BRUNY ISLAND SAFARI...

Part three...
We took a tour of Bruny Island with Bruny Island Safaris which meant we didn't have to worry about driving down and on the day only four of us were on the bus which made it a much more relaxed experience...
Bruny Island is well worth the trip and we'd recommend BI Safaris; our guide, Nigel, was very knowledgeable and lots of fun. 

First up we climbed to the top of the new lookout at The Neck where you'll find Truganini's memorial. Magnificent views from there...

The old Lighthouse is probably the most memorable place we visited and so worth the effort of climbing to the top.

The 120 year old telephone at the top of the lighthouse which is still working!!

Wildflowers line the walk up to the lighthouse (and cover quite a bit of the whole area), and were beautiful. There's a small museum at the bottom where you'll find the names of lots of them.

Then to the Bruny Island Hotel for a delicious seafood lunch and afterwards, a cider tasting. There is a Co-op that uses Island apples and pears for the cider (so we bought some cider! We later enjoyed a fudge tasting (bought some!) as well as a visit to a honey shop (bought some!).

Some of the birds we saw. The hen is endemic to Tasmania and the gull is a juvenile Pacific gull, changes to black and white later.

Saw quite a few wallabies too.
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We also visited Richmond and one day I might even blog about it. Very picturesque indeed and extremely busy as it was a Sunday. 

Here's the old Richmond bridge...

Also went down to Port Arthur where there is now an entrance fee of $39 (may have been one before but don't remember it), however, as we had only two hours to spend there and it was about to rain, we decided to leave it till next time we go to Tasmania. I did do a few blogs about Tassie in 2014 and this one mentions Port Arthur. 

MORE WANDERING AROUND TASSIE...

Part two...

 Another little town we drove through on the way back from Launceston was Oatlands, where you'll find the restored and working Callington flour mill (it is not open any more as the Council has shut down the shop that was there) and lots of B&B places.  We thought we might like to stay in Oatlands and do more exploring... next time.

This sweet old building was in the Mill grounds, perhaps the original caretaker's or something...

Lake Dulverton is a popular camping spot and we loved the cattle sculptures where ducks were perched and being observed by other ducks!

This was the start of several pieces of topiary art we saw on our way back to Hobart, some in a park and others alongside the road.

   Annoyingly, there never seemed to be anywhere to stop to take photos of the many, and varied, steel sculptures along the Heritage Highway. 

Things like people going about their occupations (surveyors, soldiers) and wildlife (emus, Tassie tigers). Read about them here.

Bruny Island next!

TAKING IN BIT OF TASMANIA...

It's been three months since I posted anything, not that many people read my blog, but I guess if I could continue burbling on about "stuff", it might be cathartic for me, if nothing else.  

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to house sit for some very generous friends in Hobart while they were away on a cruise, with use of their vehicle as well, which was too good an offer to turn down so I asked Pam if she'd like to come too. Here are some highlights of our short visit...

On arrival (1.30pm by the time we settled in) we decided to drive up Mt Wellington for the view. I have to confess though, that this photo was taken on the last morning of visit, I didn't think to take one that afternoon.

 Most of the week the mountain was shrouded in clouds...

That afternoon the clouds made the view a bit murky and by the time we got up to the top (after stopping to take photos) we couldn't see any view at all.

I'd have happily stayed there all afternoon looking at the wildflowers, most of which I can't name except for the Tasmanian waratah and the pretty pink ground orchid which is called caladenia gracilis or musky finger-orchid.

Next day we took a drive up to the Bridestowe Lavender Farm, north of Launceston. It's a three hour trip from Hobart so we left early.  This time around I was pleased to see the lavender was out. Last time, I was there in March and it had all been harvested in January. 

Mind you, I don't think it was quite ripe or ready, whatever one says in regards to flowers as the colour wasn't as, well, purple as I'd expected... 

[detour: the next day we headed off on a tour of Bruny Island and on the way there, the bus driver stopped at Margate for the very purple lavender that's grown there. Quite a difference in the colour for some reason.]

On the way back from Launceston, we went looking for cherries as per the road signage but got a bit lost so we detoured to the historical village of Ross where the local two-L llamas were very curious about us...

The Ross bridge is very picturesque and very old...

... as was this beautiful little church.

More on our wanderings around Tassie later...

A TOUCH OF DUTCH...

 At the risk of boring you all to tears with more photos from my trip overseas last year, I present some of my favourite photos from our visit to Amsterdam and surrounds.  Of course, it wouldn't be Dutch without a photo of a windmill would it?  There are a few working windmills reconstructed in a pretty village called Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam and it is very interesting to see although you know it is for the tourists. 

 Zaanses Schans has been made to look very traditional with a number of crafts being produced such as cheese and clog making, as well as a museum. 

 The clog making museum was very interesting and you can see clogs being made the traditional way. But the thing I thought most fascinating was the horse clogs!  Those are on the bottom left of this display of historical clogs.  Never, ever thought about horses having to wear clogs.

After Zaanse Schans we took a tour around a few of the small villages before heading back to Amsterdam and it was truly one of the most picturesque places I've seen in my travels. No prizes for guessing what these shops are selling...

Being such a wet country, there are many, many canals and this was one of my favourite shots, because of the autumn colours and the light. We didn't see any tulips, of course we were there in the wrong season...

