Well, the holidays are almost over.

Last weekend I went on my first camping trip in eight years with my boyfriend. We left Friday afternoon and came home on the Sunday; I slept in a swag for the first time and loved it – it was set up in just a few minutes and was much warmer and comfier than the tents I’ve slept in on previous camping trips. BF and I spent a lot of time debating between a swag and a tent and we eventually decided on the swag because we liked the fact it would be easy to set up on an overnighter – we definitely made the right choice. The weather wasn’t so good because it drizzled during portions of the second day but we didn’t let it spoil our fun. We had a campfire both nights which was nice. BF cooked damper on the second night. He also caught five fish while we were away but they were all carp. No luck with catching any callop, which was what he was aiming for. We had planned to stay another night, however the weather wasn’t on our side, so we decided to head for home.

This week has been slow so far. We are taking things slowly and just relaxing before school heads back. Next term is going to be busy, however there are only another 9 weeks before the summer holidays. I am looking forward to it already

Well, we’re halfway through the holidays and I have had a few busy weeks. Holidays have been great so far and we have had lots of rain

I came down with a respiratory infection in the last week of school and I ended up taking a day off (although I should have taken more time off, in hindsight) to help me recover. The last day was great, as usual

During the first week, my mum and I went for a holiday up to the Flinders Ranges (pictures to come). We stayed at Hawker and did a day trip in the area around Wilpena Pound, including a trip through Brachina Gorge (very pretty), lunch at the Blinman Hotel and lots of stopping to take photos. They have just had rain up there so it was very green. We also had the most amazing luck and saw several wedge-tailed eagles.

The weekend following our return was quiet. I went to my friend K’s place for a party on Saturday, which was fun. On Sunday I just relaxed.

Yesterday I went with two of my friends from work down to Wooldriges, an educational superstore at Edwardstown. I found some great resources for the upcoming term. Wehad lunch afterward, which was fantastic – I was even persuaded to try something different from my usual. The dessert – Aero Mousse Cake – was delicious.

The rest of the week is fairly busy. I’m going out with K tomorrow, to the zoo on Thursday and then will probably relax over the weekend ready for next term.

Today was our first full day in Hobart. We left our accommodation and drove to the Cadbury Factory but decided that we didn’t want to pay the $7.50 entrance fee just to enter the shop (we didn’t have time to stick around and do the tour). After that we drove to Mount Wellington, which was shrouded in cloud. We drove to the summit and spent a few minutes up in the clouds – very cold and wet… we didn’t see much, either  

Our next stop was the Cascade Brewery and I spent a while walking around the gardens. Some of the flowers they had were quite beautiful – the honey bees here are huge and much fatter than the ones at home. I want to plant some of the plants in my garden at home… the colours were stunning.

After the Brewery, we drove to Hobart and into the commercial district for lunch at Constitution Dock. I don’t eat fish, so I ate plain potato wedges with sour cream. We separated after that; Dad went to take photos, my sister went shopping on her own and mum and I went together.

Tonight we went out to dinner at the Casino. We went to a buffet restaurant. It was nice – very small but the food was lovely and the service was quite good too. Now we are back watching the football – go Port Adelaide!

***

Today we drove from Cradle Mountain to Hobart. We left early and drove via Deloraine, taking the scenic trip. It was a nice drive although it seemed quite long – that said, we stopped a couple of times for morning tea and lunch. The sunshine of the previous days had changed to overcast skies – which meant wispy clouds  were drifting across the mountains and most of the water we saw was grey to reflect the sky. We also stopped at Liffey Falls which was quite spectacular – the photos are below. We have three days in Hobart now – still planning exactly what we are going to do but shopping is definitely on the agenda

***

Today we travelled from Strahan to Cradle Mountain. The drive was lovely. We stopped at Montezuma Falls but didn’t walk the full 3 hour walk as it was already lunchtime – instead we found the running water as shown in the pictures below. After the waterfall we stopped for lunch, arriving at Cradle Mountain about half-past two. After we had checked into our accommodation, we drove to the transit terminal and took the shuttle to Dove Lake.

