Ben Lomond National Park in Tasmania — photos

After eating a simple picnic Christmas lunch at Cataract Gorge Reserve in Launceston, we decided to drive to Ben Lomond National Park, which is about 50 kilometres from Launceston and includes the second highest peak in Tasmania — Legges Tor at 1,572 metres. We did not realise that the Tasmanian Government charges a Park Entry Fee to all its national parks. Day-visit National Parks Passes can be purchased on entry to the Ben Lomond National Park, … more »

Cataract Gorge Reserve in Launceston, Tasmania — photos

Being a couple of thousand kilometres from home for Christmas day had certain advantages — we did not need to spend Christmas with family! Instead, we packed a Christmas lunch of turkey sandwiches, fruitcake and some drinks, and made our way to Cataract Gorge Reserve. This is a lovely location and very popular with the locals. The water in First Basin is deep and very cold. However, there is always the heated swimming … more »

Visiting Launceston, Tasmania and Bridgestowe Estate Lavender Farm — photo

After settling in to our accommodation, we went for a walk around the Launceston CBD, including The Quadrant and The Mall. My three year old and six year old easily managed a leisurely stroll around the CBD — Launceston is a small city. A recurring theme in Tasmania is the lack of children’s play equipment in parks. There was a play ground in Queens Park and a few swings in another park, but apart … more »

Camping at Devonport Discovery Holiday Park — on the edge of Bass Strait

My most memorable night camping on my Brisbane to Tasmania road trip was spent in the Devonport Discovery Holiday Park. The holiday park is situated on the edge of Bass Strait at the mouth of the Mersey River at Devonport. I arrived at the Devonport Discovery Holiday Park after office hours. The park management are obviously used to people arriving after office hours off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry — my booking information and site location was placed … more »

Crossing Bass Strait from Melbourne to Devonport on the Spirit of Tasmania

I was looking forward to crossing Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania from Melbourne to Devonport.  Bass Strait has a reputation for being rough. I was disappointed to find that on the day I crossed, Bass Strait was an effective mill pond with tiny one metre swells. Even so, several people became queasy with the slow rocking motion of the boat. The boat had obviously been through some storms over the years … more »

Driving the Newell Highway — Day 3: Narrandera to Melbourne

Day 3 of driving the Newell Highway was to take me from Narrandera to Melbourne. To read about my road trip from Brisbane to Tasmania and back, follow the Tasmania trip tag. I had stayed at the Midtown Motor Inn overnight after the caravan park I was booked to stay at had flooded. I was quite happy with the standard of accommodation. Before starting my drive for the day, I took the opportunity to take a walk around Narrandera. The town had … more »

Driving the Newell Highway — Day 2: Narrabri to Narrandera

I started Day 2 of my road trip from Brisbane to Melbourne via the Newell Highway early. I had spent the night at Narrabri Highway Tourist Village & Caravan Park. To read about my road trip from Brisbane to Tasmania and back, follow the Tasmania trip tag. I stopped briefly at many of the towns along the Newell Highway, including  Coonabarabran, Gilgandra (including Coo-ee), Dubbo, Parkes and Forbes. While the sign out the front looked new and inviting, the Dubbo Visitors’ … more »