Percy Islands to the Whitsundays

Our intention when we left the Percy Islands was to stay in Curlew Bay, which read favourably. We arrived after a pleasant trip up with the odd whale and interesting island to see us on our way.

The gods watching over the islands. No wonder people were superstitious
It was a very pretty and tranquil spot .

Our stay lasted all of two minutes after we put the anchor down. It was just before 12 noon and a couple of good rolls and the memory of Keppel Island had us hauling anchor and hurrying on our way. We decided to head for Digby Island and shelter there. When we arrived it turned out to be only a little better, but it was now getting later in the day and hoping it would improve as the wind dropped in the evening we dropped anchor and headed to shore.

When we first rounded the corner to Digby it looked as if there were people camping all along the beach. What it turned out to be was the wreckage of a boat that had pulled anchor in the cyclone and the owner had not been able to start the engine and get away. It was still partially intact on the shore line and the whole beach was covered in the remnants of a life at sea.

The waves were breaking on the shore line which led to some interesting dismounts from the dinghy and some very wet walkers but it was nice to get ashore and we walked the length of the beach and had a swim before returning to the boat. As we headed back to the boat the “Rare Pleasure” arrived. Edgar and Scott had met the owners Graham and Rhonda last year in Rosslyn Bay and gone on board for a drink. They were travelling in a convoy of three boats but called in and had a drink with us before heading to dinner on one of the other boats. A lovely couple from Maryborough who we hope to see more of as they will be in the Whitsundays for some time.

The rolling didn’t improve during the night and we debated whether to stay or go. We couldn’t get the weather forecast but noticed that “Rare Pleasure” had departed about six. We called them up and they said it wasn’t too bad outside but by then we could see the seas outside the rocky reef and it looked a lot worse than where we were. Their boat was faster and had stabilisers and when we eventually got a forecast it was for 20 knot winds and up to 2 metre swell.

There was an unanimous decision to stay where we were and spend the day exploring the island so we packed up refreshments and once again headed for shore. We salvaged some benches and chairs from the wreck and set up camp under the coconut palms. The boys clambered up the rocky cliff to the headland whilst I made my way through a Pandanus grove and followed an overgrown track up to where they were. The Pandanus grove was home to hundreds of tiger blue butterflies and a number of lovely dendrobium orchids

and the walk over the headland uncovered lots of interesting native plants and an increasing amount of lantana and feral weeds! We trod very heavily in knee high grass whilst pondering whether there were snakes on the island and were quite relieved to reach our beach camp unscathed.

After a swim and relax we went back to the boat for a late lunch and a rather rolly rest and then Scott and I persuaded Edgar to take us back to the beach for a walk. The waves had increased and our dismounting was even wetter and more spectacular than before. Scott fell and the dinghy went over the top of him with Ed and I looking on horrified, but he emerged unhurt and laughing and we had a most enjoyable walk.

The winds and the waves had moderated the next day and just after sunrise we headed out for St Bees to anchor for the night. When we arrived at the anchorage it was still early, very windy and no beach to walk on so the crew, with little objection from the skipper, refused to lower the anchor and we kept going to Shaw Island which turned out to be a brilliant decision as the anchorage was calm and the beach beautiful.

Airport at St Bees
Not much of an anchorage
We arrived at Shaw Island in time for sunset drinks. The next day after a substantial breakfast of sausages and eggs we set out to walk the beach and explore
Lovely creek with turtles
Lots of sand dollars

Back on board Edgar took advantage of the still water to wash the salt of the boat, swab the decks and attend to some maintenance. Aided by the male members of the trusty crew they soon had everything shipshape but the crew were worn out and had to take a long rest. The next morning it was a leisurely morning watching the turtles disport around the boat before heading back to the beach to walk and swim. We had taken a bottle of wine and relaxed after several swims on the beach. We had noticed a German Shepherd on one of the bigger catamarans as we came into shore and later met Shadow and her owners. She had been cruising the Whitsundays for a number of weeks and seemed very at home on her boat. Whilst we were chatting with Kevin and his wife they told us of the bounty of oysters that were available on the rocks.

Under the able direction of our new found friends we set to and within about an hour had gathered over 60 oysters. As Ernest doesn’t eat oysters that left 20 each which were rapidly dispatched – there is NOTHING like an oyster straight off the rocks. Roast lamb and red wine completed our meal all set against a stunning background of sky and sunset. The next day after a tidy up and a quick swim it was time to depart. We left planning to come back within the next few weeks – bringing Mike back for the oysters and Jon back for the sheltered anchorage to get his sea legs before the return trip.

In Summary

These were our ratings – excluding, of course, our visits with our relatives who had the best houses and gardens, best food and provided experiences not to be missed!

ACCOMMODATION
1. Helmsman’s House
2. Harry’s on the Hill
3. Salamanca Mews

MEMORABLE FOOD EXPERIENCES
1. Frogmore Creek Winery Restaurant
2. Tasmanian Food & Wine Conservatory / Get Shucked Oyster Farm
3. Me Wah
4. Springvale Winery Restaurant / Elephant Pass Pancake Parlour
5. Bruny Island Winery Bar & Bistro

EXPERIENCES NOT TO BE MISSED
EDGAR
1. Wooden Boat Show
2. Fat Pig Farm Long Table Lunch
3. Mona Museum and Golden Hour with the Sunset Light Show at Armana
4. Bruny Island Cruise

LYNDAL
1. Fat Pig Farm Long Table Lunch / Bruny Island Cruise
2. Wooden Boat Show / Wooden Boat Centre
3. Mona Museum and Golden Hour with the Sunset Light Show at Armana
4. Gourmania Food Tour / Walk to Wine Glass Bay Lookout

BEST GARDENS
1. Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
2. Villaret
3. Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden (off season – would rate number one in season)

Bruny Island

Bruny Island is Tasmania’s fourth largest island, but really it’s two islands connected by a narrow isthmus called The Neck. Aquamarine bays fringed with icing sugar sand; fluted, dolerite sea cliffs; dense rainforest; rolling green pasture; snow-white wallabies; and not to mention the best oysters in the world: Bruny Island has it all!

When we said we were going to Bruny Island everyone had a favourite place to go and thing to do – so we had quite a bucket list!

We had our last breakfast overlooking Cygnet Bay, vowing we would return, and for much longer, to this part of the world and this great B&B. We then headed to the Bruny Island Ferry – only swiveled from our objective by a sign saying “Last Cherries” which necessitated a very quick u-turn. We had bought some cherries in Hobart but were frustrated in our search for more by the fact that the cherry season had finished and so none available – until we headed south.
We arrived just in time to for the small ferry, MV Bowen, and despite the queue managed to get on. It is very much a first come first served service with no bookings. After a pleasant 15 minute crossing we disembarked on Bruny Island and headed for the first stop on our bucket list, Get Shucked Oyster Farm.

Oysters grown in the channel – couldn’t be fresher
Get Shucked is locally owned and operated and promotes the pleasurable experience derived by eating oysters. It has a fully licensed oyster bar offering a wide range of oyster dishes, beer, wine, sparkling and cider which is connected to their processing shed so you can eat the freshest Bruny oysters from the farm whilst watching your oysters being harvested, sorted and shucked. We found a table and ordered one dozen Naked (freshly shucked and served with lemon) and one dozen Dressed (Naked oysters served with 3 dressings on the side) with a Bruny Island Beer for Edgar and a Prosecco for me. The oysters are large Pacific oysters, which we normally don’t care for, preferring the smaller sweeter oysters such as Coffin Bay, Sydney Rock and Moreton Bay. However these were everything you could ask for – plump, creamy and totally delicious. So delicious in fact that we thought we should try some of the cooked and had half a dozen Mother in Law’s Kilpatrick (cooked in the shell and topped with Marie T’s Worcestershire sauce and Bruny Island Foods bacon) and half a dozen Oyster Wontons (wrapped in wonton pastry, deep fried and served with wasabi cream). All delicious but fresh is best!

We debated about going through the drive thru and getting some takeaway but decided that this would be excessive. Our destination, and location of our B&B for the next couple of nights, was Adventure Bay on the southern island. On the way we had to pass the Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Shop, Bruny Island Berry Farm and Bruny Island Chocolates – yes Bruny Island is all about food!

We stopped at the Bruny Island Cheese Shop, picked up some cheese and beer and had a coffee/tea with a cheese based dessert. We decided to leave the Berry Farm and the Chocolate Shop for another day – we were after all staying for three days! We crossed over the Neck

The Neck joins the two islands and is a sanctuary for nesting birds
before arriving at “Baywatch”, a seaside house overlooking Adventure Bay. Gus, our host, had everything ready for us and we unpacked and settled in. After an exhausting morning of cleaning, motoring, boating and eating and knowing we had a dinner reservation at the Bruny Island Premium Winery Bar & Grill for dinner we debated on whether we should go for a walk or have a rest and read. We opted for the latter.
Good place to rest and chill out
Fortunately our visit to Get Shucked and the Bruny Island Cheese shop was late morning because the menu at the Bar & Grill, featuring wallaby, beef, lamb, salmon – nearly all locally produced – was promising. The drive across to the other side of the south island was very pleasant with some lovely scenery and lots of wildlife. We had an early reservation so that we could get home before the 9pm sunset to avoid connecting with any of the wildlife. The narrow roads and their abundance make this a very real hazard.

Bruny Island Premium Wines, like most other businesses on Bruny, is a small family owned and operated vineyard/winery and is Australia’s most southern vineyard. Their wines are grown, made and bottled by hand. The Bar & Grill, open 7 days for lunch and Saturday and Sunday night, is set amidst the vines. We decided to bypass the oysters and settled for several Tapas sides:
Char grilled Bruny Island Lamb Cutlets: Grazed on a neighboring farm, served with Onion Chilli Jam

Marinated Mushrooms with Haloumi: Huon Valley Mushrooms marinated in secret herbs & spices topped with Haloumi

Cha Sui Huon Salmon:
Huon Salmon marinated in a Chinese BBQ sauce served on bamboo skewers

We teamed this with some of their excellent wines and followed with House Made Chocolate Sticky Date Pudding served with Bruny Island fudge butterscotch sauce and ice-cream.. We had finished and made it back to “Baywatch” a whisker before dark.

The next day we made our way down to the beach and walked it’s length and back (about 5 ks).

A blackberry snack on the way
There was a lot of birdlife to see including a couple of very watchful swans on the waters edge, which we avoided. We passed a monument to commemorate the whales. There were four shore based whaling stations situated from East Bay to Penguin Island in the 1820s – 1830s
Whole whale pods still regularly visit in increasing numbers now that they are protected
“When we encounter the enormous mass of a whale, we are struck by the insignificance of our own form and thus realise the true relationship we share with the world” Matt Carney, Sculptor
Towards the end of the Bay we could see four boats from Bruny Island Cruises filling with what seemed to be an endless queue and heading out to sea.

Adventure Bay could be called the birthplace of Van Diemen’s Land. First sighted by Abel Tasman in 1642 when exploring for the great southland – because of gale force winds he was unable to make a landing.

Captain James Cook in H.M.S. “Resolution” and Captain Tobias Furneaux in H.M.S. “Adventure” left England in 1772 also to explore the South Seas, becoming separated Furneaux followed Tasman’s chart and in 1773 found the bay naming it Adventure Bay. Captain Cook landed at Adventure Bay in 1777 with William Bligh as sailing master. At this time Adventure Bay, and Bruny Island, was inhabited by the Neunonne group of the South Eastern tribe of Tasmanian Aborigines, the most famous of whom was Truganini.

Captain Bligh revisited Adventure Bay in 1788 and with botanist Nelson planted a number of fruit trees at East Cove. When he returned in 1792 he found one apple tree still growing. It is said that this was the first Granny Smith apple tree. Tasmania was later to become known throughout the world as the Apple Isle of Australia.

There are many memorials dedicated to these early explorers as well as one dedicated to Truganini.

