OFF BRUNY AND ON TO NEW NORFOLK - NEW NORFOLK - PART 1 (THE TRIP AND THE PARK) (6 DECEMBER 2017)

By comparison to our last two moves, today was to be a long day....all one seventy plus kilometres of it! After the shift from Great Bay to Adventure Bay and then to Alonnah, this was of marathon proportions. We hoped all would be plain sailing (!)

The BI ferries begin their crossings quite early each morning. We were keen to be aboard one of the first to avoid the tourist crush of mid morning and so were well on deck as the first pink of dawn tinged the light clouds over Alonnah.

With no water or power connected, and the Cruiser already hitched, our departure preparations were not onerous, and as one of the typical BI road signs indicated, the first leg of today's trip was not to take long (providing we drove on the left side of the road!).

As we climbed over the hill towards the BI ferry terminal we could see that the Mirambeena had already left for the first transit of the day. Our vessel for this crossing was to be the smaller of the two. This would make a change, and as you can readily see in this shot, it was much smaller.

We duly took our place in the short line of vehicles on the terminal approach road from where I could see that ours was not the only vessel on the move in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Initially I thought that this small channel tug was in trouble until a realised it was actually towing a salmon farm pen behind it, very slowly.....an estimated two knots at best.

Our ferry had to make a wide swing to starboard on approach to stay well clear of the slowly moving net,

before it was able to connect to the terminal docking ramp and take us on board. In complete contrast to the Mirambeena, this ferry reminded us both of a River Murray punt in design, and it was not a great deal larger. I did have an anxious moment or two as I took in the number of waiting vehicles and the deck size of this smaller ferry, 

but we were all taken on board and were soon chugging our way across the glassy waters of the channel towards Kettering.

Mind you the crew of these vessels are old hands at squeezing as many vehicles as possible into the available space, and this crossing was no exception. 

I was more than happy to be asked to wait whilst all others, including a large tip truck which had been our immediate neighbour, disembarked before us. I took the time to take a quick shot of the cluttered Kettering marina, where the pot laden decks and sleek (and practical) lines of a typical Tasmanian cray boat particularly caught my attention. 

With our large and noisy neighbour bellowing its way ashore well ahead of us, it was now our turn to ease out under the loading gantry and make our own landfall. It was still quite early in the morning, and we were well pleased.

With one final glance over a small harbour town we had come to really like, we turned onto the B68 and made our way south out of Kettering.

This was not the quickest route to New Norfolk, but we had decided to take the opportunity to do a quick run around the bottom of The Channel and up through Cygnet and Huonville en route back to, and through, Hobart.

Whilst the narrow and winding road was somewhat challenging we did travel through some delightful southern Tasmania countryside complete with quaint wooden churches

and charming farm houses.

With their surrounding orchards, lush green grazing slopes and heavily timbered hills, the tiny towns of Woodbridge, Flowerpot, Middleton and Gordon, which all lie on the eastern shore of The Channel peninsula, must surely occupy one of the prettiest patches of Tasmania. This was an enchanting drive, but one on which I'll not dwell for the time.....we had plans to return minus 'The Brick' whilst back in Margate post Xmas. This was really a recce.

So let me 'fast forward' through Cygnet, Huonville and Hobart and on to the Brooker Highway which took us north and east out of the city along the southern side of the Derwent estuary past the some of the outer suburbs

to the point where our chosen road to New Norfolk (there were two alternatives out of the city) ran directly alongside the river.

And it was here, as we were within close striking distance of our destination

that we caught our first glimpse of the most extraordinary sownder (or bank, bevy, drift, flight, lamentation, etc etc....don't you just love English collective nouns!) of black swans which made these reaches of the Derwent estuary their home. We were to see more of these later (in much greater numbers).

And so it was, after a most entertaining journey on many fronts, here we were, in a Tasmanian town with a real history.

