Penguin, Ulverstone and Burnie

The process of getting off the Spirit of Tasmania was also very smooth. Once on the road we headed for Penguin which is about 20 minutes from Devonport. The reason for going there was because there are three free camps there right on the beach. I also knew that the next couple of days would be warm weather so the aim was to enjoy some beach weather while we can, knowing that Tazzie is likely to be pretty cool to cold most of our trip.

There were a heap of vans and motorhomes at each of the free camps as it was the Australia Day long weekend and still school holidays. There were a lot of Tazzie locals there, some from only 8 km up the road at Burnie. By the next morning more than half of the campers left.

We had found a good spot anyway and when the sun came out it was awesome.

But whilst the weather in the morning was still very cloudy we took a drive to Ulverstone. There was a farmer’s market that morning and we needed some vegies as we could not bring any into Tazzie. Then took a walk out to the beach along the breakwater and got some more shopping done.

Some of the views on the way up to Ulverstone.

We left Ulverstone and drove up to Braddon’s Lookout on the Bass Highway. Read the historical info there about the beautiful Forth Valley.

Then picked up some beautiful cherries. You can’t buy cherries this good in the rest of Australia. The best ones get exported.

Linda had read on a brochure about the Leven Valley Winery about visiting the winery and using their grounds for a picnic. I knew the Leven Valley and Gunns Plains were a must see but had not intended on going there so soon. But the fact is that in a small state like Tazzie everything is so close. So we went to the Leven Valley through Gunns Plains and had a picnic at the wineries picnic area. Their chardonnay and pinot noir was beautiful so we had a glass of wine each and a nice lunch in beautiful surroundings.

On the way back to Penguin my wheels went off the edge of the road a short way and I apparently did some damage to my front nearside tyre. So when we got onto the Bass Highway it was evident there was a problem, pulled over and found we had a flat. It was a sweaty chore to change the tyre. A passing local stopped and gave me a hand. It was good he stopped as my jack couldn’t get the wheel high enough so used his to assist and got the job done. We were very thankful of his help. We are finding the Tasmanians to be lovely people. So by the time we got back to Penguin we, me in particular were ready for a swim in Bass Straight. It was good to cool off.

Walked back to camp for a coffee and then back for another swim. That was one heck of a full day and it was our first day on Tazzie soil. Eleven weeks of this? We are going to have to slow down.

Next day was Monday so the first order of business was to get the tyre fixed but I suspected it was stuffed, and it was. The tyre was a 285/70R17 and they are not that common in the area. It was at least $400 to replace but all I needed was a second hand one for a spare. The guys at Tyre Right at Burnie were very helpful but did not have a tyre for me at the right price. He had one for $200. To expensive so after a lot of ringing around found one nearby in Cooee, like a suburb of Burnie, for $100.

We slipped up there and got it sorted. One of the guys at Tyre Right indicated it was a ‘fair’ drive up to Cooee but it was only ten minutes. We are finding that Tasmanians have a funny view of distances in that they don’t like travelling to far and think 10km is a long drive. It must be something to do with their little state.

So while we were there we had a look around Burnie and got some shopping done. We went to a whisky distillery to try their Baileys equivalent. Not as good as Baileys we both thought. At the lookout near town we met a real estate agent who was born there. He gave us a little history talk and told us about the logs that are stockpiled in the dock area (in the following photos) were eucalypts and the piles of what looks like sand are woodchips, from which paper is made. Burnie is a big town that owes its development to the production of paper.

Back to camp. We knew the beach weather was over with a cool change overnight on the way so I hooked up, ready to leave the next day. The plan, by the way, is to arrive at Hobart on the 3^rd Feb to stay with friends, Darren & Maria and family, for four days before meeting up with sister Kay and bro-n-law Derek.

We really liked Penguin for the beaches and free camps with rural settings, but also for the cute little town with a great bakery and other nice shops.