St Marys Tasmania

Trip Start May 01, 2008
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17
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Trip End Jun 24, 2009


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Where I stayed
Rainbow Eco Wilderness Lodge
(St Marys hotels)

Flag of Australia  ,
Sunday, August 10, 2008

Our Virgin flight from Melbourne was fairly full and we were met at Launceston by the hospital driver, Ian Bradbury who drove us to St Marys, all the while telling us the history and geography of the area.  It turns out his great great Grandmother was sent out from Rosscommon in Ireland as a convict for cow rustling when all she did was open her gate and let the neighbour's cow wander in, and when it was in her yard, ease the pressure on its udders by milking it.  For this she was transported to Van Dieman's land for 7 years!! Here she met Ian's great great grandfather who was transported for 15 years for highway robbery, only the chap who accused him and 5 others, was also transported for perjury as he made up the whole story in order to get compensation.  Ian's gg grandfather had been somewhat unruly and earned an extra year so that when the chap who accused them was convicted and the 6 "highway robbers" vindicated, he was already a convict and convicted felons were not allowed to return to England.  Guess Ian was lucky as he would not have existed had his ggg gone "home" to England regenerating forests above St Marys
regenerating forests above St Marys
 !

Ian took us first to the hospital via the house with the view towards Ben Lomond (which was covered in cloud) which was to be our home for the next week, and then to our accommodation for the first night at the Rainbow Retreat Eco lodge , along a winding dirt road through the forest of wattle and gum trees in the spitting rain. Our self contained cabin, one of three available, had a glorious view through to the sea at Falmouth, but more importantly at this time of year a very efficient pot bellied stove which our host Peter set alight for us.  The various sized scats around the cabin promised the existence of lots of wildlife and we were thrilled to see a pair of scarlet robins just outside the window, and a wallaby grazing nearby.
Peter also brought up some home made bread along with the cereal, milk and juice for tomorrow's breakfast. As we hadn't eaten much today we got stuck into this bread which was some of the best we have ever tasted. Still a piece left for tomorrow's breakfast though.. Later our host cooked us one of the best pizzas we have ever had with heaps of fresh mushrooms, and capsicum along with anchovies ,salami and whatever else comes with a supreme, all washed down with some nice Tassie wine.
You can tell we would recommend this place to anyone who is having a holiday in Tassie just below South Sister
just below South Sister
 !
St Marys
Our first and last nights were spent in the delightful Rainbow Eco Wilderness Retreat.  Definitely a must if you are in this area.  It is very exclusive, with 3 self-contained wood cabins, tucked away in the bush just east of St Marys under St Patrick's Head, each with a balcony which overlooks the sea across the tall gums all the way out to Falmouth, my favourite beach in the world - choc-a-bloc with shells of all shapes and sizes.  The friendly hosts provide food for the numerous native visitors, potoroos, possums, betongs, wombats and some glorious coloured birds.
When we were there (mid August), there was a blizzard roaring outside, but we were snug and warm with a crackling fire in the pot bellied stove, and the full moon shining in the window was the most romantic setting you could imagine. Too cold to go out we had the delicious home made pizza, washed down with local wines that Peter and Ian have provided in the cabin. Magic!!! Beats Dominoes, Pizza Hut, and in fact any of the others!!!

I went along with Peter when he fed the adorable wombat baby, Angie, he is rearing, since its mother was killed on the road. She rolled over on her back with legs up in the air like a dog and smiled when we tickled her tummy.  So cute!
The mist/fog didn't lift until about 11am and there was still ice on the garden, and as I write this it is 4.30pm and already getting really cold again. Brrrrrrrrr.

The rest of the week we had a lovely house whose front windows looked over to Ben Lomond, (I think it is Tassie's second highest mountain) and I was able to watch the snow piling up as the day went on view from South Sister
view from South Sister
 . Even the locals were complaining of the cold, so we poor Queenslanders  were suffering! Luckily the Olympics were on, so I curled up in front of the TV while H worked.  I did venture out to the shops and found a little gem in "The Purple Patch" where I bought some delicious home-made jam and date and ginger loaf, and to the library, where I stocked up on books, VCR's and DVD's to supplement the Olympics.  I even got out for a quick trip down St Marys pass to Falmouth Beach and on a good day, climbed up South Sister lookout for a 360degree view.  That was spectacular as there was a cloud of rain over to the northwest which moved closer while I was there and just started to gently patter down as I got back to the car park.
The forests around St Marys are starting to regenerate after the disastrous fires which burnt out tens of thousands of acres in December 2006.  Forestry Tasmania lost about $50 million worth of production timber in the Scamander-St Mary's fire along with approximately 1000 hectares of Forest Reserve.
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