The Huon - a place to exercise the nasal passages (and your feet!)

Its been a long time since we slept in a double bed, and even longer since we have shared one! Gen didn't sleep particularly well, afraid that her rolling would wake me. I need to find some way to convince her that I sleep the sleep of the 'assisted' and that even though I might have asked her if she was ok, I really don't wake fully! I do remember waking at some point in the night to turn off the electric blanket that I had put on before I retired last night.

  

We woke to an amazing day. 

Gen tells me that the forecast is for 26 degrees - yep, you read that right! The morning is crisp, but not cold. Southern Tasmania has it's own version of the long-white-cloud (sorry, not sorry, NZ). Today, it sits above the valley below, about on a par with The House on The Hill B&B. Above us only sky (wow, I think I could make a killing with that lyric 😉) and certainly no hell below. The cloud tapers to a mist towards Mt Wellington, and to the south. There is already some heat on the air, so the morning breeze is more balmy than we have experienced since arriving in Tasmania.

We come into the shared dinind/sitting room to find the other couple staying here (from Melbourne) already eating breakfast. Paul has laid the large table for us, and a smaller table for them. They are not very chatty, so I resort to asking lots of open questions. Amazing how quickly they finished and left! Gen has ordered Bacon and Eggs and I am having a continental breakfast. A selection of three cereals awaits me, plus a jug of milk, a bowl of yoghurt and two bowls of fruit - strawberries and grapes, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Followed by sourdough bread toasted and raspberry and apricot jams. Perfect, just perfect.

Hunger sated, checking the washing Gen did and hung out last night, to find it about 80% dry (so we left it), we headed back down the hill to Huonville town. We are hoping to visit Willie Smiths Apple Shed. Everything we have read of and been told about this establishment tells us that it is one of those iconic must-sees. Its a couple of minutes north of town - we had passed it coming in late yesterday, so we know just where to go. Its Sunday morning and apart from those hurrying to Church, there is little traffic. However, there is already a tour bus pulled in when we get there - must be one of the early departures from Hobart. The Cellar Door does not open until noon, about three hours from now. If they had been open, we certainly would have been up for a cider tasting, but with breakfast just passed us, we opted for a slice of Apple Pie - OMG these need to be seen to be believed. The apples are sliced not chopped and I reckon I count 14 or 15 layers of apple. Served warm with plain ice-cream and topped with two slices of dried apple, this is the stuff that memories are made of. Just like Nanny and Mum used to make. You know this aroma, it is a warm kitchen, love in the hands and fruit freshly peeled encased in a hearty pastry with just THE right amount of bite - not soggy, not dry. There are obviously a number of differing apples used - some are firm with a slight crunch still, whiles others are soft and moist. It definitely lives up to its reputation! And with the cellar door not open for hours, we had to settle with a shared glass of Organic Cider - there were four to choose from available at the cafe counter and this one was the recommendation of the lass serving us.

We sit overlooking the display distillation room, but have too much to see to laze the morning here. Now bloated, we head the car south. Back through town to the turnoff at Geeveston, 22 kms away. We are headed to the Tahune Adventures base where I want to do the Tahune Airwalk. This is a walk on a cabled, cantilevered corridor, complete with stopping platforms and a cantilevered lookout above the Huon River, overlooking formerly logged old growth forests that have been replanted. 

The day is so nice, that we turn off the air-conditioner and wind the windows down. Straight away, your senses are heightened, odours are for the smelling and sights are brighter. Passing through small apple towns, there are two smells we encounter - the decay of road-kill, all too frequent, and the wood-smoke of kitchen or sitting room fires in country farms. Smells are so integral to our memories.

 As you snake your way down what was probably original logging tracks that have now been sealed, you pas the occasional sign that says - Planted Area following clear-felling. The oldest section we pass is 1961, so that is 60 and a bit years, and still the forest has not recovered fully. We were told on the boat two days ago, that is takes about 120 years for a tree to reach mature height. During our 29 km drive into Tahune (from Geeveston), we pass lots of signs 'Are we There Yet' 'Halfway' 'Not much further' 'Nearly there' and 'Yaaay. You made it'! Obviously, plenty of people in the past have commented on the long drive in. It might only be 29 kms, but up and down hill, round and round the mountain range, it certainly feels longer and takes about an hour! Still, its not all bad. We cleanse our nostrils in the clean eucalypt laden air, we marvel at the sight of MASSIVE trees, both standing and felled, at the size of the ferns from delicate small varieties that hug the roadside, probably competing with traffic to large tree ferns with fronds that span tens of metres. There are a couple of babbling creeks chattering away as their waters tumble rock and fallen timber.

