Are We There Yet? The Lehmann’s Lap of Tassie 2024

24/04/2024

Day 33 (23/04/24) - Cradle Mountain to Devonport

We woke to the sun shining again on our last day in Tassie. ☀️

Packed up the caravan for the last time on this trip and headed towards Devonport via Sheffield. More windy roads with hairpin turns, but amazing views at the same time.

We got to Sheffield around lunchtime and took a stroll up and down the main street in town, checking out the amazing murals painted on the buildings all throughout the town. Well, Damian and I were appreciating the murals, the kids were complaining of hunger, illness and asking about lunch.

Whilst taking our stroll, we came across a local man, Ludo and his alpaca, Pedro, also just taking a stroll in town. Something we hadn’t seen before, and Ludo was kind enough to let us have a pat of Pedro and also take some photos. 🦙

We had our last Tassie bakery lunch and then jumped back in the car for the last leg of this epic month in Tassie! So sad to be leaving, but we will definitely be back to tick the things off that we didn’t get a chance to do on this trip.

Popped into a car wash at Devonport to give the car a quick clean on the outside and get all the excess dirt off. The van can be washed when we get home.

Our sail was scheduled for 6:45pm, but we got there nice and early to make sure we didn’t miss the boat! After waiting a few hours we finally boarded the ship. We got two cabins again, same as our trip over. Much better to have our own rooms than just recliners.

We had a walk around the ship, dinner then headed to the cabins for an early night in preparation for an early morning. The captain said there might be some rough seas, so hoping that the Kwells tablets work and nobody gets sick as we make our way home, across the Bass Strait.

23/04/2024

22/04/2024

Day 32 (22/04/24) - Cradle Mountain

Our last full day in Tassie. 😢 I thought it was going to be an overcast day, but Tassie had one last surprise for us and we woke to the sun shining and beautiful, blue skies.

We visited Cradle Mountain again to do some of the walks we missed yesterday. Some absolutely stunning walks through rainforests, scrubland and grasses, all with their own unique beauty that we were lucky to see and simultaneously try and keep the kids from punching on with each other. “Don’t walk so close to me”, “She stood on my foot”, “He kicked me”, “she punched me” echoed through the rainforests as we made our way through. 🤦🏼‍♀️

At one point, we crossed paths with a lady and her two kids (who I noted were behaving perfectly🙄), she sympathetically put her hand on my shoulder in an “are you ok?” kind of way, and then laughed when I said we had been travelling for a month!

Despite the unruly kids (I might mention that Emily was the best behaved today, after her epic tantrum yesterday she seemed to have found some positivity and didn’t complain at all!), we got through the walks and took in the amazing scenery. Such an amazing place, and we didn’t even see it all! Another thing on the list to come back to one day.

Back at camp, there was some more fun in kayaks and some fishing. 🎣 Damian and James both managed to catch a big trout. James was so excited for his first big catch!! One of James’ favourite things about Tassie is all the fishing he has done.

And just like that, our time in Tassie is almost up. We pack up tomorrow and will make our way to Devonport for our night sail tomorrow night. Seriously can’t believe this is our last night in this amazing state!! 😢

21/04/2024

Day 31 (21/04/24) - Cradle Mountain

Another day of blue skies and sun today. ☀️ The weather in Tassie is definitely better than I expected it to be. It’s not hot, but when the sun is shining it’s definitely comfortable.

We headed to Cradle Mountain to do the Dove Lake circuit today. Unfortunately Mackenzie has been unwell so we left her at the caravan to rest while we went to do the walk.

We got a shuttle bus from the visitor centre and headed up to the start of the walk. 6kms around Dove Lake with stunning views of Cradle Mountain. There is no way we could get the kids to the summit, it was enough of a battle just to do the walk! It was still pretty great though, no wonder it’s the most popular walk in the area.

There are some other walks that we didn’t get a chance to do, so we will head back tomorrow to do those.

After Dove Lake we headed back to camp where Emily and Addi had a paddle in the canoes and Damian and James fished for trout in the dam. Nothing caught today but they will give it another go tomorrow. The trout in the dam are huge! Hopefully their luck changes tomorrow on our last full day in Tassie.

