Pamela and Bob Tilling together with Cathie and Martin Hart some time ago put together their ingredients for a rally in Tasmania and asked the questions: how big is Tasmania; is it going to be hard work; is there plenty to see; and are there any dangerous animals? Another question: will our rally attract awkward sorts? The immediate answer: yes, but we will appoint them as scribes!

Tasmania is about the size of Switzerland and has a population of only 500,000.  Hobart, the capital, has a population of 200,000 with Launceston and Devonport, the two larger cities boasting 70,000 and 20,000 respectively.

When 21 couples arrived at Hobart Airport, our rally officers worked tirelessly: welcoming each couple landing between 9.00am and 5.00pm; and arranging van collection after providing a shuttle service between the airport and the hire company.  An even more welcoming buffet dinner was arranged on our first campsite.

Our second day was spent getting to know our superbly equipped vans.  With everyone content we boarded a 1930 double-decker bus to be shown our way through Hobart, the driver giving a typically Aussie commentary while tackling low bridges and quite staggering hill climbs, often in first gear.

Hobart is in the south and we would travel clockwise around the island after a diversion further south to Port Arthur and the Dunally Hotel.  Port Arthur’s penal colony operated from 1830 - 1877 and the colony showcased the hardships, cruelty and suffering of an estimated 12,500 convicts.  Our tour covered the penitentiary, the commandant’s house and a church, built by the convicts and all set in magnificent gardens. A boat tour took us to the “Island of the Dead” and viewed the colony from the sea, as convicts would have first seen it, facing their imprisonment at Port Arthur.

Moving on to an animal sanctuary we watched the voracious Tasmanian Devils being fed (their bite is as strong as an estuarine crocodile!), but the devils rarely stopped long enough to be photographed. By contrast, the blowholes, remarkable caves, a tessellated pavement and cliff scenery all kept perfectly still on our journey to camp at the Dunally Hotel.
MEMORY HIGHWAY

 We then commenced our clockwise journey with a long drive to Wild River Park, stopping at picturesque Richmond, boasting Australia’s oldest (1823) stone bridge; we passed by Hobart to camp at Wayatinah Lagoon.

Continuing north west we climbed into a mountainous area of waterfalls, hydro schemes and lakes, meeting up to camp on the shores of Lake Burbury.  Burbury to Strathan, via Queenstown was only 55 km, but with a 3000 foot precipitous winding descent, this journey exceeded 2 hours of very careful driving.

At Strahan we saw a wilderness railway, built in 1896 to carry pure copper from mines in Queenstown to Strahan harbour, a distance of 35km.  We rode on a recreated line through Teepookana, tasting leatherwood honey.  It was Dubbil Barril for afternoon tea and we completed the trip at Queenstown. Non-stop rain in the rain forest made our journey more atmospheric.

A second excursion from Strahan was to cruise the Gordon River in brilliant sunshine.  We cruised to Macquarie Harbour’s bar at Hell’s Gate - out to sea briefly then back into the harbour passing extensive Southern Ocean fish farms before landing for an hour to explore Sarah Island.  During that hour, the crew laid on a magnificent buffet dinner for us to enjoy in the Gordon River’s calmer upper reaches.

We now headed north east towards Cradle Mountain National Park.  We led 4 other vans along an unsealed road to be rewarded with a view of Montzuma Falls, Tasmania’s highest at 350 feet, the best viewing point being a 10” wide swing bridge spanning the river below the falls.  Cradle Mountain National Park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.  Lake Dove nestles at the foot of Cradle Mountain and the reflections in the lake perfectly mirrored the mountain. This part was home for 2 days and we covered every footpath and height; the 4000 feet Marion Lookout was climbed by a chained footpath by 3 ICA members. 

Heading to the north coast at Wynyard, our leaders found our campsite was double booked even though confirmed 2 days earlier.  With the same energy as at the airport a site was arranged at Somerset and every member was successfully redirected.  After days in the Wilderness and National Parks we were learning the geography of Tasmania as we set off along the northern coastline for Stanley.

