Hobart has been our home for 2 weeks and we have had a great time and also some success at the golf. But it is now time to say farewell to Hobart and our golfing colleagues who joined us there. Next stop Port Arthur …

  

Oct 31  The D’Entrecasteaux Channel is a region of water between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania. It extends between the estuaries of the Derwent and the Huon Rivers. It was sighted by Abel Tasman in 1642 and surveyed in 1792 by Bruni d’Entrecasteaux. We visit a sheep cheesery, a blow hole caused by wave erosion, Eggs and Bacon Bay, Peppermint Bay and lunched at Hartzview winery and restaurant. Tasmanians have a wierd sense of humour – please see the pictures of the hay bales.

        

Oct 30  Cockle Creek is literally ‘The End Of The Road’. It is nearer to the South Pole than it is to Cairns in Queensland. It is at the end of the Huon Valley which is famous for is fruit orchards, summer berries, wine and great scenery. On the itinerary today : Geeveston with its large wooden carvings in the town centre : Hastings Caves : and the end of the road at Cockle Creek.

Geeveston is 62kms south of Hobart on the Huon River and is the gateway to the Hartz Mountains National Park. Our stop here is brief to admire the large wooden carvings in the town centre.

  

Hastings Caves are the largest dolomite caves in the southern hemisphere. The caves started to form approximately 40 million years ago and remained undiscovered until 1917, when a timber worker felled a tree to reveal the entrance. The caves are truly marvellous with many remarkable stone formations.

     

Cockle Creek is the farthest south you can take a car in Tasmania (without resorting to serious off road stuff or a very long walk!). It used to be a whaling centre which is remembered by a large bronze whale sculpture. Nowadays it is purely a tourism destination.

     

Oct 26  This was a rest day from the golf and we went to Opossum Bay which is where the Derwent River enters Storm Bay and the Tasman Sea. On the way we paid a visit to the Bellerive Oval, home of Tasmania cricket.

     

Oct 24 thro 28  The Australian Veterans Golf Annual National Championships were held in Tasmania from Monday Oct 24 to Friday Oct 28. 3 courses close to Hobart were used : North West Bay, Claremont and Tasmania Golf Club. Unfortunately, North West Bay was very wet and play was quite difficult but the other courses were superb. 6 players made the trip from our home club, Pelican Waters Golf Club : Matt and Maria Schlotterbach, Jim and Maureen Nixon and Bob and Siobhan.

There was a mixed one day event on the Monday with no notable results for the visitors from Pelican Waters. The Championships proper began on the Tuesday with a 3 day event for the men, graded into A, B and C grades, depending upon handicaps. And a 2 day event for the ladies, all in one grade, with 3 winners depending on which 2 courses were played.

Pelican Waters came up with some significant winners : Bob won the B Grade Net : Jim Nixon won the C Grade Net : Maria Schlotterbach won one of the ladies competitions and Siobhan won one of the daily prizes. Bob also came up with a daily prize and a nearest the pin. Well done Pelican Waters.

  

Oct 25  Siobhan celebrates her 50th birthday. Even though it occurs during the golf tournament, Bob manages a surprise with a night in an up market hotel on the Hobart waterfront plus a posh dinner at the romantic Remi de Provence French restaurant. Naturally, there were some red roses waiting on the table to mark the occasion. Also, the previous day, Maria organised a surprise birthday cake at the golf club after the golf.

   

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.