But as we eased our way along the southern approaches into the town, where the always welcome sight of the blue caravan park sign ahead of us allayed any navigational anxiety, 

turned right as directed off the highway

and made our way past the local bowling club towards our park, we soon discovered something else about New Norfolk......it was just the most picturesque place.

We knew that our chosen caravan park was to be found on 'The Esplanade', and as we turned right yet again at the end of the bowls rinks, sure enough....we were right on the River Derwent.

Within but a few more metres (and one serious speed hump) we had made our way through along this delightful tree lined avenue

and found ourselves at the park entrance where the caravan sitting under a huge willow served as the park office. 

On this occasion (we did come back to New Norfolk again) we were greeted by Neil, a most obliging and avuncular host who invited us to pick any spot we liked on the open expanses which form the northern end of this quite large Council owned park.






The road off to the right of the entrance driveway took us to that area and here I had the pleasure of being able to drive straight onto a large patch of grass where we were soon set up for the next few days.









Things were much busier here on our second visit, but for now we really did have plenty of elbow room, as this shot from the roadway at the western side of the park so amply demonstrates.

And just look at the back drop views......large river bank trees with timber clad mountains rising grandly behind them.

Looking across the park in the opposite direction another abundance of large trees and local homes on the rising slope up to the main part of the town provided another lovely outlook.

As I mentioned earlier this park was one divided into two distinct sections, separated by this roadway with its boundary lawn, flower garden and trees.









Trees also lined the other side of this roadway, 











beyond which vans were clustered much more closely on smaller sites. Here those in residence (and they tended to be longer term) had the advantage of some shade, but we already knew that here in Tassie this was not a premium criterion for site selection....it was rarely hot enough to cause concern.





The park amenities block was somewhat dated and the showers were timed for a five minute run, but at least they were free of charge and the timers provided adequate beeping warning of  the imminent demise of the hot water. What's more, as I soon discovered, the timer would reset after 15 seconds, so another five minute soak was readily available for those in the know who were not able to complete their ablutions in the allotted time.


Well kept lawns and equally well nurtured roses (these were all tended by a permanent park resident for whom these gardens were her pride and joy) provided a lovely surround.

The adjoining camp kitchen was a tad 'agricultural' but it served its purpose, and was well used by the back-packer cherry pickers who were established in tents around the edges of the park.










The couple of park cabins were also located in this central area

and the roadway sites past the ablution block were seriously well populated. We were more than happy to be set up where we were.

The back boundary of this section of the park featured another leafy garden

with a low, rocky cliff wall behind it, something we soon discovered was completely in keeping with this section of the river.

Where this cliff face came to an end, the park opened out into another lawned camping area, with a few more van sites at the far end, again, all surrounded by weeping willows and other shade trees.

We could not have been happier with our new surroundings. What a complete contrast from those of the past week on Bruny Island.

Apart from taking in all the history which was on offer here in New Norfolk, we planned to use this town as a base from which to visit the not too distant Mount Field National Park with its famous Russell Falls, and to explore this section of the River Derwent and the berry and hop fields for which this area is very well known.

OUR LAST 24 HOURS ON THE ISLAND - BRUNY ISLAND - PART 6 (ALONNAH) (5 DECEMBER 2017)

It was now coming to an end...our BI adventure that is, and Adventure Bay which we were leaving with some regret. Apart from the weather we had a marvellous time there, and at least when the storms struck we were as well protected as we could have been anywhere, if not better.

But now it was time to head off to tick the second box on our Tassie Pub stays list, parked up on the grass behind the Bruny Hotel in Alonnah. With all of 15 kms to cover, we had no need to arise at 'sparrow's' as is usually the case on a travelling day. 

Nevertheless I was quite keen to ensure that we had the pick of the spots (mistakenly thinking that power and water were available in one area) and we did arrive well before the pub was open for business.

Somewhat to my surprise, we had the place to ourselves. I set up near what I thought was an operating water tap and we busied ourselves inside until I detected staff movement in the pub.

