Tasmania

 Driving for 600km, with a few stops to make a cuppa and have a picnic, took me to Yarrawonga just inside the Victorian border. I was well prepared with my entry visa but there were no checkpoints - so much for all the blurb on the websites! The temperature reached 35C and a walk along the lake side was cut short by the rumbling of thunder and rain. A pleasant meal at the local pub finished the day.

I set off on Sunday to try to find some silo art on a trail heading to Melbourne. The different artworks are fascinating and take you down roads you normally wouldn't travel. 

As I headed closer to Port Melbourne the temperature started to drop very quickly from 37C to 20C and I think everyone was madly heading for home as the traffic was very heavy. thankfully I have satnav as the sighs for the ferry are very poor! Boarding the ferry was quite time consuming and I was getting motorhome envy! From that moment on until leaving the Port in Tasmania we had to wear masks. I was amazed at the space on board and even the cabin was a reasonable size. We left 30mins early and we warned that passing through the heads, in 2 hours might be 'bumpy'. Sunset was spectacular!

I had just settled off to sleep when the other person sharing the cabin came in - I now couldn't get back to sleep and her snoring didn't help!

Although I didn't feel seasick I did have moments where I felt that I was upside down - it was weird!  We were awoken around 4:30, given a whole list of what to do - who knew what was said as you were trying to rouse yourself! It was still dark as we docked at Davenport and took a while to disembark. We then had to show eTag entry visa's and have temperature taken before finally departing the port.

As I headed out towards my destination, only 30 mins away, an amazing sunrise greeted me! The scenery was spectacular with Mount Roland beckoning me - well that's where Sheffield lay!  Although still early it was time for a cuppa and breakfast before walking the area to see all the murals that this place are known for. Some of the murals were amazing and there were so many!

Too early to go to my accommodation the Inforation office suggested a few places to visit. I did a curcuit following the 'Postbox trail'. People had made their postboxes from weirerd and wonderful items - only problem the roads are narrow and there was nowhere to pull in for photo's.

My farmstay was a little out of town but it was very cosy. There were a lot of different animals on the farm - sheep, cattle, pigs, ducks and numerous types of chickens. Homemade bread and fresh eggs were left for me! The view is spectacular and my bed looks out to Mount Roland!

Tuesday was the day I headed to the National Park and walked around Dove Lake. On the way there I stopped at a place where an old fellow was selling native pepperberries. I was given a complete rundown on them! Was given a bunch of leaves - leave them on the dashboard to dry and you can use the dried leaves in cooking I was told! I was even given some berries to cut and drop them into my G&T - I will need to buy gin!!!

It was a lovely walk (3hrs) around the lake but it was really cold - the car registered 9C when I got back in the early afternoon! There was rain and it was rather clooudy at first but sunny breaks came in the afternoon. It was a relief to get back to a warm 'home'!

Althought the sun was shining this morning it was only 5C!!! Rather a shock to the system. My travels today have taken me from Sheffield to Maydena. During the drive I stopped at a raspberry farm and then went through the lake land area - was amazed at the size of the lakes. The driving today has taken me along many dirt roads! The most onerous one was to Liffy Falls and wouldn't be a road to take in the wet! It was worth the effort to get there as the falls were pretty impressive and it was a pleasant walk through the forest.

I arrived at my resting place mid afternoon. It is really quite and I am waiting for it to get dark to see which animals come out to play! I did drive to a local cave which entailed another walk through the forest - I love the signs which tell you that a tree could fall on you at any time, they are good for making me walk faster!