Yesterday we drove hundreds of kilometres around the north east area of Tasmania. It was a full day but absolutely worth it for the lovely scenery. Hardly any mountains here, just rolling hills. A good lot of the roads were gravel, that we actually prefer to drive, as they are well maintained and wide. Our first stop, to the north, was the Eddystone Point Lighthouse that lies at the northern end of the Bay of Fires. It is a striking lighthouse built out of pink granite and unlike any we have seen elsewhere. It is also one of the highest lighthouses we have seen. It has rather a grand entry with large steps leading to a solid wood door. It is still a working lighthouse so we could not enter but I was content to just wander around the perimeter.
Back in the car and driving towards the west we passed through the little township of Gladstone that is really only a whistle stop, but just outside Gladstone is Little Blue Lake. What was once an ugly mine is now one of beauty. Minerals sit at the bottom of the lake that give it the blue colour. No swimming in this lake though!
Our drive now takes us through some lush farm land where the fields of white poppies stand out against the backdrop of the nearby mountain ranges. There are large warning signs and electric fences surrounding the poppy fields, with good reason.
The furtherest west we head on our drive is to the beachside town of Bridport. This is a holiday destination for people from Launceston that is less than an hours drive away. It is raining as we arrive at Bridport so we are probably not seeing it in its best light but you can tell it is a lovely town. I loved the moody photo of the old jetty.
Scottsdale is an easy 20km drive from Bridport so we decided to stop here for our lunch break. We found a lovely restaurant where we enjoyed a pot of tea, burgers and loaded fries (topped with salsa). It was a cute restaurant and the food came to our table super fast and was delicious.
After lunch we walked the Main Street of Scottsdale. The buildings all date back to the 1800's (surprise, surprise) and it is a neat and tidy town. As we were walking the street an Amish family passed us by, all giving us a big smile. Later we watched them leave town in their horse and buggy. I didn't have my camera with me unfortunately.
Not far from Scottsdale is the tiny town of Legerwood that is famous for its timber carvings carved from the stumps of old trees. We had seen these once before but they continued to impress us. Unfortunately the weather is really closing in by the time we reach Legerwood.
It is only 20kms to the next town of Derby. The town is alive with vehicles and people as this is the home of MTB (Mountain Trail Bikes). MTB is huge in Tasmania and people travel from all over the place to ride along some of the trails. The mountains are so high here in Tasmania that we imagine it would be a real adrenaline rush to race down the side of these mountains on a mountain bike. It is not a sport for the faint hearted!
Our last stop before heading back to St. Helens is Pyengana where there is a robotic dairy and cheese making. These cheeses are very good so we purchase a stockpile. We also indulge in one of their famous ice-creams - ginger for me and rum and raisin for Philip. After we have devoured the ice-cream we drive around 5 minutes down the road to the Pub in the Paddock. This is where the famous beer swilling pigs live. You can feed the pigs a beer if you like but we don't stay to do that.
It was quite a long day and we didn't get back to the van until almost 5pm so we just showered and hit the sack! Today has been a day of rest. Philips shoulders were aching this morning after the long drive yesterday but 20 minutes of yoga seemed to sort that out. Tomorrow we head to Devonport, right back to where our journey started. The van will stay parked here until we leave on the Spirit on the 28th December. As I mentioned previously, we are heading to Cradle Mountain for three nights over the Christmas period so that will be great to have a break from the van. Tomorrow is rather a longish drive and we have to tackle St. Mary's Pass that is 12km of winding, narrow, mountain road. It will be interesting!
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