Gidday all,

 

From Cethena to St. Helens.

After a drive back to the coast along the winding mountainous roads, we spent a couple of days stocking up on supplies and considering our next move.

Having enjoyed the solitude of the last week, we contacted another Tassie friend and he said we were welcome to camp up on his empty block on the river just out of Forth.

 

 The holidays were over and most were preparing for back to school and work, which meant less crowded roads and camp spots. Maybe a good time to move to another favourite spot over on the east coast. So, on the road again. First leg of the journey took us to Evendale, a sweet little village just south of Launceston. You can overnight in the local park, a wonderful little place. They hold an annual penny farthing race in the town, haven’t seen it yet but it would be interesting.

Heading north east past Launceston and into the ranges along more winding mountainous roads, passed through Scottsdale where we stopped for a pie and look through the local thrift shop where we picked up a warm hoodie and got the usual comment that it was summer, but we are used to that. Then on to Branxholm and Derby. Turning north a little further on and on to Gladstone, then to the northern tip.

Despite the holidays being over there was a couple of campers at our spot. We found an out of the way part and parked up. The weather was not particularly kind to us the next few days, Intermittent drizzle and blowing winds, which isn’t surprising as there is a wind farm not far away. Usually it’s nice there. Stuck it out for another few days then decided to move on.

 Back to the highway, really a narrow winding two lane road, onward to Pyengana and camped at the recreation grounds there. Main reason for going there was it had showers, an anticipated luxury compared to the usual bucket bath.

While there we had a lunch at the Pub in the Paddock down the road. It has a resident, beer swilling pig, and you can buy him a beer, which is watered down leftovers. After our rejuvenating showers and tasty pub lunch we move on towards St. Helens.

 

 

 

 

When in town we found the Laundromat and scouted about town as our cloths washed. After smoko at a local café we filled the water tanks and headed for a campground on the coast not far away near Binalong bay.A bit windy and overcast for the first couple of days but then it calmed down and the sun came out and with it the local wildlife. We were visited by some wallabies, and a number of birds. Also one night I was woken by a noise and when I shone the torch into the kitchen area, saw a possum picking through the rubbish bag. With a few well-chosen words I convinced it to leave and promptly shut the door.

The time had come to choose the next destination, with the motto of don’t be afraid to give it a go, and our adventurous spirit, we set our sights on Flinders Island, besides we haven’t been there before.

 

 

 

Lake Cethena, a man-made lake on the Forth River, created to feed a chain of hydro power stations positioned upstream and downstream. The small community of Lorinna nearby is home to a few people. It lies between Devonport on the coast and Cradle Mountain inland.

We made our way to the lake on the Thursday, because we knew the road in was narrow and winding along the hill sides above the lake and didn’t want to come across traffic coming the other way on our way in. The weekend would possibly be busier. Rod had assured us no one would be camping there this weekend and when we arrived at the campground it was deserted, just as we like it. The lake greeted us as we turned the last corner with a scattering of long drowned trees reaching out of the water away from the shoreline, a reminder that there was a forested valley there before it was flooded to create the lake. It was an overcast, drizzly day and the raindrops speckled the surface of the water, with the low clouds hugging the hills on the other side of the lake it was one of the many faces of Tasmania we have come to know and love.

 

Looking around we picked out a flat piece of ground and parked up then climbed into the back to relax and wait for the drizzle to stop. Next day the sun came out and the birds and wild life in the surrounding forest welcomed us to our new temporary home. Just before lunch a couple of 4x4s turned up and headed around the shoreline to set up camp then another one turned up towing a trailer loaded with four wheeler motorbikes and kids looking very excited. Not long after, another 4x4 with a camper on the back pulled up. We will have the campsite all to ourselves Rodney had said, no one goes there he said, it was starting to get populated.