Captain Cook’s Monument
We visited most of these and other sites of historical significance that afternoon and spent about an hour at the Bligh Museum. The foundation stone of the Bligh Museum, built to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Vice Admiral Bligh. It displays historic maps, documents, paintings and other artifacts relating to the famous explorers as well as some original documents in Cook’s handwriting.
The Bligh Museum – it seemed appropriate
That night we dined at Hotel Bruny at Allonah on the western side of the Island. It is a beachfront hotel offering beautiful views over the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. We had a highly recommended Seafood Platter, which was so large we couldn’t finish it, and then took our drinks out to watch the sunset over the Channel.
The next day we were up bright and early for our Bruny Island Cruise, which is a 3 hour Wilderness Cruise that explores the spectacular rugged coastline of south east Bruny Island and has been the winner of Australia’s best tourist attraction for 2012, 2014 & 2015.
Boarding the cruise boats
We set off in four boats each holding about 40 people in covered open-air seating – yes we had our ponchos on! After a brief, and amusing, talk by our guide we set off at a rapid pace for Penguin Island and then cruised beneath the towering cliffs, drifted up close to listen the “Breathing Rock”
A little too close!
and paused to watch a sea lion sun itself on a sheltered beach. We entered some of the deep sea caves and then powering up hurtled through the narrow gap between the coast and “The Monument” – twice!
The monument
Impossible to take a photo whilst going through but this is what it looks like!
There is a large colony of Australian Fur Seals living on a cluster of remote rocky outcrops & craggy islands off the coast of south Bruny Island so that is where we headed, leaving the relative calm of the Tasman Sea for the much more turbulent Southern Ocean – fortunately for us it was relatively calm.
Heading for the Southern Ocean
At any time there are up to 1000 seals there. When we were there they were only males as the females only come ashore to give birth and mate. We watched them fish, generally laze about and sometimes fight to establish their territory. Many bore scars from encounters with sharks and with nets. They are the number one enemy of the salmon breeders, tearing the nets and taking bites out of the salmon leaving devastation in their wake. They are apparently becoming smarter at breaking through nets. When they discover a new way of getting into a cage on one farm it’ll spread round other farms within a few days – as if they’re telling each other how to do it. Some seals have become aggressive and there have been a number of attacks on the farm workers.

Both going out and coming back we saw numerous seabirds including an Australasian Gannet, which is rarely seen in these waters. These birds are plunge divers and spectacular fishers, plunging into the ocean at high speed. They mainly eat squid and forage fish that school near the surface. There were a number of schools of fish with seabirds of all descriptions taking their fill.

We were told before leaving that, if we were lucky, we would see some dolphins. Well we were certainly lucky, as there were quite a number of them surfing in the wake around the boats –and with the water so clear you could see them swimming under the boat. We were also incredibly lucky with the weather as the day was sunny and the waters calm. You can see why this cruise is a multi award winner. It was certainly the winner for us.

Back on shore we decided to go back to Get Shucked Oysters for lunch. This time we tried the Asian Fusion, which is a panko crumbed oyster on a nest of rice noodle salad with a very tasty dressing. Though we rated the Naked the top – this was a close second!

A quick visit to the Berry Farm for an icecream – blueberry was best!
and a visit to the Bruny Island Chocolate shop saw us finish off our bucket list for Bruny.
Then it was back home to pack and tidy up as we were leaving at 5.45 am to ensure we caught the ferry.

Our last memory of Bruny was driving slowly along the road in the predawn with suicidal wildlife hurling themselves at us and hoping we would get the rental car back in one piece!

And that was it. We handed in the car and caught our flight home. It had been a terrific three weeks but it was good to be back – and there had been rain and the garden hadn’t died!

The Huon Valley and Fat Pig Farm

The next day was our day for exploring the Huon Valley. Our plan was to drive to Cockle Creek – the furthest south it is possible to drive – and make our way back, stopping at places of interest. We had booked seats on the Ida Bay Historical Railway, the most southern railway in Australia. Located at Lune River, 113 kilometers and roughly two hours drive south of Hobart; the Ida Bay Railway enables you to enjoy the area’s secluded wilderness. The 610 mm (2 foot) gauge tramway traverses 6.8 kilometers of Tasmanian bush and beach, estuaries and button grass plains. It is a two hour return trip on a restored section of this historic line, riding in passenger carriages built on 1890s bogie flat wagons, which are hauled by 1940s Malcolm Moore locomotives.

A relaxing train trip
The railway was originally built to transport limestone from Ida Bay quarries to waiting ships in the Lune River Estuary and Deephole Bay. Departing from Lune River station, we travelled through wildflower-dotted bushland and coastal heath and saw the site of the once-thriving Ida Bay township. There are fantastic water views along the Lune River’s southern shore. Deephole Bay marks the line’s end where there is a long, white sand swimming beach, accessible only by rail.
Along the way the guard talked about the history of this wild and remote place. Convicts escaping from Hobart would head down there and stake their (illegal) claim to a bit of land. It was a totally lawless wilderness. The first settlers to arrive where tough people who endured incredible hardship. The Jager family settled at Jager’s Bay and established a timber mill, built boats, developed the southern most orchard in the Huon, built an interesting homestead (the foundations and remains of gardens still exist). They later moved further up to the Lune River area and went into partnership with the Tyler family.

Edmund Tyler was a convict and later a trusted guard. He set up a brick kiln at a former convict station at Hythe (now Southport), and later a brick company at Brick Point, Ida Bay.
He set up a timber mill at Ida Bay and joined forces with the Jagers when his daughter married one of the Jager sons.

As well as the timber mill W H Tyler & A J Jager & Sons were involved in commercial fishing for many years. They built and owned several famous boats including the ‘Parappa’ (the aboriginal word for dolphin), a vintage 50’ Huon Pine fishing vessel built in 1915 that has now been fully restored and is for sale in Hobart for $65,000. In 1897, they lost everything in a bush fire and though they built a new mill they never really recovered. The Tylers discovered the Ida Bay caves and a marble cliff and a company was established to quarry the marble. The first party of tourists to explore the caves was in the year 1893.

The Tyler/Jager graveyard is one of the stops on the rail journey. There most of the adults and older children are buried. Christina Jager (nee Tyler) had 24 children and was an Amazonian figure on the Lune. Many of the children did not survive.

Carving as a memorial to the children
The younger ones and those who died of illness were buried on the Children’s Island just off the coast. The Island was then set alight to stop the spread of disease. It may be possible to drive to Cockle Creek but we took one look at the rutted gravel and sand track and decided that the drive would not be appreciated by us or Europa Car Hire. Instead we made our way back to Geeveston where, to our surprise, most of the shops were closed. We had some lunch, looked at the wonderful carved figures of local celebrities
Jess Hannabury was one of the colourful characters of Geeveston. She owned a drapery shop come haberdashery and gave generously when times where hard. She had poor eyesight, resulting she said from sewing on thousands of sequins. At 63 she learned to drive a motor car, considering second gear was quite fast enough for anyone (she also kept a bale of hay at the end of the garage). Although notorious as a driver and very outspoken as a person, she was one of Geeveston’s best loved characters. She went quietly about her good works, not seeking recognition and is remembered with great affection.
Bill Trevaskis moved to Geeveston in 1939. He soon became involved in the ‘social and sporting’ life of the community and his colourful language and turn of phrase earned him fame, far and wide, as “The Swearing Chemist of Geeveston”. He served the community faithfully for 51 years dispensing prescriptions and advice on all topics any hour, night or day. Bill’s 1926 Packard motor car, affectionately know as “The Grey Ghost), transported many to social events (20 being the record for one trip) and his violin provided entertainment
and checked out the famous Surfing Sushi Chefs shop. The sushi chef and his restaurant Masaaki’s is so well renowned in Tasmania that he only needs to work three days a week. A notice on the door said he would be away for several weeks and was closed.

Fortunately the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin was not closed and we spent an interesting hour there looking over the workshop. There were a number of student there who were building boats. They take a nine-week course and advance from never handling tools to building a beautifully crafted wooden dinghy. It was very interesting the process of boat building and seeing the boats in the different stages of development. There was a lovely dinghy being built by an 80-year-old master boat builder for his grandson. As well as building boats they also restore boats and had a number of boats in being stripped down and restored.

We mentioned that we had come down for the Wooden Boat Show with some friends whose son had built his own boat and had brought it down. Our guide asked the name of the boat and when we said ‘Boxer’ looked highly amused. Struggling to find the right words (I think notorious was the word he was avoiding) he said that the Boxer boys were well known in boating circles and they looked forward to them coming down when the Boat Show was on.

By then it was 5pm and the Boat Centre was closing so we went down to the marina and had a look at the wooden boats anchored there – well worth seeing as it included some restored boats.

We still had time to finally make it to Willie Smiths Apple Shed and taste test some of the ciders there before heading back to the comfort of Helmsman’s House, a fire and a long soak in the deep bath.

Next day was our long lunch at Fat Pig Farm – a day we had been looking forward to and which certainly lived up to our expectations. The tone of the day was set when we arrived to find Sadie in fits of laughter because she had managed to cause a traffic jam in their carpark. She and Matthew proved to be amusing and likeable hosts, passionate about what they are doing and wanting to ensure that everyone had a good time.

We joined the other guests on the verandah having been served a Rhubarb Cordial with McHenry’s Gin and offered little Goat Pies with Yoghurt Cream Pastry to nibble on. Chatting with the other guests we found they were a very diverse lot from all around the country. We sat with a couple from Adelaide and another from south of Perth and yet another from Melbourne. After a welcome from Matthew and Sadie and an explanation of the menu (based on what has been picked from the garden that day plus produce from nearby food artisans), started on our lunch. The appetizer was surprisingly a baby turnip, just picked that morning and tasting quite unlike the turnips you normally buy and with the crunchiness of an apple.

Rather a surprising but very tasty appetiser

The first course was Roasted Vegetable Soup with shared platters consisting of Tongola’s Zoe, (which is a fresh lactic goats curd and is a finalist in the dairy category of Delicious Magazine’s Australian Produce Awards).

Busy in the kitchen serving the first course
The second platter was an antipasto platter of Fat Pig Farm produce. The first course was served with Bruny Island Cloudy Bay IPA, a hop forward beer style made from Tasmanian grains.

This was followed by three share platters served with a 2016 Springvale Gewurtztraminer and then a Pork and Tomatilio Stew with Blush Potatoes and a Farmer’s Salad with Summer Flowers served with a 2016 Pooley Pinot Noir.

Blush Potatoes with Pork and Tomatillio Stew

Now fairly replete with food it was time to take a break and a tour of the farm which was conducted by Sadie. Down the hill to the dam, through the apple orchard -stopping to chat to the pigs – to the heart of the farm which was the vegetable and produce garden and greenhouses.

Sadie explaining the methods they use to keep up such a plentiful supply for the farm
Tomatoes in the greenhouse
I left with a severe case of garden envy which was only somewhat alleviated by Matthew showing me his wood fired oven and giving me some good tips on bread making.

Back to the table for a Strawberry Jam Tart with Berries, coffee or tea and little homemade almond biscuits and then it was time to go, stopping only to get a couple of Matthew’s cook books with their interesting recipes and sensational photos.

View on the way back to Cygnet

Tomorrow is Bruny Island…….

Farwell to the Dumaresques and on to the Huon Valley

The next day we farewelled the Dumaresques – with invitations to come north and let us repay their hospitality -and set off for New Norfolk. The plan was to visit the Rosedown Gardens, drop in to see Dinie Mills (George and Martin’s aunt) and make our way down to Cygnet and Helmsman’s House, our B&B for the next three nights.

We had a lovely drive along the Derwent River and arrived in the historic pioneer town of New Norfolk. Many of the pioneers who settled around the town were from those resettled when the first Norfolk Island settlement was closed. These Norfolk Islanders were mainly farming families, who were offered land grants in Tasmania as compensation for their relocation.

The climate was colder than sub-tropical Norfolk Island, which proved a challenge for the hardy pioneers during the first few years, but eventually the district became self-supporting. In 1825 the original name of the town, Elizabeth Town, was changed to New Norfolk in honour of their former home.

Many of the founders were “First Fleeters”, transferred from Sydney to Norfolk Island when it was settled just a few weeks after Sydney. Ten First Fleeters are buried in the Methodist Chapel at Lawitta, New Norfolk. Notable is Betty King, née Elizabeth Thackery. The headstone on Betty’s well-tended grave reads, “The first white woman to set foot in Australia” from the First Fleet at Sydney Cove.

On Wednesday 6 February 1788, during the bulk unloading of the women convicts, Betty Thackery left the ship “Charlotte” and excitedly jumped from her longboat to the beach before anyone else. She therefore became the first, and most widely known of the convict girls to run up the beach in Australia – amidst much cheering from the crowd of waiting male convicts and guards. She is also believed to be the last surviving First Fleeter, male or female, when she died at 89 years of age on 7 August 1856.

Unfortunately Rosedown Gardens were closed (we were to find this a lot during our trip so it is always advisable to phone ahead!) It was starting to get quite close to lunchtime so we thought we should call in on Dinie earlier so as not to disturb her lunch. Dinie’s husband, Ernest, had been a great favourite of ours, often dropping in to Woodlands on his way north. Dinie rarely left Tasmania (probably nervous of Ernest’s flying) so I didn’t know her well but Edgar was very fond of her.

Dinie, who is now 92, lives in a retirement village in a lovely unit overlooking the Hobart Rivulet. She is remarkably spry and when we arrived we found she had set the table and cooked lunch for the three of us! Lunch was started with a whiskey and, instead of a quick visit, lasted several hours. She is very modern in her outlook and very good company.