A nominal fee of $5 is levied for those wishing to prop here for the night, and with that duly paid the bad new was that the tap was not connected and the power source, some distance away in an old BBQ shed, was iffy at best. I tried a connection.....not iffy folks, as dead as the proverbial dodo, and of highly a questionable state of repair.

Nil desperandum....we had water in our tanks and today had dawned comparatively brightly...we would let our solar panels and our power inverter do the rest. So we stayed put where we were.

 

With the pub doors no more than fifty metres away, the waters of Sunset Bay on our front doorstep, oodles of grass and no immediate neighbours on our doorstep, we were more than content.

And just look at the weather. At last! Whilst the skies did thicken with cloud later, at least we had a snatch of sunshine early in the day. 

When paying our site fee I had also booked in for dinner that evening. We had heard and read glowing reports about the pub's signature dish, a $60 seafood platter for two. "Yes sir, that is still on the menu." "Excellent, please reserve a table for two for 1800 hours."  

I had budgeted for this treat for some time (obviously the meal would be only part of the cost) and had wisely allayed any concerns 'The Treasurer' may have had by smartly informing her that this was "my shout". Now we were both really looking forward to it!

With all the necessary business done, the small township of Alonnah now lay awaiting exploration. We had driven through before, but there is nothing like a walking tour to see everything. My only major problem still remains....too many photos and too little editing....I'll try to do better this time!

Alonnah is a town of two parts. The hotel and the town 'general store' lay opposite each other at the southern end of the foreshore highway.

We did pop over the road to see what was available at the store, which also doubles as a cafe/take-away spot, and realised almost instantly that the good folk of Alonnah must either shop at Adventure Bay of hop on the ferry every so often and grace Woollies at Kingston. Even taking the modest ferry fee into account, that would be the far better option.

With that less than profound discovery under our belts, we headed off north along the seafront, crossed a small bridge over a local rivulet (to borrow that ubiquitous Tassie term)

and hoofed on the remaining half a kilometre or so to the 'major Alonnah CBD'

where the first of the business premises we came to was the surprisingly well stocked local pharmacy. 





We had need of a couple of items and in the course of our chat with the most obliging chemist we soon came to the conclusion that he had set up shop in Alonnah as a lifestyle decision as much as anything. He not only offered a counter service but also made home deliveries each afternoon. How good was that, we thought.

At this point I hopped across the road to take my first shots south along the shoreline of Sunset Bay, with the southern end of Satellite Island sneaking into the frame,

and in the opposite direction, where the bottom of The Channel peninsula dominated the skyline. And, as you can also see, the skies were darkening again, but fortunately there was no real nonsense coming our way.

Next to the pharmacy (with its little delivery car tucked up near the entrance) stood the BI Post Office

with the island's home to the Girls and Boys in Blue right next door.

At the rear of a short ally between the Post Office and the pharmacy, the BI Mens' Shed greets its patrons with this colourful facade.

And that, as they say folks, was it.....the Alonnah CBD. But there was a bit more to come.

The main road into town curved off to the right beyond the small central commercial area, 

and it was here that we could look out over the rather strange looking local marina with its odd breakwater, one which curved upward slightly at its far end. What could this be all about?





Well, it turned out to be another small snippet of modern Tasmanian history. The breakwater here at Alonnah is the only remaining piece of the old Hobart floating bridge which crossed the Derwent between 1943 and 1964, a bridge which consisted of twenty-four buoyant concrete sections such as that we were looking at. It was installed here in 1972, but only after the Warden of Bruny, J Maurice Dillon, took out an injunction against the Government which had planned to sink it along with all the others. What a handy community asset a practical man with determination is!

To get down to the small marina we had to pass this obviously brand new public toilet facility, which in itself was nothing remarkable...........but.....











this was the first time we had ever come across a public loo with Xmas decorations. The good folk of Alonnah must have decided Santa might need a comfort stop as he whizzed around the island. A bit different to the usual milk and biscuits......how bizarre!








On the foreshore we passed a garage building

on which this charming little sign proclaimed the ownership of the BI Boat Club. We were soon to discover that the penguin was a favoured local club symbol.










