Clare & Rob's Tasmania Trip: 2006
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Day 1:
We woke early on the Tassie Ferry to 'Spirit Radio' at 6.45 am, and only had enough time to shower and pack before we were called to our car. It was a long slow traffic jam driving off the ferry. We explored Devonport by car, bought some supplies and went up to Mersey Bluff, having breakfast on a beautiful morning sitting under the lighthouse looking over Bass Strait.
After breakfast we headed south to the town of Sheffield - famous for their murals, painted on the sides of houses, shops and other buildings around town. There are about fifty murals spread over the area, and we must have seen most of those on our walking tour of the town. The streets are very pretty, with a beautiful backdrop provided by the imposing Mt Roland (1234 m) which Rob had climbed on a previous trip to Tassie.
From Sheffield we drove east to Launceston, on the way dropping into Ashgrove Cheese Factory for tasting, viewing of the production, and buying some cheese for lunch. Also along this road was Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm, where we tasted some scrumptious chocolate covered raspberries and bought some jam. We stopped at the small town of Doloraine for a picnic beside Meander Creek.
In Launceston we checked into a double room at the Launceston Backpackers, a grand old building with the biggest backpacker kitchen we had ever seen. We walked from there to Cataract Gorge, a fantastic natural attraction on a few minutes walk from the centre of town. We walked the historic track to the first basin and across the suspension bridge, and then a little further along the gorge. From the gorge we walked back to the hotel then to a local pub for some 'pub grub' and of course a sample of the local brew 'Boags Draft' (in a 10 ounce!)