- 152
A few weeks ago, the girlfriend and I decided to go away for our 6 month anniversary. She has never visited the West Coast of Tasmania, and I don't mind driving, so we booked a night in Strahan. This is one of the states premier tourist attractions.
For those unfamiliar with Tasmania, which I suspect most of you are, here is a map of the state;
(Its to the south of Australia)
This is our rough route map, give or take a bit;
Wanted to take my Pulsar, pretty economical, manual, and I don't really care if it gets dirty. Here a picture of it, all washed and stuff, the afternoon before we left.
DAY ONE
My view from the drivers seat at 6am the next morning, waiting for the car to warm up.
Unfortunately, none of my pre dawn pictures came out. We made it to the small Derwent Valley town of Rosegarland before I got some clear ones;
A random, foggy dam we saw and stopped at.
Soon after a town called Hamilton, about 50 kilometres out of Hobart, the farmlands stopped and the Tasmanian rainforests began;
We stopped at the small town of Tarraleah, which only really exists because of the Tarraleah and Tungatina hydro power plants. These have been in operation since the 1930's.
A bit further down the road, the scenery changed again, to moor like plains. Interesting to note is the different colour of the road surface - this stone is more readily available in the area.
Around 200 kilometres out of Hobart, we crossed the Derwent River for the second time. Its a bit smaller at this end of the state. More pictures of the river are at the end of the post, as we pass back through Hobart on our way home. Quick piece of trivia - there are seven power generating dams on this river alone between here and Hobart, and the water is still crystal clear and drinkable at the other end.
Then it was onto some of my favourite roads in the state, beginning with Mount Arrowsmith. Here is a glimpse of what we saw. Targa Tasmania, a tarmac rally, is run along these very roads. No towns, no traffic, just 86 kilometres of scenic driving heaven.
Surprise Valley;
Quick pitstop at the Franklin River;
Coming into Queenstown, the mountain ranges are slowly covered in less forestation;
The small town of Linda - 3 houses, a phone box and a burnt out pub. With the exception of Strahan, all the town on this side of the states serve the mining community, and are a prime example of function over form.
An open cut mine, just this side of Queenstown.
And the incredible road into Queenstown: lots of switchbacks and hairpins, down a sheer mountainside. I didnt get many pictures, I was a little busy.
Truthfully, I didn't get many pictures of Queenstown, simply because there wasn't much to take pictures of. We stopped at the Abt Railway station for a hot chocolate, had a bit of a drive through the town, and left.
Most of the houses were constructed of rusty corrugated iron, or clapboards, and were in a reasonably delapidated state. This, combined with the misty, overcast weather, gave it a depressing feel. This is the only photo I got, of the road out;
The road to Strahan, fun times ahead 👍
Twisty roads next 30 kilometres? Yes, please!
On arrival at our hotel in Strahan;
The view from our hotel room;
We travelled around Strahan for a bit, and found a deserted gravel side road, running around a bay, parallel to a rail line. Heres a few pictures;
Strahan village harbour;
Ocean beach, looking at the Indian Ocean here. Unfortunately, when I went to Macquarie Heads, I left the camera in the car.
To get to these places, a gravel road of dubious quality had to be traversed, leaving my car in a dirtier state.
Sit rep at Ocean Beach;
After this, we sat down for dinner at the pub in Strahan, and I discovered the wonders of gin and lemonade...
DAY TWO
On the road to the town of Zeehan, about 35 kilometres north of Strahan, to have a bit of a look around. About half way, we found this view of Mt. Zeehan;
And again, a bit further down the road.
The township of Zeehan. Quaint. You could fire a cannon down main street and not hit a soul.
The main reason we came to Zeehan was to visit the "West Coast Pioneers Museum". Honestly, I'm not sure if I was in the mood for it or not, but I found this to be the highlight;
The rest of it had some old machinery, photos and some awesome rocks but it was all a bit...meh, to be honest.