 And how could we visit the Netherlands and not see the famous dyke?  So we climbed to the top and this was taken northward. 

 Another canal, this time right outside the apartment we rented.  Dutch architecture is amazing. I got a crick in the neck from gawking at all the buildings as we passed by.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to go on the canal tour as I was sick by then. A good excuse to return eh?

We visited the warehouse in which the Frank family hid from the Nazis, made famous by the publication of young Ann Frank's diary.  It was required reading in my high school and a very moving read. Visiting the "scene of the crime" was very sad.

A statue of Rembrandt (who owned a house nearby) with a 3D reconstruction of one of his most famous paintings, The Night Watch.  The place was packed with tourists so I was lucky to get this shot of mostly statues. You know how I feel about tourists...

Any fans of the movie The Court Jester starring Danny Kaye?  This is a photo of the National Monument in Dam Square taken from the Royal Palace. Now, I realise this isn't a great photo but is a favourite because it makes me snicker.  Why? Well, I'll tell you.  This memorial is referred to in the guide books as a phallus; yes, yes good enough reason to snicker but not enough for me. In the movie Danny Kayes has to remember a ditty about poison and has a lot of trouble with it: "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!"  So, it occurred to me that "The phallus from the palace is the view that is true!"   Still makes me giggle. 

"Get it?    Got it.    Good."

2016.... DOORWAY TO THE FUTURE OR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY?

Lately, I have heard cries of "Where did 2015 go?" or "What are your New Year's resolutions?"  In my mind the advent of the New Year brings on a slight depression, to be honest.  Where did the bloody year go? What the hell can I resolve to do that I will actually stick to?  You see? Slightly depressing questions.  It occurred to me I had a window of opportunity to discipline myself to meet the challenge of 2016's doorway to the future... Only time will tell if I manage it.  I resolve to do more blogging, photography and crafting because from 1st February I will be working three days a week instead of five.  Yeehah!

All this navel gazing reminded me that I hadn't blogged for a couple of weeks and that I had taken an inordinate number of photographs of doors and windows on my recent jaunt overseas.  Here are a few of them...  

Above is an unusual looking door taken in Paris  Possibly a door to the future....  old meets new.

This was definitely a window of opportunity.  Taken from inside the Schonbrunn Palace in Austria, looking out to the spectacular gardens and fountain as we were about to pass through the barricade into the palace where we could not take photos at all!  So I figured if we hadn't actually passed through the entryway then I could take this photo in all good conscience. You're welcome...

I confess the cat is what first took my fancy out front of this sweet little house in the medieval town of Miltenberg in Germany. I couldn't help wondering what the inside of the house looked like though.

I loved the colour of this door in Paris and, luckily, no one was walking past it. Bonus!

Unlike this fantastic door, also in Paris.  I guess I could have chopped the passersby out somehow, but people keep telling me that having people in my photos gives them a point of interest.  Well, out of interest, here's half of a couple of people! 

 I was quite taken with this building in Regensberg, Germany, which had a wonderfully quirky door BUT then I noticed that the bottom floor windows were painted on the wall.  Fascinating bit of trompe-l'oeil which fooled a few people in our group who hadn't noticed it. 

In a little place called Durnstein in Austria, there is a ruin on top of the nearby hill which is where Richard, the Lionheart, was held captive for ransom. It's a big climb but we made it up there and this window has one of my favourite views from the ruins.  Imagine if this was a portal from the past and King Richard looked out to see an air balloon and below that, a contrail from a jet.  A window to the future in this case.

Demel's cafe in Vienna has wonderful Christmas windows and this one is dedicated to their famous apple strudel, telling the story of a young girl escaping her dreary life by being lifted up in a whirlwind of autumn apples and leaves.  Is the girl outside the window about to enjoy the same fate?  

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I wish you all a satisfying year in 2016, full of adventure and excitement, health and wealth.  Goodbye 2015...

WRECKS AND RUINS....

When I took this snap of the wreck of HMAS Gayundah at Redcliffe recently, it occurred to me that I had taken a few shots of various wrecks and ruins over the years.  Some had been posted and some hadn't, so I decided to group some together.

This shot shows part of the Tangalooma Wrecks which comprises 15 ships sunk to make a breakwall, which is popular with divers, boaties and birds.  I took the shot on a whale watching visit a couple of years ago.  

This old fishing shack on the Maroochy River is a favourite of mine.  I wonder how long it will be before it falls into the river forever? 

On my trip to Tasmania last year I saw lots of ruins at Port Arthur of course, but this ruin was on one of our stops along the Gordon River and is part of a house in a long forgotten penal colony along there.

Beautiful Arrowtown in New Zealand's south island has a large number of ruins.  The many varied types of miner's cottages are very interesting to see and explore.

Even bridges are left in ruins and I love this one, taken near Romsey in Victoria.  

A timber tinker at Mt Matheson, Scenic Rim is slowly rusting and rotting away along one of the old timber trails.

 I love the look of this weather worn dray which I saw at Hanging Rock Winery on another visit to Victoria. 

 And, lastly, a wreck and ruin of a tree at Hanging Rock which I named Lightning Jack. Sometimes, I know just how he must feel...