Travels to Tasmania

Wineglass Bay

After two months of no travel (which is a positive draught by secondee standards), we packed our bags and headed south to Tasmania. Instead of taking the ferry, which leaves from the pier at the end of our street with a 9 hour journey time, we chose to fly with Virgin Blue, who promise a 1 hour flight but with traffic en route to the airport, check-in queues and the obligatory budget airline delays, came in at around 4 hours in the end. We left on a Friday afternoon, and with a few emails left to send for work, I ended up sitting in the back of a taxi en-route to the airport with my laptop on my knees trying to connect to the internet via 3G. One day I hope Australia will catch up with the rest of the world and offer me the chance to send emails via a portable device that fits in my pocket, or at least my handbag!

With us for the ride were Sue and Peter, who unfortunately had been to Tasmania already, however unlike their first visit, this time we were lucky enough to be showered with SUNSHINE! At 29 degrees, our first day in Hobart was quite possibly the hottest day for the year for Australia’s most southern state, and we basked in the sun as we browsed Salamanca market , drank diet Coke and ate fish and chips by the water. I had no real expectations of Hobart, but soon fell in love with the small-town coastal environment, which felt really rather Mediterranean on this hot, late summer day.

My opinion of Hobart was in no doubt swayed by the luxurious and unique hotel that was our home for two nights - The Henry Jones Art Hotel. Forget TripAdvisor, because there won’t be a bad review in sight – this is one hotel that delivers on every front, and it’s unique to boot. The building was an old jam factory in the 1800s and is now home to over 50 rooms, all uniquely furnished and with a variety of art on display. Before I start to sound too much like the brochure, I’d also like to add that breakfast was CHEAP and the beds were really comfy!

After a day in Hobart, we jumped into the car for a drive up the East Coast, to the Freychinet National Park, home to Wineglass Bay. This part of our trip was all about fantastic scenery, breathtaking vistas and.... eating fried food. After three lots of fish and chips in three nights, it’s a good job that the Wineglass Bay lookout was a 45 minute uphill hike. Only today have I gathered the courage to get back in the scales – after two weeks of compensation dieting!

The pictures that I’ve come back with in no way represent the true beauty of Tasmania, and we were totally enthralled by the beauty of a state which is much-mocked by locals, but adored by tourists. Tom and I would love to find time to go back and explore the rest of the state, and maybe next time we’ll brave the ferry journey too. If you’re ever heading down under, Tassy is definitely one place that you should have on your list...

The Henry Jones Hotel

Hobart Quay, with Mures Fish & Chips in the background

Salamanca Market, chatting with a stall owner from the New Forest!

Salamanca Market

Salamanca Market

Tom at the peak of Mount Wellington

Mount Wellington, overlooking the cirt of Hobart

Hobart from Mount Wellington

Wineglass Bay

The amazing view from our balcony in Bicheno

Walking on the beach in Bicheno was heaven...

.. so much so I started jumping around!

Picnic lunch!

The power of friendship

Moving to Australia has taught us a lot about the importance of friendships. We’ve learnt how much we value our friends back home. We’ve discovered how hard it is to make new friends in a strange country. And now we finally appreciate how hard it is to say goodbye to friends that you love.

This blog entry comes in three parts...

Hello....

Nice to see you again.... and

Goodbye.

Hello

Since moving to Melbourne we’ve said ‘hello, nice to meet you’ a gazillion times. Every day brings a new person, sometimes a visitor, sometimes a local. When we’re lucky, ‘nice to meet you’, turns into ‘let’s do this again’, and again, and sometimes again. Finding new friends seems so much harder as an adult, compared to the days of classrooms and playgrounds, but this also means we really value the friends that we’ve made here.

A sunny afternoon in a beer garden was the setting for a recent rendezvous with our Melbourne crowd. The occasion was Pat and Amanda both turning 30, and the day will remain ingrained in my mind as the time when our circle of friends shifted to the next stage in life. Parenthood. Newborns aplenty, a couple of toddlers for good measure, and two heavily pregnant ladies made for quite the child-fest. Surely this is sufficient to explain any clucking or brooding that comes from my direction!


I can’t list all the people we’ve said ‘hello’ to as our new friends in Melbourne. But we appreciate every one of you.

Nice to see you again

Friendships are hard to maintain over Skype. We can chat, and we can wave at each other, but we can’t share good food, and wine, and laugh together in the same way we can do in person. Tush and Andy taught us this during their recent honeymoon visit to Australia.

After a false start and disrupted stay in Melbourne as a result of the bitter English winter, Tom and I decided to fly to Sydney and spend 36 hours with Tush and Andy before the end of their trip. Gatecrashing their honeymoon for a second time might seem a little bit ‘off’, but after a 5am wake up, 700km flight, full day of sightseeing and long night of merriment, the four of us couldn’t have been happier. The ease with which old friends can reconnect amazed me, and the experience triggered some deep thought for both Tom and I about the decisions we’ve made, are making, and will make in the coming months and years.



Goodbye

Saying goodbye is hard, but I think it’s even hard when you are the one who is left behind. Tom and I will soon find out, as dear friends Richard and Tamara, and Pat and Amanda both leave Melbourne to return home. To rub salt into the wound, their departure dates are just three days apart. On the other hand, perhaps this will be like ripping the plaster off quickly?

We’ve known for months that Pat and Amanda would be leaving. They have a 4 month old son, Charlie, and the time has come for them to return to their families in Ohio and settle down into family life. We’ll miss them dearly, but understand that life moves on, as will ours one day.