On the way back we decided to go via the Central Highlands, past some of the largest lakes in the state. This involved travelling along the Malborough Highway;
Little Pine Lagoon;
My car, with the Great Lake in the background;
This was turning around after the last picture, cause it was a really nice day.
Shannon Lagoon, just after Great Lake. Few fly fishers in this one.
Truthfully, after this, it was just a lot of driving through farmland. I didnt take any pictures, as it wasnt very interesting.
The town of Bagdad, along the Midlands Highway. Really just put it in cause I can.
Coming into Pontville, first views of Mount Wellington, the mountain forming the backdrop for Hobart.
The Bowen Bridge, on of the 3 major crossings of the Derwent River (see, I told you!)
The full story as to why this bridge was built can be read here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Bridge_disaster
Coming back along the East Derwent Highway through Lindisfarne, one can catch a fleeting glimpse of the Tasman Bridge, as mentioned above.
I stopped here at a shopping centre to refresh (and buy a Mothers Day gift) before resuming my drive back home.
These pictures are of Midway Point, so named because its a...point...midway across the lagoon. Shocking that, really.
First side, showing Midway Point;
Cruising down the Arthur Highway, a mere twelve kilometres from my house, we get another look at Mount Wellington;
People are always stopping and taking pictures here, guess I've seen it every day of my life and its a bit 'meh' for me.
Nearly home, about 3 kilometres away, coming through the town of Lewisham. The pines on the dunes in the distant are on Seven Mile Beach, so named because its a beach...thats seven miles long. Tasmanians were awfully creative it this area.
Nearly there...
And the faithful servant, after a journey of 760 kilometres. Bit dirty, but didn't let me down at all! Not bad for 320 odd thousand kilometres on the clock.
Few fun facts:
Average fuel consumption: 7.0 litres/100 kilometres
Cans of energy drink consumed: 3
Photos taken: 273
Usable, not crap photos: See this post
Breakdowns: 0
Rattles/Squeaks: Too many to count
Inbreds seen: Probably a few
Would I do it again? HELL YEAH!!
If this is in the wrong spot, which I don't think it is, can the mods please move?
Apologies for the long post! Any questions? Fire away!
For those unfamiliar with Tasmania, which I suspect most of you are, here is a map of the state;
(Its to the south of Australia)
This is our rough route map, give or take a bit;
Wanted to take my Pulsar, pretty economical, manual, and I don't really care if it gets dirty. Here a picture of it, all washed and stuff, the afternoon before we left.
DAY ONE
My view from the drivers seat at 6am the next morning, waiting for the car to warm up.
Unfortunately, none of my pre dawn pictures came out. We made it to the small Derwent Valley town of Rosegarland before I got some clear ones;
A random, foggy dam we saw and stopped at.
Soon after a town called Hamilton, about 50 kilometres out of Hobart, the farmlands stopped and the Tasmanian rainforests began;
We stopped at the small town of Tarraleah, which only really exists because of the Tarraleah and Tungatina hydro power plants. These have been in operation since the 1930's.
A bit further down the road, the scenery changed again, to moor like plains. Interesting to note is the different colour of the road surface - this stone is more readily available in the area.
Around 200 kilometres out of Hobart, we crossed the Derwent River for the second time. Its a bit smaller at this end of the state. More pictures of the river are at the end of the post, as we pass back through Hobart on our way home. Quick piece of trivia - there are seven power generating dams on this river alone between here and Hobart, and the water is still crystal clear and drinkable at the other end.
Then it was onto some of my favourite roads in the state, beginning with Mount Arrowsmith. Here is a glimpse of what we saw. Targa Tasmania, a tarmac rally, is run along these very roads. No towns, no traffic, just 86 kilometres of scenic driving heaven.
Surprise Valley;
Quick pitstop at the Franklin River;
Coming into Queenstown, the mountain ranges are slowly covered in less forestation;
The small town of Linda - 3 houses, a phone box and a burnt out pub. With the exception of Strahan, all the town on this side of the states serve the mining community, and are a prime example of function over form.