The main attraction at Stanley is “The Nut”, which is Tasmania’s answer to “Ayres Rock”.  It is a very large boulder, which sits right at the edge of the sea.  The day we arrived it was extremely windy and the chairlift to the top was closed.  A number of our intrepid walkers however, climbed to the summit on the steep winding track, while the softer members waited until the following morning, when the chairlift was back in service.  The ride up was well worth the wait, as the views from the top were magnificent.  Most of the party dined at the Stanley Hotel that evening, where a number of the more adventurous sampled the Wallaby Shanks, which were quite delicious.

Our tour then moved on to Redpa, where we enjoyed a great evening together in the Sports Centre.  Roy Nutley decided to get the New Zealand contingent together to perform a rather untraditional “Haka”.  It brought tears to everyone’s eyes and it culminated in a “challenge” to the UK members.  The request was for them to perform a “Morris Dance” and this challenge was accepted by Linda Marsden on their behalf.

Some of the group visited Allendale Gardens, where the extensive gardens and bushwalks were quite challenging.  Some even lost their way along the rather overgrown bush track.  After quite a number of wrong paths, they all emerged safely at the end, amidst much hilarity.  The drive to Devonport passed through many interesting villages and along scenic coastlines.  Devonport lies on the Mersey River, but is not at all like the real thing, according to a former Liverpudlian. (Now a New Zealand citizen).  Nearby, the towns of Sheffield, Latrobe and Railton provided much to see for those who made the round trip from Devonport.  Sheffield is a “Town of Murals” with numerous outdoor artworks to admire.  Latrobe has many shops full of relics, antiques, collectibles and strange and funky gifts.  Railton is a “Town of Topiary”, which has over 100 living sculptures in the many trees and hedges.

An enjoyable evening was spent in the Narawntapu National Park at Baker’s Beach, among the sand dunes.  Wild wallaby were seen everywhere and hopped around our motorhomes as we sat outside enjoying the peace and quiet.  A short drive away was Beaconsfield Gold Mine, scene of a mining disaster in 2006.  This event was big news in Australia and New Zealand at the time.  We travelled north to Beauty Point, where we were able to see live Platypus, Echidna and Seahorses.  The tour then headed south to the Morven Sports Ground near Evandale.

Many visited Launceston to shop, visit the many attractions or even risk their necks high above the Cataract Gorge.  The more sedate ICA members drove around the villages like Perth, Hadspen, Westbury and Deloraine.  Crafts, museums, gardens, a maze and even a steam museum, were among the many attractions.  A memorable evening was spent together in a hall at Myrtle Park near Targa.  Des Carter and John Phillips gave the piano a thorough workout and the British contingent answered the New Zealand challenge.  A song, written by Linda Marsden was performed brilliantly by their entire group.  Several individual skits were also presented, before the evening concluded with an unbelievable version of Morris Dancing and supper supplied by the “Brits”.  A further challenge was made to the “Kiwis” to perform a Zulu Dance.  Why this particular dance was requested is still a mystery, but a challenge is a challenge, so plans were made to respond at a later date.

Some drove out to Bridport, a typical “Aussie Seaside Holiday Venue”.  We all wished that we could have spent our childhood holidays in a place like that.  The village of Legerwood both inspired and saddened us.  There were numerous huge tree stumps which had been brilliantly carved with lifelike figures.  Each carving was dedicated to local victims of the two World Wars.  The loss suffered by many of those small villages was horrific and we left the area in a more reflective mood, to continue our journey to an overnight camp near the Bay of Fires.

Travelling southward we enjoyed pancakes at Elephant Pass, a motorcycle museum and a blowhole among the rocks near Bicheno.  Two nights at Iluka Holiday Park near Coles Bay gave us time to refresh and catch up with the laundry.  An easy drive to Triabunna found us camped behind the Spring Bay Hotel, where we enjoyed a meal together that evening.  We experienced a real “Aussie Meal”, with enormous helpings of everything.  The steaks were about 8 inches across and nearly 1½ inches thick.  These could easily be shared between two of the heartiest appetites and still provide a good helping for each. A fantastic evening was enjoyed by all.

