After only an overnight at Triabunna and a brief sojourn in Bicheno so many months ago, our Swansea stay had been our first real taste of Tasmania's east coast. We had felt really comfortable with what we had seen when initially passing through, and we were now leaving with renewed faith in our gut feelings about towns and districts. We loved Swansea and all that was on offer around it.
Would St Helens continue to carry the baton of east coast excellence, the town on the doorstep of the renowned Bay of Fires? Would this stack up against the grandeur of the Freycinet Peninsula, the beauty of Great Oyster Bay, the joie de vivre of the Swansea wineries and the charm of Coles Bay and Swansea themselves? We were about to find out.
And, dear readers, despite the rhetoric of the past, I am now about to become ruthless. I really have to get out of this marvellous State. Given that you have no idea of the massive compendium of photos sitting here on our computer, this will not be obviously apparent to you, but I am now probably going to abandon some sixty to seventy percent of them and focus on the towns and parks in which we spent the rest of our trip and feature only the touring highlights.
So buckle in......we have just fast forwarded up the east coast from Swansea, back through Bicheno and the holiday town of Scamander, past the highway junction which connects the road up the mountains into St Marys,
and have arrived on the doorstep of our next home away from home, the St Helens Holiday Park.
The first thing which is evident here is that this park is 'flash', something which was reflected in the prices. We did have an alternative some short distance out of town, but decided against it on the basis of what intelligence we were able to gather before arrival. A later recce proved that this had been a very sound decision! We did not arrive in town dragging a huge boat, carrying untold cartons of beer and were able to converse in sentences which were not constantly punctuated with what could be best described as 'colourful language'!
We have noticed during our travels that many parks which charge top dollar tend to make an effort to justify this with park decor....St Helens was a classic example where the first thing new arrivals see is this grounded yacht directly in front of the arrivals lane. Why? No idea! This is a town big on fishing, both commercial and recreational, not sailing.
The park office was set behind a lovely garden
and the nautical theme
was continued in what was a very smart interior. The welcoming staff member soon had us organised. "You are big...we have put you on a large site at the top of the park. We are still developing this area but you should be comfortable". That sounded suspiciously like an oxymoron to me, but we did as we were instructed.
Immediately opposite the park office this outdoor BBQ area enhanced the 'green' look of this park
and as we headed off up to our site, we passed a row of what could only be described as very smart park cabins.
We knew before our arrival that this was a park which focused on 'having a holiday'....that always means 'with kids', and confirmation of this was not long in coming as we drove up past the playground,
and the equipment we dread most (if we are parked nearby), the bouncing pillow!
Here youngsters are indeed well catered for as was evident in this large shed next to the playground. The only thing surprisingly missing was a pool, but that was something else we had noted in Tassie....they are not as common in parks here as elsewhere. Might have something to do with the weather!
Of course all this child related infrastructure (read also.....Mum and Dad....come here, send the kids off to pay and do your own thing!) has to be paid for somehow. Without wishing to sound niggardly, we do feel a tad peeved when our fees include things we'll never use, but when there are no alternatives, there are no alternatives.
St Helens Holiday park is nothing if not large. We continued on up the hill, past several rows of vans already on site,
and there we were, at the top of the park where our first sighting of area which was to be ours was anything but encouraging. Surely they haven't got us on dirt!
Another hurried consultation with our park map provided some joy....our site was well down towards the other end of this unsealed park roadway, and here, to our relief, a series of slabs and a few patches of lawn came into view.
There was no doubt this entire area was a work in progress, but our allotted patch was large with a well gravelled apron,
and our slab was ideal, but we did draw the crow when it came to grass. For some reason the terrace plan for these sites meant that they were not all of a consistent size, and our strip of green was comparatively minimal,
but at least things looked much more attractive from the rear and we did end up spending most of our happy hour time in our rear garden. Fortunately all those who were our temporary neighbours in what were pretty close quarters could not have been more pleasant.
As for the Black Panther, well, he was as happy as a lark. His world had stopped moving, he had shade cloth protection from prying eyes and he could watch all that was passing by with the safety net of an open van doorway right behind him....cat heaven!
We were a little surprised that a park this size did not provide at least two amenities blocks, but at least the large, central facility was more than fit for purpose, and the tramp to and fro was not overly long.
And, dear readers, despite the rhetoric of the past, I am now about to become ruthless. I really have to get out of this marvellous State. Given that you have no idea of the massive compendium of photos sitting here on our computer, this will not be obviously apparent to you, but I am now probably going to abandon some sixty to seventy percent of them and focus on the towns and parks in which we spent the rest of our trip and feature only the touring highlights.
So buckle in......we have just fast forwarded up the east coast from Swansea, back through Bicheno and the holiday town of Scamander, past the highway junction which connects the road up the mountains into St Marys,
and have arrived on the doorstep of our next home away from home, the St Helens Holiday Park.
The first thing which is evident here is that this park is 'flash', something which was reflected in the prices. We did have an alternative some short distance out of town, but decided against it on the basis of what intelligence we were able to gather before arrival. A later recce proved that this had been a very sound decision! We did not arrive in town dragging a huge boat, carrying untold cartons of beer and were able to converse in sentences which were not constantly punctuated with what could be best described as 'colourful language'!