We took the path to the boatshed first and took some photos, then we backtracked and walked to Glacier Rock (the large rock in the second to last photograph). After we’d finished, it was almost 5, so we caught the bus back to the terminal. We went to the tavern for dinner (I had schnitzel and it was delicious) and then came back to our cabin.

Tomorrow we drive back to Hobart… looking forward to taking some photographs on the way.

***

Reflection, Strahan

***

Boat, Strahan

***

Cape Sorell Lighthouse

***

Rushing Water near Montezuma Falls

***

Toadstool

***

Cradle Mountain National Park

***

Cradle Mountain National Park

***

Boatshed, Dove Lake

***

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain

***

Glacier Rock, Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain National Park

***

Dove Lake & Cradle Mountain

***

Clouds over Cradle Mountain

Today my family and I went on a boat cruise from Strahan to the Gordon River and return. We drove down to the docks and left the car, before boarding the boat about 8:30am. The water was very still and calm… perfect for photos.

After leaving the dock, we cruised toward Hell’s Gate and out to the ocean. On the way, I went out onto the deck of the boat – it was very cold out there and I quickly went back in to put my denim jacket and some gloves on. The next photo is one of the lighthouses just before Hell’s Gate.

We sailed out past the breakwater to the sea (the water was smooth enough for the boat to bob, but not so much I felt seasick or anything), we then turned and went back toward Sarah Island, where we disembarked for an island to take a tour. I originally wasn’t keen on doing the tour but I ended up enjoying it.

After Sarah Island, we turned toward the Gordon River. Lunch was served on the way there – it was a buffet and I ate mainly salad, with some cheese and a bread roll. Following lunch, we stopped for a heritage walk through the temperate rainforest beside the river. The walk was quite interesting – there was a fallen Huon Pine that is older than Christianity… I believe the guide said it around was well over 2000 years old.

Back in Strahan we disembarked at the sawmill and had a look around there. I was looking for some stand out, interesting shots and I loved the macro shot that this rope provided. The photo of the boat is the one we took today, the Eagle. The last photo in the next set is a large Huon Pine log that is 800-900 years old and was felled in the Dennison River in the early 1960’s.

After we had finished in Strahan, we drove to Ocean Beach for a walk along the sand, It was lovely there, with ocean spray and mist covering the beach – very magical. When I peered through the spray, I saw a lighthouse. It was close to sunset… what an end to a beautiful day.

Tomorrow we drive to Cradle Mountain.

Arrived in Tassie safely this morning about 11:20am. After renting our car, we hopped inside for the drive to the West Coast. The scenery is spectacular, although because we were in a hurry (and because there weren’t as many places to park in) we didn’t stop very much – mainly just to grab lunch and then afternoon tea. In leaving Hobart and journeying to our first destination, we saw coast, grasslands and rivers, forest, mountains and an area that is mined. We arrived after dark and had dinner. Tomorrow, we’re going on a cruise.

I had a busy week and can’t believe that the holidays are already half finished. I am going away on a short holiday next week, which will be fun. Will post some photos while I am away, as I am taking my camera and my laptop.

I’m writing this from my Ninteno DSi. I got to thinking how nice it’d be if I could use my DS as a tool for working on my novel and while I am a little slow typing this out now, I think it could be a fun skill to build. I’d definitely like to see some kind of word processor on here… though I suppose in the meantime I could always write it through my blog here.

Had a great day – went to an educational supplies shop with one of my colleagues and then we went out to lunch. When I got home, I logged on to see that Checkers at Saddlebrook had foaled a cute filly.

I’m taking my Mum out to lunh tomorrow which should be fun – I’ll try to get some photos. We’ve had a little bit of rain, so the hills might be starting to green up.

Jewel

I spent part of the day doing household chores, part watching Annie’s new colt, part working on SR and part working on more t-shirt designs. I’m starting to have a lot of fun in the design process and it’s certainly boosting my Photoshop skills.

I was going to go into work tomorrow but I have changed my mind. Dad needs to poison some weeds, so I am going to take the dogs for a drive to get them out of the yard. I’m going to take my camera and check out some of my usual haunts. Well, that’s the plan. It might still change.