Middle Man and I took a flight back home to Queensland for the weekend, leaving Big Boy and Crazy Cat with Hubby. Here’s what they got up to exploring Hobart and surrounding regions.
1 night – Lake Dulverton Free Camping – Oatlands, TAS
Lake Dulverton is an incredible birdlife ecosystem, located in the town of Oatlands, which is 84 kms north of Hobart. The waterway is absolutely teeming with Swans, including little cygnets, plus coots and other ducks. Check out this family of ducks crossing the road…
The location of the free camp could not have been more perfect. Situated in the stunning and historic town of Oatlands, directly beside a huge kids playground, attached to a Whisky Distillery.
It was so good that we did a little driveby there on our way back up north. After discovering that the little town has a top notch heated indoor pool, we’ll definitely be getting back there for another overnighter, and a warm swim in the height of winter!
Walking past the waterfalls area at Lake Dulverton, Big Boy spotted something in the shallow water.
“Dad, that looks like gold!”
They all agreed, it looked like gold, or at the very least, pyrite (fool’s gold). They were all ecstatic, anticipating how rich they would be. Hubby was convinced it was worth climbing down the bank and investigating. Disappointingly, it was not gold. It was also not pyrite. It was in fact… Styrofoam.
3 nights – HipCamp Coastal Escape – Clifton Beach, TAS
This was a brilliant location for seeing Hobart, while still being far enough away from the ‘big smoke’. What a beautiful site with a level pad, wooden deck, power and water. Moreso, the attached shed with fireplace felt like an absolute luxury, being able to sit around the fireplace on a cold night, without being exposed to the elements. Bliss!
The camp is separate from the main house, so felt secluded enough that we weren’t concerned about being too noisy and upsetting the owners. There were beautiful gardens and native trees all around, so lots of bird life, and even a little visit from this guy. The beach was only a short walk down the road from here.
The boys loved exploring Clifton Beach, and in doing so, they stumbled across a very famous local who’d parked himself at the Surf Club. He’s known as ‘Neil the Seal’ and he has an Instagram page of 157K followers who froth over his pesky antics! What an incredible surprise this was to see the local celebrity in the fat – I mean, flesh. Look at that smiley face!
Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens – Hobart, TAS
While waiting to pick up Mum and Middle Man from the Hobart Airport, the other 2 boys had a great time exploring the gardens. There was plenty of room to roam, including the Japanese Garden. I love how Botanical Gardens can transport you across the world with their different plant life.
This place had a ‘Subantarctic Plant House’ sitting at a cool 5 degrees to replicate the conditions of Macquarie Island. There was also a tropical house, the Conservatory, sitting at a toasty 30 degrees, feeling like being transported back to Queensland. At one point, Crazy Cat came up to Hubby saying,
“Hey Dad, I found that food that Chip and Dale eat”.
Hubby was like, “Cool story, bro” but then saw that Crazy Cat was in fact holding a mother fucking acorn. Clever little Crazy Cat!
1 night – Stamford Plaza – Sydney Airport, NSW
Ok, you’re probably confused and wondering, what the hell we were doing in Sydney? Well, Middle Man and I were returning to Hobart, via Sydney, on the last flight of the day, when the flight was cancelled. Thank goodness we were booked with QANTAS and got put up in accommodation overnight. We spent 3 hours awaiting details of what was going to happen next, which was fine, because I only had one child with me. If all the 3WRs were there, I would have lost my mind!
It was 11pm when we checked into the Stamford Hotel and Middle Man was absolutely pumped, having not stayed in such a fancy hotel before. He was blown away to discover that he had his own double bed, and also insisted on having a late night bubble bath before sleeping. We slept in until 9pm, had a buffet breakfast, and just enough time for a sneaky train ride into Circular Quay, before it was time to catch a taxi back to the hotel and head to the airport. It’s funny that I’d been saying how I hadn’t had much one-on-one time with my Middle Man for a while, and low and behold, look what happened!
2 nights – Longford Riverside Caravan Park – Longford, TAS
I don’t have too much positive to say about Longford Riverside Caravan Park. The site and location had potential to be amazing, right beside the river (as the name suggests), but was spoilt by the poor customer service. The owners were very strict on travelling at 5km/h within the park. Have you ever tried to drive at that speed? It’s nearly impossible. It’s basically rolling. The kids could get out and push the car faster than that! So, yeah, Hubby copped a bit of a mouthful for coasting along at 10km/h.
What was great about this park, was the location to the skatepark, which was set within the centre of a velodrome. Right next to it was one of those tiny traffic roads where kids learn to ride their bikes safely. The kids took it in turns pretending they were police officers chasing hoons around the roads and arresting them! Not sure where they learnt that from! There was also an epic playground within walking distance.
The boys were absolutely gutted to say goodbye to the skatepark. It was a ripper! We got up on the last morning there, because I’d promised them we would. Meanwhile, it was 4 degrees and thick fog. We rugged up – jackets, trackies, beanies, gloves – thinking that it would warm up. Unlike Queensland winters, Tasmania doesn’t just warm up throughout the day. In the hour we were at the skatepark, it actually got colder and foggier. Ridiculous!
We left Longford for Cradle Mountain, where we’ve been for the past week, and I’ve got to say… Wow! Really looking forward to sharing these adventures with you all.
So, tell me, what’s your favourite thing about winter?
We’re loving the dark, still mornings, and being able to sleep in until 8:30am.
Much Love,
MumOf3WRs