22^nd April – Off we GOOOOOOOOOO (kind of)

Like many of our trips lately this has been a long time planning. With a few false starts. We were meant to come here Christmas 2020, then again mid 2021. But finally everything was locked and loaded for April-May 2022. Wahoo.

And thanks to the wonderful Kimmy De Chevas we had an amazing itinerary worked out. We only had two weeks and needed to be very precise about our options and what were the MUST Dos.

This timeframe worked well because our good friends Krys and David were heading to Tassie for Krys’s birthday. We could not pass up the opportunity to travel and celebrate with them as it is always such good fun!

Departure day finally arrived and we were packed and ready to go. Our flight was not until 1050 so plenty of time to walk the dogs, get some work doe, tidy the house for the house sitter, and then make it to the airport. Or so I thought.

We were in the Uber only 20 minutes from the airport when I opened the Virgin Australia app to check something. And the flight time jumped off the screen and smacked me in the face. I had the time wrong by about an hour. FUCK! Even if the uber driver could be bribed to break the sound barrier and even if there were not queues at the airport, and even if the check in and bag drop went seamlessly (all of which are impossible at the best of times) we would need a teleporter to get us there on time.

And I was fresh out of teleporters. I broke the news to Jason who took if very well. Optimistically thinking e could still make it. I had to get o the phone to VA and see what I could salvage out od this mess.

Miracle 1, there was no waiting time, the call was answered almost immediately!

Miracle 2 the woman on the end of the phone was super efficient and helpful.

Miracle 3 they changed our flights tp the later the same day AT NO COST.

The trip was saved, all we had to do was update our location on the Uber to return home. Where I worked for a few more hours, sheepishly tucked away in the office. Feeling like a right twit.

That afternoon a new uber driver picked us up, with 3 hours until our flight time. Wouldn’t you know it our flight this time was delayed, but no complaining from me, at least we had a flight and at least we were going to make it.

The flight was under three hours and we landed just before 700pm on Friday night, 6 hours after we were originally meant to be here. Sigh.

My favourite airport has to Changi in Singapore, but Hobart Airport is not to be sneezed at.  They sell cheese at the airport, not those silly little cheese and cracker snacks, but Coal Farm Cheese, one of my favourites. So whilst Jason watched the carousel go round and round I stockpiled cheese. I like it when destiny throws me a bone or a few chunks of cheese 😊

A short time after our bags arrived, we picked up our rental car and hit the road, Launceston bound. Now, this was another flaw in my planning. I bought the flights and booked the rental car very early, well before I knew our plans – because of the previous rental car scarcity. Flying into Hobart meant a 2.5 hour drive to get to our accommodation. A real pain in the arse!

The initial road, Hobart to Highway 1 was a bit dodgy, with a lot of furry creatures “sleeping” on the side of the road. We had to be super vigilant to avoid any unnecessary and unexpected hood ornaments.

We finally make it to Launceston at 1030, and we need dinner. God help me, McDonalds was open, and we were hungry. That is all we shall say about that.

Our accommodation is an AirBnB in the centre of town with a dodgy front door lock. You literally have to be some sort of locksmith/cat burglar to get in. After 10 minutes of swearing and “jiggling” we were in. And into bed. What a fucking day! Thanks again to Virgin Australia for saving our holiday. Good night Launceston, see you in the morning.

23 April Discover Launceston

Needless to say we slept well and there were no nightmares of missed flights or pointless uber rides.

It’s a beautiful morning and at 800am the temperature is a balmy 7 degrees, Jason is less than impressed. Also, there is no milk in the apartment, he needs coffee STAT. We layer up and head out to find a coffee, our accommodation is so central everything is very close by. We get our bearings, and get the man a much needed mocha.

We are catching up with the lovely Angela Hanna for breakfast, a Kiwi living somewhere other than NZ, tis not an uncommon thing 😊 we are meeting at cataract gorge, I had assumed that it would be a good drive out of town but turns out it is super close so we decide to walk there.

