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 😊
11 Comments
Kallena
12/10/2018 07:33:06 pm
I'm really loving seeing where you are and what you are doing - particularly this part of Tassie as I've been there relatively recently and loved it too, so many of your photos seem so familiar to me and bring back good memories.
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Clare
13/10/2018 08:57:03 pm
Thanks Kallena. Glad you are enjoying the adventure. So many photos to sort through.
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Deirdre
12/10/2018 10:45:08 pm
Really enjoying this. Tasmania reminds me so very much of Ireland. Have fun on your travels. Xxx Deirdre
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Clare
13/10/2018 08:59:51 pm
Hi Deidre. Maybe One day I’ll be in Ireland and say,
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Aleasa
13/10/2018 09:15:06 am
Can't half see why it's called Cradle Mountain. What a hike Clare! Glad you rested yourself and the knees. Your journey unveiling in my office on my computer screen is amazing to experience. Thank you for sharing. The west coast seems very unique and mystique. What an incredible adventure. I am looking forward to chapter. Leas
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Clare Colins
13/10/2018 09:02:15 pm
Thanks Leas, so glad you are enjoying it.
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Ali
15/10/2018 12:10:57 pm
Hi Clare, Lovely photos, we found Strahan very enchanting. Great you are meeting some interesting people along the way. You were lucky to receive a tour of the old mine, seeing the old equipment just rusting into the ground, fascinating. Raining for days here for something different - actually weird for Spring but grateful for it. xx
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Clare
15/10/2018 04:59:13 pm
Hi Ali
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RaH
17/10/2018 01:13:27 pm
Loving the chats, & the photography is awesome. x
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Clare
18/10/2018 06:07:55 pm
It’s great having you as my support person Rah.
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MaeA
10/6/2020 12:46:40 pm
..Harold's gitch !
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