TravelStream™ news feed for member pops4 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/pops4 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:53:30 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232926620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232926620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232926620/tpod.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:53:30 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

At 5am we headed off on our 1100km trek towards "home". Hollie and Lauren were keen to break their record for distance travelled in one day (800km) and, without boring you with the details, we made it all the way!No sooner had we greeted Dad in the driveway when our dog "Poppy" appeared. Stuey had brought her down from Hervey Bay to save us the drama of having to drive up to get her. We were absolutely stoked to see Grandad, Stu and Poppy!The surprises kept on flowing though, as dad has done an amazing job looking after the place while we've been away. Not only has he got the grounds looking like a botanic garden, he's put in a brand new garden out the front, planted out a gorgeous fernery near our bedroom, bought some beautiful new plants and a lawn edger, fixed up the sprinkler systems and organised for our old fridge in the garage to be fixed (with Stu's help). We just can't believe it!!So, to finish "Pops 'Round the Block" we thought we'd share some statistics that Keith collected along the way:· Days Away: 126 days (from 22nd September)· Sites stayed: 51· Cost of Accommodation: $4474.20· Total Kms travelled: 23821· Total Fuel Used: 3457.69L· Fuel Cost: $5581.83· Average Cost of Fuel: $1.614 /L  · Average Fuel Consumption: 14.52L/100km· Most Expensive Fuel: $2.25/L at Barkly Roadhouse (NT)· Family Favourites: Kakadu NT (Hollie); Karijini NP WA & Bungle Bungle WA             (Lauren); Shark Bay WA (Linda) and Broome WA (Keith)· Next 2 holidays Planned: Fly & Drive the Red Centre and Cruise the Witsundays· Would we do it again? ABSOLUTELY - We want to see the Top End and Kimberley after the wet season.And Finally..."For Sale"Immaculate Nissan Navara Dual CabOne fastidious ownerLow Kms - only travelled "Round the Block" in the last six monthsNo off road or beach workMechanically A1Suit new car buyer
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232494260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232494260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232494260/tpod.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:37:05 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia

We said another difficult goodbye to our Bowral friends and headed down the escarpment towards Shellharbour. Heading down Macquarie Pass, Keith thought he recognised Andrew, his mate from North South West Insulation. Pulling over to allow him and others to pass, Andrew recognised our kit and immediately (and precariously) pulled over to greet us.Mum had lunch laid out for us when we arrived in Shellharbour. Lozzie was the first out of the car to greet her long lost Grandma!Then it was round the corner to Gran's for another reunion with Keith's mum and brother Roger. Janet and Trevor came down from the Highlands, which made things feel complete from this side of the family.Another lovely day of catching up was spent with our great friends "The Nigems" at Albion Park, as well as with some of their extended family. Donna makes the best lasagne!Over in Kiama we caught up with many of the Attunga Avenue clan. Honestly, they're the best neighbours anyone could wish for. We began the evening down at Kendall's Beach. The Pops never ever organise a social event without the heavens opening up and this night was no different - down it came! Thankfully it stopped as quickly as it started, so we spent a few hours down by the beach catching up with so many of our friends. The original plan was for a picnic tea, but we abandoned that idea when the weather turned.Our beautiful hosts, "The Kohlenbergs" were at their best, providing the venue for a really special get-together. Trish, Ash and the cousins were due to come home from their holiday by Saturday lunchtime, so we headed back to Shellharbour to greet them. They'd gotten home about 5 minutes before us and were hurriedly unpacking. We all got stuck in and then got comfortable under the back pergola and caught up on the past few months. Yet another comfortable, relaxed reunion.Keith crept off to bed at around 10pm, but the girls kicked on with Abba Singstar late into the night. Poor Grandma was trying to get some sleep in the room next door, as she had decided to come back up to Brisbane with us the next morning.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232406720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232406720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232406720/tpod.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:24:11 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Bowral, New South Wales, Australia

Disembarkation was extremely fast - we were on the northern outskirts of Melbourne by 7.30am. The trusty Navara wheezed all the way to Wodonga, where Keith convinced a wonderful guy in the Nissan Service Dept to have one of his mechanics replace the fuel filter. Unfortunately this made no difference whatsoever to the truck's performance, but we made it into Bowral a bit after 6pm .We spent a relaxed and extremely comfortable evening with our old friends "The Wilsons". It was fantastic to be around familiar faces (other than our own).
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Devonport, Tasmania, Australia