And what a beautiful walk it was, but before I go into detail, the town of Launceston itself is beautiful. Filled with lots of very cute old buildings and stunning churches, Launceston was settled in 1806, unlike many cities and states a lot of the original buildings are still standing which adds to the character. My favourite building has to be Penny Royal and the windmill. Serving no purpose now but looks amazing.

After cutting through town, we made our way to the zig zag track, warning warning will be steep and cause heavy breathing!! Not in that Channing Tatum stripper type way, but rather in that omg I cannot breathe this is so damn steep kind of way. Luckily it is not a long way to the top, where you are met with stunning views and made it to breakfast! AT least we earned the HUGE and delicious breakfast we devoured.

The cataract gorge includes a beautiful zigzag track up the south side, reaching The First Basin which also features a swimming pool (not heated I might add – wtf). A chairlift, two cafés, a funicular railway and a lovely open area surrounded by bushland. The basin itself has created many of myths about its depth: some locals say it is a bottomless pit; a volcanic plug; or that a submarine sent in to find its bottom during the 1960s ran out cable before accomplishing this feat. Wow, there have been some recreational drug taking I think?!? In fact, the basin was formed by erosion at the intersection of two faults – the Basin Road Fault and an un-named fault approximately at right angles which the South Esk is following. Where the two faults meet, the Dolerite rock is badly shattered and hence more easily eroded, giving rise to the formation of the basin. It looks cool ok?

SO the chairlift! OMG as soon as I saw it, I had to go on it. Such a giant kid at times. And I was not disappointed, the views were lovely the churning stomach when you looked down was priceless. It is a beautiful clear day so perfect for this sort of adventure. It only lasts about 10 minutes and we are back on solid ground.

The chairlift is the longest single-span chairlift in the world, apparently, with the longest span being 308m. Who would have thought!  The chairlift, built in 1972, has a total span of 457m. Most importantly, it was super cool and I HIGHLY recommend.

We walked the rest of the gorge and headed back to town.

Launceston has a market every Saturday morning and apparently, they have local beer there. It really is Jason’s kind of market.

It was quite cool, a lot of local produce, gin, and beer. Don’t forget the beer, and we didn’t. With 3 tallies of Seven Sheds in hand we head back to our apartment. We have sightseeing to do! Wine tasting featuring high on the list 😊

Full disclosure, its at this point I am fully engulfed in a head cold. I feel terrible and the amount of snot exiting my body is disgusting. BUT, wine will make it all better.

We pop the beer in the fridge for later, pack up the car and hit the road. BTW the car, a 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, bloody lovely. 4.3 litres per 100km. Considering the cost of the rental car at least the cost to run it will be less painful.

We are heading to the Tamar Valley, the home of many vineyards – oh the hardship. The weather is perfect and I am in need of medicinal grapes.

The map we are using is more pretty than functional directions. We type Grindelwald into the phone and start following directions. We found the area of Grindelwald but no vineyards, hmmm, fail.

After a couple more unnecessary scenic circles we opt for a different map and we make our way to Marion’s Vineyard. This place has a stunning view, some nice wines, and a very chatty cellar door salesman. I knocked off a great tasting, purchased a bottle, support local and all that.

I know you will find this hard to believe but I really was not into tasting much wine this day. I really wanted a nap and may, or may not, have been in a bit of a grump. So instead of going to more vineyards we went for a little tour. As we headed home, Jason saw more vineyards and being the wonderful husband that he is, we found one I liked. Pipers Brook winery and decided it was worth a try. The tasting was lovely, they had a resident dog who was very keen on pats, wine and dog! Heaven.

Obviously I continued support the economy by way of wine purchase and it was time to head back. Jason, god bless him, was doing all the driving as I was a bit miserable.

Back by late afternoon, in time to have a couple of relaxing drinks and of to dinner at Rupert and Hound, highly recommend, if you are in Launceston, give it a try. The food and service were fantastic.

Tomorrow we head to Cradle Mountain. YAY. So early night required.

And Jason is hankering for a scallop pie.