Oct 22  Saturday and time to take a walk around Hobart. The market takes place every weekend. Most of the action happens around the waterfront. Hobart is full of historic buildings.

           

Oct 20,21  North West Bay and Tasmania Golf are the other 2 courses in the tournament so we have a practise on those over the next 2 days.

     

Look what pulled in next to us at the caravan park : it must be the world’s smallest and cutest caravan.

  

Oct 19  Claremont is one of the golf courses we will be playing in the tournament next week so we head there for a practise round. The course is next to the Cadbury factory on a very picturesque peninsular with water views on almost every hole. It is about 15 kms east of Hobart.

     

Oct 18  Arrive Hobart. We meet Matt and Maria and Jim and Maureen, friends from back home who have also come over to Hobart for the Vets golf. Mures is a well known fish restaurant on the Hobart waterfront where we enjoy some fresh seafood.

  

After lunch we head to the top of Mount Wellington with commanding views over Hobart and the Derwent Valley. It is 1,270 metres high (around 4,000 feet) and the views from the top are stunning. Imagine our surprise when we reach the summit and encounter snow !

     

Oct 17  We leave Bicheno and head towards Hobart, 160 kms to the south west. On the way out of Bicheno we meet a couple of the local wildlife – a rabbit and a magnificent white breasted eagle.

  

 

Oct 16  Our last day in the north east with a visit to St Marys which is dominated by St Patrick’s Head, named on March 17th 1774, it is the oldest Irish place name in Australia. The roads leading to and from St Marys were quite intimidating. St Helens is a seaside resort on the shores of Georges Bay, north of which is the Bay Of Fires, so named by Captain Furneaux in 1773 as he sailed past and saw the aboriginal camp fires burning along the shore. The shore line is covered rocks which have an orange coloured lichen.

        

Oct 15  Freycinet National Park is world renowned for its stunning coastal scenery, abundant wildlife and the famous Wineglass Bay Beach. We met one of the resident Bennets wallabies with the cutest baby in its pouch. In the morning it was very misty but, fortunately, the mist rose and the sun shone later in the day. We enjoyed some of the walks with beautiful views.

        

Oct 14  The last stop before Hobart is Bicheno, a lovely seaside town situated half way down Tasmania’s east coast. Bicheno is close to the Freycinet Peninsular with its huge National Park. On the way we pause for coffee at Campbelltown which has a historic bridge (built by convicts in the early 1800’s – most things in Tassie were !!) with some interesting carvings. Bicheno was where we tasted a unique Tasmania Pie – curried scallop – quite nice but doesn’t get close to a meat pie with mushy peas.

     

Oct 13  About 2 hours north east of Launceston, on Tasmania’s north east coast, close to Bridport is Barnbougle Dunes Golf Club. Rated Australia’s number 1 public access course, it rambles through sand dunes with views of Bass Strait to die for. Even the weather turned up with warm sunshine and bright blue skies.