Right, with the whisky and wine out of the way, this time we are off.....south through the Huon Valley to begin our exploration of the southern part of Tasmania with a visit to the timber town of Geeveston, located on the Huon Highway just over 60 kms from Hobart.
Before we head off let's take a quick look at where we were actually going.
This map (obviously taken at Cockle Creek which we visited later) will give you a good idea. But why Geeveston is an obvious and reasonable question. There were two reasons. Firstly, our Margate hosts lived here for a number of years and know the area well, including the free camping ground in the town. They hitched up their van and came with us. The second reason for this choice was that it is a good jumping off point for day trips to the far south of the island and to other points of interest.
Oh, and now that we have been here, I should add a third.....it is a damned interesting town, and, quite coincidentally, has a real connection with a currently running ABC Television show, but more of that later.
First we had to get there and establish a base. Our trusty mobile home was due for a 10,000 kms service (brakes and bearings and an undercarriage check) so given that we were to be on the move, we arranged to take it to nearby Huntingfield to have this done before we headed south.
At this point let me digress to give Alpha Caravans of Huntingfield a plug....their service was timely, efficient and very moderately priced. We were more than pleased.
So, comfortable in the knowledge that our wheels would not fall off, we headed out to join our friends who had preceded us south.
Our first task was to get from the top of The Channel to the Huon Highway, which we did by scooting across the secondary C622 through the tiny and most oddly named hamlet of Sandfly, very much a 'blink and you will miss it' kind of spot. A servo, a take-away and a hall....that's Sandfly.
And then we were on the Huon Highway, one of Tasmania's major roads, and as you can see we did not really have far to go,
but like so many trips around the Apple Isle, it was not entirely plain sailing, or more to the point, towing.
But the upside of the hilly terrain is the views they offer, and in no time we were experiencing our first of the magnificent Huon Valley
which lay spread out below us in all its glory.
We later revisited this area and spent more time here, when the camera ran hot, so I'll gloss over the sights at this point as we pushed on to Geeveston, but not before including this, one of the many charming and colourful gardens we passed along our way.
Since our arrival in Tasmania we have been captivated by the beautiful home gardens we have seen throughout. Of course, late spring is the perfect time to see these at their flowering best and I must confess here, you will be sharing much of it.
Here on the approach to this bustling town, more rhododendrons delighted me with their blossom
before I had to refocus and concentrate on negotiating Huonville's busy main street,
Oh, and now that we have been here, I should add a third.....it is a damned interesting town, and, quite coincidentally, has a real connection with a currently running ABC Television show, but more of that later.
First we had to get there and establish a base. Our trusty mobile home was due for a 10,000 kms service (brakes and bearings and an undercarriage check) so given that we were to be on the move, we arranged to take it to nearby Huntingfield to have this done before we headed south.
At this point let me digress to give Alpha Caravans of Huntingfield a plug....their service was timely, efficient and very moderately priced. We were more than pleased.
So, comfortable in the knowledge that our wheels would not fall off, we headed out to join our friends who had preceded us south.
Our first task was to get from the top of The Channel to the Huon Highway, which we did by scooting across the secondary C622 through the tiny and most oddly named hamlet of Sandfly, very much a 'blink and you will miss it' kind of spot. A servo, a take-away and a hall....that's Sandfly.
And then we were on the Huon Highway, one of Tasmania's major roads, and as you can see we did not really have far to go,
but like so many trips around the Apple Isle, it was not entirely plain sailing, or more to the point, towing.
But the upside of the hilly terrain is the views they offer, and in no time we were experiencing our first of the magnificent Huon Valley
which lay spread out below us in all its glory.
We later revisited this area and spent more time here, when the camera ran hot, so I'll gloss over the sights at this point as we pushed on to Geeveston, but not before including this, one of the many charming and colourful gardens we passed along our way.
Since our arrival in Tasmania we have been captivated by the beautiful home gardens we have seen throughout. Of course, late spring is the perfect time to see these at their flowering best and I must confess here, you will be sharing much of it.