An open cut mine, just this side of Queenstown.
And the incredible road into Queenstown: lots of switchbacks and hairpins, down a sheer mountainside. I didnt get many pictures, I was a little busy.
Truthfully, I didn't get many pictures of Queenstown, simply because there wasn't much to take pictures of. We stopped at the Abt Railway station for a hot chocolate, had a bit of a drive through the town, and left.
Most of the houses were constructed of rusty corrugated iron, or clapboards, and were in a reasonably delapidated state. This, combined with the misty, overcast weather, gave it a depressing feel. This is the only photo I got, of the road out;
The road to Strahan, fun times ahead 👍
Twisty roads next 30 kilometres? Yes, please!
On arrival at our hotel in Strahan;
The view from our hotel room;
We travelled around Strahan for a bit, and found a deserted gravel side road, running around a bay, parallel to a rail line. Heres a few pictures;
Strahan village harbour;
Ocean beach, looking at the Indian Ocean here. Unfortunately, when I went to Macquarie Heads, I left the camera in the car.
To get to these places, a gravel road of dubious quality had to be traversed, leaving my car in a dirtier state.
Sit rep at Ocean Beach;
After this, we sat down for dinner at the pub in Strahan, and I discovered the wonders of gin and lemonade...
DAY TWO
On the road to the town of Zeehan, about 35 kilometres north of Strahan, to have a bit of a look around. About half way, we found this view of Mt. Zeehan;
And again, a bit further down the road.
The township of Zeehan. Quaint. You could fire a cannon down main street and not hit a soul.
The main reason we came to Zeehan was to visit the "West Coast Pioneers Museum". Honestly, I'm not sure if I was in the mood for it or not, but I found this to be the highlight;
The rest of it had some old machinery, photos and some awesome rocks but it was all a bit...meh, to be honest.
On the way back we decided to go via the Central Highlands, past some of the largest lakes in the state. This involved travelling along the Malborough Highway;
Little Pine Lagoon;
My car, with the Great Lake in the background;
This was turning around after the last picture, cause it was a really nice day.
Shannon Lagoon, just after Great Lake. Few fly fishers in this one.
Truthfully, after this, it was just a lot of driving through farmland. I didnt take any pictures, as it wasnt very interesting.
The town of Bagdad, along the Midlands Highway. Really just put it in cause I can.
Coming into Pontville, first views of Mount Wellington, the mountain forming the backdrop for Hobart.
The Bowen Bridge, on of the 3 major crossings of the Derwent River (see, I told you!)
The full story as to why this bridge was built can be read here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasman_Bridge_disaster
Coming back along the East Derwent Highway through Lindisfarne, one can catch a fleeting glimpse of the Tasman Bridge, as mentioned above.
I stopped here at a shopping centre to refresh (and buy a Mothers Day gift) before resuming my drive back home.
These pictures are of Midway Point, so named because its a...point...midway across the lagoon. Shocking that, really.
First side, showing Midway Point;
Cruising down the Arthur Highway, a mere twelve kilometres from my house, we get another look at Mount Wellington;
People are always stopping and taking pictures here, guess I've seen it every day of my life and its a bit 'meh' for me.
Nearly home, about 3 kilometres away, coming through the town of Lewisham. The pines on the dunes in the distant are on Seven Mile Beach, so named because its a beach...thats seven miles long. Tasmanians were awfully creative it this area.
Nearly there...
And the faithful servant, after a journey of 760 kilometres. Bit dirty, but didn't let me down at all! Not bad for 320 odd thousand kilometres on the clock.
Few fun facts:
Average fuel consumption: 7.0 litres/100 kilometres
Cans of energy drink consumed: 3
Photos taken: 273
Usable, not crap photos: See this post
Breakdowns: 0
Rattles/Squeaks: Too many to count
Inbreds seen: Probably a few
Would I do it again? HELL YEAH!!
If this is in the wrong spot, which I don't think it is, can the mods please move?
Apologies for the long post! Any questions? Fire away!