By mid afternoon she was tiring, so we said our farewells and headed for Cygnet with a diversion to Willie Smith’s Apple Shed, which was also closed due to a function. Feeling rather exasperated (two closures in one day) we drove along the Channel Highway, which follows the upper reaches of the Huon River, and finally reached Helmsman’s House.

There are B&B’s and there are B&B’s, but Helmsman’s House is in a class of it’s own. We opened the door, to the sound of classical music playing, and found the most exquisitely furnished house with stunning views down over Cygnet Bay.

On the table in front of us was a platter of cheeses and nibbles with two wine glasses and a note saying that the wine was in the fridge. The wine was one of my favourites, a Forty Two Degree South Chardonnay from Frogmore Creek.

Pretty pleased with the situation

The Helmsman’s House is a spacious two-bedroom, two bathroom renovated Federation cottage.

Double glazing, carpet where it counts, soft beds, deep couches and a cook’s kitchen make for a very comfortable stay. The Chimineé Philippe double-sided wood fire keeps you snug; while luxurious bathrooms — each with a bath and underfloor heating plus walk-in shower —will melt tension from body and soul. Undoubtedly the star of the well-equipped chef’s kitchen is the revolving 1917 Metters Bush Pantry. This rather eccentric object is a space-saving pantry whose drawers brim with all kinds of dry goods, sauces, oils and treats. The fridge comes generously laden with seasonal and organic goodies including free-range eggs, local bacon and Tasmanian cheeses, plus artisanal Cygnet bread, milk from the dairy down the road and excellent Tasmanian butter. Tasmanian yoghurt is also provided, along with muesli and a range of breakfast cereals. Posie had even gone to the trouble of stocking lactose free milk and butter for Edgar.

The vast living-dining area has French doors leading to the limestone terrace with glorious views of water, mountains and sky. Other outside areas include a pretty white-painted “folly” – a perfect place to read or meditate embraced by the bay and the hills – and a gazebo at one end of the terrace. Sundowner drinks as you watch the sunset? Why not. We took the wine and cheese platter out onto the terrace and sat in the evening light admiring the view.

We were enjoying our drinks when there was a knock on the door and Posie and Andrew were there with a chicken and tarragon casserole and blackberry and apple crumble for our dinner!

They are an interesting couple. Posie Graeme-Evans and her husband Andrew Blaxland are the creators of the award-winning, and one of Australia’s most successful, television dramas, McLeod’s Daughters. Their 80 ha farm is their version of Drovers Run, the fictional working farm featured in McLeod’s Daughters.

The name of the property is “Frenchman’s River” to celebrate the hidden French history of Australia; history that began with the arrival of French expeditions to this region over two hundred years ago. The memory of the French remains alive since they lent their names to so many places in this tiny, exquisite region. Bruni d’Entrecasteaux (Bruny Island) mapped the bay in 1792 as “Porte des Cygnes Noire” (which became Cygnet – he’d never seen black swans before). He also named the river that flows into the bay below the farm after one of his lieutenants, Huon de Kermandec.

During their first years of ownership the couple were only able to steal brief moments at the property between work schedules. Eventually they found time and space to embark on an extensive rebuild, starting with the “Picker’s Hut”, which would become Posie’s first writing sanctuary, the site from where she wrote three of her five best-selling novels, and now the ‘Writers House’. The ‘Helmsman’s House’ (named after the men who Posie considers unsung heroes) was built shortly afterwards and they are now contemplating building a third. They are generous hosts and it should be a roaring success.

Back to Swansea to see the Dumaresques

An easy drive back to Swansea was on the agenda for today so we started late and stopped off for brunch at the Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm. The weather had not been kind for harvesting so Martin had joined Susie at their holiday house and we were to spend a couple of days with them there instead of Mt. Ireh.

Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm is a popular tourist attraction and was well patronized with diners scattered through the café, the verandah and outside on the lawn. We had booked and secured a table inside on the window, which considering there was quite a nippy breeze, was ideal. We had a view over the dam with its water birds and the farm with some alpacas in the distance.

Whilst we were waiting for our meal we saw this bird flash across the view, shortly followed by another and then a third. It was like watching a movie in fast forward. These were Tasmanian Native Hens, otherwise known as Turbo Chooks, which are large flightless water birds that are distant relatives of the domestic hen and are endemic to Tasmania. Although they cannot fly, they are good swimmers and very fast runners, using their short stumpy legs to run at 50k per hour!

Having had no breakfast we were well and truly ready for brunch ………
Breakfast Followed by lunch Enough said!

We arrived at Swansea and settled in to Martin and Susie’s very comfortable beach house at around 4pm.

Right on the beach
A cup of tea, a long catch up followed by drinks and dinner (yes we had finally digested our brunch!).

The next day Susie showed us around the cottage and the renovation plans they had. They are eventually going to live there when Piers takes over the running of Mt. Ireh. She had some great ideas that will eventually make it a stunning house.

Having done nothing but eat the previous day it was time for some serious exercise and Martin took us down to the very pretty Kelvedon beach where we walked the length of the beach and return, a distance of nearly 4 kms. Crystal clear water with fabulous views of Oyster Bay, the Hazzards and Freycinet Peninsula were our reward.

Martin pointing out features of interest to Edgar
On the way back we stopped at the historic Spiky Bridge but didn’t dally long as we were due out to lunch at Springvale Winery.

The Freycinet Coast is the driest part of the state, with warm days and cool nights, which is ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes and results in excellent flavor. The vineyard began in 1986 when a small area was planted to Pinot Noir followed over the coming years by Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer then Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier.
Whilst the Cellar Door is open most of the year the vineyard restaurant is a ‘pop up’ restaurant open only in the summer months. It specializes in local produce, particularly seafood, all served on tables set under a tent in the vineyard.

A visit to the Cellar Door to select your wines
then down to the restaurant to select your repast. Susie organised all this for us and the result was spectacular.

Pizza bread with Hill Farm oil, Tasman sea salt and fresh rosemary to nibble on whilst we waited then a couple of Vineyard Seafood Platters (East Coast Crayfish, Smoked mussel pate, pickled Top Fish octopus, Petuna Ocean trout gravadlax, Huon ‘tea-smoked’ salmon, Melshell oysters, Wasabi crème fraiche, wombok slaw, Sour-dough bread, Alpen crackers) AND Prawn Cocktails to savour whilst we drank the excellent wines.

Deciding to forgo dessert (no room) we once again adjourned to the beach, this time Moulting Lagoon, for another – shorter – walk before heading home. Martin was contemplating a swim but a few drinks later had given up the idea and we just chatted before partaking of a light dinner and so to bed.

The Northern Coast, Cradle Mountain and beyond

The Tasmanian Food & Wine conservatory is a cafe/providore, promoting Tasmanian food and wine from all across the state but especially supporting boutique and small producers as well as more widely known brands. It was once a greenhouse built over 40 years ago by a Devonport man – primarily to house his grand piano. A local mother and daughter fell in love with the building and after 10 years of negotiating finally bought it. It is now decked out with golden timber floors and streams of natural light, ceilings fans and cane furniture give it a tropical Cuban style atmosphere. It opened in 2015 and has never looked back. The grand piano was still there and whilst we were there a fellow diner asked if he could play it. He was obviously an accomplished pianist and he entertained us for the next 20 minutes with beautiful classical music.Their concept had always been to develop it into a showcase for Tasmanian produce with seasonality playing a big part in the menu.

Edgar studying the menu carefully
This was obvious in the Gourmet Platter we had, which featured a variety of cheeses including a fresh ricotta with walnuts and honey, both hot and cold smoked salmon, ham, salami and corned beef, chicken terrine and salmon pate with caviar, pickled walnuts and marinated octopus. The accompaniments were award winning mustard, quince jelly, tomato and chilli jam and dukha all served up with wafer biscuits and crusty bread. Not only was it all, delicious but you could buy all the ingredients in the shop – which we did!

Having brunched so well we made our way north in search of the Emu Park Rhododendron Gardens.

Three men and their passion for the genus Rhododendron conceived the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden in 1981. The site was a scrub and blackberry infested hillside and it would have needed imagination and vision to see the potential of the world-class garden it has become.

The amphitheater consisting mainly of rich volcanic soil, which has never been farmed. The slope is quite steep into a large stepped basin fed by several natural springs, which form a series of lakes. The garden is divided and space allocated to each part of the world in which rhododendrons grow in the wild. Plants which originated anywhere from the icy Himalayas to tropical New Guinea and across the Pacific to the Americas seem to have adapted to their hillside home.

Brunsvigia josephinae, commonly called Josephine’s lily or candelabra lily – soon to be growing here

Owned by an independent, non-profit organization, members have achieved most of the development through voluntary effort, which is obviously ongoing as new areas are being opened up as well as the established areas being maintained. Maree’s mother was one of the earlier volunteers and played a big part in the layout of the garden.

The peak time to visit is in October when most of the rhododendrons are flowering, but even in February it was a pleasure to walk around this well laid out garden. An added bonus was that there were very few people visiting whereas October is very busy.

After clambering up and down the hillside, we had some afternoon tea on the balcony overlooking the gardens and communed with Edgar the Elegant Emu before setting off to Harry’s on the Hill, our farm B&B for the next couple of nights.

Due to my inability to tell left from right and some rather obscure roads, we circled the area looking with dismay at some of the rather derelict farms on the surrounding hills before finally getting on the right road. Harry’s Farm was a neat and tidy farm with a lovely house sitting high on the hill. The house had been built for Harry’s son and when Harry retired and they moved into the farmhouse it became a very luxurious B&B. Our hosts had stocked the fridge and we spent a relaxed evening reading and occasionally looking up and contemplating the view.

The next morning we were awoken by the cluck of chickens and the sounds of a working farm. Our view up towards Cradle Mountain showed dense cumulonimbus over the mountain and the weather forecast was for 3 degrees, storms and hail so we decided to give Dove Lake a miss and concentrate on some more local attractions. We decided to go to the Villarett Gardens, the Sheffield Murals, the Alum Cliffs and, if time and not too exhausted, the Liffey Falls. Edgar walked the farm but I, contemplating the walking for the day ahead, had a more leisurely start.

Villarett Gardens is the result of the overwhelming passion of two dedicated gardeners. Beginning a garden on the side of a hill with just a few mature holly, beech and oak trees, they have, with skill and hard work, developed a 4 hectare garden of great beauty and well worth visiting. We started in the arboretum part of the garden. Here single specimen trees of conifers and other striking and unusual trees have been planted so that you can see the tree in its entirety rather than as part of a shrubbery. From there we moved on to the more formal part of the garden, where the use of hedges and innovative planting combined with numerous water features and striking sculptures make this a garden full of surprises.

Wisteria bridge

Villarett is a fully licensed café/restaurant with an extensive menu so is an ideal place for lunch before or after your garden wanderings. We decided to keep going as it was a bit too soon after breakfast and I had my eye on the Apple Café in Sheffield, which had some good reviews.

Sheffield is ‘The Town of Murals’ with murals painted on the side and front walls of most of the buildings throughout the town. It is an outdoor art gallery telling the history of the town through art.The first mural was painted by John Lendis in 1986 and was of Gustav Weindorfer,a passionate mountaineer, naturalist and conservationist and the man responsible for having Cradle Mountain/Dove Lake declared a National Park. The scene depicts a passage from his diary.

“When the ground is all covered in snow, I do build a big fire, open my door, seat myself very, very quietly in front of the blazing logs and presently they come in, one by one, the wild animals, without their usual fear of man or of one another, and share with me, in stillness, the grateful warmth”
Now, some 30 years later, many more visually appealing, emotional and curious stories embellish the walls of the town.
Sheffield Streetscape at the turn of the century
Smithy at work

In 1971 a group of students were lost during a sudden blizzard on Cradle Mountain. A helicopter was used for the first time when there was a break in the weather. One student died

The Post Office in 1930 now a mural on the wall of the Kentish museum which was the old post office


The Daffodil Show has been held in September every year since 1927, even during the war years. It followed the annual Cattle Show which is no more.

In 1926 Jesse and Nellie Slater’s old business friend, Mr Coles of Wilmot, came into their shop. He tried to persuade them to invest money in a new company, G J Coles Pty Ltd, which his sons were forming in Melbourne.
The new concept was of open display shopping, with nothing selling for more than two shillings and six pence. Mr and Mrs Slater couldn’t be persuaded to invest. The success of G J Coles Pty Ltd is legendary … Slater’s Country Store is still on the corner of Main and High Streets, Sheffield!

Two orphaned children, Dulcie and Laurie Mace, with the horse drawn spring dray sell vegetables to Mrs Slater. These children, then 10 and 12 had a hard life. Living with a step family, they needed to help provide by growing vegetables, then hawk the produce through Railton and Sheffield.
Laurie Mace grew up to be a respected and successful farmer in the district

In 1919 a severe electrical storm struck while men were working on the Cradle Mountain road. A bolt of lightning hit a nearby tree causing the horses to take fright and throw their riders, breaking the back of Ross Connell who died six weeks later in hospital.
The mural shows the mountains in the park, as well as the often extreme weather conditions.