21/04/2024

Sounds a lot like my kids fighting!!

20/04/2024

Day 30 (20/04/24) - Stanley to Cradle Mountain

Our last moving day before the final move back home! Leaving Stanley and bound for our last stop - Cradle Mountain. ⛰️

We detoured via a little seaside town called Penguin on the way through. Very quirky with all the penguin references on the Main Street. We had some lunch at the bakery while we were there (very average pies and sausage rolls), and then headed towards Cradle Mountain.

As the navigator, I was probably a little slack and relied on the GPS rather than looking at an actual map. 🫣 All was going well until we turned off and main road to find ourselves on a minor road with the big arse sign that said “road not suitable for trucks, caravans or trailers”. 😬😬😬

How bad can it be? It was sealed and in fairly good condition so we continued on our way. 🙈 First, there was a steep descent which was a bit scary but we made it. Phew! But then, there was a steep ascent up! Not only was the road steep, but it was super windy. Somebody should put up a sign to warn drivers! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣

It was slooooow going at some points, but the Landcruiser came through in the end (although we did have to stop a few times to give the car a rest). Very impressed with the car’s ability to tow a 3.3 tonne van up such a steep hill.

We will not be taking that road back when we leave!!

After a long than expected journey, we made it to our last camp on a property about 15 mins from Cradle Mountain.

What a spot! So picturesque! We set up right alongside a dam with a backdrop of trees and hills. We weren’t even full set up yet and the kids were straight in canoes in the water. 🛶

There is an abundance of trout in the water which we were able to feed. Some of them were huge!!

No time for fishing today, we then headed to Devils @ Cradle to see some Tassie Devils! What awesome little creatures! We were there at feeding time and had a guided tour through the sanctuary. Very informative, but like everything we do, it was constantly interrupted because James was “starving” 🙄 (I made him a sandwich and gave him a muesli bar right before we went in!).

They also had a few species of Quolls which are just as endangered as the Tassie Devil and are really quite cute! Despite the whinging child, it was a pretty good experience. The only negative was that it was freezing cold! 🥶

19/04/2024

Day 29 (19/04/24) - Stanley

We woke up to blue skies and the sun shining today! Yay! Started the morning with a few loads of washing in the caravan to make the most of the sunshine. ☀️

Geared the kids up to climb The Nut which they were not excited about. Nothing is ever easy getting these kids to do stuff away from their devices! The first complaint came when we said we were walking there. “Why can’t we drive there?” - it’s literally next to the caravan park!! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Then we get there and the complaining gets louder. “Whhhhyyyyy???? It’s sooooo steep”. We start to walk up (like, 10 steps), and the decision is made to take the chairlift up instead of walk. Mackenzie had a sore knee and Emily was hurting my brain with her whinging. Once the chairlift was mentioned, Addi and James decided they couldn’t walk up either. So off to the chairlift we went, while Damian walked up.

Once at the top, it’s a 2km walk around the rim with 360 degree views of the surroundings. I’ve said it a million times since we have been in Tassie, and I’ll say it again - stunning!

The walk down was short but very steep (430mt according to the sign). We got to the bottom and I decided I didn’t want to have cheated my way up on the chairlift (plus I couldn’t let Damian be the only one who walked up), so I left the kids and Damian at a picnic table at the bottom and walked back up to the top. It wasn’t easy but I made it! 🥵

We went back to the caravan for lunch, before hopping in the car for a drive to Boat Harbour. I’d read about it being gorgeous and wanted to see for myself. It was about a 30 minute drive from Stanley along the Bass Hwy so we headed there to have a look.

Like most beaches we have seen in Tassie, it’s a gorgeous spot. The tide was out and so we went exploring the rocks and rock pools. We saw a gazillion tiny crabs hiding under rocks and some cool rocks.