Richard and Tamara’s departure was much more of a shock however. As our closest confidants here in Melbourne, the news that they plan to return to Toronto early felt like being dumped by a boyfriend out of the blue. ‘It’s not you, it’s us’, they pleaded. Either way I fought back the tears that night. Now that I’ve had a while to digest the news, I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that there will be life without ‘Ramara’, and in the meantime we’ll enjoy the times we have left!

Celebrating Richard's birthday on the beach

An unwelcome visitor

Last week I drove home from visiting a client's office in the suburbs and found this evil creature on the wing mirror of our car!



I refused to drive the car into the car park of our building and instead waiting on the street whilst Tom came down with a broom to sweep the unwelcome guest. "Bring the long-handled broom", I warned him on the phone, but instead Tom arrived with the dustpan and brush! As soon as he saw the size of the spider he wished he had followed my advice!

The sauna

Arriving in tropical north Queensland was like walking into a sauna; seeking respite in the sea was like taking a warm bath, and enjoying an ice cream on the beach at sunset was like feeding time at the mosquito farm - where you are the food. This January we tried an Aussie recipe for our holiday - we combined 80-100% humidty, a rainforest, a reef, a four-mile beach, some sunscreen and two whole cans of insect repellant, then stirred for 7 seven days at 30-plus degree heat. The result was a week of *heaven* in Port Douglas and we loved it!

Our accomodation for the week was an apartment at 'By The Sea' - which came highly recommended by Tom's sister & family and didn't disappoint. It was quite literally by the sea, and got a 10/10 on TripAdvisor from me because we didn't have a single spider in our room (that I saw)! We did have two rather significant outbreaks of ants, but I won't hold that against them because it was my fault for leaving a half eaten chocolate bar lying around.

After a colder than usual spring in Melbourne, Tom and I were so enthuastic about the warm weather that on our first morning we got up before 7am for a run on four-mile beach. I say 'we', but there was probably slightly less enthuasiam from Tom at that time in the morning, although he more than made up for it by running at least twice as far as me!

I was really excited to visit the Great Barrier Reef for the first time, but have never snorkelled before and I was more than a little bit aprehensive about this part. I *had* to do it though, because I'd spent $50 on my own snorkell (stranger's saliva avoidance tactic), and already opened the packet - so it couldn't be returned if I chickened out. We deliberately picked a snorkell trip where we could view the reef by snorkelling off an island (rather than just jumping off a boat in the middle of the ocean), and this was great for me. It was really exciting to see the colourful fish, vast coral and giant clams.

November to April each year is 'stinger' season in Queensland, meaning that the sea is laden with six-foot long poisonous jellyfish. As a result, we had to wear head-to-toe body-stocking type outfits in the water. They were highly unattractive but absolutely hilarious!

The night after we swam at the reef we watched an Animal Planet documentary about the stingers. It was terrifying, and it probably goes without saying that I'm glad we didn't watch it before our trip...

Writing this post retrospectively, it seems wrong not to mention the disasters that the people of Queensland have endured since our visit. Firstly unprecedented flooding, and secondly Cyclone Yasi, the damage and loss that many people have sufferred is horrible to think about, and Australia will be rebuilding the affected areas for some time to come. Luckily the regions that we visited were spared, and continued tourist trade to the state of Queensland will be crucial in keeping funds flowing and the rebuilding on schedule. In that case, I suppose I had better go and book our next trip right now.....

Obligtory croc show

Beware the Cassowary

Thornton Beach, more picturesque and it's more famous neighbour, Cape Tribulation

Obligatory jumping shot

Unfortunately they don't do weddings here!

Mossman Gorge

Can you guess what we're doing here?

Yes, we're in a cable car in the rain and mist!

Kuranda railway

Still looking out of the window

This is what the train looked like

New Years Eve!

Christmas Rhymes, Mistletoe and Wine...

Our Christmas hosts for twenty-ten
Were Sam, Lou and Baby Ben.
Joining the crowd with Katie and Tom
Were Tush and Andy - two more poms.
Into the mix, some Yanks maybe?
Welcome Pat and Amanda, and Charlie their baby!


Our day started early, with dishes to bake -
Stuffing, and starters, and meringue and cake,
Then off the airport we drove in our car,
To collect the honeymooners from lands afar.
Three days late due to snow at Heathrow,
Imagine the fun they have had to forgo....


Regardless of jetlag we started our day
By driving to Sam's to start the soiree
With presents and food and drinks in full flow
We had just one thing missing from our ex-pat Crimbo
A real Aussie perhaps, to bring local fun
Our closest is Ben, but he's only one!


I challenge you all, if you can compete
With our main course comprising three types of meat!
Duck, and chicken and pork no less -
No sign of a turkey in his Christmas dress.
With roasties and mash and vegies a plenty
We'll still be full up at Christmas 2020!

Tom's starter - prawns and smoked salmon

Sam and Pat carve the meat

Tom and me in the kitchen (I was really just in there for show)

Tush bonded with Ben

Amanda selects her Secret Santa gift carefully

Where's the turkey?!

Only in Oz for 4 hours and already Andy smells like a 'roo..

Looks like Lou was pleased with her gift!

Ben in his new Nike t-shirt!

The chaos of Christmas was too much for little Charlie

Sun-deprived Tush and Andy were soaking it up after lunch

The MEN (minus Daddy Pat)

Father and Son

The gang (minus me, taking the photo)
L-R: Tush, Sam with Ben, Pat, Amanda, Tom, Lou and Andy. (Charlie hidden in pram)

Cheers! Obligatory paddle in the bay...

Bathtime for Ben

Forgetting that we'd stuffed ourselves silly,
Tush and I continue to gorge on cupcakes on Boxing Day!