The minute we drove through the gates into the Huonville Caravan Park we knew that five nights here would not be enough. All the sites are extra large and fully grassed and the whole park is situated right on the bank of the river where many bbq's and seating have been strategically placed. There is no swimming pool here but the owners have built a sandy "beach" on a section of the river that is just the right depth for kids. It is perfect and we are now staying here for seven nights. Oh, and as an added bonus they have a licence to house Tasmanian Devil's and there is a feeding each afternoon at 4. Ugly little devils....
Today was a relatively easy day. The Cygnet markets were on so we decided to drive the short distance to this picture perfect little town. I have read that Cygnet is home to a lot of "alternative" lifestylers and we loved "people watching" from inside one of the many coffee shops. I don't think I have ever seen so many "hippy style" colourful outfits. We wandered around the markets but only purchased a few vegetables (there was only one stall selling vegetables) and I picked up a set of bamboo knitting needles. After the market we wandered along the Main Street and stopped at the renowned wood fired bakery - Polish & Co. - and picked up a stone ground loaf of bread. Haven't had any yet but it smells pretty good.
Christmas is well and truly in the air and we watched the locals in Cygnet installing a giant Christmas tree. Can't wait to see it again when it is fully erected. There is a florist in the Main Street of Huonville who has also got into the swing of Christmas with a pile of Christmas presents sitting outside her shop. I even put up our tiny little Christmas tree and fairy lights yesterday......just to get into the spirit...
This afternoon we drove to Franklin to board the grand old dame "La Drone" that was built in 1948 in Launceston. She is such a beautiful wooden boat and they certainly don't make them like this anymore. Well, they actually do still build wooden boats in Franklin and we will visit the factory one day this week. The walk down to our waiting boat is via a boutique winery. It was closed today, but have you ever seen such a small cellar door. We pass by the grape vines that are just starting to fruit and I love the white rose bushes at the end of each row.
Once on board (there are only four of us) and after the safety briefing we set sail down the mighty Huon River. It is so lovely and peaceful just chugging along slowly. Our captain serves us canapés and a beverage of our choice. We sail quite close to the rivers edge to get a close up look at the magnificent homes that line the banks of the river. At Franklin there is quite a lot of ships moored and there is still an old fishing shack sitting out over the river. As we turn around and slowly head back to our starting point in front of us is a boat under full spinnaker! You don't get to see that very often. The skipper was having a hard time keeping wind in that giant sail.
It was a very enjoyable day and I am really looking forward to exploring more of this beautiful area. Of course it helps that the sun is shining brightly today and it has warmed. Maybe, just maybe, we might get some lovely summer weather for the rest of our time in Tasmania....
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