Addison didn’t listen to me when I told her to keep her phone in her bag, and so now is minus a phone after she dropped it in a rockpool. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Back at Stanley, I did a sunset walk around town on my own and Damian took Addi and James fishing again. Stanley is such a pretty town, I enjoyed looking around almost as much as I enjoyed the few moments to myself and some peace and quiet!

Definitely a town we will be visiting again one day!

19/04/2024

Day 28 (18/04/24) - Stanley and surrounds (Tarkine Drive)

Our first full day in Stanley and the weather was not our friend. Grey skies, rain and the sun nowhere to be seen.

We couldn’t let the wet weather get in the way of our plans, so we packed lunch and snacks and headed to do the Tarkine Drive.

It just under an hour drive to get from Stanley to the start of the Tarkine Drive, which is a wilderness drive where you can stop along the way and walk through rainforests, see rivers, lakes, sinkholes and in our case, listen to kids argue and complain in an enclosed space for a number of hours whilst taking in breathtaking scenery. 🙄

We did a rainforest walk and had lunch at Milkshake Hills. Nearly rolled the car on a steep embankment next to a sinkhole (I won’t say who was driving, but it wasn’t me! 🫣). Went to a cool lookout over grassed hills and another rainforest walk which lead to a huge limestone sinkhole. Some more lookouts and we then headed back via the coast where we stopped to a look at the “Edge of the World”. Roaring waves coming in from the Indian Ocean and pretty ferocious winds, it was a pretty amazing thing to see. Really did feel like the edge of the world!

We stopped at Woolies in Smithton to stock up (feels like ages since we have seen a Woolies) then headed back to the van for dinner.

Damian and James had father-son time after dinner, fishing again, and the girls and I stayed at the caravan park, warming our cold bones from today in the hot showers.

19/04/2024

Day 27 (17/04/24) - Strahan to Stanley

Moving day again, heading north to Stanley. With no “check out” time, we were slow to pack up and get going but we eventually hit the road just after 11am.

There was some blue sky and sun shining on us, and the roads were dry which is always good for a driving day (or any day). They weren’t wrong to say that the west is wild! The windy roads seem endless but the landscape is magnificent. Driving though is like being immersed in nature. I don’t have the words to describe it, but it’s awesome!!

Travel today is about 250km and over three hours (windy roads and a caravan take longer), so we stopped for lunch at the Tullah Tavern which was almost at the halfway point. I had initially planned to stay at Tullah for a few nights, but we ran out of days. When we got there and I saw how stunning the surroundings are I was sad we couldn’t stay. 😔 It is on the list for when we come here next time!

Back in the car after a nutritious lunch of chips and wedges, we did the final leg to Stanley arriving just after 4pm at the Big 4 Stanley. We were impressed with the flat, grassy sites in the caravan park which was stretched along Sawyer Bay, which connects to the Bass Strait.

Of course, James was itching to go fishing in a new place so after set up Damian took James to find a good spot to fish nearby. No fish caught unfortunately, but they had a good time. James is loving his new life as a fisherman. 🤣

After dinner, we headed along the water to see if we could spot some penguins. They come right up to the path and burrow under the rocks along the water. We were lucky enough to see a few, although they are pretty hard to photograph. We could hear a lot more than we could see, they are pretty noisy! 🐧

17/04/2024

Day 26 (16/04/24) - Strahan

Slow start to the day today after a huge day yesterday! It was raining outside and grey skies in the morning added to the lack of motivation to get outside.

I couldn’t help but notice the huge pile of washing that had accumulated over the last few days, so off to the laundromat I went to deal with the mundane task that doesn’t disappear just because we are away. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Found a laundromat next to the Big 4 Caravan Park in town, and was happy to see that it was empty. Over the next three hours I did 5 loads of washing, and ran 5 dryer cycles (some things had to be dried twice). At least there was a cafe next door which made a decent coffee!!

While I was neck deep in dirty washing, the fishing trio went fishing again and Emily and Mackenzie lazed about the caravan (Mackenzie actually cleaned up while I was out!).

After finishing at the laundromat, I went to check on the fishing trio, then went for a bit of a walk through town. Some nice buildings, especially the Post Office, but it’s not a very big town.