Our final drive in Tassie was the scenic route between Launceston and Devonport. Deloraine is a very pretty little township, not unlike Berry or Berrima in NSW. It's full of all things "Arty Farty". Of course, we had to stop at the "Cherry Shed" near Latrobe to buy what we rate as Australia's best cherries. They're huge and black and incredibly sweet and very good value at around $5 per kg. You can take any produce you like back to the mainland; however, they're extremely fussy about what comes in to Tasmania. We planned a shopping day in Devonport for our final day in Tassie, only to find that most of the shops are closed on Sundays! We did find a bargain pair of school shoes for Loz and some school supplies.Seeing the movie "Australia" brought about a fitting end to our official 'Round the Block" experience. We had just enough time to have dinner and queue for the ship that evening.Our cruise back into Port Melbourne on The Spirit of Tasmania 11 was smooth and pleasant. We all slept so much better on the return leg with our own pillows!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232100180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232100180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1232100180/tpod.html Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:05:03 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

Launceston is the gateway to the northern section of Tassie. There are five touring routes that start here. It seems to be quite dry at the moment and therefore not at its best. We really liked the CBD with its unhurried atmosphere and large number of historic buildings. The city is Australia's third oldest, after Sydney and Hobart. It also has some unique natural beauty because of its location in the Tamar Valley.We spent a lovely day in two of the city's parks, Cataract Gorge and City Park. The South Esk River runs through the rocky gorge and the world's longest single-span chairlift crosses the river. The grounds surrounding the river are absolutely beautiful, with a huge array of hydrangeas providing unexpected colour amongst the rainforest plants and expansive lawns. A 50m pool sits right next to the river and is free to use. We visited on a Saturday and saw four different wedding parties in the time we were there.City Park is over 100 years old and is very manicured and lush. A troop of Japanese Macaque Monkeys kept us entertained for a long while. This park has a history of displaying a variety of animals, from Thylacines to Rhesus Monkeys in the past. When the last monkey died, the Council went to a lot of trouble to renovate the monkey enclosure and introduce the new species. They're a real highlight.We took a drive along the Tamar River and through the valley to Beaconsfield and Beauty Point. The original gold mine and buildings have been converted to a museum. This centre sits right next door to the working gold mine, where the two miners were miraculously saved when a mine shaft collapsed on Anzac Day nearly three years ago. One section of this excellent museum is dedicated to the rescue, as well as the death of the third miner; it was very moving re-living the event, as we were just some of the many Australians who were glued to the TV watching the rescue unfold.The wharf at Beauty Point has two big attractions, The Seahorse Hatchery and The Platypus House. We thoroughly enjoyed both, although the echidnas stole the show for us. They were just like little puppies, crawling all over the tour guide waiting for their food. One was waiting for us at the door as it anticipated food when it could hear the guide's voice! It then toddled over to the area where the feeding happens.No photography is allowed in The Seahorse Hatchery because seahorses have no eyelids and flashes can do some serious damage. We saw a large variety and number of them, some as young as one day old. The tour was very informative and the girls have retained a lot of facts about them.This is our last night in Tassie. We can't believe how fast the last month has gone. We'll be back on the mainland by Monday morning, ready for the haul up to Bowral. (We're getting excited about seeing friends and family!) We're ready for home.
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St Helens, Tasmania, Australia

Linda's lost her sight- seeing companions - the girls have pulled out their Brats dolls and are just happy to play and Keith has his head in a book. In fact, Keith has never read so many books in his life!St Helens is a town situated on the east coast, where you can still pick up a "do'er up a" with lovely water views for $269 000. When you walk down the main street you get a whiff of take away and sea salt - it felt like home.The main focus for us was to drive along a touring route that takes in a couple of waterfalls and to see the much talked about Bay of Fires. Bay of Fires is about a 20 minute very scenic drive. It has received the accolade for being Lonely Planet's hottest travel destination for 2009. It takes in the Binalong Bay area, the beach where the young 13 year old girl was attacked by the white pointer just three days before we visited. The beach was open again, but we didn't risk a swim. The water of course is crystal clear and the coastline is breathtaking. The combination of water, sand and rock colour is outstanding. To get the most from the area you really need to be into diving, as there are kelp forests, caves and swim throughs. The girls couldn't resist a little dip in one of the little bays near the Bay of Fires Conservation Reserve. They were in for about 20 minutes, when a southerly blew up from nowhere and cleared the place (typically Tasmanian weather pattern).Unfortunately that's all we did here, because Linda couldn't drag the rest of the family out the following day. As a result - Linda is now a Sudoku tragic...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231654140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231654140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231654140/tpod.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:27:15 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Swansea, Tasmania, Australia

