(1/3/2018 – 4/3/2018)
We packed up in the morning and then continued inland with stops at Pyengana Dairy and Pub in the Paddock. It was a very long driving day with many a winding road, up, down and around the ranges.
We finally made it to the north east coast late afternoon and checked into East Beach Caravan Park at Low Head for 2 nights. As we were self contained we could park up there for $10.00 a night.
On Friday we were finally able to do our ziplining tour at the Hollybank Treetops Adventure at Underwood. We had to cancel this twice before due to bad weather. This about an hour’s drive south of Low Head.
Well, what a fantastic afternoon we had here, definitely well worth the wait. It wasn’t a cheap tour either but I did get discounted tickets through RACQ and because it was something very different to do, we didn’t mind spending the money. When we were inside having the safety demonstration it started to sprinkle outside (hence why we had the rain jackets on!!) and I thought Oh No, not again but fortunately it didn’t last too long and by the time we got outside and started, the sun came out!!!
After a practice run, we then had a 600 metre walk from the office to the starting zipline. We made our way up into the treetops of the forest and ziplined between platforms called Cloud Stations that are constructed around the trunks of large trees, mostly at heights up to 30 metres above the forest floor. The distances between the platforms vary from 15 metres to 400 metres!!! I went tandem with Mitchell – he absolutely loved it, he has no fear of anything!!! I was a little nervous, more worried how my stomach would be but all was OK. I think I was the only screaming through the forest and definitely not like Tarzan!! LOL Woo Hoo!! On the very last zipline, Mitchell was able to zipline on his own!!!
On our last day in Tasmania, we drove for about 45 minutes south to Beauty Point and went on 3 tours – Seahorse World, Platypus House and Beaconsfield Mine and Historic Site.
We had a 45 minute tour where we commenced in the Cave which is home to a selection of seahorses and seadragons and then we moved into the Farm where we got to see the world’s first working seahorse farm and we saw seahorses in all stages of life from tiny fingernail size babies to larger adults. The final room we went through was an aquarium.
From here we visited Platypus House on a guided tour. We got to see platypuses and echidnas in daylight conditions in an indoor setting. We got to see them feeding and playing. Platypus House has been established to advance both the science and community awareness of these two unique animals.
Our last tour was the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Site. The Heritage Museum is located adjacent to the Beaconsfield Gold Mine, site of the “great escape” where two miners were trapped for two weeks nearly 1km underground. The Heritage Museum is an amazing interactive museum with many displays showcasing the history of Beaconsfield and the Tamar Valley. It was very interesting stepping back in time to how life was a long time ago to now!!
The Mine Rescue exhibition tells the incredible story of the rescue of miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb in April 2006. The exhibition recognises the rescuers and the innovation that took place in the effort to retrieve Todd Russell and Brant Webb from the 950 metre level depths of the mine. Included in the exhibition are stories of how the community united in the crisis, how the town coped with the influx of media, and Beaconsfield’s recovery after such a significant event.
They also had a simulation of the rock fall which allowed you to experience the conditions of the underground tomb where the miners waited for 2 weeks to be rescued. Extraordinary!!!!! I dont think I could handle being in their situation like that!!!
From Beaconsfield we drove to Devonport and checked into Abel Tasman Caravan Park for our final night in Tasmania. This caravan park was very close to the Spirit of Tasmania. From our caravan you can see the SOT come in and out of port!!!! We walked into town and had dinner at the local Devonport RSL Club.
On Sunday morning, we were up early to pack up and drive on to the Spirit of Tasmania for our day sail back to Melbourne. Beautiful day to sail out and I was good for the first few hours then the motion sickness set in as we sailed further out to sea. Luckily we had a cabin so I could go and sleep for a couple of hours!!! I woke up late afternoon, went up on deck for something to eat and drink and felt much better (well, we were not far out from Melbourne Port by this time).
We arrived in Melbourne around 7.00 pm and then drove north up to the Big4 Caravan Park at Coburg.
(1/3/2018 – 4/3/2018)
Laughtons Living Life 