We talk about our lunch, on and off, for most of the afternoon – it was that good.
Apples are big business through this part of Tassie and neat commercial orchards stretch away from the road on both sides.
A well maintained orchard is very pleasing to the eye and conveys a restful unhurried pace – it belies the commercial reality, as horticulture is a risky intensive business with peaks and troughs of activity throughout the year.
The suns shines and there is a timelessness to the countryside which reminds of us of picturesque English hamlet villages beside quiet inlets. The afternoon wiles away, with 5 o'clock sneaking up on us and still a distance to travel to reach our planned overnight stop.
We have identified Richmond, just on the north eastern side of Hobart, as a heritage town offering several period cottages for daily rent. After passing through Huonville and back over the Tasman bridge we are soon admiring the façade of Hollyhock Cottage www.hollyhockcottage.com.au behind it's picket fence, in Percy Street, Richmond. What a charmer, built about 1830, a little miner’s cottage with low doorways – I am just over 6 feet tall and have several forehead bumps to prove where we stopped for the night.
The owner, Pauline greets us warmly and doesn't seem to mind a bit that we are only staying for the one night. The cottage boasts a delightful small English garden, but unfortunately it’s a little too late in the day and a touch chilly, for us to fully enjoy.
Chatting to Pauline we get some advice for a dinner venue which is a bit limited being Monday night when a lot of restaurants choose to close after a busy weekend. Pauline gives the Richmond Arms a good review and we set off for a walk through town in the fading light.
Richmond is home to the oldest Catholic church in Australia, St John the Evangelist which sits on a small rise overlooking the Coal River and the 1823 convict built bridge. The small park and gardens surrounding the river are a delight to walk through with lots of tame bird life and boardwalks.
We come up behind the main street walking to the Richmond Arms and dinner, when Linda spies a still open bakery and we think croissants for breakfast and yes there are lovely fat croissants waiting for us on the counter. We hand over our money, pick up the bag and the croissants immediately fall out of the bag onto the floor spreading flakey pastry all around. Oh dear, we must have picked up the bag by the wrong end. The young assistant quickly said 'don't worry, don't worry' – we produce another $5 for 2 more which he refuses, offering us 2 fresh croissants to replace the casualties. Not only do we get the two fresh for no more money but we leave them with the mess. 'No worries' they all say – enjoy the croissants.
Doesn't something like this give you a good feeling.
5 minutes back to Hollyhock cottage, carefully place the croissants on the kitchen bench then out the door, 100 metres to the main street which we cross to arrive at the door of our dinner venue, the Richmond Arms. This is an original and charming 2 storied colonial era hotel offering bistro style dining in the lounge bar. We enjoy the lamb roast along with a couple of glasses of a local pinot noir. Good quality pub fare and excellent value. A very busy dining room with plenty of locals and a smattering of visitors like us. Busy is always a good pointer to quality and value and it proves to be the case here too.
We walk back to our cottage through the cool but pleasant evening and are soon tucked into the comfortable bed hoping for a good night’s sleep before our lengthy drive to Strachan the next day. Hollyhock cottage is very well positioned not too far off the main road yet far enough to cancel main road noise, so we enjoy a sound sleep waking to the 7am alarm.
First thing I do is crack my forehead on the bathroom door lintel – those miners of yesteryear must have been very short – waking me up and almost putting me into a permanent stoop for the rest of the stay. The shower is hot and strong, easing the head throb, further eased by Linda's excellent breakfast, cooked with the generous supplies left by owner Pauline last night. Bacon and eggs, followed by our croissants.
We are on the road by 9am, heading towards our first stop of the day, Bonorong Wildlife www.bonorong.com.au just out of Brighton. Bonorong operates as a conservator of wildlife, only home to animals which have been orphaned or injured. If they can be appropriately rehabilitated every effort is made to return them to the wild. Meeting and talking with Greg Irons – keeper in charge – it is easy to see the passion he feels about helping and protecting Tasmania's unique wildlife.
We are not disappointed with our visit with close up views of Tassie devils, eastern quolls, echidnas, grey koalas, blue tongue lizards and black cockatoos. Greg had hand raised some orphan devils and convinces us they are not nearly as fierce as they appear but we don't test the theory ! He also has some interesting information about close encounters with kangaroos – if you scratch them on their head, which seems the obvious communication, you are telling them to go away. Instead scratch their chests and they'll come right up to you for more. We do test this theory and it is true! We love our visit to Bonorong and are very sorry to leave, but Strachan by nightfall is a must.
Having done a bit of research about the small towns along the way, we think a lunch stop may be hard to come by. But Glen Clyde House in Hamilton is a delight, from the local craft gift shop in the main house to the terrace courtyard adjoining, where we both enjoy a generous BLT. Had to try an effervescent Tassie rhubarb juice – Rhubru – it’s delicious so don't miss the chance if it comes your way. Hamilton is a quaint inland town with a main street that winds gracefully between the small houses and few larger official buildings. If you don't stop for lunch at Glen Clyde House you'll be out the other side in 3 minutes but you will have missed a lovely quiet break from driving.
The Lyall highway is a scenic drive, especially as we get into the Tarraleah area where there are several lakes. The countryside has a remote feeling and although heavily forested is cold and stark. About 20 kms out of Queenstown Linda notices a road sign which declares we have arrived at 'Linda', a wee town with a population of about 30. We have to have a photo and I don't persue the standard comment – ' I always wondered where your folks were from' ! Moving on and coming through the mountains into Queenstown, the road winds steeply down towards the township through rocky denuded 'moonscape' mountainsides with obvious signs of the intensive mining of an earlier time. Many different minerals were mined in this area, mainly copper, but including gold and silver. The large population of the early 20th century has dropped to a few thousand now but with increasing copper mining activity a more prosperous future may develop. Not a pleasant place to live though as west coast weather is wet and cold and the artificially nude landscape has a depressing effect. On a brighter note Linda had read about the Empire Hotel built in 1901 and thankfully now a National Trust listed building. The friendly publican provided us with 2 glasses of very drinkable pinot noir after which we inspect the famous Tasmanian Blackwood staircase. The raw timber, sourced in the western wilderness – it is still a great wilderness today but in 1901, gosh – was shipped to England, hand-carved and shipped back for installation in 1904.
We have 3 nights in Strahan, 40 kms away, so we intend to come back and see more of the town over the next couple of days. Late afternoon now and the 40kms to Strachan is quite windy and it takes us over an hour to arrive at our Strahan Village accommodation around 6pm. Our spacious room is magnificent, overlooking Macquarie Harbour and the village from its vantage point above the little township. As we check in the friendly reception staff suggest we might like to book the Gordon river cruise for the next morning which, of course you must do if you come to Strahan. By booking in advance we take advantage of a 10% discount which we welcome as the cruise cost isn't small.
The Strahan village complex is substantial, built into the hillside in several tiers and includes a restaurant and bar where we are now heading.
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