Day three - 17th September 2009

It's raining this morning. It's rained all night and everything is wet, wet, wet. Not too great but well, what can you do? A little rain isn't going to dampen our enthusiasm.

                                 

Dover waterfront

Chris and I potter around the caravan park for a while after getting up at 7am and about a half-hour into the morning we meet another couple, Paul and Sharon. We all gather under the gazebo where there is a bbq and ample seating under shade and as they cook their breakfast of bacon and eggs rolls, Chris and I sip our morning coffee. Paul and Sharon inform us that while they love Tasmania, and in fact have lived here for around seven years, the work situation is a bit dire. Unless, apparently, you're in mining which is tough to break into. Nothing we didn't already know. 

This couple have now sold their house and have been living a nomadic lifestyle for around three months in a van not much bigger than ours. I wonder how do they do it? Ours really is quite small - no room to swing a cat whatsoever! They end up giving us a lot of information on lovely places to settle. Sorrell, St Helen's, Orford, New Norfolk.. all strange names to us now but only for a while. We will get to know all these places (and fall in love with them) for ourselves over the next week or so. 


We ended up enjoying Paul and Sharon's company so much we wangled another hour (well Paul did for us.. he spoke to the caravan owner/manager on our behalf - I get the feeling they know each other quite well) and we stayed well past our 10 am checkout. 


We bid goodbye to our new friends and head back Huonville way. It's been raining on and off since we woke up and the temperature is quite nippy. I'm in my heavy black wool coat and scarf. There's heavy fog in the hills and all around us as we drive to Geeveston. We stop for brunch at this cute but old fashioned cafe/restaurant called The Bears Went Over The Mountain. There's a lot of ye olde flowers, soft jazz playing in the background and high backed red velvet covered chairs to sit on as we eat. 

                                Cute little restaurant in Geeveston where we had brunch

Me outside the bakery in Geeveston amazing wood carved figures. the bakery in Geeveston amazing wood carved figures.

Street view of Geeveston                                               

After a lovely brunch of Eggs Benedict and hot cappuccino's we have a quick walk around the town (dodging the ever present rain) then decide to go back to Franklin. This is another place we had seen online that looked promising in our quest to find a new place to live. 


First impressions yesterday (but moreso today) is that Franklin reminds us of some quaint parts of Fremantle - a place we love to spend time in near us in Western Australia. We drive up some massively steep hills as we keep our eyes peeled for blocks for sale. While Franklin is very pretty as a whole, what we found as we drove these back roads was a lot of ratty old homesteads where the owners like to use their properties to construct tin shacks and store odds and ends making them resemble a junk yard. Quite the eyesore at odds with the beautiful scenery surrounding us. 


We get tired of looking at places to buy and decide to head to Main Road, right in the heart of the Huon Trail where we saw a sign for The Wooden Boat Centre. My other half has always loved wooden boats (we used to own one ourselves a long time ago.) We shell out six dollars each to learn about the history of boat building and water transport - and marvel at the beauty and fragrance of the local timbers as craftsmen transform raw timbers into beautifully crafted vessels. 


Stepping back outside the boat shed we find it's extremely cold and mist has crept back up especially at the top of the steep mountainous areas across the road. We are stopping briefly in Huonville for petrol and food then we are heading approximately an hours drive north through Hobart and out the other side to get to New Norfolk. We plan on staying there tonight. 


End of the day - and we are tired. Drive to New Norfolk - where there were a few iffy moments trying to navigate through Hobart. It was a little difficult since we had to make sure we didn't end up on the wrong side of the river to get where we needed to go. Traffic is dense and Chris hates the very idea of suburbia. Hobart just does nothing much for him. As for me, I'm a city girl and I can't wait to go back and explore. But that won't happen for days yet. I will have to be patient. 


Our first opinion - well, mine -  of New Norfolk is that I love it! It's so pretty (an oft used word of mine on here but I'm running out of expressions of beauty.) Both Chris and I agree it reminds of of Denmark, a darling town south of Perth,  Western Australia. I realise I am comparing again but it's way for me to cement these towns in my mind.  


We book into the New Norfolk Caravan park and pay the fee (most of the parks we find by the end of the trip charge around 20 to 25 dollars a night for a powered site. Very reasonable.) We need to do some washing - and then I find oops, can't. With all the foodstuff etc we brought, I forgot washing powder. Such bad luck, huh? We debate going to a little hotel down the road for dinner but instead opt for something light to eat, some very fuzzy T.V. and an early night. Tomorrow is another new day for exploring.