Quite a weekend.

Courtney’s 21st was a wonderful event.

Some fast preparation beforehand and after but well worth it for this very beautiful and thoughtful lady.

Flew back into Launceston late (9.30pm) Sunday night, nothing open for dinner, so just a free camp 

( No6 ) down the road from the airport.

Need a sugar fix then at Anvers Chocolate House we got it..

Waffles, with lashings of rich thick molten chocolate, hazelnuts, Ice Cream and cream.

Coffee no not me: Mexican Hot Chocolate and Chilli

Left a sweet zing in your mouth

Supporting the Tassie economy...

Spreytons Cider House

It’s been a family home since the mid 1800’s and a major apple producer since 1908.

Gunns Plains Cave - Really interesting, great guide.

She and her husband lease the cave from Tas National Parks and the family has done so for some 40 years.

Its an active cave with a constant river running through the system.

Free Camp No 8

Sulphur Creek Council Free Camp right on the Beach

Today : 150 Kms

Total : 747 Kms

Altitude : 5 m

Wednesday 16th February 2022

Cloudy and raining ! 

Walk around the Fern Glade reserve in Burnie, Cheese Factory  - Closed !!

Penguin Place - need to visit at night to see anything ( but run down)

Paper Factory - Closed !!

The little hamlet of Boat Harbour Beach is pretty.

OK so lets do something non- touristy.

Is it open to the public or not. There is no mention of it in any Tourist info, very little is on Google , so lets go and see.

We start with forestry tracks.

Hundreds of acres of replanted eucalyptus forests

Wild Camp No 9

In some dense Rain Forest

Lyn called it "Lost Valley Camp"

Today : 113 Kms

Total : 861Kms

Altitude : 280 m

Thursday 17th February 2022

Thick rain forests in all the valleys ! 

BUT.. in between the valleys where they are not growing, its harvest time.

Clear felling, single plant crop !!

But so is a wheat field, rice paddy, is this any difference.

I just like the lush green rain forests - but no money in that !

Found that elusive road...

Gated and with security cameras !

Bugger!

So no road/track into the Savage River National park so we can see pristine rain forests.

Just a bulldozed line with an iron ore pipe line, and a non accessible service road ...

Bugger again !!

Dip Falls and hexagonal Basalt columns.

During the 1920‘s a saw mill operated here processing the rich stands of Blackwood trees.

The trees were hand cut, pulled out by bullock teams to the mill to be sawn. Then by horse and wagon to the coast for shipment to the furniture makers of the world.

Wild Camp No 10.

Bartlett Road open paddock

Today 65Kms

Total 926Kms

Thursday 18th February 2022

Here was an ideal spot to do some vehicle servicing - Swap tyres around, put up a Stainless Steel cloths line in the truck cabin behind the seats, and a few other tidy ups.

They have a long history of occupation  over countless generations. They survived the coming and going of ice ages, fluctuating sea level changes as the climate warmed and cooled.

This place was also the site of long and bitter campaigns to save it as a national park as it was destined for subdivision for beach houses before finally being secured as a park in 1967. This park was saved many years before Lake Pedder was lost to the hydro-electrical scheme.

Port Latta where that iron ore pellet pileline ends. From here by ship to China etc

Free Camp No 11.

Old railway siding Lack River - south of Stanley

Today 118 Kms

Total 1045 Kms