But for now we must push on, past the very well known tourist attraction which is the Willie Smith Apple Shed (more of this later) at Grove, the district just north of Huonville, the major town in the valley.
Here on the approach to this bustling town, more rhododendrons delighted me with their blossom
before I had to refocus and concentrate on negotiating Huonville's busy main street,
at the end of which the large road bridge gave us our first glimpse of the mighty Huon River, something we were to see much more of in the next few weeks.
Less than 10 kms further on we drove through the small picturesque town of Franklin (another spot which we revisited later)
and pushed on past the few houses which make up the tiny town of Castle Forbes Bay
before the imposing Kermandie Hotel
and small craft marina of Port Huon were in our mirrors.
One of the delights of Tassie touring is the fact that short journeys bring new and different sights constantly. It is never too far to go from one point of interest to another, although some of the roads are pretty challenging.
Less than an hour after leaving Alpha Caravans we found ourselves driving past the unmistakable highway totems which welcomed us to Geeveston and made sure we knew we were in a 'Forest Town'.
We continued on past the junction which could have taken us into the town centre
and continued on until the blue and white RV sign opposite the town roadhouse (which is renown for the quality of its meals and other goodies) told us we had reached our destination for the day.
As we drove in along the entrance roadway we could see Vicki and Andy set up at the far end of this vast open free camp.
We soon joined them and corralled the vans and vehicles to form a sociable square on the lush grass. The weather was such that we had no need for awnings, which suited me fine. Why make unnecessary work is a well known maxim in the caravanning world.
We did have acres of room. In fact it was not until the second day here that we had any company at all, and that was only overnight.
This really was a great campsite, and, within a few more weeks will be even better. Geeveston is certainly a town which puts its money where its mouth is when it advertises as being RV friendly. Not too far from our camp the construction of a brand new amenities block (including showers) and large camp kitchen was well underway and, according to one of the workers, was due for completion in time for Xmas.
As it was, the existing BBQ hut was quite close by,
and it was only the fact that a swathe of 'ground under repair' lay between our chosen spot
We continued on past the junction which could have taken us into the town centre
and continued on until the blue and white RV sign opposite the town roadhouse (which is renown for the quality of its meals and other goodies) told us we had reached our destination for the day.
As we drove in along the entrance roadway we could see Vicki and Andy set up at the far end of this vast open free camp.
We soon joined them and corralled the vans and vehicles to form a sociable square on the lush grass. The weather was such that we had no need for awnings, which suited me fine. Why make unnecessary work is a well known maxim in the caravanning world.
We did have acres of room. In fact it was not until the second day here that we had any company at all, and that was only overnight.
This really was a great campsite, and, within a few more weeks will be even better. Geeveston is certainly a town which puts its money where its mouth is when it advertises as being RV friendly. Not too far from our camp the construction of a brand new amenities block (including showers) and large camp kitchen was well underway and, according to one of the workers, was due for completion in time for Xmas.
As it was, the existing BBQ hut was quite close by,
and it was only the fact that a swathe of 'ground under repair' lay between our chosen spot
and the line of trees by the BBQ area that prevented us from tucking up there.
Until the new toilet block is completed, all who stay here are able to use the more than adequate facilities located at the rear of the Geeveston Tourist Information Centre.
Whilst they are not right on the doorstep so to speak, as this shot, taken from the upper floor of the Information Centre shows (that's us in the middle of the photo) the walk to the heads through the car park and
the upper level of the Heritage Park beyond is a pleasant one and far from onerous.
All in all we were more than content with our camping lot here at Geeveston. There is another free park behind the local RSL (which I later explored) but having done so I remain satisfied that Andy's choice was a wise one.
Geeveston is a fascinating town. After suffering a major economic slap in the face a few years ago, the good folk of this erstwhile timber town have been working hard to develop tourism and to make the most of what the location offers. We think they have been very successful, as I shall share in my next.
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