Finally we arrive at the Yaaay sign. Disabled Parking is just across from the entry booth. There is a sign that says that people with disabilities can be catered for and to ask the staff, and without any further prompting, that is exactly what Gen does. Turns out that there are 100 steps up a graded walkway to get to the start of the Airwalk. 14 I can do (at home), 20 I think I could manage once a while, but 100, I have no hope. So, the disability option is to drive the first part of the walk (you should see the smouldering looks we get from walkers as we drive over the bridge) to the start point of the Airwalk. Once there, Gen is up a gum tree - she had not realised that the Airwalk was so high above the ground, but I am determined, and the tickets bought.

We step off solid ground onto what many would feel was an engineering feat. It is an open mesh walkway that would be just wide enough for a wheelchair if needed. The  Tahune AirWalk is an elevated walkway 30 metres above the forest floor, with the final cantilever section sitting at a height of 50 metres above the Huon River, with spectacular views to the confluence of the Huon and Picton Rivers and beyond to the peaks of the World Heritage Area. It is 619m in length (yay me - I walked the entire length) and at its highest point is 50m above the ground - 150 feet or about 30 of me on top of each other. When you put it like that, you can start to appreciate just how high it is. We walk passed a number of trees that tower above us on the walk - easily 100m high, perhaps even higher. They tower so far above us that we cannot get the entire tree from floor to tip in one shot on any of the devices we are carrying. Nature is indeed wonderous.

The Leatherwoods are in bloom and I yearn for honey, Huon Pines and lots of other native species fill in the sight line. I've abandoned my jacket and am now down to a light summer top. Except for the lack of humidity, I could have been in my home-state. Once we return to the office to check in (they recorded our rego number in case we did not return) it was time for some lunch and the obligatory Valhalla ice-cream - Tasmania's own. Chef freshly-cooked my hamburger was delicious and Gen enjoyed her Chicken Salad. Gen chose a Choc-Mint ice cream in a cone - it tasted of fresh mint and was nothing like those sickly sweet ones we get back home. My Salted Caramel crunch was decadently rich, and yet not overly sweet. Can someone check if we an get Valhalla Ice Cream in Queensland please.

By now it is pushing 3 o'clock. We have run into a Brisbane couple we have seen a few times over the last couple of days. Turns out they are returning to spend a few days with friends just outside Hobart tonight - so we won't encounter them again. We leave Tarhune and turn yet further south - pushing down the coastline for another 20 odd kilometres to Dover. Its Sunday, the roads are quiet. We pass sleepy little towns with every house built to make the best of their vantage-points over the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Who can blame them. While there is some new development, it appears more to cater to seasonal workers - fruit-pickers and those working in the Salmon industry. Just north of Dover at Port Huon is a wharf that is dwarfed by two HUGE trawlers. These belong to the Tassel enterprise. We can see some of the pens that they grow some of their salmon in, but I suspect that these trawlers head into the deeper, much colder waters further south beyond the Tasman Sea. I remember a tussel between Tassel and Huon Salmon a couple of years ago with one accusing the other (can't remember which one) of overstocking their salmon pens and crowding the bay.

On our way back to our accommodation we stop off in Geeveston to have a look at the Arve Big Tree, a fallen swamp gum, thought to be one of Australia's tallest trees that started growing about 500 years ago. It survived the devastating bushfires of 1967 but was sadly lost in the Riveraux Road bushfire of 2019. 

We hop and jump our way back t Huonville, stopping at each roadside stall, wanting to buy some apples. We were hoping to buy a variety and no more than 1kg as we have limited capacity to keep things cold. Sadly, the smallest we can find are 3kg bags of single varieties. We'll try one of the fruit-shops as we leave tomorrow morning for a selection.

Tomorrow we head slightly east to travel the towns in the other side of the Channel - Cygnet (where one of Gen's workmates was born) and Verona Sands before we head into the midlands, perhaps to Cradle Mountain or to Strahan on the west coast - wherever we can get accommodation. We are now well into our second week, and already it feels like we are running out of time.