Any vacancies?

We made our way to the Apple Café checking out the murals as we went, only to find that it was closed. We ended up in the rather noisy and crowded Bakery Café where we had a surprisingly good scallop pie whilst wishing we had dined in the comfortable surrounds of Villarett!

Non-deterred, we headed on to the Alum Cliffs. The Alum Cliffs lie within the Alum Cliffs State Reserve and form a part of the Gog Range. Known by its aboriginal name Tulampanga, it was a place of particular social and spiritual significance to Aborigines because of the ochre to be found in that area of the Gog Range. Many tribes travelled to Tulampanga to obtain this highly prized material and for them this was a sacred celebration place and significant as the meeting place of three Aboriginal nations.

It is a relatively short walk – about 60 minutes return. It takes you on an all-weather path through forest,along a high, tapering ridge, until you reach the breath-taking lookout platform perched high above the Mersey River as it flows along the valley through the Alum Cliffs Gorge As the walk features a number of steps, and was quite slippery in places, I was glad of my trekking sticks.

It was getting later in the day when we returned from our walk and, with visions of our comfortable retreat with its huge deep bath in mind, we decided to keep the Liffey Cliffs for another day and headed home via the Elizabeth Town Bakery for a crusty slow cooked beef pie.

Panshanger

Knowing we were planning to divert to the Elephant Pass Pancake Parlor for one of their famous pancakes we had a light breakfast and a short walk before setting out for Launceston.

We had called in at the pancake parlor when we travelled Tasmania in our campervan in 1989 and Ben and I had been back in 1997. It hadn’t changed at all – the pancakes were still delicious!We both had a Banaberry Pancake which was a light crepe crammed full of bananas, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Very healthy (except for the maple syrup) and very satisfying! The café is a lot of fun is decorated with elephants of every description including two wonderful elephant carved chairs.

The drive to Launceston was lovely. We followed the Esk River Valley for most of the way and then the main inland highway. A quick stop at Dan Murphy’s for some tonic and BCF for another bag (we had been acquiring a lot of extras) and then down to Clarendon, a National Trust home with a long and interesting history.Clarendon is set in 7 hectares of parklands on the banks of the South Esk River and is a magnificent three-story Georgian house with servants’ quarters, a heritage walled garden,

Walled garden
several farm buildings including a barn dating back to the Early-Colonial period and significant because of its unusual construction, known as pise-de-terre in the traditional French style. The avenue of 150 year old elms is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and has been unaffected by the Dutch Elm disease which has devastated the European tree.

Clarendon was built in 1838 as an extraordinary statement of achievement for wealthy woolgrower and merchant, James Cox. Although built with convict labor, Cox was known to treat his convicts well and later played a major role in the abolishment of convict labor and the end of transportation.

After the death of James Cox and his wife the property passed on to his grandson who obviously lacked the flair of his grandfather. The property fell into disrepair and it was only the dedication of a few local business people that saved it convincing the National Trust to intervene in 1962. It took 10 years to renovate and opened it’s doors to the general public in 1972. We were shown round by a dedicated band of volunteers and encouraged to sit on the seats, try the beds and who were disappointed that neither of us could play any of the pianos!

Sitting room wonderful cornices
Dining room with picture of James Cox on right
Looking back at the front door with a most unusual hall table

By this time it was late afternoon and time for us to arrive at Panshanger. We made a couple of attempts. The first time we had the destination as Panshanger B&B and the GPS took us to the back of the property and left us in the middle of a paddock. When we told George he laughed and said that this happened a lot!

Our second attempt was more successful and after circling the property we arrived at the front door and got a warm welcome from Maree. We settled down for a cup of tea and to await George, who despite his broken leg, was flying in from Melbourne in his plane.

Panshanger was built by Joseph Archer who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land in 1821 and built a ‘small but handsome cottage’ on Lake River in the Longford area. As his wealth grew, he expanded his land holdings and added to his house, creating a home that is known today as one of the finest colonial examples of Greek Revival architecture in Australia. The original cottage forms part of the enclosed courtyard.

After two generations of Archers the property was sold in 1908 to Thomas Mills, a gold miner and engineer in Charters Towers. It was purchased as a wedding gift for his son, Charles, when he married Maude White of ‘Bluff Downs’ (Edgar’s great aunt). The Mills family still runs the property with George and Maree at the helm.

George eventually arrived home and we settled in for a convivial evening with them and their son, Thomas, who is living at home whilst he builds a plane. His other son, Nick, helps his father run the property and daughter, Pip, is a vet and lives in Western Australia. Tom and Nick still remember the Bassingthwaighte boys visit in 1989!

The next day George had a date with his physiotherapist, so Maree took us on a tour of the grounds and gardens. The acres of parks and gardens feature stable yards, a water tower, horse-operated pump house, remains of a cider press and a gardener’s cottage so there was plenty to see.

The cider press
Water tower
The garden leads down to the river
Maree is an extremely good gardener and obviously loves the gardens – though her self confessed preference is for trees and the vegetable gardens, of which there are two. Despite this preference there are plenty of beds of roses, perennials and flowering shrubs. Two orchards keep the family (and the Church) supplied with fruit for eating and preserving. Hawthorn hedges, oaks, elms, laurels, lindens, maritime pines and sweeping lawns all create a magnificent setting for the house.

During our tour we visited Longdown, the former home of Ernest and Dinie Mills, which now forms part of Panshanger. It is currently being renovated in anticipation of George and Marie moving in when it is completed. Nick and his wife Stacey and family will then take over the homestead. Next to Longford are the ‘International’ and ‘Domestic’ terminals of Panshanger. The International Terminal houses George’s beloved Piper Comanche 400 and the Domestic Terminal houses the Rans V 7 that Tom is building.

That afternoon we went for a drive to visit the Fitzpatrick Inn where Edgar and his family stayed in 1956. It is one of the oldest hotels in Tasmania and used to be run by three formidable sisters. Edgar quite clearly remembers it from age 8. It is still running much as it did back then but now run by a very friendly lady who happily showed us around. That night George’s brother John and his sister, Diane, came to dinner, which we ate in the formal dining room in grand style.

The next day George and Edgar went out to look over the cattle and inspect George’s crops. George has always been an innovative farmer and his crops include, hemp for hemp oil and opium poppies for medical opium. We farewelled them both at around 10am and headed north for our Brunch booking at the Tasmanian Food and Wine Conservatory.

Up the East Coast

Catching a taxi to the airport we picked up our rental car, with the welcome news that we could take it to Bruny Island and so wouldn’t need to change cars and thus giving us extra time in the Huon Valley.

On to Frogmore Creek Vineyard and to the stand out meal of our trip. The presentation was so beautiful it almost seemed a shame to eat it – and for once the flavor and taste was as good as it looked. Torn between choices we finally settled on:

Diced sashimi of tuna, trout & scallops, pickled cucumber, flowers, herring roe, crostini, wasabi cream
Chargrilled scallops, spanner crab salad, avocado, asparagus, crispy serrano, 42° sparkling and vanilla cream

Roasted prawns, spicy Thai fish cakes, potato & lemon puree, crispy sourdough, cos, tom yum mayonnaise

Roasted mini porterhouse steak & dumpling, garlic aioli, twice cooked Nicolai potato, swede, herb butter

Richmond Farm vegetable garden, hummus, pickled & roasted beetroot, hazelnut & garlic soil, lemon snow

Crème brulee of lemon verbena, macadamia nuts, brioche crumble, bay leaf marshmallows, basil ice cream

A lactose free berry dessert created for Edgar by the chefs

All eaten in the beautiful surrounds of the vineyard with views over the lake. Feeling slightly overfull we sampled their range of wines and instantly joined their Wine Club. Their Riesling, Chardonnay, Sparkling Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were particularly good so, ensuring we were stocked up for the next stage of our journey, we set off for Coles Bay and our B&B “Dunwerkin”.

Coles Bay and Freycinet
”Dunwerkin” was just as described with a lovely view over the little bay and comfy chairs to relax in with comfy beds to sleep in. Slightly off putting were the number of dictatorial notes around the place. Maybe she has had some bad experiences!

View from the deck
Contemplating the view

We threw on a load of washing and set off for the walk to Wine Glass Lookout. The track leaves the car park and almost immediately begins the 250-metre climb to the saddle between Mount Amos and Mount Mayson where the lookout is located. The parks service has done a lot of work grading the track so that it is not as steep as it once was but it is still strenuous though there are resting spots on the way. As you climb higher views open up below of the water and the town of Coles Bay – a formal lookout has been built at the best location. When you finally reach the saddle, which is studded by huge eroded granite boulders, a sidetrack leads to the lookout with its iconic view. I had a couple of concerns having walked it before with our son Ben during our stay at Freycinet Lodge 20 years ago. That time we walked the Hazzard Beach/ Wine Glass Bay Circuit, which was 11Km of fairly rough going but I was a lot younger and fitter then. Now with a double knee replacement I was worried that I wouldn’t make it to the top and/or that I would be slow and, as it was already 5pm, would be descending in half-light. However all was well. We made it in sunlight, the view was fabulous and we made it down just as dusk was descending.

Having exercised off our lunch, we settled down for a well deserved Lark Whisky and Forty Spotted Gin followed by Bruny Island cheese, Tassal salmon, Wursthause ham, baby salted tomatoes all washed down by Frogmore Creek Wines.

The next day we had a leisurely start, caught up with our washing and headed out mid morning for the second of the walks we had decided to do. We bought some hiking sticks from the Park Visitors Centre (which were to hold us in good stead throughout the rest of our stay in Tasmania) and set out for the Cape Tourville walk. Cape Tourville has commanding views of the east coast of Freycinet, which made it the ideal spot to build a lighthouse and, more recently, a walking track. The latter is suitable for wheelchairs so we didn’t really need our sticks but they helped with the scramble to the lighthouse. The walk is only 500m but there is a lot to see and some of the views are breath taking.

Bird Island – a breeding island safe from foxes

A nostalgic visit to Freycinet Lodge for a very late pre-lunch drink in their lounge before we headed to Freycinet Marine Farm, who are oyster and mussel growers and have a farm gate cafe. There we sampled their oysters with salmon and Brie, oysters with soy and ginger, abalone and mussels with spicy tomato sauce. oysters with soy & ginger and the mussels were the winners with the others a little overcooked (actually a lot). Full of food once again we headed home to enjoy the ambience of our B&B and get ready to travel to the Bay of Fires.

The Bay of Fires
Sadly the next day was blustery and cold and our trip on the glass bottom boat had to be cancelled. I had particularly wanted to see the kelp forests and the sponge gardens – but that will have to wait for another time.

Instead we headed straight for St. Helen’s and the Bay of Fires – another place on my must see list. For years I had heard this stretch of coast being described as breathtaking, jaw dropping and a ‘slice of coastal heaven’. Lonely Planet named it as ‘the hottest destination on earth’, which is probably going a bit far. Nevertheless I was keen to visit it and walk along the white sand beaches beside the turquoise sea amongst the orange lichen covered boulders.

We arrived at St Helen’s just before lunch. We were staying at the Tidal Waters Resort, which I was a bit nervous about, as some of the reviews had not been good. However we could not have been welcomed more warmly and our room was well appointed and comfortable with a private balcony looking out on the garden. A short walk through town to do a little shopping and book ourselves into Mohr & Smith for dinner then back to the resort for a leisurely lunch on our balcony.

Most of what they say about the Bay of Fires is true. We drove up to the Gardens and then walked the beaches and climbed the rocks on the way back. The water is crystal clear and the sea an extraordinary turquoise. The colour of the lichen is so vividly orange that you could well be forgiven for thinking that is why the Bay was named rather than Furneaux’s sighting of native fires.
We took lots of photographs and as the light started to fade headed home for dinner. Mohr & Smith was just as the reviews had said. Service was slow but the food was great. We both had the fried fish, scallop and prawn jungle curry with coconut rice and green mango followed by their much lauded sticky date pudding and coffee.

Now that is a flowering gum

The Wooden Boat Show

Rather reluctantly we packed up to move from our spacious apartment to our room in the Grand Chancellor for the Boat Show (reluctance disappeared after we saw the spectacular view of the whole marina from our window). We seemed to have acquired a number of extra bags filled with Tasmanian food and wine, which we intended to partake of over the next week of our travels, so looked rather like a Gypsy caravan checking in.

