Our Hobart adventures and first sortie south had come to an end. We now had a very clear idea of what we wanted to revisit in the Huon Valley and beyond. It was time for the Mobile Marshies to head out again......the tiny town of Franklin was to be our first port of call.
As we made our way west from the Southern Outlet at Margate, through the timbered countryside
and again in and out of Sandfly, we were in very familiar territory. Our electronic navigator was firmly ensconced in the glove box....we knew exactly where we were heading on this occasion.
In no time at all we had reached the A6, the Huon Highway, and turned our head south yet again. I am sure these names will need no further introduction, and as you can see, we did not have far to go.
This time we took a different view of our approach into Huonville. At the risk of being accused of self indulgence (guilty Your Honour!), we did focus a little more on the colour of the Tasmanian spring.
By now we had come to learn that this shot of the northern end of Huonville's CBD, where the flowering shrubs decorating the neighbourhood homes can be seen against the backdrop of a nearby steep and heavily timbered hill, was Tasmania to a 'T'.
Many of the Tasmanian roads, even those listed as main highways, can be best described as challenging, but no so the A6. We covered the remaining few kilometres to Franklin in no time flat, where the welcome sign told us that this small town on the banks of the Huon River had its beginnings in 1836, the same year our home state was being first settled.
Just beyond the town entrance sign we could see the blue waters of the Huon River off to our left. This is one of Tassie's most picturesque waterways as I shall delight in sharing with you shortly.
At the far end of the town we turned off the highway (which traverses Franklin from one end to the other as its main street) into the sealed parking area which surrounds the public toilets, dump point and BBQ area.
At the far end of this, the Franklin camp ground opened before us. This is something of a 'hybrid' camp site....it is not a caravan park as such, nor is it a free camp,
as this sign made abundantly clear. But as you can see, apart from showers, all that itinerant guests should need are on tap (intended...it's been a while!), and for the modest sum of $10 per night (discounted for a four night stay) the location is sensational.
A rather less formal sign post indicated the manner in which the local authorities would prefer that we parked. Rough as this one appears, maps like these are most useful in ensuring that common sense and some form of order prevails.
Camps such as this can easily become a real free-for-all, with ignorant and/or selfish users dropping anchor in a manner which reduces the available room or hogs the best views....and believe me they are to be found everywhere.
We did not want to unhitch. Taking in what was before us, and the local rules of engagement, we decided to assume a spot at the far end of the camp ground where we could tuck up in a quiet corner and remain attached without inconveniencing any already on site or those who may arrive later.
Which was exactly what we did.....that's us, right at the far end.
We could not have been happier. No one could park on our fridge side, and with awning tie down ropes well extended, we knew that no matter how busy things might have become, we had 'elbow room' which was both adequate and fair.
And guess what? We were but a stone's throw from the banks of the beautiful Huon River which you can just see mid shot.
At the edge of the camp ground this walking path led along the river bank
to the amenities area under the spreading willow tree.
Here, as I mentioned previously, we had a BBQ shelter and a new, clean toilet block available for our convenience (is that two for the day?) And equally as importantly......a dump point (just next to the rear of the caravan at the right of shot) where fresh drinking water was also available.
By late afternoon, most of the available spots had been taken. This, as we had expected, was a very popular overnight destination.
But we had chosen wisely. Our little corner remained unsullied by near neighbours. Happy hour 'Chez Marshies' was just that!
And we did not even have to worry about where to pay our dues. As the camp notice indicated, a most welcoming chap appeared at our door well before sundown to collect our $10. He confirmed that this money was indeed directed to the fund being used for the restoration of the town theatre building, something we were more than happy to support. And not only did this avuncular fellow receive our fee, he and his accompanying wife were absolute founts of local information, not only relating to Franklin itself, but also points near and beyond.
What a great start this had been to our solo southern adventure.
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