Launceston and the Cataract Gorge May 2012

A few days ago we decided to have a weekend city break like the English office workers do. I skived off work early and we travelled up the Midland Highway as the sun was going down, a truely beautiful experience. The orange light made the trees and the rolling hills seem even more peaceful and expansive than usual. Locals say the drive to Launie is boring but I love it. The scenery is beautiful and the towns along the way have such stories to tell.

Launceston is a cool little city. It’s got posh shops and Paris chic as well as art deco factories and stunning federation homes. We spent some time in the “Paris end of Charles Street” which was rather lovely darling!

On Sunday we went to the Cataract Gorge. It was my first visit, although Richard had only had a fleeting visit several years ago.  This time he was keen to do the Duck Reach Walk which takes you further along the gorge and is well worth it, if you’re in the area.  The walk is only about 90 minutes long but the scenery is absolutely picture perfect the whole way. The rocks are so smooth, they’ve obviously had water gushing over them for hundreds of years and the water is such a lovely green the whole place looks like Monet has imagined it.

We also paid a visit to the Boag’s Brewery. An event Richard very much enjoyed.  We did the Saturday tour, which is shorter than the weekday ones as the factory is not operational on weekends. However, we did get to smell the yeast and see the big tanks and most importantly, sample the beers at the end! I recommend the James Boag’s Pure - I think it rivals the Steinlager version.

On Sunday we decided to spend our time getting back to Hobart. We stopped off in Evandale, which is just by Launceston airport. In Evandale you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been knocked on the head and woken up in the Peak District.  There are holly trees laden with berries, and the old pub has a beer garden surrounded by wonderful acorn trees. Then there’s the old grocer and the middle class people…..

On Sundays there is a market in the local Evandale park. I highly recommend stopping off here.  We had a brilliant lunch in the Evandale Market Cafe which is in a building built some time in the 1800’s. I passed up on the scones with jam and cream, much to my regret, but the toasted sandwich was just what I felt like and apparently the chicken and mushroom pie went down a treat also.  The cafe also has 1800’s prices which was great! Our whole lunch cost about $10. The market itself has plenty to offer, from pony rides to plants and old farm machinery. We scored a new palm for the front room and a plant I’ve been searching high and low for to go in the bathroom so I was very pleased.

In a few weeks time we’re off for another weekend away. This time we’ll be going past Mt Field into the South West National Park. We’ll be basing ourselves in funky col Maydena so if you have any tips or recommendations I’d love to hear them.

My mum came to visit us a few weeks back. We showed her the best cafe’s, the wonderful surroundings, and every kind of weather Tassie can produce. Now all I have to do is arrange a fishing trip for some of Richard’s mates, get John over here next Summer for a tour of the wineries, get Rebecca over here for a walk with a bear, get everyone else over for the Taste Festival next Summer……

Greatest O Week Gig Ever! - Thanks to the MS Society!

Roots Manuva, Bomb the Bass, UNKLE - remember the 90’s?!

Fortescue Bay to Bivouac Bay - one of Tasmania’s Great Short Walks.

The Tasman Peninsula is one of my favourite parts of Tassie. There are so many beautiful spots. The tesselated pavement, Eaglehawk Neck, White Beach, Port Arthur, Stewart’s Bay, to name a few. Fortescue Bay has to be right up there though.

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to attend the open day of Government House in Hobart. Apparently it happens once a year, or hardly ever, depending on who you ask, so we felt it was of great importance that we didn’t miss the occasion.

On arrival I was handed a lovely invitation printed on costly paper with gold embellishments. The Queen had personally invited me to her open day, which I thought was rather lovely.

Walking through the gardens is like being inside a Famous Five novel, mixed with a tropical getaway and a bodice-ripper BBC drama. There are secret hideaways and creeks to row your boat to safety in, servants quarters with those old fashioned pulley thingees that were used back in the day to lift heavy things up to the second floor and a wealth of ferns and palms, goodness knows how they grow in this climate….

