Holiday photos on Flickr

This is going to be a little out of synch as we haven't finished the Taz blog, but Flickr links to holidays for both Taz:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36445314@N08/sets/72157622941696189/

and Sharon and the girls trip to Kangaroo Island:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36445314@N08/sets/72157623116635655/

Taz - last day of guided tour

Our last day of the guided tour was brilliant sunshine again. Somewhat annoying as today we were going for walks into some caves, while yesterday it was wet while trying to climb - aarggh.

The caverns where interesting enough and after these our personal guide returned us to civilisation or only just....

However we did manage to find a decent resteraunt in Launie for our last night so it was almost saved although it was a very scary place after midnight;boy racers, drunken yobs throwing beer cans, vomiting on street corners and not a policeman in sight... mmm. Maybe we are just getting old?

So in summary, Taz is a little Bogan, but the countryside is beautiful and there is loads to do - we barely scraped the surface in our 6 days, with other national parks, the 6 day Overland Trek, white water rafting on the Franklin river, and a shed load of nice towns in the South around Hobart to visit. .

Taz - the Guided Tour - day 2

The next day , having got the into the groove again for quality hill walking, we drove further into the hills and entered the hydro electric dam area, to climb Mt Murchison.

Mt Murchison I'm told is a dramatic peak, and the occasional break through the clouds enveloping its upper half suggested as much. Unfortunately the clouds wouldn't budge, and an hour into the climb it started raining. As we had to get through a rock band, Aron called the walk off deciding it would be too slippy.

We then dropped down into what I thought was some kind of illegal immigrant deportation centre. Turns out it was a "hydro" town, which was no excuse really. Aron at this point drove us to one of the dam edges and wandered off to catch lunch. Unluckily or luckily he was not successful and we enjoyed a more routine lunch of ham and cheese.Post lunch we went back to Cradle mountain and completed the lake walk in reasonable weather.

On the way home we stopped off at the alpine lodge where Aron generously allowed us a couple of drinks - a little unfair as there was no choice in him being nominated driver. Unfortunately this was two drinks too many for Sharon, exhibiting her ability to crash into a drunken stupor on a whiff of alchohol and then bounce back 2 hours later. How we laughed - actually Aron didn't, and spent the rest of the night looking a little perplexed/bemused.

Taz - Cradle Mountain

After our 2 days of Tasmanian "orientation" we

got picked up at the start of our 3 day guided tour in the Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park.

This trip went off to a good start as the guide turned up in a 20 seater mini bus, saying we were the only two on the tour. Our own chauffeur driven bus, and dedicated chef.

The trip started at a hectic pace with a 3 hour drive up to Cradle Mountain, initially through endless poppy fields (Taz is the worlds, or is it Southern Hemispheres, largest grower of medicinal opium). Personally I thought all opium was medicinal but this particular strain has been modified to remove the "recreational" component. The poppy fields turned into alpine meadows with quite impressive rocky peaks glowering in the distance.

Stopping off at the way in a country town we picked up supplies. Aron our guide seemed a bit taken aback when I interpreted this as the need for a large cardboard box full from the bottle shop.

We arrived at Cradle Mountain itself about 1pm, and as the weather was so good, decided to undertake the 6 hour round hike that very afternoon. It was a fair old trip, with the last hour involving a reasonable amount of scrambling. How the trainer clad, placcy bag carrying Japanese tourists manage it is beyond me, or come to think of it the 90 year old stooped pensioner we saw climbing down. The views from the top were well worth the walk, with views disappearing out into the mountains, in full sunshine and no heat haze.

That evening we arrived at our eco bunkroom cabin (i.e. composting toilets, solar heating and rainwater tanks), drank and ate, and found out that it's cold in the mountains at night, hazah for wood stoves!!

The Sauna

Shaz has escaped to Adelaide leaving me and a 6 pack to try and get the blog up to speed. I should really talk about the Taz holiday, but I have to get the weather out the way.

The last few days have seen a heatwave that has been as debilitating as the UK weather - although shorter lived.

The temperature in Melbourne yesterday peaked at 43, but made over 45 inland. It was surreal watching news articles with the rail company trying to avoid last years buckled rails by having someone walking along hosing the line down. Presumably Connex are exempt from the water restrictions the rest of us have. Didn't help them though as the heat caused such a sag in the power lines that one touched a train and shorted it out, blocking a large chunk of the grid.

I hvae to say I really don't understand all this: Melbourne Govt buy something, train track, power lines, big wheels - "You can have economy version rated to 30 degrees or for 10% more the rated to 50 degrees model". "I'll have economy", "you sure?", "oh yes, in June/July it averaged 15 degrees - why need more".

The overnight minimum extended the suffering with the equal highest ever overnight = 30.6 degrees.

There are times I like the UK winter, snuggled up under your doona, I mean quilt. But here its lying naked on top of the bed feeling sweaty rivulets falling onto the covers. Its not worth opening windows because you just let the heat in.

