Monday, 1 June 2015

Mon, 1st June, 2015 Malcolm & Kerry’s farm, Westbury to Garden Island, Clarence Point


The first day of winter!! It isn’t as cold as autumn!! 6.30am it was 4 degrees in the van and a lovely clear morning with not too much wind. Didn’t get the minus 1 or the frost they predicted. Packed up the van. Went in for a cuppa with Malcolm & Kerry and Rex. It is Rex’s birthday today so wished him a great day. Malcolm & Kerry have been so welcoming and we feel like we have known them for years. Will call in before we leave to say bye and get some more of his great potatoes.

Headed into Launceston to top up the water and dump the toilet. Followed the East Tamar Highway out of town heading north along the Tamar River.

Everyone has a water view.

Lovely green pastures for horses.

Through Mt Direction and past a sign about a historic semaphore. Turned off the highway to cross Batman Bridge. Quite an impressive construction. It is Australia’s first cable-stayed bridge built in the 1960s.

Went for a wander after lunch to check it out.


Across the bridge with a great view downstream, the one support arch then upstream.




Onto the West Tamar Highway and through Beaconsfield. Will come back and check it all out. Turned off towards Clarence Point and out onto Garden Island where Malcolm and Kerry said to camp. Stopped to check out where to camp and chatted with a couple from Beauty Point (just back down the road). Chose a spot protected by some bushes to help with the wind and with a great view across the water towards George Town. We can even have a fire though it will be in the afternoon rather than evening now as it is just too cold to be outside.

Looking over the rocky spits going out into the river, to George Town then to the mouth of the Tamar River, called Port Dalrymple.



The water is lovely and clear and there are heaps of oysters on the rocks.

After a cuppa we went for a walk out onto the spits. Zoomed in on the lighthouse at Low Head.

Looking back to the vans.

It was an unusual place as there are power lines going out on the spits and it looks like it was supposed to be a marina or something. Found this plaque which says that there was an island here and it was partially removed to improve the channel. Originally started in 1922.

The water was flowing out fast.

We are out in the middle of the river – looking back to the vans.

Back to the van and Steve got the fire going (4pm) while I put a date slice in the oven (pre-warming the van). The breeze has stopped so it was nice, sipping a port and watching the moon rise.

As the sun started to set the beautiful colours appeared.



At 5pm it was 7 degrees outside so we headed into the van where the oven had it nicely at 18.5 degrees.

6pm it was 5 degrees outside.

Rang Dianne & Alan to meet up this week sometime. Steve rang Charles and had a great chat with Mark who was staying with him. Mark lives in Yellowfin Close and we didn’t realise he is a friend of Charles. Had a great chat with Kaylene. Erica rang for a chat too.

Temperature dropping outside but the heater is working well.



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