At one stage an elderly man charged past us and muttered “I used to be the head gardener, bloody nightmare it was.”

I thought that was a tad negative, but I could see his point.

My favourite part was the vegetable garden. It puts all self-sufficient, living off the land, modern-day hippie wannabes to shame! There are espalier apples lining the walls (an absolute marvel - I want them in my garden!) fruit trees of every variety, vegetables for Africa, and cool little weathered wooden barns built some time circa 1890.

The Governor can also indulge in a spot of tennis, grass or clay, whichever takes his fancy and I imagine the orchestra playing on the lawn is there all day, every day, should he feel the need for a bit of classical music whilst taking a stroll amongst the roses.

All in all, not an invitation to turn down next time the Queen calls!

A Hobart Summer…

We’ve had such a brilliant couple of weeks here in Hobart, I really can’t stress enough - you must plan to come over next January.  It’s hot, jaw-droppingly beautiful and there is so much to see and do. Most of it is organised by MONA, but hey, they do it well so who’s complaining.

MOMA, is the new Saturday market, for people who prefer not to get up at the crack of dawn to rifle through tourist nasties and who enjoy a spot of music and beer of a Saturday arvo.

The Harvest stall is a stand out - it’s jam packed with delights. We bought two days worth of vegies for $4.50. The other stalls are brilliant too. I tried the plum icecream from one, and Richard tried one of Jucy Lucy’s detox juices. Both met with approval. I bought a lovely bunch of flowers from a flower stall run by the lovely lady from Peppermint Farm, which is on the way to Cygnet - wouldn’t mind dropping in there for a Spring visit!

Next time we go, we’ll gather together a bunch of friends, have a champagne on the ferry, try some Belgian beers in the bar and sit on the grass eating extra long Argentinian kebab thingees and lusting after the beautiful blue water that surrounds us.

Yesterday we were lucky enough to snap up two spare seats in a mates van for a trip out to Hayes, which is near Bushy Park, where nearly all the hops in Australia are grown. I’ve been wanting to visit the Two Metre Tall Company ever since another friend told us about it at the micro-brew beer fest and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

http://2mt.com.au/

The beer is all brewed from ingredients grown on the farm, or from the farms in the surrounding areas so it’s always fresh, organic and flavourful.  Ever tried a stout that tastes like a double espresso in a bucket of apples? Ashley, head brewer/farmer extraordinaire comes from a wine-making background and his enthusiasm and love of genuine real ales is inspiring, a tasting session with him is entertaining to say the least!

The bar is in a shed surrounded by paddocks and fields of wheat and hops. Bring your own picnic, pick a piece of beer-fed beef and cook it up on the barbie. A great feed and quality beers in the sun, what more could you want?

I’ll be coming back here in March when all the flowers on the hops come out. The view from the top of the hill of Bushy Park looks amazing now, but when all those acres are covered in flowers it’ll be spectacular - and of course I’ll need a beer and a steak to recover.

Ever read any Heidi or Anne of Green Gables books? That’s what picking strawberries at the Sorell Fruit Farm reminded me of.  Good, clean, fun. 19th Century style.  It’s safe to say Richard found me skipping through the fields a bit odd but hey, he was too busy stuffing berries down his gob he didn’t care!

Sorell Fruit Farm is a simple premise, and it’s delightful that they’ve kept it that way.  There isn’t any room for bubble-wrapped kids or OSH inspectors here. All you do is pay for a punnet, and then fill it up. What more do you need?

My favourite were the rows and rows of trees laden with black cherries.  Picked straight from the tree these are absolutely scrumptious.  There are also exotic berries that are definitely worth a try, Tayberries, Jostaberries, and one that would be great in a cake, or as a jus, Loganberries.  (The black raspberry type ones in the picture.)

There is fruit to be picked at this farm all year round, I’ll be back when nectarines are ripe in a few months. 

The Sorell Fruit Farm is on the road to Port Arthur, so we’ll stop and fill up a punnet on our way along the South-East Coast when Mum and Viv come to visit later in the year.  And we can go there with anyone else too……