grim… NO ENTRANCE ALLOWED!

We drove to Cape Grim only to find out that the end of the road was on private land and FORBIDDEN to the public unless you booked a conducted tour with the Woolnorth Wind Farm. It was not indicated in the guide books we had. Of course, we had no intention to pay for a tour.

So much for going to Cape Grim!!

There, we met a group of British and Australian cyclists, who, like us, were pissed off that we couldn’t continue further to Cape Grim. Tasmania needs to do something to open up the road to the public. How can a private company own all the coastal land in the upper Northwestern part of Tasmania???

A bit of history about the Van Diemen’s Land Company, which owns these lands. Van Diemen’s Land Company is the original name of the southeastern Australian island colony that became the commonwealth state of Tasmania. The island was named for Anthony van Diemen, governor general of the Dutch East Indies in the 1640’s. There is a lot of dark history associated to this era due to the near extermination of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people during the Black War (1804-1830).

On the way back, we took some photos of the green lands in the area well known for its cattle. On the last photo (right) of the photo gallery, you can see the “wind” hedges I mentioned in the previous blog. You can see them throughout the land to protect people, houses, and crops from the very strong gales common to the region.

After our mini road trip, we drove back to Stanley and had a quiet rest of the day. In the meantime, Jess tested positive for Covid. Chilling in our room, we had a couple of snacks in the room to hold us until dinner.

For dinner, we ordered take-away food from Hursey Seafoods Restaurant, the restaurant we ate at yesterday. Downstairs, the restaurant offers take-away meals. We ate in our room watching a great Christmas movie (yes, it is a Christmas movie!): Die Hard… they don’t make action movies like they used to anymore and Die Hard is still an action movie classic!

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 201 miles (323 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 1.36 miles (2.2 km)

DAY 20 – December 29, 2022 – Stanley

Posted on December 29, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 20 - December 29, 2022 - Stanley

Jess and Alex were still not quite at full strength due to Covid, however, thanks to the medication they were feeling better than yesterday. I stayed in the hotel room to catch up on blogs and photos while everyone else went to Marleys for breakfast. They brought me back an avocado toastie which was tasty.

Around 11:30am, we drove to the Highfield Historic Site, which was only a couple of kilometers from our hotel. The weather was very nice, almost perfect: warm but not too warm and not too windy (that’s a change for this area!).

The Highfield Historic Site, part of Tasmania Parks & Wildlife, overlooks Stanley and The Nut and represents a very good example of early colonial architecture from the Regency Period (1811-1820).

The site was built in 1826 by convict labor and originally occupied 350,000 acres of agricultural land, which has been reduced over time and today covers 9.5 acres. Today the site is also a venue for special events.

Main House

The main house can be accessed through a gorgeous garden with a diverse array of beautiful flowers. When we arrived at the site, we were almost the first visitors and the “guardian”’ was watering the garden. We really enjoyed visiting the site starting with the main house, which is very well restored with many artifacts from the actual time period.

We started our visit with the kitchen (see the below photo gallery).

We continued our visit, discovering the many rooms of the house, which included a Gallery Room, Dining Room, Nursery, Master Bedroom, and Kids’ Bedroom.

We enjoyed taking pictures of the various artifacts like clothing, games, luggage, etc.

On the below photo to the left, you can read an interesting diary note about an Aboriginal boy from a British “elite” woman.

Adjacent Buildings

The other buildings on the property are also very well restored and some have been modernized to accommodate large events like weddings and other special occasions. The below photo gallery shows the various buildings we explored.

Inside the chapel

Farming equipment inside the stables

Walking on and around the Site

As we were walking around, Jess tried to make friends with a chicken but it was not too receptive.

Outside the site, there are some ruins of older buildings, one being a convict barrack. Only some of the walls remain standing today (see below photo gallery).

The land around the site is owned by the Cape Grim cattle company (the same one that has the big FORBIDDEN sites from yesterday). You can see that Jim was fascinated by the cows… surprised that they didn’t attack them as he took lots of pictures 😊!! But a couple of them got really close to him… probably trying to scare him away. Oh, and there were some sheep too.

This is the road to Highfield. Right across the site, we took this photo of cactus plants growing on top of a roof.

From just about anywhere on and around the site, we had gorgeous views of the farmlands, Stanley, the Nut, and the coastline (see below photo gallery).

Back to the town, we bought some snacks for our 3:00pm “lunch” and ate on a picnic table right outside our lodging. Afterwards, we all relaxed in our rooms until dinner time.

We had made dinner reservations for 7:00pm at the Stanley Hotel. The restaurant was quite busy, the service good, and the food good.

I had a Cape Grim Scotch Filet with veggies, which was really nice. For dessert, Jim and Alex has sticky dates and Jess, and I chose a panookie (cookie dough with Nutella and vanilla ice-cream).

Since it was still quite bright outside, Jim, Alex, and Jess decided to walk to the top of the Nut. Jim took great photos from the top of the Nut. A beautiful sunset!

I didn’t feel like hiking after dinner, so instead I walked around the town to capture sunset photos of this very picturesque area.

I really like the two photos below with the young fisherman on the wharf and all the seagulls flying around him.

After the hike to the Nut, we all met in the center of the town, and walked over to Godfreys Beach where the Little Penguins (also called Fairy Penguins) come out at night. People had brough some red-light devices to be able to see them more clearly, but we didn’t. Nevertheless, we managed to see quite a few of these funny Little Penguins as it was peak season for them to be “partying” outside by the shore.