The next part of our tour was the longest drive in any one day.  We drove up to 260 km, depending on which route was chosen.  Some took the main highways, others used the secondary roads and the rest took unsealed roads and winding paths through the mountains.  Our route took us through the town of Ross, with its many stone buildings, war memorial and numerous woodwork and craft shops.  The wool museum of course, was a favourite with the ladies.  We camped that evening at Arthur’s Lake, which was an isolated spot, but a good area to unwind after such a long hectic day.

We returned to Glenorchy near Hobart and prepared ourselves for a surprise evening.  Another ride in the double-decker bus took us to the Hobart waterfront, where we boarded an old river boat for a cruise and a meal.  We made our way up and down the River Derwent for 3 hours, during which we consumed a delightful 3 course meal and numerous glasses of wine.  The singing sometimes lacked tune, but this was compensated for with excellent volume.

Driving south from Hobart, we made our way around the coast to Cygnet, via strangely named places such as Snug, Flowerpot and Eggs and Bacon Bay. Several of our party took their motorhomes on the ferry to Bruny Island, and enjoyed seeing the place where Captain Cook landed more than 200 years ago.  Our penultimate stop was at Southport Caravan Park, where we had the use of a room over the Town Hall.  This was the scene of the Kiwi’s response to the earlier challenge by the Brits.  A song written by John Phillips was performed with enthusiasm and a number of short skits were received with much applause by the stunned audience.  The Kiwis performed a rousing Zulu dance dressed in long beaded wigs, skimpy underwear and very little else.  Any slight hiccups in the acts were accepted in good spirit and the evening’s entertainment concluded with a rousing rendition of Pokarekare Ana, which even required an encore. A supper of sausage rolls, pizza and wine rounded off the evening nicely.

We returned to Hobart for the final farewell dinner at the Barilla Holiday Park.  David Hirst was MC for the formal part of the evening and the entire company expressed their thanks to the Tour Leaders, Bob and Pam Tilling and Martin and Cathie Hart.  Their planning and superior organisation had provided us with a truly memorable tour, which we will remember for the rest of our lives.  Goodbyes are always sad, but we all vowed to meet again somewhere “Down the Road”.

A Wonderful Ending to our Tour Down Under - Pauline & David Hirst
After a very enjoyable and friendly tour in Tasmania, we had a short stopover in Sydney, then a 10 hour overnight flight to Tokyo, where to our surprise we were met at our hotel by our friends Max and Kimiyo Hagiwara and Satoshi and Eiko Shimanishi. We left our cases at the hotel and were whisked off by them on a 2 hour journey into the mountains to Satoshi and Eiko’s garden house where the back drop was Mount Fuji, what a spectacular scene.  We were treated to a BBQ lunch and then returned to the city. Unfortunately, the traffic was very busy, so part way back we parked the vehicle and returned by train.  Arriving back in the city at 7pm, we thought we were going back to the hotel, but we were taken to a Japanese restaurant.  We met more of our Japanese friends and wined and dined. By this time we had been up for over 24 hours and getting rather tired. At about 10pm we arrived at the hotel, checked in and then escorted by everyone to our room where we said our goodbyes and fell exhausted into bed.   Max and Kimiyo and all the Japanese members send their good wishes to everyone in ICA, especially the members they met last year in the UK.

A Wonderful Ending to our Tour Down Under - Pauline & David Hirst
After a very enjoyable and friendly tour in Tasmania, we had a short stopover in Sydney, then a 10 hour overnight flight to Tokyo, where to our surprise we were met at our hotel by our friends Max and Kimiyo Hagiwara and Satoshi and Eiko Shimanishi. We left our cases at the hotel and were whisked off by them on a 2 hour journey into the mountains to Satoshi and Eiko’s garden house where the back drop was Mount Fuji, what a spectacular scene. 

We were treated to a BBQ lunch and then returned to the city. Unfortunately, the traffic was very busy, so part way back we parked the vehicle and returned by train.  Arriving back in the city at 7pm, we thought we were going back to the hotel, but we were taken to a Japanese restaurant.  We met more of our Japanese friends and wined and dined. By this time we had been up for over 24 hours and getting rather tired. At about 10pm we arrived at the hotel, checked in and then escorted by everyone to our room where we said our goodbyes and fell exhausted into bed.   Max and Kimiyo and all the Japanese members send their good wishes to everyone in ICA, especially the members they met last year in the UK.