Our very gracious and helpful hostess at Hawthorn Villa brought us a hefty pile of brochures and guides and then suggested we would enjoy a trip about an hour north of here to the Park with the unpronouncable name. And while we are there, why not go for the best fish and chips in Tasmania at her sister and brother-in-law’s place at Hawley Beach?

Nicole was right on both accounts. The park was wonderful. We saw our first Australian marsupial known as a pademelon. Actually we saw many of these small creatures. Then I saw a wombat blasting down the trail and out of sight. Lawrie caught sight of some kangaroos across a lake. We both had a good look at a flock of black swans. The day was sunny and warm and totally enjoyable.

After several hours in the park, we went for a drive around the inlet to Hawley Beach where we located said relatives and introduced ourselves to Daniel, Nicole’s brother-in-law. The fish and chips were as good as we’ve ever had.

On the way home we found a chocolate factory. The Belgian type that are irresistable. Mmmm, excellent! Then we found Ashgrove Tasmania Cheese. How about some lavender cheese? Neither of these things should be considered food, but my oh my are they good! If I haven’t gained twenty pounds on this holiday, I’ll be most surprised as I haven’t an ounce of resistance.

After we arrived back at the Stables, new guests had arrived that Lawrie struck up a conversation with. One of the couples is from Hobart and they were showing mainland Australian friends around. The advice from them was to take a day and go to Stanley, stopping at Cape Table and Sister’s Beach. We are reasonably good at taking advice, so that is where we plan to go tomorrow.
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Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania and that is where we went today. We needed to rent the car for an extra day and then also decided we might as well book the other two time periods as well. Then we walked over to Paddy Pallin’s which is where we start our cycling trip on Sunday. We not only located the store (a mini Mountain Equipment Co-op), but also found a great pair of trekking pants for Lawrie and freeze-dried meals for our Overland Track trip. They also sell Park passes which we needed to get so we were accomplishing stuff in a hurry! Then off to plug the parking meter and go for lunch. After that we went and purchased our Tassie Link bus tickets to get from Hobart to Cradle Mountain and then after the hike from Lake St. Clair to Launceston. We feel like we are getting very well acquainted with this little Australian state.
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Really, we are finding it a very friendly place with a beautiful countryside and a ton of interesting places to explore. After leaving Launceston we went up the Tamar Valley to a place where the river meets the ocean called Low Head. Of course there is a lighthouse or two, some historic properties that one can book into for holidays, and a colony of penguins to see if one is around at dawn or dusk. We liked the look of the place and know now that when we are finished our Overland Track hike and come into Launceston to pick up our vehicle that we will have enough time to drive up to Low Head and see the penguins returning for the night. So one more thing arranged! After a lovely walk on the beach we head for home taking a different route and also stopping for a bottle of locally made wine. The Tamar Valley is known for its wine so one is compelled to sample some!
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