We've enjoyed the two warmest days since arriving in Tassie and the biggest bonus is that our van site is as close as you can get to the ocean without falling in!We're all pretty tired, but Freycinet National Park is just across the waterway, so we jumped back in the car and headed over.Wineglass Bay is a standout in spectacular coastal scenery and the sun stayed out long enough for us to see the gorgeous blue of the water against the sandy white strip of beach. Lozzie wasn't feeling too well, so we decided against continuing on for the walk down on the beach (much to Hollie's disgust). It was already a fairly challenging uphill walk that included 600 steps to get to the lookout. A short boardwalk around Cape Tourville revealed some more beautiful coastline and then the girls went for a well-earned swim at Honeymoon Bay. By this time the sun had completely disappeared, so the water was nowhere near as beautiful in colour. Even so, we reckon it has nothing on Honeymoon Bay on the South Coast of NSW!Once again, the cloudy afternoon did not do justice to Friendly Beaches, another lovely area in Freycinet NP. A haze had descended over the area, spoiling any chance of a nice photo. Even so, the sand is the whitest white and the water almost a powder blue.Our second day was spent just taking in the scenery from our campsite. The girls switched between the swimming pool and the beach. We all enjoyed our "chill time" immensely.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231479840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231479840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1231479840/tpod.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:07:27 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia

With Port Arthur around a two hour drive away, we had plenty of time to drop in at Sorrell, the gateway to the Tasman Peninsula, to top up on groceries at reasonable prices. The girls have been hanging out to look in "Chickenfeed", a chain store like House 2 Home or Go Lo. We bought some new crocs and went looking for the berry farm, where we planned to pick our own fruit.Even though the fruit farm sells a variety of fruit, including nectarines, apricots, cherries and a heap of berry varieties, we were told that most had either been picked heavily or were not quite ready. But there's something about foraging for your own food, so we bought a $3.00 punnet each and began our search for something to have with our ice-cream that night! We left about an hour and a half later with our punnets full of mostly silvanberries (a cultured blackberry) and our fingers and mouths covered in red stains...Eaglehawk neck is a very narrow tract of land linking Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas. A dog line of around 18 dogs was set up there to deter the convicts from escaping by land. The dogs were even placed on platforms out in the ocean so that their barking would notify those on duty of an ocean escape attempt.Once again we've been blown away by the beauty of all the little bays and beaches in this area. We did our rounds of some of the geological phenomena, including Devils Kitchen (a collapsed sea cave), Tasmans Arch (a partially collapsed roof of a cave), The Blowhole and Tessellated Pavement.To reach some of these landmarks, we drove through "Doo town". Nearly every house in the place has a "Doo" name - for example: "Sheil Doo"; "Xanadoo"; "It'll Doo" and "Thistle Doo". Even the fish and chip shop was called "Doolicious"!Port Arthur historic site was within walking distance of the caravan park. The afternoon we arrived, we found ourselves wandering onto the site without paying an entrance fee! We could easily have covered a bit of ground that afternoon, but, with consciences pricked, we turned around and headed back to the park.Probably having spent a good nine hours on site on Sunday, we realised why you need more than a day at Port Arthur. The entry fee is very reasonable and included access to all the buildings and ruins, as well as a guided tour and cruise around Isle of the Dead (the burial ground for all convicts and military) and Point Puer (the first boys' prison built in the British Empire).It was a fascinating place and one that we'll remember forever. Established in 1833 and closing in 1877, it was a penal station that accommodated the "worst of the worst" prisoners. Only those who re-offended in other places were sent here. Even the military saw a posting to Port Arthur as a demotion. Almost as soon as the station closed, tourists started arriving! Many buildings were either torn down or dismantled to build other dwellings and some of the land was sold off to private settlers. These locals were so ashamed of the place that they renamed the town Carnarvon. The Government slowly began to acquire the land as it realised the historic significance of the site, but the little town of Carnarvon Bay, situated in the next bay along, is testament to the name change.With a good deal of emotion, we paid our respects to the 35 people who lost their lives to a gunman back in 1996. Keith and I clearly recall being out the front of our house washing the car in Ruse, when Ray Hadley delivered the first sketchy details over the radio. A peaceful memorial garden that incorporates the shell of the Broad Arrow Café gives visitors a place for reflection and calm contemplation.
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Margate, Tasmania, Australia