Time to hit the pillow - we are hoping for an earlier start in the morning - and look, its only 8:30pm!

Bruny - an island of two parts

And that I did. (Slept well last night for those of you you have not read yesterday's lot).

Although we all refer to Bruny Island, this land, off the south-east coast of Tasmania, is  two islands connected by a long, narrow isthmus. We have spent the last day and a half on South Bruny and this morning are travelling up to North Bruny Island. We only have this one day, as we have booked accommodation for the next two nights at the House on the Hill, a B&B in Huonville.

The day has dawned nice and clear. Except for the occasional passing vehicle, we sit with  the door open, quietly contemplating our lot. There is no wind and the waves just gently kiss the beach, a sound we almost need to strain to hear. It is definitely  autumn. The morning light is gentle, almost weak, muting the colours of our surrounds. This morning, the water is the colour of my new jumper - a baby blue. There is a line of rocks that must be the edge of an underwater ledge. The waves roll gently over the line, in a line, perfectly horizontal to the narrow beach. Outside the protection of this little bay, the water is a deeper hue of blue and from the deck of our villa it almost looks navy. And, in the distance, the landmasses around us are softened by the early morning mist.

We take our time over break-fast. Croissant and roll, a shared banana, the last of our cheese and a couple of 'packet' lattes and we are ready to hit the road.

There is no one at the pub at this time of the day, so we leave the room key in the drop-box and head off. We make one stop at the Bread 'Fridge' and opening the door, are greeted by warm, yeasty smells. The magic baker has been hard at work and replenished the supplies, depleted by yesterday afternoon. 

Our final visit on South Bruny is to the Bruny Island Chocolate Company. We are told that the owner and manufacturer is a pastry cook by profession and fell in to fudge making about 10 years ago when he realised there was a market gap. There are the usual assortment of chocolates, catering to the family and mass markets, but they also have some nice speciality ranges including a boxed selection of six, described as "More than a heavenly chocolate indulgence, our delicious premium quality handmade fudge with a rich creamy texture and distinctive, mouthwatering flavour to satisfy the most discerning of connoisseurs". Add to the mixed box, i have a Hounds Tooth Tasmanian Whisky Fudge, two chocolate sauces - one Brandy and Cointreau and the other Chocolate Mint, a bag of chocolate caramels and chocolate fruit and nut mix fill our bags.

Next stop is The Neck - at the lookout high atop the only hillock on the isthmus that connects south to north Bruny. The tide is out and I can see Sandpipers busily digging in the exposed sandflats for tasty morsels to eat. There is the odd family with kids digging in the sand, hoping to find some sort of little treasure, and the occasional tourist couple, hand-in-hand without a care in the world, immersed in their togetherness, with not a single other soul in sight along the beach.

The steps up to The Neck lookout are insurmountable - at least for me. 279 steps are just too many more than the 14 steps at home! Gen graciuosly (although probably silently cursing) offers to climb for the photos. They are truly stunning. You look north and south, and across the bays devoid of almost all water - you can even see Kunanyi in the distance. What a sight. Gen tells me that there are lots of small burrows all up the side of the hill - home to Fairy Penguins no doubt.

All too soon, we are back on North Bruny, with a list of places to visit before we leave. First call is at the Bruny Island Honey where they have a huge swarm of bees busy in a perspex covered box, which is behind closed doors. We sample a number of their varieties and purchased a small pot of creamed honey 'Bruny Island Prickly Box' honey and some Manuka Honey lip balm. I had used a sampler to test it on my lips and there was no immediate bad reaction, so finger's crossed they might help relieve them. The winds are not chaffed lips friendly!

Honey done, we move on to the Bruny Island Cheese Company. Fresh cows milk cheeses are made on the island from O.D.O. (one day old) cheese to a range of soft rind, washed rind and cheddar styles cheeses. Gen really only likes the two milder cheddar styles, but I am in my element. Not a blue in sight, but the washed and soft rind cheeses are very edible, lacking that acrid bite that often comes with a young, immature cheese. It's close enough to lunch time to sit and savour the bites here. Also on offer are ciders and beers with some other local wines and sparkling drinks, but for the time being, we just sit with apple juice (cos you can't be in Tasmania and not have the Apple Juice!) and coffees. A selection of three cheeses - O.D.O., Tom and Saint - refer to their website linked above for a description, proscuito, baguette, Ligurian olives and pickled beetroot and gherkins. Very tasty. As neither of us are oyster fans, we skip the Oyster Shack and instead head to the Bruny Island House of Whisky - much more my tipple of choice!