Below is a stock photo of the Godfreys Beach Penguin viewing platform

Good night, Little Penguins!

After a very active day it was time to head back to our rooms. Tomorrow, we head back to Hobart.

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 16 miles (25 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 5.8 miles (9.4 km)

DAY 21 – December 30, 2022 – From Stanley to Hobart

Posted on December 30, 2022August 20, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 21 - December 30, 2022 - From Stanley to Hobart

We woke up to a very windy and chilly morning. Tasmania weather can be so unpredictable! We’re getting used to it.

We checked out of our lodging and found a Café – the Touchwood Café – where we had a very copious and delicious breakfast, more of a brunch really. The Café also has a small gift shop and I bought a nice painting for our apartment: a Tasman Devil with a yellow umbrella (see the photo of the painting on the wall in our living room).

Originally, we had planned to do a short hike in Rocky Cape National Park, a wilderness park with interesting rocky shores, caves, etc., but the weather did not cooperate with us at all.

It started to rain as we entered the park. The wind was also very strong. But we didn’t give up. We decided to enjoy what we could as much as possible.

In spite of the rain, we were still able to take some pictures of the park.

Short Hike to an Aboriginal Shelter Cave

We decided to brave the weather – in-between rain showers – and we went on a very short walk to an aboriginal cave/shelter. Jim, Jess, and Alex went inside the cave to explore… supposedly, we’re not allowed to enter but as Alex said, “he’s a native too of Tasmania, after all!” I stayed on the platform to capture a few pictures of their short adventure inside the cave.

This park seems very interesting with lots of hikes where you can explore caves, pools, etc. and there’s even a ramp for boats. Another spot to come back to next time!

We stopped at the House of Anvers Chocolate Factory in Latrobe for drinks and desserts. Since we had a hefty breakfast at the Touchwood Café, we were not hungry for lunch and sitting in the car also didn’t really open up our appetite. However, we ordered two cakes to share: a chocolate mousse cake and a cake called blackwood. Very fresh and very “chocolaty.”

I also bought some chocolate gifts for my team at work and friends – and of course for ourselves as well.

As we were approaching Hobart, Jess ordered three pizzas which we picked up on our way home.

We arrived at Jess and Alex’s house around 6:30pm. As the pizzas were warming up in the oven, we unloaded the car and got settled in.

We spent a quiet evening watching a good movie called Tombstone (1993). Lots of great actors who were just starting their acting career.

A very nice way to end a great trip… unfortunately, I started to see the end of my vacation. Only a few days left before flying back to New York City!

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 215 miles (346 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 1.3 miles (2.1 km)

DAY 22 – December 31, 2022 – Hobart’s Salamanca Market

Posted on December 31, 2022September 24, 2023 by VB_Webmaster

DAY 22 - December 31, 2022 - The Salamanca Market, Hobart

We woke up quietly and had a leisurely morning. Today’s plan is to visit the Salamanca Market in downtown Hobart and do some shopping for souvenirs and also for our New Year’s celebrations. Jess and Alex stayed home to relax as Jess was still recovering from Covid. Luckily it was a mild version and turned to a typical cold.

The weather was gorgeous with blue skies and only a few white clouds here and there. It even became very hot during the day. When the sun’s out in Tasmania, it is hot!

Downtown Hobart was busier than we thought. We eventually found a parking spot in the Battery Point neighborhood where Alex and Jess used to live.

The Salamanca Market is a very popular place for the Hobartians (yes, it’s what people living in Hobart are called, I checked!). With all its colors and diverse people, the market was very photogenic and we had plenty of opportunities to take some pictures.

We made our way through the many stalls, which were very busy with people buying souvenirs, groceries, and all kinds of household items. There were quite a few artists selling high-quality woodwork and woodcraft, fashion and crafts, glassware, jewelry, etc.

We bought useful souvenirs like a wooden cutting board, a coffee cup, coasters, and kitchen towels to take back home. We also bought jams, fresh fruits and vegetables for our holiday meals over the next couple of days. Tomorrow, for our New Year’s dinner, I will fix an authentic couscous dish. Since merguez sausages are seasonal, we had bought them before going to Corinna and froze them.

After a couple of hours at the market, we went to a fine grocery store (similar to a Trader Joe’s in the US) to finish our grocery shopping.

On the road to the grocery store, we saw this old De Chevaux. I couldn’t resist taking a picture!

Back at Jess and Alex’s house, we spent the rest of the day relaxing. We had steak on their brand-new BBQ and ate in the backyard. We could hear some upbeat music from one of the neighbors, ready to party. It was a very pleasant evening.

We didn’t go see the fireworks this time (see below a stock photo of Hobart’s fireworks). Instead, we wrapped up the day and the year 2022 – watching Galaxy Quest, a comedy and spoof on Star Trek. Quite funny… we made it past midnight!

No blog or photos for New Year’s Day… we spent the first day of 2023, chilling, playing games, watching Stargate (one of our favorite sci-fi movies). We enjoyed each other’s company, eating and drinking (we had Prosecco). The couscous was a success… and we ate it all!

Jess and I looked at some of the older games we used to play like Myst and the Neverhood… listened to some of the great music tracks of the Neverhood. What a great game! I need to find a way to play this game again.

The last Paparazzi photos of Jess… well, for now, anyway. Some gardening in-between games… Jess may have inherited my mother’s green thumb (beyond mowing the lawn).

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN = 30 miles (48 km)

TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES WALKED = 2.4 miles (3.9 km)