Just 35km south of Hobart is another peninsula leading into the Huon Valley, famous for its Huon Pine forests. Our base was the village of Snug - cute by name and by nature. **The closest town for a map location is Margate, around 8kms north of SnugTassie was the only state where we booked our accommodation due to the peak travel season. We'd planned to soak up some rays at the beach and made reservations for 4 nights. Of course, it was far from beach weather and we wondered how we would fill in our time. It turned out to be a very social park for Holl and Loz, so they were chomping at the bit to be back in the afternoons for a play with their new friends. A rope swing and beach cricket kept them entertained for hours!Our one big day out was to tackle the Tahune AirWalk near Geeveston and do a bit of bushwalking in South West National Park around Hastings Caves and some thermal springs in the area.We all had a fantastic time at the AirWalk, as well as discovering two newly built swinging bridges over the Huon and Picton Rivers. Another walk took us through a forest containing ancient Huon Pines. This area had once been extensively logged for the prized timber, but is now protected. They're extremely slow growing, at just 1mm per year in diameter.The thermal springs were a bit of a flop in comparison to Bitter Springs at Mataranka and Berry Springs near Darwin. They were heated at a constant 28 degrees, but were surrounded by paving etc and looked just like an inground pool. We tried our luck at sighting a platypus in the creek close by, but missed out again.There were no expectations of Snug, but once again we were very pleasantly surprised. The beaches are pristine (no waves of course) and every inlet deserves a photo - it's just that pretty.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1230955080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1230955080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pops4/1/1230955080/tpod.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:03:19 -0500 Pops 'round the Block

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Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The climb out of Strahan towards Hobart dealt us a few surprises, not the least being the snow-covered mountains and country-side along the Lyell Highway. The road cuts through Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, giving us an opportunity to make snowballs in the middle of summer! Thanks to the high rainfall in the area, we were also treated to a very fiercely flowing Nelson Falls.Ranked the third most photogenic city, (don't know the top two) Hobart is absolutely gorgeous. There's so much water and so many peninsulas to explore. It doesn't seem to matter where you go, the view is always amazing.It quickly became apparent that a traveller can base themselves in Hobart and pretty much cover all of the south- east on day trips. Nothing is too far away from Hobart. Two lovely bridges link the suburbs across the Derwent, so it doesn't matter where you stay.So many of the 19th Century Georgian buildings in the city have been preserved; the narrow streets of Battery Point and the cottages that were built to house the port workers and merchants are now all private residences. Along the dockside, Salamanca Place is lined with sandstone warehouses that now contain restaurants, shops and galleries. It was a great area to wander through. Old Hobart Gaol and Cascade Brewery are two of the many city landmarks we looked at. The ruins of the "Female Factory", where for 50 years hundreds of convict women and children were housed, is a fairly bleak sight.It's no wonder the city is known for its yachts and spinnakers. The day we visited, locals and visitors were on the water enjoying the mild weather. We really enjoyed the Royal Hobart Yacht Club, photographing some of the yachts that were still moored after the Sydney to Hobart race. Wrest Point Casino, Australia's first, is right next door.There are numerous historic sites around the city. One that interested us was at Kangaroo Bluff, on the east side. Due to its location at the mouth of the Derwent, a large fortress was built to keep the perceived enemy from getting up the river. A shot was never fired in anger from this very impressive place.The view from Mt Wellington is awesome. Even though it was a sunny day, there was still a mist hanging around that spoilt our photos. It was sleeting at the top only the day before!Another day trip took us to Mt Field National Park, (Australia's oldest NP) where we enjoyed some more bushwalking. Russell Falls is a very pretty waterfall, as is the smaller Horseshoe Falls. We really hoped we'd spot a platypus in the creek, as there had been some sightings only half an hour before, but we weren't that fortunate. We completed three more walks on the "60 Great Short Walks" brochure. This is a beautiful NP; it has a lovely campground and all the picnic shelters have fireplaces for day use.Our caravan park (conveniently located near the women's prison) on the east side of Hobart, was just a short 15km trip to Richmond. This town seems to hold the record for "The oldest" of things. For instance, the convict-built bridge (completed in 1825) is Australia's oldest; Richmond Gaol (1825) is Australia's oldest convict gaol; St John's Catholic Church (1836) is Australia's oldest remaining Catholic Church and the school (classes began in 1835) is the oldest state school in Australia that's still in use. Of course, the Poppletons could not visit Hobart without a visit to Cadbury chocolate factory! Rumours that the factory is closed to visitors are correct and also very disappointing. The Visitor Centre now charges $15 for a family to view a short film of the chocolate making process and gain entry to the chocolate shop where there's an opportunity to purchase discounted choccies. We were all given a family block of Caramello and a snack size sample. It's definitely more cost-effective for Cadbury and definitely not as exciting for the visitor. If you're after a "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" experience, you won't get it here anymore.Many visitors to Hobart day trip down to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula and the Huon Valley. We're actually staying in these areas for a few days, so we'll record our time from those locations.
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