Travel to Australia

Winter arrived pretty early this year…we were lucky that we managed to arrive in to Cradle mountain before the closure of road due to the heavy snowfall last night ! This was the first time we drive on snow and we were so fascinated to see our car covered with snow first thing in the morning !

We drove down to the visitor center where you can actually collect / buy your National Park Pass. With that, you can take the shuttle bus to the national park for the various walk options available. We headed for Dove lake (last stop)

We were supposed to go for the Enchanted Walk this morning…HOWEVER, the wind was too strong and it was still snowing in the morning. We

only managed to stay around Dove Lake …. holding our camera , hopefully that the cloud will clear and we can take a nice full view of Cradle Mountain !

For more information on the tracking routes available, you can look up @ http://www.discovertasmania.com/western_wilderness/towns_and_places/cradle_mountain-lake_st_clair_national_park

Sad to say that I didnt manage to get a full view of the mountain even after standing there waiting for half and hour….I gave up ! We continued to make short stops in the National Park..having lots of fun enjoying the snow scenes….

One disadvantage in coming during winter is – we didnt manage to do much of other activities. We went for the night spotting tour…but due to the weather, we didnt manage to see much animals… However, we do enjoy the snow as much….(being a Singaporean) !

Our short trip to Cradle Mountain ended at approx 1PM when the road closure was lifted…We headed for Strahan !

We departs Stanley for Woolnorth Wind Farm today – It is located on the Far North West Coast of Tasmania.

We will be joining a tour operated by Woolnorth Tours – http://www.woolnorthtours.com.au/index.html

As this is a private farm, you wont be able to explore the place on your own thus it is essential to join the tour if you would like to explore the area…

We were met by our guide at the Bluff Point Windfarm gate to visit largest Windfarm.

Tasmania has special advantages for wind power development due to its geographical location. Stretching from south Latigude 43.7 degrees, in the south, to Latitude 40.7 degrees in the north, it is entirely with the “Roaring 40s’ – a belt of some of the most reliable winds on Earth !

The tour begin from the Roaring 40′s wind farm and then to a visit to Cape Grim on Woolnorth’s rugged west coast! HERE, we breathe the cleanest air in the world. This is recorded at the Baseline air pollution station that is situated on the cliffs of the Cape Grim coastline.

Follow by some tea at Directors Lodge….(For those who join the full day tour, you will be getting lunch here)

That ends our half day tour….it cost approx A$78 per person and they operate the tour even with only 2 persons. You can call them direct for booking. Get details here http://www.woolnorthtours.com.au/halftour.html

Our journey continues to Cradle Mountain. It took us 3 hours drive to Cradle mountain…BECAUSE, the winter arrived early ! It was snowing ! and heavily ! This is the first time we drove on snow ! As it was slippery, we were driving slow…..thus it took slightly longer than usual…

Arriving at our accommodation for the night – Cradle Mountain Wilderness Lodge ( You can book this via Innkeepers or of course Jetabout Holidays ! ) If you have big family, this will be a good choice as they do have 2 bedroom apartments available.

Full kitchen facilities is available here and it will be good if you purchase all your groceries at Burnie … The one available in Cradle Mountain area is selling stuff at a much higher price. ALSO to note that, there isnt much of petrol station on the way…Thus, ensure you have ample petrol at Burnie before you start your drive to Cradle Mountain. They are charging at a much higher price here !

Find out more about our adventure in Cradle Mountain in my blog tomorrow !

It is going to be a day up to the North Coast of Tasmania today !

Final destination for the day is Stanley….

Our visit started with the “Cream of Tasmania” – Chocolate, Cheese & Raspberries !

We set off early in the morning to Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm for breakfast (http://www.raspberryfarmcafe.com.au/).

Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm is located just off the A1 Bass Highway, mid way between  Deloraine and Elizabeth Town, Tasmania. It is approx 45 mins drive from the city of Launceston.

The café features stone and timber and large windows overlooking the lush green lawns running down to a lake filled with water lilies. Their menu caters to all raspberry cravings as well as offering an extensive wholesome country style food .  You must really try their Raspberry toast and Hot Raspberry ! They tasted awesome ! Generous portion ….. for us (you might want to share if you don’t eat heavy breakfast) and they are quite reasonably priced. Do complete your visit here with a stroll in their beautiful garden however, they do not allow access into the farm.

The Ashgrove Cheese is not more than 10 mins drive away…. http://www.ashgrovecheese.com.au/ . Here, you can view cheese making process through viewing windows.

