WOW!!!! Finally our first cold morning. We woke to frost on the ground and ice on the windscreen. –2ºc at 7:30am.
We proved our heater was working well, the temp inside the van at 7:30am was 10ºc. We let the motor warm up well and let the demister defrost the windscreen before heading off to Launceston via Westbury.
This is called the “Great Western Tiers touring route” The towns it passes through are historic towns and the whole route is very pretty. We reached Launceston and found our way to the information centre in the middle of town. We got information on exactly how to get to the Tamar Valley wine route and off we went. We decided that a Motorhome is NOT the best vehicle to be in to explore Launceston. The lanes in town were minimum width and there was, as in most cities, not a great abundance of parking for a longer vehicle. (The Motorhome is 6.2m long)
We set off for the Tamar Valley and stopped at Grindelwald. This a resort village built in the style of a Swiss village. Further along and we stopped at Seahorse World. Neither Mick or I had ever seen a seahorse, so to see thousands of seahorses in this aquaculture farm was very interesting. They are interesting little creatures.
After Seahorse World, we crossed the Batman Bridge and pulled up under the bridge at a good picnic/campground for lunch. Continuing along the Tamar Valley route we went to George Town which is an old historic town. Heading east from here we stopped at a couple of wineries and bought some local wines for happy hour.
We kept heading east and stopped at Scottsdale at the free caravan park that Bob Blakely had suggested. This was a very pretty park that the local Lions, Apex and Rotary Club are doing up to encourage travellers to stop in town. They are in the process of building a new amenities block that should be completed in Aug 2005.
Temps: Deloraine: -2ºc @7:30am
Scottsdale: 11ºc @ 4:30pm
Weather: Frosty in Deloraine in the morning but fine and clear. Travelling east we had foggy roads with a light cloud cover. The foggy air made the sunlight very glary.
Otherwise a fine day with just a slight nip in the air, not enough to make it cold enough to complain about.
Travel: Deloraine to Westbury – 16kms
Westbury to Launceston – 35kms
Launceston to Seahorse World (Beauty Point) – 47kms
Beauty Point to George Town – 45kms
George Town to Scottsdale – 52kms