After my walk and fishing, we went to Hogarth Falls which is in a rainforest just outside town. An easy walk in and out, just over 1 km each way, it was a nice walk through the rainforest to get to the waterfall which had a yellow tinge due to the tannin in the water.

It would have been more peaceful if James wasn’t screaming on the way in, having a tantrum because he wanted to go to the skate park instead. So much for a silent rainforest! 🙄

Back at the ranch (or caravan to be accurate), the kids did face masks before bed. Damian and I were troubleshooting an issue with the diesel heater that we were thankful to be able to fix. Lucky we had packed a heap of spare parts for the heater and ended up getting it going. We were nice and toasty for a good night’s sleep (for those of us that that don’t have old people back issues 🙄).

Moving day tomorrow and we head north to Stanley for a few nights.

16/04/2024

Day 25 (15/04/24) - Strahan

Today is Mackenzie’s (actual) birthday. 15 today!! 🥳 Feels like only yesterday I was in the delivery room holding my first born, wondering “what do I do with this tiny human?”. 😢 Time flies! Now she tells me what to do all the time! 🤣

I didn’t want Mackenzie’s birthday to be a moving day, which is why we planned to get here yesterday, and do the Gordon River boat cruise today.

It was birthday pancakes for breakfast before heading into town for the cruise. Hot chocolates on the boat made the early morning more bearable!

The boat headed from Strahan to “Hells Gates”, which is the entrance to the harbour from the ocean. Apparently named that by convicts as it was the entrance to hell on Sarah Island, a convict settlement.

We stopped at Sarah Island for a guided tour through the oldest convict settlement. The skies were grey and it was raining, but it kind of suited the mood as we learned of the horrors that occurred on that very island in the early 1800’s.

After the tour, back on the boat for a float down the Gordon River. There were some blue skies that appeared momentarily, but then disappeared again. Even with grey skies, it was a pretty stunning view with the water so flat it was like a mirror!

As we cruised down the river, the Captain made an announcement about a special 15 year old on board who was celebrating her birthday. 🫣 One of the staff then came over with a candle in a muffin and everyone sang happy birthday to a very embarrassed Mackenzie!! 🎂🥳

We got off the boat again for a rainforest boardwalk at the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. A cool temperate rainforest 10 million years older than the Daintree, it was a spectacular walk. Practically silent (if you went in there without the kids of course), it felt kind of magical. Very different from the Daintree, which is warm and has lots of life and colour, this was cool, and green and still. Very lucky we got the opportunity to walk through such a place.

Back on the boat, we headed back up the Gordon River back to Strahan. The tour included being dropped off at a Huon Pine sawmill. The oldies on the tour seemed to love the sawmill, and it probably was interesting but the kids weren’t interested and in the spirit of keeping Mackenzie happy for her birthday, we left. She did enjoy the boat cruise part though. 😃

We then took the girls back to the caravan so they could get their device fix, and Damian and I went fishing with James. He wanted to catch 15 crabs for Mackenzie so he could say “crabby birthday” (which he later turned into ‘crappy birthday’ 🤦🏼‍♀️).

Between James and Damian, they caught 15 crabs!! Success! Threw them all back in the water, but took photos as proof of 15 crabs.

We then headed back to town where we had booked to watch a play called “The Ship that Never Was”. It was a pantomime type of play based on a true story of some convicts who managed to escape Sarah Island on a ship.

The play has audience involvement and three of the six of us ended up involved! Damian was picked first, then James was called up on stage followed shortly by Addison who was cast as a cat. 🤣

I could see James was super nervous, but he got up anyway and acted his arse off! He got “fake” kicked in the balls and did the most dramatic fall to the floor I’ve ever seen. The oldies in the crowd loved it and he got a big laugh and applause. 🤣

The play was actually quite funny and we all had a really great time. Headed out for burgers for dinner afterwards (not many places to choose from, but this suited us).

Back for some birthday cake in the van after dinner and bedtime for all after a huge day!!

One more day in Strahan before we head north to Stanley.