Rod turned up later that arvo towing the boat, and after a bit of ribbing him about the peaceful camp, set up his camp. He and his mates son, who had come with him, set about putting the tinnie into the lake. Rod backed the trailer into the water and his mate pushed the boat off, no one grabbed the rope attached to the boat and so it gently floated out into the lake with both of them looking at, and blaming each other for the runaway boat. Rod won in the end and the other had to go for a cool swim in the icy water to retrieve the runaway tinnie. The weekend was off to a flying start.

 

The morning had been peaceful enough but the afternoon progressed into a barrage of kids racing back and forth on their motorbikes and the camp on the other side cranking up the music, which wasn’t too bad except for the slim dusty and hank Williams songs slipped in every couple of tracks. The people were friendly enough and we decided to go with the flow of the celebrations of the weekend.

Early next morning Rod woke me up announcing the young fella was going to take me out and get a couple of trout. Rodney had ended up having a big night celebrating the start of the fishing trip and felt he should stay on shore and maybe start breakfast for when we returned, so we left him to It, and Din still in bed, and hit the lake.  Spent a couple of hours trolling up and down but didn’t catch one, the views of the surrounding countryside made up for the lack of fish.

The weekend progressed much the same with sporadic trips out onto the lake and Rodney and his mates bantering with each other and us, and all the time kids on their bikes wizzing back and forth with various tunes blasting out from the camp up the track. Even a flag up for Australia day.  Not the peaceful camp we had imagined, but all had a good time regardless.

 

 

The boat had three rod holders, one each for two occupants and one out the back called the community rod. Whenever the community rod caught a fish, Din claimed that she had caught it. But you would never get her onto the boat. She caught the most fish that weekend. The catch ended up consisting of two rainbow trout, two brown trout and a blackfish. Two of them were too small and were put back, but due to Dins amazing skills I ended up having rainbow trout for dinner, she wouldn’t eat anything out of the water if you paid her.

 

Weekend over and everyone slowly packing up and leaving, we anticipated the silence to come. With no good reason to move on just yet we stayed when they all left. What a contrast, the hustle and bustle and noise of the last few days gave way to stillness and bird calls. Spent another four days there alone, enjoying the lake. All in all, good with the bad, these are the unforgettable experiences you get in a life on the road, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Gidday all,

Woke up to a cool, cloudy morning in Forth, on our first day back in Tassie. Later that morning, good old mate, Rodney turned up bearing gifts of fresh picked berries and vegies from his home garden. The best welcome we could hope for. Spent some time catching up, then after Rod left, relaxed for the rest of the day.

 

 

A friend from Sydney, who was in Tassie and due to leave in a few days contacted us and we arranged for them to come and camp up before they left. The day after they arrived we found out Pete Murray and Thirsty Merc were playing at the local pub just over the river, so they had great entertainment for their last night on the Island. He had a fold up electric scooter with him and I tried it out with a trip to the servo just outside the campground, great little bike, very handy.

 

 

 

After our Sydney friends left and the camper crowds from the concert dwindled we also hit the road. Rod had put us onto a quiet camp spot he knew of inland from Bernie. The location will be known as secret camp as mainly only locals know of it so far, and it’s better that way.

Found the spot and parked up, no one in sight, these are the spots, remote, with a crystal clear stream, bubbling over multi coloured rocks on the edge of an ancient forest with man ferns   and wildflowers.

The area had a large flat on the bend of the stream, where we had pulled up, and another area more private further upstream. After a few days the weekend was approaching and we anticipated some locals might come down to camp, so decided to move upstream to the other area.

Glad we did because as thought, on the weekend campers arrived, but we were happy and private in our new location.

Spent eight days there, a wonderful spot that we will return to no doubt. The time came to return to Forth as we were expecting some mail to turn up at the post office there. So reluctantly we packed up and headed out.

Back at Forth we picked up mail and caught up with Rod again. He said he was going to Lake Cethena with a couple of mates fishing for the Australia day weekend and invited us to tag along. We agreed and set that as our next location.