Our room was not ready so we called in on our friends, Mike and Pam Tyquin to coordinate our movements. Mike was off to do the ‘Parade of Sail’ on his son Chris’s boat ‘Boxer’ so we went down to the boat show to have a look around with Pam and find some scallop pies for lunch. After wandering through the exhibits in the Marine Pavilion – most of which we would have liked but couldn’t afford – we split up with Ed going to look at the boats and Pam and I to look through the craft shops and galleries and to visit Happy Happy Hobart again – which to my relief was still not sold!

We found Ed chatting with Garth Fielding (who sold us Suzanne) on his boat, Barcarolle 11, which was moored beside Barcarolle, the first boat we looked at, now ($200,000 later) looking much smarter. To everyone’s amusement Pam and I were selected as fashionable representatives of the boating community and were interviewed and photographed by an unknown magazine.

Once again back in Mike and Pam’s suite we re-arranged the furniture, opened some beer and settled down to watch the boats sail in.

Watching the Parade in comfort
The Parade of Sail
Mike and Brian (Mike’s brother) had been instructed to bring some drink, sit in the back and not touch anything whilst they were on board, which they dutifully did – Mike expressing some relief as the operation of ‘Boxer’ under full sail is quite a complicated affair. ‘Boxer’ came in looking very stylish and did a sail past the crowd before anchoring in the Marina.
Boxer
One of the other boats of interest was the barque ‘James Craig’ . The 72-metre vessel is now based in Sydney but has Tasmanian history. The ship was left to rot in Recherche Bay in southern Tasmania until a salvage operation began in 1972 and saw the vessel relaunched in 1997.
James Craig
That night we went to the first of the three restaurants we visited over the next three days – Franklins, Me Wah and Templo. All very interesting and pleasant meals with Me Wah, with it’s dishes that were full of flavor and beautiful presented, as the stand out for food and service.
Me Wah
Over the next couple of days we visited the Salamanca markets, organised the transportation of Happy Happy Hobart (which was now ours!) and spent some hours looking at the wooden boats that were moored in the Marina – all obviously well cared for and appreciated by their owners and the attendees of the boat show.

Of particular interest was “Boxer” which Chris built underneath their house and is a replica of what is believed to be the first client commissioned design and build by the famous Brisbane based boat builder, Norman ‘Boxer’ Wright , circa 1906. Launched in 2002, Boxer was built of red cedar mahogany and teak over 8 years under the watchful eye of Bill Wright (Norman’s grandson).

‘Boxer’

Today she is used for picnics, camping and racing. Her interior includes a number of creature comforts and mod cons including a drop leaf mahogany dining table that seats six, ice boxes, toilet, double sink, lighting, stereo, a demountable galley, electronic navigation and bench sleeping for six. In racing configuration she can hoist over 1500 square feet of sail across a gaff mainsail, topsail, spinnaker, balloon jib, ringtail (extends off the end of the boom) and watersail (extends under the boom)

We spent some time on the Rous Explorer, which had come down from Southport – we were welcomed aboard by the owners, Peter and Fran Green and got some good tips on varnishing. We spent quite some time at the Muir Winch exhibit – which resulted in our decision to replace our winch and finally we restocked for our trip up the east coast the next day.

Food, Wine and Roses

The next day we rose at a leisurely time and strolled down to Salamanca Square to meet with Mary McNeill for our Gourmania Tour. The three & a half hour city tour’s key focus is Tasmanian produce: stunning cheeses, sensational cool-climate wines, fresh seafood, charcuterie, pastries and more. On the way Mary, a third generation Tasmanian, pointed out places of interest and gave us a run down on the restaurants and eateries in Hobart.

We started off at The Tassal Salmon Shop in Salamanca Square where we sampled gravlax, cold smoked and hot smoked salmon and checked out all the spices and rubs that went with salmon. From there it was on to the Wursthause Kitchen just around the corner where we tried the salamis, prosciuttos and hams. Berkshire Pig ham was outstanding. Our helpful guide went through all the different types and cuts of meat and then moved on to some of the cheeses that were hand made by various families around Tasmania. Before we left Hobart we returned to these two shops and stocked up for our forthcoming tour.

Tassal’s Salmon Shop with all the spices and rubs
Some of the delicious small goods at the Wursthause Kitchen
We walked up the hill through St David’s Park, a formal English style walled park that dates from the beginning of European settlement in 1804. It was the site of the first burial ground in Tasmania and many of its most prominent citizens were buried there. The site was selected because of its discreet distance from the camp, and its natural beauty. In the 1820s it was described as ‘a place of real beauty and rare seclusion’ crossed by two crystal streams with fine old blackwood trees dotted through the groves of wattle on the high ground.

As the town expanded, the land surrounding the burial ground was gradually developed and by the 1850s people were voicing concerns about the health risks associated with burying corpses in such a thickly populated neighbourhood. In 1919 it was handed over to the City Council to be used as a recreation ground. At least 900 people were once buried there and Mary recollected that her mother and many of the citizens of Hobart referred to it as Skeleton Park and refused to go there. A major feature of the park is the memorial wall, which is made up of many of the original headstones from the park’s previous life as the Hobart colony’s first cemetery. It contains the names and details of many “First Fleeters” and many of the early settlers of Hobart Town.

The Memorial Wall

Onwards to Jackman & McRoss where we tried Ashbolt Elderflower Sparkling wine and a delicious savoury tart. Jackman & McRoss is a bakery cafe with a bakery inside and a bakery out the back. If it comes from an oven, they probably make it! Cool Wines, an independent retailer which offers specialist advice and a wide range of quality wines and boutique beers from all corners of the globe, was our next stop. Tim Goddard was our host. Tim has over 25 years in the wine industry, is a qualified wine judge and a stalwart of the Tasmanian wine industry. He heads a select tasting panel that ensures every wine earns its place on the shelf. He showed us how to judge a wine, how to hold it, check for clarity and colour, fragrance and taste. We tried five cool climate wines – all were delicious.
Spice World in the Bank Arcade saw us buying Tasmanian Pepper Berry in various forms. A delightful shop with the aromas of spices from around the world. On to Pigeon Whole Bakers for sweet pastries and tarts and the purchase of stone ground bread and then to the Lark Distillery for whisky tasting. Not being a whisky drinker I was offered a gin tasting – their beautiful Forty Spotted with Capi tonic, a twist of orange peel and a pepper berry. More purchases and we were starting to need a shopping trolley!
My favourite trio
On the way we passed the new Myer renovation. Lack of money in Hobart meant that most renovations were either new facades added to old buildings or old facades retained and new buildings added to the back. The Myer renovation was the latter but due to the renovations piercing one of the rivulets that run under Hobart proved to be extremely expensive as it collapsed the construction and half an arcade of shops.
Our load wasn’t lightened when we reached Bruny Island Cheese shop in Salamanca Place. After trying the various honeys, cheeses and chocolates we added Prickle Box honey, Saint (a soft, white mould cheese with a lovely fudgey texture.) and O.D.O (a fresh cheese marinated in olive oil, it stands for One Day Old and that is exactly what it is. Great crumbled through hot pasta, melted on pizza or as an antipasto] to our load.
Bruny Island Cheese Shop
Fortunately Smolt Restaurant was not far away. Named after one of the stages that salmon grown through and next door to Tassal’s we adjourned there for real fruit icecream and sorbet before heading home to unload our purchases and have a brief rest before setting out for the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Arriving at the beautiful wrought iron gate entrance to the Gardens we headed straight down to the shop. Though the temperature was low, the day was sunny and the UVF was extreme. After purchasing a couple of very stylish hats we headed for the Mixed Border Garden via the Conservatory.
Inside of the Conservatory
One of the stunning Bromeliads
Though the plants were all cold climate there were plenty of ideas and plants we could use in our garden. The giant dill was particularly attractive and I had it ordered online before the next day!
Rose garden with giant dill in the background
Through the French Memorial Garden and on to the Japanese Garden we happily photographed our way taking in ideas, plants and just beautiful arrangements.
Japanese Gardens

No sign of Tino (Gardening Australia) in the Community Food Garden just more ideas and a lesson in planting fruit trees and vegetables. A quick trip to the Sub Antarctic Plant House
Sub-Antarctic House
and then a cup of tea and some refreshments before heading for the Lily Pond, the Fern House and the Tasmanian Section then on to the Oak Woods which featured a number of listed trees. Back along the path above the Lily Pond and through the Chinese Section we eventually made it back to the gates, hailed a taxi and headed home.
A carved wooden gardener near the entrance

All in all we had walked about 8 kilometers around the town and through the Gardens. Our purchased wines, whisky and delicacies were very welcome!

Postscript
Mary of Gourmania tours is closely involved in the Hobart food scene. Here are her three recommendations to dine:

Etties
A European inspired wine bar, bottle shop and restaurant in the beautiful surrounds of one of Hobart’s oldest buildings. Simple elegant dishes paired with old and new world wines from home and abroad

Etties – 100 Elizabeth Street

Fico
One of the new kids on the block of Hobart’s blossoming food scene. The owners and chefs are young but with lots of experience in high end restaurants in Australia and Italy. The food is a modern take on Italian inspired food.

Fico – 157 Macquarie Street

Dier Mahr
Melbourne chef Kobi Ruzicka’s part bistro, part bar is a all about simple fine dining using seasonal ingredients

Dier Maar – 123 Collins Street

Mona

Today was set aside for our trip to Mona, the Museum of Old and New Art. We travelled up and back on the ferry along the Derwent River and climbed the 99 steps at the end.

The Mona Ferry
With it’s sheep!
Fortified by coffee, drinks and canapés in the Posh Pit and relaxed by sitting in large leather armchairs overlooking the scenery along the river, we managed the steps with little difficulty.
And it’s only 9.45am
Mona with it’s 99 steps

Known as Australia’s Temple of Weird, Mona is a controversial museum funded by an eccentric millionaire.

Outside exhibit at Mona
The mirrored entrance

Many of the exhibits are indeed controversial. Deep down in the museum’s cavernous underbelly—inside that mirrored box building—sits Wim Delvoye’s cloaca machine, otherwise known as “the shit machine.” The Belgium artist’s vast array of whirring tubes and bags mimic the workings of the human digestive system. The apparatus is fed food and produces poo. Dedicated to sex and death the museum is also home to 151 porcelain vulvas sculpted from real women.

But this isn’t all there is to see at Mona. Clever technology, stunning artwork and photography makes up the largest proportion of Mona’s exhibits. Yes there is an emphasis on sex and death but also on life and loving.

Hated by some, loved by others, MONA has put Tasmania on the map, single-handedly bumping up international tourism. Last year more than 330,000 people visited the museum—more than 25 percent of all tourists in the state. Tourism Industry Council Tasmania has estimated that the museum adds more than $100 million annually to Tasmania’s economy, one that previously relied on faltering industries such as forestry.

We spent most of the day at Mona and returned mid afternoon to put our feet up before returning for the Golden Hour, a communal dining experience with a degustation menu designed by Mona’s Executive Chef, Vince Trim. Sharing a long table at The Wine Bar with some very amicable company we ate our way through oysters, gazpacho soup with scallops, slow cooked pork with accompaniments and some very good Tasmanian wines, before adjourning to watch the sunset at Amarna.

Armana is the work of celebrated Arizona-based artist James Turrell and is one of a series of more than 80 Skyspace installations he has built in high altitude and geographically isolated locations. Mona’s is the largest Skyspace to date and the southern-most installation.

During the day

It is a roofless skyspace that creates a spectacular colour show as the light changes from day to night. Up to 90 visitors can experience the coloured light cycle from heated concrete seats around the rooftop perimeter or you can view the luminous phenomena lying on a central bed of volcanic sand. Concerned that I may not be able to get up again with some semblance of grace, we chose the heated seats.


It was a truly memorable experience.

Adjourning back to the Wine Bar we finished off with a pannacotta, berries and desert wine before saying farewell to our newfound friends and returning home.

Tasmania – The Arrival

Four o’clock in the morning and already 27C and humid. Our 6.25am flight to Tasmania was too early to catch a ferry from Stradbroke Island so we had left our comfortable air-conditioned house and spent the night on the “Suzanne”. Despite opening every hatch, door and window there was scarcely a breath of wind in the Marina and the boat was like an oven.

We were heading for the Wooden Boat Show in Hobart and then spending the next two weeks travelling around Tasmania and catching up with relatives. Hopefully by the time we returned the heat would have abated and we would be back to pleasant weather. We had given the garden a final water and then left it to it’s fate (vowing that before we left again we would have put in that long talked about remote watering system).

Our plans had been made well in advance and we had booked all the ‘not to be missed’ items. We had discovered that we could valet park the car at the airport for three weeks for less than we would have paid in taxi fares so were off to a good start!

We arrived in Hobart to a very pleasant 17C. A little chilly for some but for us it was heaven after the past couple of weeks.

Border Protection – glad that’s not my bag!