As we strolled out along the breakwater, it was clear that this had indeed once been a roadway.....wide, flat and still well covered with a bituminous surface. And it certainly provided good shelter for the small fleet tucked up in the marina,








a fleet which included another oddity......a purpose built working boat plastered with 'For Hire' signs. Hauling in very large fish would present no problems for any using this outfit!










So with the Alonnah breakwater inspected and the mystery surrounding its origins solved, we wandered back to shore and past the few holiday and permanent homes on the overlooking hill










before picking up the main road once again.












Here on this bend we could look across through the trees over the grounds of the Alonnah cricket club to the very prominent red roof of the Alonnah Community Hall on the far side of the oval.

We knew the road up the hill would eventually take us back to the main drag, so off we trotted,













past the local primary school,











complete with its very colourful piece of garden art.














At the top of the hill the Alonnah War Memorial had pride of place on the crest in front of the surprisingly large community hall,












behind which the B I cricket club rooms held an equally prominent position.










As I mentioned earlier, penguins were prominent in the local sporting fraternity's club symbols.













What a pleasure it must be to sit on the front deck of this clubhouse










watching the home eleven defending its cricketing honour on this beautifully picturesque ground.








Several signs made it very clear that visitors were more than welcome to make use of the clubhouse facilities and I have to say we were somewhat disappointed that we were not to be here the following Saturday when we would have loved to have mingled with the locals, quaffed a few frothies and watched the contest between bat and ball.



But this was not to be (we would in fact be in New Norfolk by then) and for the moment we pushed on past the quite newly constructed B I Medical Centre which was the last piece of the community infrastructure here at Alonnah.



In the course of our jaunt down the roadway back towards the foreshore, I could not help but chuckle as we walked past this ute parked in the driveway of a small farmhouse. This Vietnam Vet clearly had no time for the Tasmanian Greens Party and was far from shy about publicising the fact.





As you can probably gather, it did not take us too long to complete our circuit of the Alonnah township and make our way back along the main road to the pub in the near distance.






We had been looking forward to a feed of fine fresh fish in the Bruny Hotel dining room for some time, ever since it had been highly recommended to us by folk we had met in Huonville, so after a quiet afternoon  relaxing in the van, we actually tarted up a bit for a change 





and made our way into the pub at the appointed hour.











After an obligatory aperitif or two, our fish platter appeared, and for once we decided that this was an occasion on which to prevail on our waitress to take a commemorative snap before we tucked in.










This was a plate of seafood to be savoured. Crumbed fish, scallops, prawns and squid, oysters natural and kilpatrick, and chunks of grilled Atlantic salmon all supported by good chips and salad.






There was only one major problem.....much of it was less than hot. The manager was most apologetic but rather than arrange a replacement meal he offered us free coffee (which neither of us drink at that time of the day). I was singularly unimpressed, but at least Liz was able to negotiate a free stubby holder. And to be fair, the meal was not so cold as to be inedible.....we just had to set about eating it rather more quickly than planned.



One thing we did know.....we were enjoying our evening and each other's company more than this couple appeared to be and under the mellowing influence of a very good sav blanc, our 'night out' was a real pleasure.








As we contentedly toddled the few metres back to our nearby van, Sunset Bay lived up to its name and presented us with this pretty pastel palette over the darkening waters of the bay with the silhouetted mountains behind Dover and Southport providing an impressive colour contrast.





This was indeed a magic ending to what had been a very packed week. We were so glad that we had ignored those who suggested we could do justice to BI in a couple of days. Despite the fact that we had no desire to do 'the foodie trail' (which we now believe to be grandly over-rated and over-priced), this island offered so much by way of diverse scenery, some of which was nothing short of spectacular, sites of significant historical importance, some great walks and, of course, one of the pub stays on our crawl list.

Tomorrow will bring a real change of pace....another crossing of the Channel and more water, this time the fresh waters of the Derwent River at New Norfolk.