Travelling to Tasmania

  Hobart, Australia
Friday, December 19, 2008

  We picked up the newly modified and re-registered F250 near Melbourne with only a few days to spare before our booking to cross the Bass Strait to Tasmania. It came as rather a shock to see the shiny wheels and big shiny exhaust; all looking a bit 'flash'. We had only done it so that the truck would not be overweight and illegal and now we had young lads stopping us in car parks to talk cars and trucks and look with envy at our rig.

New dual rear wheels

 

One of our first stops was to buy fuel. David started to fill up with diesel and almost immediately it came pouring back out. What a mess. After fiddling around for about 20 minutes about 5 litres had gone in and we had understandably, impatient people queuing behind. We did not have enough fuel in the tank to get us back to the company that had done the work so we decided that we needed to find a local mechanic. Luckily we were directed to a very friendly and helpful local who instantly got underneath and within a few minutes had diagnosed the problem; apparently the fuel hose had been hooked up with a clip, presumably to keep it out of the way when work was being done but had not been released. So simple and yet could have caused us great problems had we not found such an obliging mechanic.

So all was well and we drove around happily for a few days to test out the F250 which feels great and runs like a dream. We finally felt ready to resume our adventures. The day before our departure for Tasmania the rain started and continued as we drove very carefully in traffic on the wet roads to Port Melbourne. This was one of Melbourne's wettest and windiest days for years and the forecast was for gales in the Bass Strait. As we waited to drive on board 'The Spirit of Tasmania'  we felt nervous about the crossing; 11 hours at sea in wild weather did not appeal.

Leaving grey, wet & windy Melbourne

Finally all the passengers and  vehicles were safely on board, if  a bit damp,  and we set sail on schedule at 8pm. The ship was huge and very modern and set off very smoothly despite the wind. We started to relax and were having dinner when there was an announcement that we would be going through 'the heads' about 10:30 and to expect rough weather. We had not realized that it was quite smooth because we were still in the shelter of Port Philip Bay. As soon as we had finished eating we retired to our cabin to try to get to sleep before we hit the gales. The combination of anti-nausea pills and a glass of wine with dinner meant that we both slept most of the night despite the 'bumps' and rose at 6am ready to drive off at 7am.

After 11 hours at sea we felt as if we were arriving in a foreign land and not the same country.

Arriving in sunny Devonport

The rain had stopped and a little bit of sun was peeping through as we drove off the ship so we decided to stop for breakfast in Devonport. I ordered porridge and it arrived accompanied by a jug of pure cream. David thinks he has arrived in heaven here. The local produce is something that we are both looking forward to sampling. Needless to say there was not much left in the jug for my porridge after David had poured some on his cereal.

We were booked in to a caravan park near Hobart, some 300 kms south, so drove at a leisurely pace, stopping at a couple of Sunday markets on the way to buy some local fruit and vegetables for dinner. One is not allowed to take any into Tasmania and security checking on boarding and disembarking was thorough.

Christmas poinsettia

We also bought  a beautiful, bright red, poinsettia plant to add a festive touch to our table. It was a pleasant surprise arriving at Seven Mile Beach caravan park as we had not known what to expect and it is delightful. We are now set up on a spacious site backing on to woods and only a few minutes walk from the beach. The place is deserted but will gradually fill up as Christmas approaches.

Walk to the beach

 We are looking forward to relaxing here for 3weeks over the festive season after all our recent rushing around.

Seven Mile Beach for Christmas