We took a taxi from the airport to our B&B in Salamanca Mews where we were met by Kim, our host, and shown around the very spacious and comfortable apartment.
Opening on to St. David’s Park and a 100 metres from Salamanca Place

We had arrived too early to officially check in so dropped our bags and headed down to Salamanca Square to look at the galleries and check out the cafes and restaurants, sample the Tasmanian fare, beers, wines and ciders (a Seafood Risotto at Maldini’s Restaurant was particularly good) and fall in love with Esther Shohet’s painting “Happy, Happy Hobart” – which we subsequently bought!
A reminder of our trip in years to come

We collected some supplies from the Tasmanian Fresh shop and repaired to our apartment to unpack and settle in. A glass of Frogmore Creek Chardonnay and a mushroom omelet on the sunny balcony and it was time to crawl into our king size beds and sleep.
Just the place to dine

In Summary

ACCOMMODATION
Best Hotels
Harvey Point, Donegal, Ireland
Old Ground, Ennis, Ireland

Best Boutique Hotels
Zanzibar Hotel, Hastings, England
The White House Hotel, Charmouth
Aspley House Hotel, Bath, England

Best B&B’s
Mariagh Lodge, Ballymena, Ireland
Hartwood House, Taunton, England
Dower House, Lyme Regis, England

Highy Recommended
Ravenstone Manor, Lake Bassenwaighte, England
The White Heather, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Aln House, Alnwick, England

MEMORABLE FOOD EXPERIENCES
The White House Hotel, Charmouth, Devon – Brilliant Chef
River Cottage Canteen, Lyme Regis, Devon – Interesting menu
Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, County Cork – Lazy Sunday Buffet
Hole in the Wall Pub, York – Yorkshire Pudding
Oaks Hotel, Alnwick – Sausage & Lamb’s Liver Casserole/Slow cooked lamb shoulder
Nanny’s, Shieldag – Salmon Platter (caught locally and done in 4 ways)
Mariagh Lodge, Ballymena – Breakfast starting with Bellywarmer porridge, (excellent chef so night degustation menu should be wonderful)
The Point Bar, Magilligan Point, Northern Ireland – Seafood Chowder

MOST MEMORABLE DRIVES
The Lakes District
This can be done in a day but better to stay overnight so you aren’t rushed
Starting and ending at Bowness-on-Windermere / Ambleside / Keswick / Derwent Water / Seatoller / Buttermere / Keswick / Bassenthwaighte (don’t miss St Bega’s Church) / Troutbeck (visit Aira Force Waterfall)/ Kirkstone Pass / Bowness-on-Windermere (take a ferry to Near Sawrey and Beatrix Potter’s farm, Hilltop)

North Scotland
This was a fairly easy day and you can extend it by turning off at Tornapress and crossing the Applecross Pass to Applecross on the coast and back to Tornapress which is a round trip of about 35 miles. This is a high pass so check conditions before you go.
Starting at Inverness / Kessock Bridge / Contin (stop off at Rogie Falls) / Achnasheen / Kinlochewe (photo viewpoint 2-3 miles before village on right) / Torridon (has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Scotland)/ Shieldag (don’t forget to stop at Nanny’s for salmon platter) / Tornapress / Lochcarron / Kyle of Lochalsh / Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye to Loch Lomond Scenic Route
Rather a winding road but some spectacular scenery. It takes a good day.
Isle of Skye / Dornie (visit Eilean Donan Castle) / Shiel Bridge / Invergarry / Spean Bridge / Fort William / Glencoe / Crianlarich / Inverarnan / The Drover’s Inn (stop off at this historic inn for a meal) / Dumbarton

The Antrim Coast in North East Ireland
This is a long day – we set off at 9am and arrived in Derry at 9pm. We weren’t rushed but would have preferred more time at various places. If you want a leisurely trip suggest staying overnight somewhere on the way or starting very early.

Larne / Glenarm (visit the Walled Garden at Glenarm Castle and stop off at Garron Point / Cushendall (meeting point of three of the Glens of Antrim, Glenaan, Glenballyemon and Glencorp plus historic town so schedule a stop) / Torr Road (Have a good look at Google Maps in close up before you go and do not be deterred by GPS which will try to take you back on to the A2 – stay on Torr Road to Torr and all the way to Ballyvoy avoiding being diverted to Farrenmacallan Road. Stop off at Torr Head where on a sunny day you can see Scotland which is only 16 miles away) / Ballyvoy / Ballycastle / Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge / The Giant’s Causeway / Bushmills (stop off at the Old Bushmills Distillery and look out for Dunluce Castle just after leaving Bushmills) / Portrush / Magilligan Point (Point Break Bar & Restaurant for Seafood Chowder) / Ferry to Greencastle / Derry

The Ring of Kerry in South West Ireland
Can easily be done in a day but factor extra time for Muckross House. We went the afternoon before the drive
Killarney (plan a visit to Muckross House) / Killorglin / Glenbeigh / Rossbeigh (detour over the mountains for a fantastic view of the Dingle Peninsula)/ Kells / Caherciveen / Portmagee (take the Skellig Ring Road and visit Kerry Cliffs run by an enterprising farmer who offers fabulous views and a café for a small fee or you can cross the bridge to Valencia Island for the ‘Skellig Experience)/ Waterville (from Waterville to Caherdaniel are the most spectacular cliff views – be prepared to stop)/ Caherdaniel / Sneem / Kenmare / Moll’s Gap / Ladies View / Torc Waterfall / Killarney

Wales
This is a long two day trip which could be extended to three if you want to see Snowdonia. Alternately you could head west from Betwys-y-Coed to Snowdonia on secondary roads and linking up at Penrhyndeudraeth. This trip takes you through Gwydyr Forest and Brecon Beacons National Park as well as the Wye Valley.
Betws-y-Coed (this is the start of your journey through Gwydyr Forest Park) / Blaenau Ffestiniog (see the Ffestiniog Railway and the Llechwedd Slate Caverns)/ Penrhyndeudraeth / Barmouth / LLanidloes / Builth Wells (travelling mostly through the fabulous Brecon Beacons National Park) /
Abergavenny (short diversion to Blaenavon for the Big Pit National Coal Museum) / Monmouth (down through the picturesque Wye Valley)/ Chepstow

BEST GARDENS
Large
Bodnant Gardens,
Trebah Gardens
RHS Wisley
Hestercombe
Alnwick Gardens

Small
Hidcote
Abbey Gardens, Malmsworth
Kiftsgate
Hole Park

EXPERIENCES NOT TO BE MISSED
Canal boating with Black Prince in Scotland – the Falkirk Wheel
Canal boating in Wales with Black Prince – the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Special Group Tours – Chelsea Flower Show, Gardens of Kent and Cotswolds
Tracing the ancestors in County Clare
Cooking classes at River Cottage in Charmouth
Big Pit National Coal Museum – Blaenavon, Torfaen, South Wales
Thames Boat Trip on the Cockney Sparrow from Embankment to Hampton Court via Kew

The Cockney Sparrow and other adventures

On Wednesday morning we caught the underground down to the Thames Embankment for a cruise up the river to Hampton Court. We were a little early so after organising our tickets we strolled up to Westminster Bridge to see all the goings on. Today was the opening of the new Parliament with the Queen and all the trimmings so the crowds were flocking in and police were everywhere.

Build up to the opening of parliament
Build up to the opening of parliament
Lyndal went up to one group to see if she could get a photo with a London Bobby for the benefit of Ben. The Sergeant promptly dobbed in the most junior Constable who rather reluctantly posed for the photo. One could sympathise with them because there had been several security alarms lately and all the security apparatus was obviously on high alert.
Lyndal and Constable Testa
Lyndal and Constable Testa

After paying tribute to Queen Boadicea, whose statue is on the entrance to the bridge, we returned to the wharf.
Queen Boadicea and her daughters seeking revenge
Queen Boadicea and her daughters seeking revenge
We checked out the various large and comfortable looking modern ferries imagining ourselves cruising up the Thames reclining in an armchair with gin and tonic to hand.
Luxury river cruise?
Luxury river cruise?
One by one they sailed off in the wrong direction and we were rather reluctantly ushered towards a funny little tub down the end of the wharf, which was to be our vessel.
The Cockney Sparrow
The Cockney Sparrow
“Welcome aboard the Cockney Sparrer”, delivered in the appropriate accent, was the refrain of the cheerful young man who ushered us aboard. He proved to be deckhand, barman, spruiker and general factotum, and also obviously the son of the only other crewmember, the white haired skipper up in the little wheelhouse.
The Spruiker and the Skipper
The Spruiker and the Skipper
6. Cockney sparrow skipper
Well it proved to be the most pleasant way to cruise up the Thames. As all the crowds had swarmed to the opening of Parliament there were only about 20 people on board and we sat on the top deck on a bright sunny day, with only a slight chill in the air, and were entertained by the young first mate cum deckhand who proved to be the most competent and knowledgeable spruiker. He gave us a good commentary on the decorative and interesting bridges
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge with figure
Vauxhall Bridge with figure
8. River Vauxhall figure
Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge
Putney Bridge lights
Putney Bridge lights
Hammersmith Bridge with Digby Mansions in background
Hammersmith Bridge with Digby Mansions in background
Entrance to Hammersmith Bridge
Entrance to Hammersmith Bridge

and key buildings along the river. Later we just relaxed with a sandwich and a bottle of beer and watched the scenery go by.
Expensive apartment conversion near Lambert Bridge
Expensive apartment conversion near Lambert Bridge
Apartments at Imperial Wharf and Marina
Apartments at Imperial Wharf and Marina
All Saints Church in Bishop's Park
All Saints Church in Bishop’s Park
Griffin Brewery - one of the oldest breweries still in operation
Griffin Brewery – one of the oldest breweries still in operation
Syon House - one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland.  He also owns Alnwick Castle which we visited earlier in our trip
Syon House – one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland. He also owns Alnwick Castle which we visited earlier in our trip

We went through two locks, the first one at Richmond,
Richmond Lock and footbridge
Richmond Lock and footbridge
and the big one at Teddington, the end of tidal waters and entry point to the upper Thames.
Entering Teddington lock
Entering Teddington lock
21a Up the lock23 Teddington lock 3It was interesting to view the various residences along the river, many very posh and nice and some surprisingly modest, 17River mansion Isleworth21 River Mansion Twickenham 225 River Mansion Kingston
as well as some beautiful old boats.19 River traffic 224 River canal boat
Feeding the birds at Kingston
Feeding the birds at Kingston

So after this very pleasant three-hour cruise we disembarked at Hampton Court and went to view the Palace. It was all very grand, the original palace having been built as a personal residence by Cardinal Wolsey, the most powerful and influential man in the land under King Henry VIII. Thomas Wolsey, obviously a prodigy and enormously painstaking, hard working and ambitious, rose from relatively humble origins to Lord Chancellor to the King and his most trusted adviser and fixit man. His fall from grace was equally spectacular when he failed to secure from the Pope the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.
Ed standing in main gates with heraldic statues on the columns
Ed standing in main gates with heraldic statues on the columns
The Great Gatehouse or Wolsey's Gate
The Great Gatehouse or Wolsey’s Gate

Wolsey was stripped of all his positions and property and Henry happily appropriated Hampton Court, which he preferred to his own palace anyway. Henry greatly extended and rebuilt the Palace and the Northern half remains much as he left it although from time to time renovated and titivated by his successors up to the time of the Stuarts.
The Base Courtyard with the wine fountain - a later addition
The Base Courtyard with the wine fountain – a later addition
View from the Base Courtyard with Henry VIII's Great Hall on the left and Anne Boleyn Gate on right
View from the Base Courtyard with Henry VIII’s Great Hall on the left and Anne Boleyn Gate on right
The Puritan Republicans under Cromwell (a puritanical lot) did a bit of self righteous pillaging and desecrating till Cromwell himself put a stop to it having decided that, after all, it was a nice little weekender – for himself naturally. We viewed parts of the old Tudor Palace and the later part built by William as well as the gardens.
Ante room to the Great Hall
Ante room to the Great Hall
Henry VIII's Great Hall built in 1532.  The last and greatest medieval hall
Henry VIII’s Great Hall built in 1532. The last and greatest medieval hall
The Hammer beam ceiling
The Hammer beam ceiling
Henry VIII's kitchen serving 600 meals twice a day
Henry VIII’s kitchen serving 600 meals twice a day
34a Hamptn food
The Clock Court
The Clock Court
The Astronomical Clock. Installed in 1540  it displays hour, month, day of month, position of the sun, 12 signs of the zodiac, number of days elapsed since beginning of the year, phases of the moon, age of the moon in days, hour when the moon crosses the meridian and thus high water at London Bridge.  Most important as preferred method of transport at the time was barge
The Astronomical Clock. Installed in 1540 it displays hour, month, day of month, position of the sun, 12 signs of the zodiac, number of days elapsed since beginning of the year, phases of the moon, age of the moon in days, hour when the moon crosses the meridian and thus high water at London Bridge. Most important as preferred method of transport at the time was barge

