Fri, 13th Feb, 2015 Gravel Oval, Queenstown to Golf Club, Strahan

Lovely clear skies again. Cool morning. Sunrise Weather said Cairns people to prepare for a dumping of 500mm of rain over the weekend and a cyclone will form as the monsoon sets in. Thinking about everyone at home. Hope it isn’t too bad.

Packed up to do a big drive to Strahan, 40 km!! Looking back at the mountains around Queenstown.

I can see the sea!!

Passed by a shop full of whittled wood called Whittle Wonders.

$10 a night here beside the Golf Course.

The first tee is straight across from us, it is a Par 4, 296m.

Set up and then headed off to explore. On the road to Zeehan we turned off to find the Henty Dunes. Past lots of forestry pine plantations. I thought we could climb them and then go onto the beach. I ran up the dune and met another couple who said the dunes just go on and on. There is room for camping and it is popular for dune boarding and four wheel driving etc.

The photo makes it look great.

Drove back into Strahan to the Info Centre. Great view across Strahan Harbour to where it meets Macquarie Harbour.

Across the harbour we could see the steam engine.

Followed the water’s edge around to check out the train getting ready to leave for the afternoon trek up to Dubbil Barril.  It was No. 3, a lovely black engine.

In the shed was a green diesel engine.

Had a great time chatting with the chaps about the engines.

Everything is kept nice and shiny.

Train driver Sharon.

Boy it is hot in there.

The boys liked how they used wine corks to seal the oiling tubes that feed the rams.

Looking down to the Abt rack & pinion system.

The driver said this handle was from the engine that kept breaking down, No. 4, so it’s memory lives on.

Off they went to get connected up for the trip.

They have a big turntable here.

Inside the station some more info boards.

A rough cut traindriver.

Lovely fireplace and mirror.

Drove back to People’s Park to have lunch. After lunch headed off for the 40 minute return walk up to Hogarth Falls. The entrance was originally built in early 1900s out of Huon pine but was rebuilt in 1998.

Just in a bit Rick checked out the little creek and saw a platypus. We quietly crept in and then Leanne put her water bottle between her knees to take a photo and it made a huge crack so the platypus disappeared underwater. We waited and he popped up again so got a few good photos and a video.

Nice wide path.

Path narrows and then the climb up to the falls.

Lovely falls with a smaller falls below into a bigger pool but very tannin stained.

Up the road we drove up the hill to find the lookout. Found a flash hotel called View 42 degrees. Liked the tree posts.

Further up we found the lookout beside the water tower. Looking over the Strahan Harbour entrance and Macquarie Harbour on the left. The sea is further out from there.

Round further to the open farm area.

The main street is lined with old buildings.

Steve noticed this boat and on closer inspection it is the old Ocean Spirit II from Cairns having a refurbishment.

The CWA have erected a memorial to the past women of the area.

Morrison’s Sawmill hold a free timber cutting demonstration which got a lot of attention. It said 3 o’clock but that came and went and then we realised they were waiting for the tour boat to come back in with more tourists. They run the cruise up the Gordon River and the lady who does the talks on it also explains how the mill works.

Lots of timber items to purchase too.

We should get this one.

Or maybe the Tassie one.

This one shows all the age rings well.

Not cheap!!

Birds eye Huon pine is nice though.

Old train wagon.

Lots of slabs of timber for sale too. I would like this King Billy Pine for $25 (the middle one).

This old Huon Pine log is approximately 800 to 900 years old. It was felled in the Denison River in the early 1960s.

The mill has been in the one family now for 4 generations. Getting the timber ready to be cut by the big saw.

 The saw cutting through.

 The log was on a platform that inched its way along using the cogs which were turned by a drum winch. Was very interesting to watch it all work.

The slab is cut and ready for everyone to feel and smell. You can buy Huon Pine shavings to put in your drawers as it is the best insect repellent.

Steve wanted a photo of this treasure for Charles.

In another room there was a video playing with old Mr Morrison talking about his life in the timber industry. There was a photo album too that said World Ski Attempt so I checked it out. This must have been the time they took the title off Cairns. They used the boat that does the river cruise.

In the timber shop there was lots of different things to check out and buy (if you had lots of money!!) $14,500 for this lovely boat.

Huon Pine Burl table $3500.