The Bruny Island House of Whisky sits high on a hill just 1 km from the Ferry to Kettering (Tasmanian Mainland). They boast the largest selection of Tasmanian Whisky's for sampling. Given that I haven't gone looking for other tasting rooms, I am happy to take them at their word! You can choose a 'flight' of four whiskies from one of four shelves all differing in price - from $60 per person up to the Champions (top) shelf at $295 pp. This is after all, 4 nips of whisky. We splurge and choose level 2 @ $75pp and opt to just share the tasting. We had one nip of 1. Nant - Tasmanian Highlands Single Malt, Bourbon Cask, 2. Trappers Hut Limited edition Tasmania Single Malt Whisky, 3. Lark Malt Whisky Small Cask Renaissance and 4. Callington Mill Tasmanian Single Malt Tango. I think we both the last one best. And of course, we can't go passed without trying their Gin. I had a Seclusion Gin with Soda and Gen, not liking gin, had a non-alcoholic Raspberry and Chilli Sparkling Ginger Beer  - after all, she is driving lol. At just over $90, we have contributed very generously to the local economy here thank you!

The day is slipping by and we are no headed or the Huon Valley. The crazy thing is that while everything is so close (as the crow flies) in Tasmania, the travelling times are longer than anticipated due to the narrow, winding roads. So we are pleasantly surprised to find that the trip to Huonville is all on multi-lane highways - even if it is steep in places. Disappointingly, there is no where to pull over as the first views along the floor of the Huon Valley come into view. It is a stunning sight - with a long, fertile valley nestled at the base of ancient hills on either side. we will just have to come back and hope there is a lookout somewhere. Through Huonville we drive - its a slightly larger town and we see some take-away establishments (although none of the chains - yay!). Lining the road into the town are apple orchards - lots of them. And we pass the Willie Smith Apple Shed that we have heard so much of. We plan to return here tomorrow to sample some of the 70+ varieties of apples that they are supposed to grow.

We follow Google maps to find The House on The Hill B&B that we are booked in to for the next 2 days. Turns out we don't need to find that lookout after all - this is set high on the Hill overlooking Huonville and we can look up and down that fertile valley. I'll make sure that Gen includes some pics on Facebook. Owner Paul greets us and shows us into a lovely double room, with a huge bathroom and access to a large dining and lounge area and verandah off that. Paul explains that the original house was built in the early 1980's and added on to in the late 1990s. It is very well set-up for a B&B.

There is one other couple here at the same time - they arrive back from their outing about 30 minutes before Dinner. 

Paul has a limited menu and we have both chosen Seafood Bisque - tomatoes, herbs, cream, potatoes and seafood to be followed by 'The Best Tasmanian" Cheese platter and port for two!  OMG I can hardly swallow, I am so full! Paul's Bisque was home-made with home-grown potatoes and lots of Tasmanian seafood. Our plates were filled to the brim with Seafood - literally. There were mussels, prawns, calamari rings, scallops and fresh and smoked fish. He was explaining that he makes his fish broth on the shells and heads of the prawns. No wonder it tastes so rounded and complete! I couldn't finish my serve - he jokes that he only gave us a small bowl - Maaate, I'd love to see a big bowl!!

We finished the evening with Paul, asking him to share the ENORMOUS cheese plate - plated with about 6 cheeses, from blue, to soft crumbly cheddar to truffled to camembert etc. There were a variety of pastes, olives, gherkins (chillied), chorizo, salami and bread and crackers - we would have done better to have just had this platter! Served with a glass of Penfolds Club Port that matched the rich pickings beautifully.

We sit, we talk. We drink coffee and finish the night on caramels and truffles that we purchased this morning. All in all, a lovely way to spend the evening.  Paul had asked what time we wanted breakfast in the morning. Origianlly we said 8am, but have changed that to 9 am - to make sure our digestive systems are ready for the next generous servings!  Pays to stay in local small hotels, B&Bs etc and not in the big multi-nationals. The people you meet are so passionate about what they do and the area that they are in. 

Nitey nite, my head is telling me I need to go to bed 😉😉