At 6.15 yesterday morning I left my camp spot at Leaping Frog. Lazy Frog. Leaning Frog. Something Frog.. It seems to be a theme leaving camp spots at dawn. The night before, due to feeling a little anxious, parked alone at the side of the road miles from anywhere and without phone reception, I drove on and pulled into the Lagoon camp ground. It was dark, about 8pm and I couldn’t see the spaces so stopped somewhere flat and then left super early after photographing the sunrise. I wish I didn’t feel a bit scared at times - but sometimes I just do. After leaving the Frog campground at the crack of dawn I set off for wineglass bay on Coles Bay Rd. I nervously drove the Mouse House up the steep road to the lighthouse, thankful that I was still very early and no traffic to be seen on that steep, winding and narrow road. Once there, I strolled, with camera around my neck, the loop path that led me to fantastic views of the mountain and Wineglass Bay. With baited breath I drove back down and into town for a coffee. The lovely woman at Géographie made me the best coffee I have had so far in Tasmania (maybe anywhere come to think of it). With my coffee in hand (well not literally course) I headed to River and Rocks campground where I met a lovely group of campers. A smiling guy called Pete assured me I wouldn’t get bogged in the very soft looking grey sand. ‘If you do, he said, I’ll pull you out’. That’s the 2nd lovely little group so far this week. The other little group was a foursome of delightful young ’hippies’ at the Bay of Fires - a truly spectacular place. I helped myself to four hugs from them and then invited them to my little house for a cup of tea…where I had three more hugs from the three that arrived for tea. I’ve been missing hugs a bit. At River and Rocks I went for a couple of walks and then, in my van worked on this blog episode. 'A night or two here and then I’ll continue my southbound journey towards Cygnet and my day in the veggie garden with Nadia. I’m looking forward to that.' Well that's what I thought. When I'm driving my van it seems like a car and when i'm in the back it is my house so really it's two places in one. The car bit is Lucy, the house bit is The Mouse House. 😊 Well, I didn’t manage a night or two at River and Rocks. It was getting really busy Dogs, canoes, booze and a party atmosphere ensued and it just wasn’t the place for me. Which bit you ask? Well mainly the dirtiness. I don’t like dirt. I don’t like feeling grubby and I don’t like my van to be dirty. I don’t go home after a grubby weekend and clean the tent/van. This is my home! and…. there was a long drop toilet that required a gas mask to use. I don’t have to use such a disgusting thing as I have the Airhead composting loo in my van but when I heard, ‘if the wind changes you’ll certainly smell it’. Enough! I’m out of there! I'd come from 6 days in two stunning campsites at the Bay of Fires before all this. The bay of Fires in the Nth East of Tasmania. Yes, the rocks really are huge and if not red then definitely orange. My poor swollen and sore knee suffered again from all the many hours of scrambling, creeping, crawling, crouching and kneeling to get these photographs… Slideshow below Before that? I was on my way to there from Gravelly Beach beside the Tamar river. I camped there for 3 days and was taken on a little excursion by Pete who I met while mooching on my bike. Would you believe it?? When I camped at Bay of Fires I met someone who knew Pete. That has happened twice now. I met Mike in Rosebury, west coast, who knew Cagey, from Arthur River, the brilliant and generous fella who fitted an exhaust pipe to my diesel heater muffler - either one was never fitted or if one was, it fell off and I had a distinctly whiffy smell of diesel whenever I started the heater. Only two degrees of separation on this little island! Before Bay of Fire I stopped briefly at a waterfall or two, a cheese making place where the cows decided when they wanted to be milked. They did get a tasty snack and a back scratch each time so perhaps that was the incentive. I wonder who I'll meet next who knows Danielle, the lovely young woman I chatted to for ages. We had both studied Outdoor Recreation and she was working in the field as a tour guide. We shared cups of tea and enjoyed a waterfall walk together. I forget where it was - a place I was going to camp the night but a very noisy woman, who had set up her tent and was yelling at her dog all the time put us both off and we parted ways, going in opposite directions. The slideshow below shows my journey over to the east coast. The roads, the waterfalls, the cold and misty lookout. Personally I love the Highland cow I spotted and had enough room to pull over and photograph. That's one thing about Tassie, there isn't room on the roads to pull over very often. and before that..... I was in Sheffield for the 2nd time. This time for the Medieval Festival. I particularly wanted to photograph the jousting and I think I did capture some pretty good images. There I met Lisa and Darell and their magnificent (original) war horse, S’Calibur, a rare and beautiful Friesian stead. A gentle giant. I also met Lady Catherine who rode magnificently on her horse Kit When the Knights and Lady riders are all trussed up in the various layers of armour, chainmail and helmets they weight an extra 30+kg. At the end of the tournament, the knights and horses go over to the watching crowd and take a bow. Another slide show (below) of the Sheffield Medieval Festival...there was even a fireworks display n the Saturday night. And now, I am back at 'The Pondering Frog', for the second d time, with time, and quiet and internet, to actually finish this blog episode. I'm in the cafe at the moment and listening to Lester helping folk out with info on what to see, where to go. I'll talk to him myself before I move on. I saw baby goats being born at The pondering Frog. Four hours after birth they were frolicking around. Wish our kids were that independent and take it so well when mum's had enough and pushes them away. Over Brekky I met Smoker, Hiside and Lure, bikers travelling tassie and then back over to Adelaide they said. They sure were loaded up on those bikes. Nice guys 🙂 And now, with time to reflect a little bit (and after a delicious brekky at the Frog) here are some things that I really love about living in the Mouse House….
