Tassie

The beautiful thing about Tasmania is that the lifestyle is easygoing and laid back. However, this is not such a good thing when one gets off of a flight late at night after working their rear off for the previous day and a half. The wait for our bag was painful! We got our rental car and went to the hotel. Fortunately, Mark had found a lovely place, the Hotel Collins. Unfortunately, the car that Hertz gave us was the stupidest thing since Sarah Palin. A word to the wise, don’t get a Nissan tiida. We thought that the gas wasn’t full, it was automatic, it rattled when we went down hills, etcetera. And when we went to fill it with gas we realized that it wasn’t the previous drivers who were cheep but that the gas gage didn’t actually go to full! Oh well. It did get us from point A to B. Before we retired for the evening we luckily found a restaurant that was still open and lo and behold it was Indian! We couldn’t have been happier!

The first morning we went to this fantastic café in Salamanca, the Machine, which is a launderette too. Wonderful coffee and delicious breakfasts! Much to my amazement they had gluten-free bread on their menu (a phenomenon which would continue to pop up all over the state)! That afternoon we drove up the Coal River Valley and tasted some lovely wines. We made it to Richmond and enjoyed some fresh air by the beautiful bridge, which I bet has a name but I don’t know it. That evening we drove up to the top of Mount Wellington, which is about 1250 km above sea level. Although this is not very high compared to the surroundings it is massive! You can see everything! The perfect way to spend the afternoon I reckon. Finally we found a nice place or dinner, cargo, and Mark found his new favourite wine, Kelvenon Pinot (I think that is right).

The next day, after another breakfast at the Machine, we drove up the East Coast to Swansea and had lunch at Trellis. Here too there were gluten-free options . . . and cake! Ridiculous! Then we had a drive past a nice property, found Nine Mile Beach, and went for a swim all by our selves! Fantastic!

On our last day we went to Cygnet, which is also beautiful (and has a completely gluten-free bakery). Lunch at Peppermint Bay was divine and the drive to our friend’s new property was breathtaking. Once we arrived we were fed fresh oysters that had just been taken out of the water, an experience I had never had, and enjoyed the excellent company of Rod and Jen.

Unfortunately, our stay was only a few short days but we loved every minute of it!