Ashgrove Cheese is Australia’s premier producer of award winning handcrafted Cheddar style cheeses. The Ashgrove Cheese range includes traditional Cheddar cheese, English county cheeses and a series of uniquely flavoured cheeses including the famous Wild Wasabi cheese.
Remember to try their pepperbush cheese ! You can request for your cheese to be packed nicely if you are leaving for the airport on the same day.

Lastly, we visited the House of Anvers for “a real chocolate sensation” ! Located approx 20 mins away from the Ashgrove Cheese.

http://www.anvers-chocolate.com.au/ You can also choose to have your breakfast here. They served Belgian style breakfast.

OR visit the factory to see the chocolate making process and certainly chocolate tasting as well !

The journey continues…..Devonport is Tasmania’s third largest city and on arrival, you wont miss the red-and-white painted ferry – Spirit of Tasmania ! Its’ a good place to do a bit of shopping here as there wont be any more city bigger than Devonport in the West coast where we are going for the next few days. We’ve got good bargains for some winter wear here !

Spirit of Tasmania connects Tasmania and mainland Australia, Melbourne by ferrying passengers across both places daily. It will be an overnight journey to Melbourne, find out more details at http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/

Short stop at the city of Penguin…very small city which we stop here for a cup of coffee….

The advantage of a self drive holiday is – we stop to take photos each time we see nice scenery !

We finally reached our final destination – Stanley…It took us almost the whole day…it was already 4.30PM when we arrived ! Probably due to the fact that we stop too much for food and photos ! (really cant help it !)

STANLEY is a fishing village with only a population 500. You can see tiny, brightly-painted cottages neatly terraced on the lower slopes of an extinct volcano known as The Nut. Stanley’s fairytale village nestles impressively close to The Nut on an isthmus that creates a half-kilometre arc of clean and sandy ocean beach on one side and a huge sheltered bay to landward that in turn contains the small fishing harbour. You can take the chairlift, or hike, to the top of The Nut and you will be rewarded with sensational views.

Find out more about our adventure in this small little city tomorrow !

Arrival into Launceston … Just at the baggage claim area, you will see all the car rental counters there. While waiting for our baggage, I completed all the car collection registration ! It is simple, you will just need your Singapore’s Driving license for registration and collection of car..

I’ve planned our itinerary as below…it’s going to be a self drive holiday over 7 nights ! Total driving distance is approx 1100Kms !

I always tell my clients that driving is easy in Australia and that is especially true in Tasmania ! Tasmania is about the same size of Ireland OR one quarter the size of UK but it only has an population of approx 500,000 ! Thus, I guess that is one of the reasons that the traffic here is always so smooth.

Our first stop will be the Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company (South of airport) at the town of Evandale… It is approx 20 mins away from the airport.

It’s a place where you will find some of the State’s finest sauces and preserves are produced ! When we arrived, it is impossible not to be impressed by the beautiful settings !

Visitors are welcome to wander through the nursery and can tour the private garden …

We went for some tasting of the sauces …. all tasted NICE ! Their sauces won the Eat Well Tasmania Award (people’s choice) at Hobart’s acclaimed gourmet food and wine festival Taste of Tasmania during the Christmas-New Year period… One of the best thing about their sauces is – NO additives or colours are added thus the sauces retain their original fruit colour and pure fruit flavour !

Buy it here if you are keen ! Otherwise you might only be able to find them in some of the larger supermarkets….The airport is selling but at a much higher price (I’ve checked..it cost approx 20% more !)

2nd Stop – Cataract Gorge Reserve. It is just 2 minute drive from the central Launceston.

The best way to admire the beauty of this place is certainly by chairlift ! It takes about eight minutes to take the ride across Cataract Gorge and First basin. It is about 457 metres from station to station, with a central span between two pylons of 308 metres. It is believed to be the longest single span of any chairlift in the world.

We paid A$12 for a one way lift (the return ride will cost A$15) but it will only takes you approx 15mins to walk back to the starting point. The weather was so good that we decided to walk back !

That’s all for day 1 – it was a tiring day after travelling for more than 10 hours…. I have got a box of a selection of 6 delicious jams from the Tasmania Gourmet Sauce for quiz today ! I will post the questions tomorrow !

Fans, it has been for a while that I have not update my blog….BECOS, I went on a self drive holiday in Tasmania !! We drove the West coast Tasmania….For the first time, we drive on snow ! For the first time, I saw Cradle Mountain covered with snow ! Plus many many gorgeous places that I cant wait to tell you more !

AND Of course, I have bought back souvenirs for quizzes again !! Follow me on my trip and stand a chance to win them. Do come back next week for more details !