The next great builders were William III and Mary after their military coup that displaced James II. They employed Christopher Wren to rebuild the Palace but balked at his wish to demolish the whole place and start again due to the cost so just the Southern half was rebuilt in the contemporary baroque style. About half way through they gave Wren the push and passed the job to his deputy, William Talman who had given a cheaper quote and finished the job under budget. Goodness we could do with someone like William the Dutchman in Canberra couldn’t we?
Staircase to King William III's State Rooms
Staircase to King William III’s State Rooms
Ceiling of staircase
Ceiling of staircase
Entrance to King's State Apartments
Entrance to King’s State Apartments
Weapons in the Guard Room
Weapons in the Guard Room
40 Weapons
Portrait of King William in King's Presence Chamber
Portrait of King William in King’s Presence Chamber
King's Presence Chamber
King’s Presence Chamber
King's Withdrawing Room
King’s Withdrawing Room
King's Great Bedchamber
King’s Great Bedchamber
The Royal Throne
The Royal Throne
King's Eating Room
King’s Eating Room
King's Private Drawing Room and Dining Room
King’s Private Drawing Room and Dining Room
45 Hampton King's private dining room
Painting of Queen Anne being crowned by the gods Britannia and Neptune on the ceiling of Queen's Drawing Room
Painting of Queen Anne being crowned by the gods Britannia and Neptune on the ceiling of Queen’s Drawing Room
The Communication Gallery linked the King and Queen's Apartments lined with nine portraits known as  'The Windsor Beauties'
The Communication Gallery linked the King and Queen’s Apartments lined with nine portraits known as ‘The Windsor Beauties’

William of Orange (in Holland) was James II son in law and his wife Mary was first in line of succession to the English throne until James finally produced a son. This heightened fears of a return to Catholic rule and William decided to make a bid for the throne of England; in this he was encouraged by powerful figures in England. In November 1689 he landed in England and just to be sure of his welcome he brought along 15,000 of his best friends, suitably armed. William and Mary were crowned as joint monarchs in January 1689; James having departed for France after many of his most powerful courtiers changed sides.
The Orangery leading to outside
The Orangery leading to outside
From William III's apartments we went down through the Fountain Courtyard to the gardens
From William III’s apartments we went down through the Fountain Courtyard to the gardens
The Privy Gardens seen from upstairs
The Privy Gardens seen from upstairs
The Tijou Gates at the river end of the Privy Gardens
The Tijou Gates at the river end of the Privy Gardens
Ed in the Privy Garden at the south front of Hampton Court Palace
Ed in the Privy Garden at the south front of Hampton Court Palace
First Pond Garden
First Pond Garden
First Pond Garden seen from the other end with William's Eating House at the end
First Pond Garden seen from the other end with William’s Eating House at the end
Second Pond Garden
Second Pond Garden
More than 230 years old and over 36 metres long, the Great Vine is the oldest and largest known vine in the world
More than 230 years old and over 36 metres long, the Great Vine is the oldest and largest known vine in the world

After George II Hampton Court fell out of use by British Monarchs and during Victoria’s reign it was restored and opened to the public.

We returned to London by train and got off at the West End where we were to attend, at St. Martin’s theatre, the 26,059th performance of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”, the world’s longest running play. First we hunted round for a reasonable meal which was much more difficult than we expected. Although there were myriad eateries of varied description, very few were particularly inviting and all were packed. Eventually we claimed a back room table in a pub cum restaurant and had a rather ordinary meal.

As you would expect in England, which seems to have an inexhaustible supply of character actors, the play was very well presented and acted and we enjoyed it very much. We are not allowed to tell you whodunit – that’s a secret. After the performance we were pretty well worn out so got a taxi home.
56 Mousetrap 257 Mousetrap
Thursday was our last day in London, with our flight departing in the evening, so we packed up and then went in to town to the Horse Guards Parade to watch the changing of the Guard. Very picturesque, and impressive when you consider that most of the young troopers had never set eyes on a horse, never mind ridden one, until they joined the Army.

The New Guard emerging from the Barracks
The New Guard emerging from the Barracks
New Guard on Parade
New Guard on Parade
The Old Guard returning
The Old Guard returning
The Hand over
The Hand over
Keeping on eye on the changeover
Keeping on eye on the changeover

After that we walked up through St James Park, past Buck Palace with more crowds and troops marching to and fro, on up to Hyde Park Corner and then to Harrods. Here we enjoyed lunch – very swanky – and did a little shopping. Bought a train for Mike and some scarves for each of our sons. I only checked the price tag on the first I picked up and bought four of our pick on that basis so got a bit of a surprise at the checkout! The boys did very nicely out of that!
Gurkha Band leaving the Palace
Gurkha Band leaving the Palace
Grenadier Guard band
Grenadier Guard band
Seeing the sights in style!
Seeing the sights in style!

Then it was time to go back to the flat and meet our hire car for Heathrow, followed by the usual mind and bum numbing flight back to our side of the planet. Ben met us at the airport and we went back to their place to see Claire and the girls and then made our way home. It was perfect day on Moreton Bay as we crossed on the ferry: “Hmmm….pretty nice here; why did we leave?”. But it was a fantastic trip; we enjoyed every bit of it.

Day 4 – Off to Oxford and Blenheim Castle

On Monday morning Lyndal opted for a leisurely start to the day and I took the underground and visited the Natural History Museum for a couple of hours. Like the Maritime Museum, this is a place that could occupy you for the whole day. Unfortunately a special exhibit on this public holiday meant a massive queue for the section which housed the Charles Darwin centre, but nevertheless I strolled through some fascinating halls of exhibits before returning to home base in time for us to catch the 1.00pm train up to Oxford.

Natural History exhibits
Natural History exhibits
natural history 1 On arrival we first went to pick up our hire car, at which point we had a most unfortunate attack of the miserlys: we declined to pay the 12 quid extra for a GPS reasoning it was only a small place – how hard could it be. Well, as we found to our cost how wrong you could be. Oxford would have to be the worst town in the UK to drive in – and that’s saying something. One ways, no ways, pedestrian only streets, restricted access – it had it all. So our progress (and regress) was marked by curses, mutterings, querulous questions and increasingly short answers.

Eventually, and just in time, we found our way to the River Thames for our date with the punt. We had hired punt plus driver, as we had heard that punting was not as simple as it looks, and expected some husky young undergraduate would be propelling the craft. We were a little surprised then when our punter turned out to be a slight and diminutive young schoolgirl. However she was a very competent young lady with the punt and took us on a peaceful hour-long tour up and down the river.

Collecting our canal boat
Collecting our canal boat
Our professional punter - note the smile on Edgar's face
Our professional punter – note the smile on Edgar’s face
And Lyndal was having a good time too!
And Lyndal was having a good time too!
It was a pleasant and mild late afternoon and there were lots of punts out on the water, many obviously in the hands of beginners. When we saw all the difficulties they were in we were very pleased to have a skilled punter. Many a muttered curse was heard out on the water including: “whose idea was this…”. One crew had given up altogether and were pulling themselves along the bank by clutching weeds and tree roots etc. After a while we left the crowds behind and cruised the quieter reaches – all in all a very pleasant hour.
Many punters out on the water
Many punters out on the water
Total chaos
Total chaos
Quiet stretches of the canal
Quiet stretches of the canal
We then found our way to the B&B (with only one wrong turn), a nice establishment in a semi rural setting. Dinner was at the “Royal Sun”, a 17th century inn just up the road. Their speciality was the “deep dish pie” which naturally we had to have, and rashly ordered entree as well having had no lunch. Result: thoroughly over indulged in food once again!
With a view of fields out the window - a lovely rural scene
With a view of fields out the window – a lovely rural scene
The Royal Sun - home of the deep dish pie!
The Royal Sun – home of the deep dish pie!
In the morning it was off to Blenheim Palace.
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, probably Britain’s greatest ever field commander, was voted the land and means to build the palace by a grateful Monarch and Parliament in 1705. It was a reward for his most famous victory at Blenheim, on the upper Danube, as commander of the Allied Army in the War of Spanish Succession.
One of the Blenheim tapestries depicting the battle
One of the Blenheim tapestries depicting the battle
Notes from the Duke of Marlborough on the great victory
Notes from the Duke of Marlborough on the great victory
Planned on a most stupendous scale, building commenced in 1705. Unfortunately the Churchills had failed to read the fine print and no definitive amount had been stipulated in the Act of Parliament. As the cost of the building mounted, funds were doled out in an increasingly niggardly fashion. Nothing erodes gratitude and friendship like money problems and in the end, in 1711, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough who had been close friend and confidant of Queen Anne for many years, had a spectacular falling out with the Queen. The Churchills thought it politic to remove themselves to Europe for a time and all work on the building halted until their return in 1714 after the Queen’s death. Sadly the Duke did not live to fully enjoy his reward; after a succession of strokes he died in 1722 with Blenheim Palace still incomplete.
John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough
Sarah Churhill Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churhill Duchess of Marlborough

The Duchess Sarah, reputedly temperamental, but also fiercely loyal to her husband and determined to see Blenheim Palace completed as his memorial, battled on and finally saw the building substantially complete by 1733, although some work was still going on in 1735. When she died in 1744 she and her husband were interred together in the Palace chapel.

Blenheim Chapel
Blenheim Chapel
In 1874 Winston Churchill, grandson of the 7th Duke, was born Blenheim Palace during a visit by his parents.

We had booked a tour of the private apartments, which turned out to be very informative as we were the only ones on the tour and had the undivided attention of our knowledgeable tour guide. As we toured the rooms we were given the low down on the past occupants – in particular Consuelo Vanderbilt.

A noted beauty of the day
A noted beauty of the day
Her marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough became an international emblem of the socially advantageous, but loveless, marriages common during the Gilded Age.

Determined to secure the highest-ranking mate possible for her only daughter, a union that would emphasize the preeminence of the Vanderbilt family in New York society, Alva Vanderbilt engineered a meeting between Consuelo and the financially embarrassed land-owning Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, chatelaine of Blenheim Palace.

Unfortunately Consuelo Vanderbilt had no interest in the duke, being secretly engaged to an American, Winthrop Rutherfurd. Her mother cajoled, wheedled, begged, and then, ultimately, ordered her daughter to marry Marlborough. When Consuelo – a docile teenager whose only notable characteristic at the time was abject obedience to her fearsome mother – made plans to elope, she was locked in her room and Alva threatened to have Rutherfurd murdered (when we were in Newport a couple of years ago we were shown through the Vanderbilt mansion and the room where she was incarcerated).

Her bedroom at "The Breakers" where she was incarcerated
Her bedroom at “The Breakers” where she was incarcerated
Still, she refused. It was only when Alva Vanderbilt claimed that her health was being seriously and irretrievably undermined by Consuelo’s stubbornness and appeared to be on death’s door that the malleable girl acquiesced. Alva made an astonishing recovery from her entirely phantom illness, and when the wedding took place, Consuelo stood at the altar reportedly weeping behind her veil. The duke, for his part, gave up the woman he reportedly loved back in England and collected US$2.5 million (approximately US$67.7 million in 2015 dollars) in railroad stock as a marriage settlement plus a settlement each year.
The unhappy couple and family
The unhappy couple and family

The silver epergne that Consuelo placed in the middle of the table to block out her despised husband
The silver epergne that Consuelo placed in the middle of the table to block out the sight of her despised husband
We then joined the main tour of all the public rooms of the palace before inspecting the gardens.
The Duke of Marlborough
Portraits of the family throughout – The 4th Duke of Marlborough
The library with a statue of Queen Anne
The library with a statue of Queen Anne
Library Ceiling
Library Ceiling
Family cradle
Family cradle
The dining room
The dining room
It is a most impressive castle and well worth a visit. We could have spent a full day there.
The gardens
The gardens
blenheim 1blenheim
We headed back to Oxford to hand in our car and join a walking tour of the Colleges.
Country cottage with roses round the door
Country cottage with roses round the door
Oxford canal
Oxford canal
Having allowed nearly two hours for the fifteen minute drive plus a relaxed lunch, we ran into a horrendous Oxford traffic snarl and only just made it to our tour in time to start. We met our guide Stuart from Oxford Walking Tours outside Trinity College and then strolled through Exeter,
Exeter quad
Exeter quad
Exeter Chapel
Exeter Chapel
Entrance to Exeter Chapel
Entrance to Exeter Chapel
Inside the Chapel
Inside the Chapel
Jesus (noting the portrait of T.E.Lawrence (of Arabia) in the dining hall, together with many former British PM’s)
Jesus main quad
Jesus main quad
Jesus second quad
Jesus second quad
Jesus hall
Jesus hall
Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia
then past the Divinity School and Bodelean Library,
Boolean Library and Divinity School
Boolean Library and Divinity School
The Radcliffe Camera - part of the Bodleian Library
The Radcliffe Camera – part of the Bodleian Library
Reading rooms inside the Radcliffe Camera
Reading rooms inside the Radcliffe Camera
through Hertford,
Hertford Quad
Hertford Quad
Bridge of Sighs joining two of Hertford College buildings
Bridge of Sighs joining two of Hertford College buildings
Balliol
Balliol College quad
Balliol College quad
Entrance to Balliol Hall
Entrance to Balliol Hall
Balliol Hall
Balliol Hall
Johns
Johns Quad
Johns Quad
Inside John's Chapel
Inside John’s Chapel
and back to Trinity, finishing our tour there.