We have noticed during our travels that many parks which charge top dollar tend to make an effort to justify this with park decor....St Helens was a classic example where the first thing new arrivals see is this grounded yacht directly in front of the arrivals lane. Why? No idea! This is a town big on fishing, both commercial and recreational, not sailing.
The park office was set behind a lovely garden
and the nautical theme
was continued in what was a very smart interior. The welcoming staff member soon had us organised. "You are big...we have put you on a large site at the top of the park. We are still developing this area but you should be comfortable". That sounded suspiciously like an oxymoron to me, but we did as we were instructed.
Immediately opposite the park office this outdoor BBQ area enhanced the 'green' look of this park
and as we headed off up to our site, we passed a row of what could only be described as very smart park cabins.
We knew before our arrival that this was a park which focused on 'having a holiday'....that always means 'with kids', and confirmation of this was not long in coming as we drove up past the playground,
and the equipment we dread most (if we are parked nearby), the bouncing pillow!
Here youngsters are indeed well catered for as was evident in this large shed next to the playground. The only thing surprisingly missing was a pool, but that was something else we had noted in Tassie....they are not as common in parks here as elsewhere. Might have something to do with the weather!
Of course all this child related infrastructure (read also.....Mum and Dad....come here, send the kids off to pay and do your own thing!) has to be paid for somehow. Without wishing to sound niggardly, we do feel a tad peeved when our fees include things we'll never use, but when there are no alternatives, there are no alternatives.
St Helens Holiday park is nothing if not large. We continued on up the hill, past several rows of vans already on site,
and there we were, at the top of the park where our first sighting of area which was to be ours was anything but encouraging. Surely they haven't got us on dirt!
Another hurried consultation with our park map provided some joy....our site was well down towards the other end of this unsealed park roadway, and here, to our relief, a series of slabs and a few patches of lawn came into view.
There was no doubt this entire area was a work in progress, but our allotted patch was large with a well gravelled apron,
and our slab was ideal, but we did draw the crow when it came to grass. For some reason the terrace plan for these sites meant that they were not all of a consistent size, and our strip of green was comparatively minimal,
but at least things looked much more attractive from the rear and we did end up spending most of our happy hour time in our rear garden. Fortunately all those who were our temporary neighbours in what were pretty close quarters could not have been more pleasant.
As for the Black Panther, well, he was as happy as a lark. His world had stopped moving, he had shade cloth protection from prying eyes and he could watch all that was passing by with the safety net of an open van doorway right behind him....cat heaven!
We were a little surprised that a park this size did not provide at least two amenities blocks, but at least the large, central facility was more than fit for purpose, and the tramp to and fro was not overly long.
Our upper section was close to the camping area, and I have to say that the large camp kitchen here at St Helens was first class.
Although we had no need to use them during our stay, the cooking facilities were brand spanking new and more than adequate, and as you can see there was no shortage of dining seating.
A wood fire against one wall spoke to the Tasmanian weather,
and in the room just beyond that guests could sit and watch TV in real comfort.
As I looked about this excellent facility, I was immediately at home. Slung high on the wall was a surf ski, one of considerable age.....just the type I used to spend so many hours on as a (very) much younger man. The only thing missing was a beach. Again, no idea why (and I forgot to ask).
Whilst the St Helens park caters for many vans on a variety of sites, the thing which really struck us was the number of semi-permanent structures housed throughout (this is the bottom of our road).
There were row upon row of them,
in all areas of the park.
Some were pretty basic,
whilst those at the upper end of the scale (usually complete with large boat)
were veritable park palaces.
Although things were somewhat busy during our stay with folk coming and going, the semi-permanent rows were quite. We were more than grateful for small mercies....we could just imagine what this place must be like during the summer holidays.......no thanks.
I have to say that once we were settled, we were more than comfortable, and positioned such that a good brisk walk into town or around the edge of Georges Bay on which St Helens sits, were well within our capabilities and we took full advantage.
In my next, the town itself and an unexpected great night out.
Although we had no need to use them during our stay, the cooking facilities were brand spanking new and more than adequate, and as you can see there was no shortage of dining seating.
A wood fire against one wall spoke to the Tasmanian weather,
and in the room just beyond that guests could sit and watch TV in real comfort.
As I looked about this excellent facility, I was immediately at home. Slung high on the wall was a surf ski, one of considerable age.....just the type I used to spend so many hours on as a (very) much younger man. The only thing missing was a beach. Again, no idea why (and I forgot to ask).
Whilst the St Helens park caters for many vans on a variety of sites, the thing which really struck us was the number of semi-permanent structures housed throughout (this is the bottom of our road).
There were row upon row of them,
in all areas of the park.
Some were pretty basic,
whilst those at the upper end of the scale (usually complete with large boat)
were veritable park palaces.
I have to say that once we were settled, we were more than comfortable, and positioned such that a good brisk walk into town or around the edge of Georges Bay on which St Helens sits, were well within our capabilities and we took full advantage.
In my next, the town itself and an unexpected great night out.
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