Myrtle burl bowl $500.

Eucalypt burl bowl $750.

Amazing work the sculptor did on this log, turning the front into a boat hull.

Would love both these clocks.

Timber axes are great.

Huon Pine and glass coffee table $3750.

A sculpture out of King Billy Pine for $249.

I would love this Hall Seat out of Huon Pine for $2900. But will have to settle for photos of them all.

Headed back to the van for a cuppa. Steve noticed one of our tyres was looking a bit flat and he was right. Found the culprit – a nail, so he plugged it and all was good again.

Leanne and I then headed back in to watch the play “The Ship that Never Was”. It tells the story of the last ship built in 1834 at the convict settlement shipyard at Macquarie Harbour . Ten convict shipwrights decided to steal it and sail to South America. The lady who did the Sawmill talk etc is also one of the actors. With one other chap they put on a fantastic show that had us laughing continuously. The props were continually changing telling the story of how the convicts decided to steal the ship they were building. They got the audience involved giving them characters, some having to do things, others just to sit there and be talked about.

When two of the convicts’ names were mentioned we all had to boo. I was given a parrot oven mitt and had to sqwark and swear – oh no there are children present so I had to go ‘beep’.

It was amazing how they set up the props to slowly grow into a ship “Frederick” as they told the story.

Leanne and a few others were given bags to make the bang when the rifle went off!!

When they stole the ship and headed out into the sea I had to board the ship and sit next to the cat (a little girl) and flap my wings. They had given me a big parrot think I had to put on my head and over my arms.

When the ship arrived at South America the parrot was sent out to check the land so I had to fly outside. When I went out a chap said I had to keep going so here I am flapping my wings down the footpath with onlookers having a great laugh. Eventually I turned around and headed back to the ship.

In the end the convicts were captured but were not hung as all the paperwork about the ship was gone, the ship was never registered with the navy so basically they were only guilty of stealing some timber and ropes!! It was an amazing story told in such a great way and I am so glad we decided to come. Laughed so much.

Leanne putting back the whisky ration that she was to look after.

We drove back in on a high – I got in trouble from Steve for driving in too fast over the dirt road as we were laughing too much!!! We decided not to do the harbour cruise which takes in Sarah Island. It is a tiny, remote island further up the harbour. It was a Convict Penal Settlement between 1822 and 1833. Altogether about 1300 prisoners, men and women, were sent to the Settlement for offences committed while under sentence. The Settlement is the setting for Marcus Clarke’s novel “For the Term of his Natural Life”, which portrays Sarah Island as a living hell for its hero, Rufus Dawes.

Had some dinner then headed out again to check out Macquarie Harbour mouth and see the sunset from Ocean Beach. Looking across the Harbour to the mountains. This area is called Swan Basin. This area is probably the flattest bit of land we have been over in Tassie.

When we got to the Harbour edge it was lovely and calm.

Further round we head closer to the mouth. A few people fishing. One chap had just caught a blackfish, type of parrot fish. They use them for crayfish bait.  Doesn’t look like we are going to get a good sunset tonight either.

It is narrower here so we can see the houses on the other side easily. This area is the Southwest Conservation Park and there aren’t any roads in that area.

The lighthouse is on a little island just off the edge.

This groin was put in down the harbour edge to make sure the current kept the harbour channel clear from silt build up.

We drove up the beach to the mouth. Another lighthouse is on another island to park the entrance to the harbour which is called “Hells Gate”.

Some more houses on the point called Cape Sorell.

The beach is also great for bikes etc.

We could continue to drive on the beach around to Ocean Beach but we decided to stick to the road. There were a lot of surfers at the Ocean Beach car park. Some we think will be staying the night!! A little bit of colour in the sky but the low cloud was quite heavy so I won’t be getting my sunset in the west tonight over the Southern Ocean.

Walked down through a sand dune onto the beach. Cold but not too windy.

Zoomed in on the Cape Sorell beacon navigation light near the entrance to Macquarie Harbour.

As night fell the Mutton Birds started to arrive. They just swarmed around us then flew off in the shrubs. We didn’t get to see where their nests were, like at Bruny Island.

The end of Friday the 13^th and our 3 dramas were, Rick fell and badly bashed his shin, we got the nail in the tyre and I didn’t get my western sunset!! Not too bad really.