Still, typical Melbourne, 24 hours later and its lashing down and 20 degrees.

Tasmania 2009 - Part 1

One week beforeXmas, a time I would normally be spending planning the best time to pick up sprouts and avoid the long queues at Sainsbury's, instead finds me venturing on holiday( not again I hear you say and beginning to think a little that way myself) to Australia's third largest island Tasmania.

Leaving the kids behind in the capable hands of my parents who have been aching to fill them up with sweets, cans of fizzy cola, jelly and mash , Grant and me instead arrive for a six day romantic break . Yes I fell for that old chestnut again, as whilst I eagerly anticipated some gentle sightseeing, cozy meals for two, long chats without kids interrupting, he had been dreaming, again, on how far he could push his body. Unfortunately where his goes mine must follow but his body can travel a lot further than mine , which nowadays requires a wheelbarrow for anything further than half an hour or so in an upward direction.

Lunchtime the first day we touched down in glorious sunshine, an unexpected surprise as we had been warned to expect British weather, at Launceston's small airport . We immediately headed straight for the gorge which I had been told was Launie's best bit. Truly it was, and to find a pretty sizable gorge located in a town surprised both of us, as did the heat which had now built up to such a level we had to invest in some sunscreen and some Tasmanian Devil fridge magnets. The former was a necessity , the latter in my mind one also!

We then walked out the gorge: some three hours of exercise finishing with a great lunch overlooking the river. I could already see the writing on the wall with this break due to Grant's need to climb any steep section which offered even a glimmer of a view. Thoroughly worn out we booked into the Band B only to find out that G wanted to drive East to get an overview of this section of Taz and so we set off. The countryside was attractive although the towns a little sparse and small and normally being made up of 2 houses and a Milk Bar, serving very un-Melbourne coffee. Can't say Taz at this point was somewhere I would have liked to live.

Launie in the evening is also a little sad and the restaurant we ended up having a meal in was one we should have followed our instincts and run from when we initially entered, but being British were too embarrassed!

Day 2 and Grant and me drove down to Hobart which turned out to be a lot nicer than I had been told and a lot nicer than Launie. Wrong decision on base I think! We passed a middle of nowhere shop on the way giving a real insight into Taz, with a big sign advertising bread, milk, papers, guns and ammo! Afternoon we headed for Freycinet National Park, a stunning area. We were meant to do a twilight sea paddle along the coast (after G not being able to Kayak at the Whitsundays he was looking forward to this) but alas heavy wind meant the trip was called off. A thoroughly upset G was compensated by a climb through the Hazards to Wineglass Bay and a lovely eve meal ovelooking the sea. We'd seen a surprising amount of road kill whist travelling and began to understand why as the homeward drive in the dark back to B and B consisted of G swerving and braking all the way home as round every second bend was a smiling/waving Possum, transfixed in the middle of the road by the headlights. There were also a couple of wallabies but the one we hit was already dead, you'll be happy to know.

Heidi adventures- Oz style and Xmas celebs all rolled into one very long extended blog ....

Oh dear, all my good intentions of trying to keep up with the blog have gone to pot mostly due to the fact that my parents have been with us for the last 4 weeks. What has been happening?

Well we managed to finally find an excuse to head for the Victorian Alps although not for skiing but hill walking. This happened at the end of November just before my parents arrived and we camped next to Lake Catani with Bes and her family again.

We had planned to do the famous ridgeback walk at Mt Featherstone initially but after investigation decided it was too dangerous for the kids especially with our luck!

We did enjoy some lovely local walks at Mt. Buffalo and the ever energetic Bes also fished and cycled with the kids although not at the same time. The scenery was truly stunning and some of it was a little reminiscent of our Highland jaunts which made me feel a little homesick yet again!

My parents arrived at the beginning of Dec and since then it has felt like one long holiday with copious amounts of eating and drinking - alas i am half a stone heavier! The kids have also finished school for this year and now have been on summer hols for the last 2 weeks.

Christmas proved as surreal as I thought it would be with for the first time ever for me , a meal out. We ate in a great restaurant called the Lobster Cave and I enjoyed eating the biggest fish I have ever seen cooked!!

New Year's Eve was meant to be spent in its entirety on the beach with a picnic watching the fireworks over the CBD from a great vantage point. Unfortunately Cyclone Laurence had something to say about that and its effects were felt in Melbourne; its side winds caused an enormous electrical thunderstorm which outshone the human fireworks.

We lasted as long as we could on the beach watching the storm front approach, initially in 36 degrees , blazing sunshine and a hot wind and then by 8.45pm in heavy charged cloud and a cool but very blustery gale which preceded some awesome fork and sheet lightening. What does that say for the next decade? We ended up welcoming in the New Year at a lovely neighbour's house and then it was 2010.......

Saving our Taz hol details, Great ocean road etc for another time