Tues, 24th Feb, 2015 Tall Timbers Hotel camp area, Smithton (North West exploring)

15 degree start to the morning so back into jeans and jumpers. I had a bad night sleep with coughing. Steve’s brother, David’s birthday today. Will give him a call tonight.

The park has lots of these native hens. They are the funniest to listen to as they sound like a squeaky bed. They also do a lot of fighting. Cute couple of chicks too.

Packed our lunches and headed off to explore the North West. Into flat plains areas. Cute dairy cow letterbox at West Montagu.

Turned off before Montagu to check out the camp area on the coast. Lots of people pay a 6 month fee and set up their camps and then go back and forth. The crayfish and abalone fisherman do the same for the season. Walked down to the boat ramp.

Robbins and Walker Islands were originally owned by VDL Company but they sold them off when things were getting tough. A family own them now and they grow Wagyu Beef cattle on there. They walk/swim them across the channel at low tide.

 Some more history information.

Looking across Robbins Passage to Robbins Island.

The water is so clear.

Back out to the main road. Open flat plains again.

I wanted to get to Cape Grim to smell the freshest air in the world!! That’s where they test it. We stopped at an info hut about the Woolnorth Wind Farm. There were a few cars here but no people. Lots of wind turbines on the hill.

There was lots of information about wind turbines etc (same as what we had read in Victoria) but this info board was interesting about VDL (Van Diemen’s Land) Company.

As we were deciding what to do next a bus pulled up, Woolnorth Tours. The owners of the cars got out and thanked the chap. He came over so I asked for directions to get to Cape Grim. Unfortunately because people didn’t do the right thing the company stopped access. The only way there now was his tour. As he had finished he offered to take us at a cheaper rate because we were already there. We decided ‘what the heck’ and off we went with our packed lunches. Our guide was Nigel who was an ex army/policeman who married a Tassie girl through RSVP – yep we got the whole story. Anyway he took us up to the Wind Farm first.

The Wind Farm is owned by Hydro Tasmania and provides 10 percent of  Tassies power. In 1993 87.5% of VDL Company was bought by a New Zealand company, Tasman Agriculture. They changed from sheep to dairy and things have been slowly growing.

Stopped at one of the service huts where there were spare propeller blades which were made out of carbon fibre and fibreglass and they are 30 metres in length.

Of course, we couldn’t get out as he is only given certain areas he is able to take people etc.

Because of the high amount of rain they receive up here (glad we got a good day then) they shape they paddocks into humps to drain them well.

We are allowed to get out under one of the turbines as it went around and around our heads. Certainly is an eerie sound.

Got some photos done.

Tried to get Steve holding one.

Looking straight up.

Liked this photo with the sun beating down.

We walked across the road to the info hut full of more information boards. There was a glass cylinder that was full of the freshest air from Cape Grim. I laughed about that would be a seller with the overseas tourists and he said yes it was and said he would give me a jar to take with us!!

The wind was wild and he said it was blowing about 50 knots. This is the rugged north west coast.

In the far distance we could just make out Black Pyramid that is covered in Gannets. He said that you can’t see half the island as it is covered in bird poo.

Zoomed in on the coastline further down the coast.

Fabulous aerial photo.

We head back to check out the Woolnorth Station. Passed the southern sand dune where the other half of the wind farm is. The cows get to eat lovely lush grass.

Passed a Cape Barren goose. Nigel said they are a real problem as they dig up the ground and the cows won’t where they poop. There are 13 dairies now and are hoping to grow to about 20 dairies. They are the rotary ones. All the milk is dried and sent overseas to China as powered milk.

The Station still has the original barns and shearing sheds from when VDL were trying to grow sheep here. Some of the workers live in the old homes and quarters now.

Steve was the official gate opener.

We stopped at the house built for the General Manager of VDL which is unoccupied now. We had our lunch and Nigel made us a cuppa. The house was made of thick interlocking pine, single walled. It was a kit home from New Zealand. Steve’s old boss had a home made of the same in Cairns.

There was still a lot of VDL Co information, photos etc like this 1941 prize bull called Van Diemen Gunner.

VDL plaque.

Another great aerial of Woolnorth when they were shearing sheep.

A jar of Tasmanian Fresh Air, Cape Grim, Woolnorth.

This map shows the land VDL once owned in the early 1800s. As they tried to grow sheep and it didn’t work as it was too wet, they had to sell off parcels of land to keep funding their Station. Eventually they sold to the NZ company and they got rid of all the sheep and changed to dairy cows.

Another aerial photo over the Station and Cape Grim, the Dough Boy Islands and Trefoil Island.

A newspaper article about the Wagyu Beef crossing the Robbins Passage we saw before.

The outside of the building wasn’t too exciting though but the view was phenomenal. Leanne & I both said we could live there. There are lots of Tassie Devils too. Nigel said they one this morning – Dam, missed it.

Back in the van to check out the original Manager’s House at the Woolnorth Station. We said they will have to change the name now to Dairy or Milk North!!! It was built before the Highfield Homestead which was also built for VDL Co.

More photos to check out.

 One of Woolnorth’s new dairies.

This is the barrel digger they used to make the pastures drain better.

Interesting information about Henry Hellyer and the VDL Company.

The old oven and the ceiling was raw timber.

More info on VDL’s arrival in Tasmania.

Info about William Lanney (King Billy) and the fate of the Tasmanian Aborigines.

Further up the coast we arrive at the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station. We all breathed in deeply.

We are now at the furtherest we can go on the North West coast of Tasmania. Took some photos from the van. Trefoil Island is where lots of mutton birds nest.

 Dough Boy Islands (like lumps of bread dough) are just beside Cape Grim.

This is where people used to be able to drive to the lookout. Hanging on the sign as the wind is trying to blow us away.

You can just make out Black Pyramid in the distance past Dough Boy Islands.

Cape Grim with Trefoil Island behind it.

Looking back to the Wind Farm.

Only low shrubs grow around here that can cope with the constant Roaring 40s.

Looking across the farmland to Robbins Island in the distance.

We walked closer to Cape Grim.

We were watching the waves come towards the rock then disappear. After counting to 8 a wave rolled out of the tunnel in front of us. Another sea cave is being made on the other side depending on which way the wind is blowing the waves in.

Walked towards the Air Station. Great photo looking back to the van at Cape Grim.

Zoomed in on Robbins Island and the Passage and the little island between.

We passed some machinery digging up some soil. It was lime. They would then spread it over the pastures to help keep them healthy. A lot of the pastures are lined with tall pines to protect them from the roaring 40s.

The cows were heading in to be milked.

Back to the truck. We thanked Nigel for an enjoyable trip. Headed back to Smithton. Leanne & I went for a walk to check out the hotel. Made all from timber, looks lovely.

Great afternoon chatting over drinks and nibbles.

After dinner had a great chat with Valerie, Susan and Christine while they were supposed to be doing their cross-stitch. I haven’t got mine out yet as have been too busy, let alone keeping up with my blog. I have only read one book too but there will be plenty of time for all that when we are in not so picturesque areas.

Got a call from Erica to say they are heading off on their MurrayRiver trip. Sounds great, might do it ourselves one day.

Rang David for his birthday, unfortunately he is still suffering from the flu.

Fabulous colours in the sky as the sun goes down.