Early early early wake up call to make the ferry on time (and yes, Grumps and Oma and Grandma - we did make it!) driving two hours from Ocean Grove into Melbourne pre-dawn...
...glimpsing the city through the barriers of the West Gate Bridge...
...before mistaking this cruise ship for the Spirit of Tasmania ferry...
...luckily we established ourselves in our cabin on the correct boat...
...before exploring the ferry and watching Melbourne
disappear from view...
disappear from view...
...as we passed through the heads into wild Bass Strait and
on our way to Tassie...
(On our trip we enjoyed the children's playground, our meal in the onboard buffet, an informative talk on Tassie Devils, face painting for the girls, and much looking out and over the edge to 'see where we were', as well as managing to fit in a nap or two - however the naughty naughty internet swallowed the pictures
illustrating these events!)
illustrating these events!)
...so finally arriving in Tassie...
...and alighting in the land of milk white steeds...
...and neatly painted steepled churches...
...our first night under Batman's Bridge next to the broad Tamar river...
...deep and wide enough for this - now that's what I call a river!...
...however the trucks rumbling over the bridge at night forced us to pack up and move on...
...after breakfast of course...
(this photo of the Tamar just for you, Grandpa - I know how
you appreciate the artistic angled photo!)
you appreciate the artistic angled photo!)
...so then to Beechford... a bogan's place to holiday (utes and motorbikes up and down the beach!). We briefly visited Georgetown but mostly rested at our free camp which was peaceful and beautiful in a sparse way (not sparsely beatiful - I cannot seem to find a way to describe it; see these pictures for a small feel of the serenity...
...where curating a library is as much 'school stuff'...
...as this...
...and this...
...the travelling Woodleys had their first
'cooked-over-a-real-fire' BBQ...
'cooked-over-a-real-fire' BBQ...
...do you remember your Dad doing this? - anyone born before 1984...
...our solitary outlook for the week as we were
the only ones to camp there...
the only ones to camp there...
...and imagine the stars in this sky at night!...
...where we also had our first Tasmanian campfire...
...with wild blackberries and cream for desert...
...lots of riding on the nearby tennis court...
...along with enjoying the freedom of playing in the great outdoors...
...as well as the (not-so-great - in size at least!) indoors...
...with walks beside the river to enjoy this...
...and there was even a Tassie Devil in our very annex...
P.S. Naughty internet gremlins who ate many of our ferry photos, specifically as I remember some illustrative ones of the girls' faces painted in amazing detail as Tasmanian birds... and some young (shall we say) gentlemen who preferred their faces to be patterned with their favourite beer labels!