After the tour it was back to the Railway Station for the train back to London and our home away from home.

London Week – Day 3

On Sunday we boarded the tour bus again at Marble Arch and did a more complete circuit of London.

Vertical Garden
Vertical Garden
Animals at War Memorial
Animals at War Memorial
Parliament Square
Parliament Square
Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster
Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster
Westminster Pier
Westminster Pier
Medieval looking central London rooftops of historic buildings near Whitehall
Medieval looking central London rooftops of historic buildings near Whitehall
We crisscrossed the Thames seeing the sights of London and passing many of the historic buildings.
Tower Bridge from London Bridge
Tower Bridge from London Bridge
The Shipwrights Arms
The Shipwrights Arms
Downtown London
Downtown London

The weather was less rainy and from our seats on the top of the bus we got a good view.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London
Hung Drawn and Quartered Pub
Hung Drawn and Quartered Pub
The old Billingsgate Fish markets
The old Billingsgate Fish markets
Reliefs carved on All Hallows Church
Reliefs carved on All Hallows Church
Heading for St Paul's Cathedral
Heading for St Paul’s Cathedral
St Pauls was closed to public tours due to Sunday services, and the Tower was reputed to take the best part of the day to tour so bypassed those
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral
Statue of Queen Anne outside St Paul's
Statue of Queen Anne outside St Paul’s
and got off near Whitehall to see the “Churchill War Rooms”, the bunker built under Whitehall which was the meeting place of the War Cabinet and the nerve centre of the British war effort in World War 2.
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Churchill's Statue
Churchill’s Statue

After that we walked on past the Horse Guards parade ground to Trafalgar Square again and then sought out a meal once again in Villiers Street, before catching the underground back to our home away from home.
The Citadel - a huge concrete bunker covered in ivy near Horseguard's Parade
The Citadel – a huge concrete bunker covered in ivy near Horseguard’s Parade
Admiralty Arch
Admiralty Arch
Villiers Street and the way home
Villiers Street and the way home

Tomorrow to Oxford…………..

London Week – Days 1 & 2

London: If it was not for Westminster Abbey, the Albert Memorial, Museum of Natural History, the Horse Guards, West End, etc, etc, etc,…. you might conclude that London was just another big city and a fairly grubby one at that. The most jarring first impression was the bin-less garbage disposal which meant sidewalks were lined with heaps of garbage bags. Boris really should do something about it.
However there would surely be only one or two other cities in the world (if any) that one could leave after a busy week feeling that much was left undone. Certainly none that I have been to before.

After the intense experience of Chelsea Flower Show we had a late start and then moved up to our flat in Bayswater, walking up through Hyde Park to meet the agent.

Albert Hall
Albert Hall
Gates to Hyde Park
Gates to Hyde Park
On the way we passed the Albert Memorial (stupendous)
Albert Memorial
Albert Memorial
Albert Memorial
Albert Memorial
Marble figures representing  Asia on one corner of the memorial
Marble figures representing Asia on one corner of the memorial
Looking back on the Albert Memorial with the Albert Hall behind
Looking back on the Albert Memorial with the Albert Hall behind
and the Princess Diana Memorial, a unique and interesting circular water feature.thumb_P1030488_1024
Princess Diana Fountain
Princess Diana Fountain
Signs everywhere encourage people (especially children) to paddle in the fountain
Signs everywhere encourage people (especially children) to paddle in the fountain
There are Diana memorials dotted all over the city – an indication of the enormous impact she had on people’s memories.
Rotten Row
Rotten Row
Walking the dogs
Walking the dogs

After our exploration of Hyde Park we met up with our agent and moved into 70 Inverness Terrace, Bayswater. Done up on the cheap, it was nevertheless spacious and very well situated.
Our apartment (complete with ubiquitous rubbish bags in front
Our apartment (complete with ubiquitous rubbish bags in front
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The next day, Friday, I took myself off to Greenwich while Lyndal had a bit of R&R at the flat after putting in a big week of walking round the gardens. First, the clipper ship Cutty Sark, now rebuilt after all decks and masts were burnt out in a tragic fire some years back. Luckily Cutty Sark was a late era composite design with timber hull and decks on steel frames so the framework survived as well as the hull, otherwise she would have been a total writeoff.
Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark
Rigging
Rigging

Cutty Sark and her rival clipper ships like Thermopylae were built for the premium tea trade where bonuses were paid for early delivery of the new crop. In fact winning the “tea race” attracted great prestige for a shipping line and almost became an end in itself. Unfortunately for Cutty Sark her launch coincided with the opening of the Suez Canal and steamers soon captured the tea trade, so after a few voyages to China Cutty Sark moved to the Australian wool trade where she recorded the fastest time ever for a sail powered merchant ship London to Sydney : 72 days.
Then up the hill to the Royal Observatory to stand on the “0” degree longitude, the reference line longitude for international time and navigation. thumb_P1020175_1024
Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
thumb_P1020172_1024After that signal experience, down the hill again to the Maritime Museum. You could spend the whole day in this building and I only had two hours sampling the various displays, models, and artwork.
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Models in Museum
Models in Museum

Then back home to the flat in time to join up with Lyndal and catch the underground to Victoria and the Victoria Palace theatre to see Elton John’s musical “Billy Elliott” – a great show with many fantastic dance scenes. Afterwards we hunted around for a decent meal without much success – eventually lobbing in to a Spanish style joint before heading home.
On Saturday we first went to Argyll Rd in Kensington to look at No 7 where Lyndal lived with her family in the late sixties. thumb_P1020195_1024thumb_P1020193_1024Then we got on the red tour bus
Harrods
Harrods
Speakers Corner
Speakers Corner
Marble Arch
Marble Arch
as far as Westminster Abbey via the new RAF Bomber Command Memorial at Hyde Park Corner.
Bomber Command Memorial
Bomber Command Memorial
A tour of the Abbey is a tour of 1,000 years of history via the many people: monarchs, famous scientists, statesmen, politicians and poets, and many others more or less obscure, who are interred and /or memorialised there. In all there are over 600 memorials and tablets in the Abbey, and over 3,000 people are buried there. It surpassed all my expectations.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
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Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

We then made our way to Embankment and Villiers St., looking for Gordon’s Wine Bar, an 1890 establishment which serves wine in the cellar, but found it packed – standing room only – so sought out another spot in the street lined with various eateries and bars where we could actually get a table and chair.
After a pleasant dinner accompanied by a couple of glasses of wine we visited Trafalgar Square, viewed Nelson’s column and contemplated immortality
Victorious football crowd at The Admiralty opposite Trafalgar Square - the rest were sitting on the lions!
Victorious football crowd at The Admiralty opposite Trafalgar Square – the rest were sitting on the lions!
Nelson's Column
Nelson’s Column
Bronze lions on each corner of Nelsons Column
Bronze lions on each corner of Nelsons Column
Bronze reliefs
Bronze reliefs
Nelson's death
Nelson’s death
Edgar contemplating immortality
Edgar contemplating immortality

Our objective for the evening was St Martin’s in the Fields, which once was indeed in the fields between London and Westminster. Rebuilt in 1722, it now stands next to Trafalgar Square. Here we listened the choral and orchestral performance of Mozart’s Requiem – quite a beautiful way to spend the evening.thumb_P1030562_1024
St Martins in the Field
St Martins in the Field
The beautiful ceiling
The beautiful ceiling
The Organ
The Organ
Sculpture outside the Church
Sculpture outside the Church
Coffee underneath the Church
Coffee underneath the Church

Tomorrow it’s back on the Big Red Bus to see more of London

Chelsea – Things that caught our eye

Some just caught our eye.……

Robert James Sculptures
Robert James Sculptures

Harrods Perfume Display
Harrods The Fragrance Garden

Some we need to win gold lotto.………
Amazing Driftwood Sculptures by James Doran Webbthumb_P1030219_1024thumb_P1030217_1024

David Harber Sculptures
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David
David

Woven metal horse sculpture by Ruper Tillthumb_P1030227_1024

‘Ephemera’ by Simon Gudgeon Sculpture by the Lakesthumb_P1030325_1024

Michael Speller Sculpturesthumb_P1030346_1024

The two way stream A glass sheet separates the water which runs down on the top layer and is pumped back on the bottom – awesome!thumb_P1030472_1024

The Royal Rocking Horse Companythumb_P1020134_1024 thumb_P1020133_1024

Giles Rayner Water Sculptureswhirlpool-copper-bowl-sculpture

Giles Rayner

Coral-water-sculpture-2002-original

Some are on our long term list (maybe)………

The Firepit Companythumb_P1030369_1024The Africa Ball.thumb_P1030370_1024

Enchanted Earth Wind Spinnersthumb_P1030224_1024 thumb_P1030225_1024

Willie Wildlife Birdbathsthumb_P1030233_1024

Gaze Burvill oak tree seatthumb_P1030282_1024

Green Meadow Furniturethumb_P1030376_1024

Waterfall wallthumb_P1020019_1024

and some we are either already implementing or have scheduled……..

Quist tree fountains
Quist tree fountains
Mirror sided planter in the pool
Mirror sided planter in the pool
Spillage from the outlet pipes
Spillage from the outlet pipes
Fairy Door
Fairy Door
Garden Pond
Garden Pond
The black stemmed agapanthus - coming next year
The black stemmed agapanthus – coming next year
Living walls
Living walls
Driftwood Chair
Driftwood Chair
Stick Hedge
Stick Hedge
Strawberry Planter
Strawberry Planter
Butterfly Mirror
Butterfly Mirror

and now all we need is a boat!!!

Chelsea – The Royal Pavilion

To describe the Royal Pavilion is impossible so I’ll let the photos do the talking. These are some of the 600+ photos we took that day!

Ornamental bananas
Ornamental bananas
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Alliums like you've never seen them before
Alliums like you’ve never seen them before
A carnivorous collection
A carnivorous collection
Tulipomania
The 8ft Tulipomania
The 8ft Tulipomania
Streptocarpus
Streptocarpus
Streptocarpus Polka Dot Purple - Best of Species
Streptocarpus Polka Dot Purple – Best of Species
Meconopsis punicea 'Sichuan Silk' Meconopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family.
Meconopsis punicea ‘Sichuan Silk’. Meconopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family.
Meconopsis Himalayan Blue Orchid
Meconopsis Himalayan Blue Orchid
A display of Heucheras
A display of Heucheras
Delphiniums and Begonias
Delphiniums and Begonias
Anthuriums and Ananas
Anthuriums and Ananas
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Orchids and Bromeliads well represented
Orchids and Bromeliads well represented
Alstroemerias
Alstroemerias
We can see this reed and protea garden at Straddie
We can see this reed and protea garden at Straddie
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Displays from the Caribbean
Displays from the Caribbean
A couple of badgers
A couple of badgers
Love this display of grasses - Straddie material
Love this display of grasses – Straddie material
Cactii
Cactii
Lupins
Lupins
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums
Hyacinths
Hyacinths
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Clematis
Clematis
Daffodils
Daffodils
And lets not forget the potatoes
And lets not forget the potatoes

There was plenty more ………..thumb_P1030393_1024thumb_P1030381_1024thumb_P1020128_1024thumb_P1020126_1024thumb_P1020122_1024

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And then there was the Floristy section…thumb_P1020093_1024

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Rain around lunchtime brought the crowds into the Pavilion so it was time to meet up with the others and seek out some lunch. Fanning out we managed to secure a table where we partook of lunch washed down by jugs of Pimms and followed by plates of strawberries.
PimmsRippleCreams.jpg
pimmms
Feeling a lot more mellow we went back into the Pavilion to finish the exhibits and then down to where the orchestras were playing to listen to some music. For the next couple of hours we wandered through the outside exhibits and then on to the trade exhibitions, ending up in the Artisan Gardens where the crowd was about 10 deep and increasing.
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At 3pm another wave of people came through the gates and the crowd was so thick that we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel.

To say that we enjoyed Chelsea is an understatement. There was so much to see and all very inspiring. We came away with so many ideas to try at home we will be going for the next 50 years!

Next blog shows some of those ideas – and some of the things that caught our eye!