What I would like (that I don’t have just yet)… Accessible storage for my cameras and chargers, batteries etc. I’m thinking underneath my little bookshelf might work well. Perhaps I could make that myself. That’s it for now. Clare x For more of my photography do go to https://www.redbubble.com/people/colinsart
8 Comments
I've seen a little bit of the west coast of Tasmania in the past couple of weeks. After my lovely week long stay at Arthur River I backtracked a bit and then headed south towards Strahan, the furthest I could go on the west coast. I've travelled through small towns, historic towns, friendly towns, soggy places, amazing rainforests and past huge dams. I've climbed up and down mountains in the trusty Fiat, staying comfortably inside the Mouse House, I've even hiked further than I should have around Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain (and suffered the consequences with a very sore and swollen knee) Once you are on a track to somewhere you are on it!! See the Youtube clip below.
Back to Strahan. I didn't enjoy my night in the caravan park there - the only choice I had. Rather too noisy for me. Kids seem to enjoy themselves though! But... while I was there, I unfolded the bike and went for a nice longe ride along the esplanade. I even rode to a waterfall in the rainforest there. Before Strahan there was Rosebury and Zeehan. With the good fortune of meeting Mike and having a fellow traveller, I had two good nights camping, with a fire, in remote spots. Great starry sky and no noise at all. Thanks for sharing Mike😊 After a good night's sleep I was back on the road. I de-toured to have a look at Murchison Dam. I'm so glad I did it was quite magnificent. Forgive me if things are a bit out of order of not actually correct. I have seen so much! Somewhere along the road I met Harold. I stopped to photograph some sheep and ended up chatting for a while....quite a while as it turned out he invited me in for a 'cuppa. 'How long have you been here?', I asked. 'I still sleep in the room I was born in', was his reply. I looked at pictures with him. I looked at his old shingle roofed sheds, his magnificent draft horse Daisy and heard stories from the last 80 years! Here are some photographs from my stop with 80 year old Harold. I think this may have been somewhere near Irish town...... maybe! Mike and I bumped into each other again in Zeehan, an amazing place with stunning old buildings and a lot of history. It seems the west coast towns only exist because of mining in the 1800s. One thing I do have to tell you about Zeehan is the there is a great little cafe on the edge of town called Pittstop Cafe. The coffee is good the ambiance wonderful but the best thing is the friendliness of Sue and her husband Ian. They were both so very helpful. Thanks for the air in my tyres and water in my tank Ian. Here are some photographs of Zeehan, one of the soggiest places I have ever been to - it rains 3.5m of rain per annum. The vans are parked fairly close to Zeehan for another quiet camping night.
I think that's about it for this newsletter. All I can add for you now is the images I took while driving. Needles to say I couldn't take photos while drive hairpin bends! My knee is much better so I'm ready to move again. I'm off to Sheffield to photograph this weekend's Medieval Festival, Enjoy the ride, Clare If you no longer wish to receive these ramblings please let me know.
Comments are always nice, lets me know someone actually reads these blogs 😊 |
|