Use the Wordpress site

 I've decided only to update the Wordpress site, I'll update this when I get back.

www.andyhorne.online

www.andyhorne.com

Both go to the same place.

Day 1 - Melbourne to Bali

 

With perfect timing, song got Covid a week before we were due to fly. Luckily I avoided it, but every time I went out to a crowded place I wore a mask.

On the day of the flight I wore a mask from the train, on the bus, through the airport and on the plane. I didn’t want to catch it.

All packed thanks to Song, cat sitter given instructions, documents checked and printed, ready to go.

Got the train to the city, dark clouds gathering. Got on the Skybus, started to rain and thunder. Still, it’s a couple of hours to the flight so hopefully should clear; checked the radar and it looked as if the rain band was going to pass.

Song had packed the bags with precision, we were only allowed 7kg each and mine weighed 6.9 and Song’s was bang on 7, although we did have some things in our pockets.

Got through check in and security (I checked in online but they wouldn’t give us the boarding passes online for some reason), then through security and passport checks and got to the gate. Had a coffee, the storm was still going. After a while there was an alarm, then an announcement that it was for the ground staff to leave the tarmac, the airport was shut down due to the storm. After about 10 minutes the all-clear was given and they said there would be delays of around 30 minutes. Not too bad and nothing we could do about it. Went to the toilet and found a driver’s licence and boarding pass someone had left – he’s not had a good start to his holiday. I did the decent thing and flushed it down the toilet. Not really, I handed it in.

Sat at the gate for a while, then they announced that due to the storm the flight would be delayed by about 2 hours, so decided to get something to eat – picked a Vietnamese place, I had a beef salad and Song had Pho.
Went back to the gate only to see it was now a flight to New Zealand, turned out they’d swapped gates while we weren’t looking. Finally boarded at about 7:45, nearly 2 hours later than expected.
We’d paid extra for an exit row seat for the extra leg room, which was a good idea because these budget airlines like to pack people in.
The flight eventually left 2 and a half hours late due to the weather, we had to queue up behind all the other delayed flights, but can’t blame Jetstar for that.
Sitting in the exit row seat I noticed there weren’t any screens, then realised none of the seats had them. Luckily I’d loaded up some tv shows onto the laptop and an ssd drive so was set.
Watched a documentary about y2k, then one about UK comedies in the 70s, then the movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang while Song slept most of the flight. The flight was 5 hours and 45 minutes but seemed longer.
Luckily our seats were row 1 so expected we’d be first off, and with just hand luggage hopefully through immigration and customs quickly.
I’d arranged for the hotel to pick us up so that saved us the worry of getting a taxi, and I’d let them know that we had been delayed.

First off the plane, a first for me, we were hit with the humidity as soon as we got off. Joined the queue for the immigration and waited. And waited. And waited. It was so slow, it took us an hour to get through. As we walked away I noticed Song didn’t have her passport, it turned out the guy forgot to give it back, and Song thought I had them both. Went back to the kiosk and got it back, disaster averted.

Another queue for the customs, but that was quick. As we walked out we were accosted by money changers (which we used) and loads of people offering SIM cards (I’d bought a Telstra pre paid before we left), then out to be greeted by about a thousand guys with name signs waiting to pick people up. I scanned them for us, but couldn’t see our names so went back again, still no luck so called them, and we were found. It was very humid and about 26C, and this was at 12:30 in the morning. Checked in OK, got to the room and checked for bed bugs (you never know), plugged in all the gear to charge and eventually went to bed at around 01:00 which was about 04:00 Australian time; Song had slept on the plane but I hadn’t, but I still didn’t sleep well and woke up at around 06:00 local time.

We’re finally on holiday.

We're going on holiday!!!

Yes. Finally. After 4 and a half years we’re going on an overseas holiday. Leaving in a few days, we’re going on a cruise to Bali, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, then getting on a plane and spending a few days in Vietnam.

So, watch this space for the further hilarious adventures of Andy and Song.

Day 5 - on our way home

I was ill during the night; seems I can’t go on holiday without getting sick. Had a headache, sore throat and blocked nose plus a mild fever. Didn’t feel like Covid, not a dry sore throat and no cough.

I went out to get a coffee and some paracetamol, then went back to the hotel and made the most of the 11:00 checkout and left the hotel at 10:55, dropping the bags and went to get something to eat. 

Song wanted Pho but I fancied eggs Benedict so we split up and went to different places. Decided to head to the airport early since it was too hot to do anything and we’d only end up sitting in the hotel lobby or in the shopping centre, so better to be at the airport.

So that was our short trip to Cairns. I was impressed with Cairns - I’d expected it to be a bit tacky with loads of drunk 20 somethings roaming around, but it wasn’t like that. There were lots of decent up market places to eat, and also burger places and pubs. Maybe we were already back in the hotel when the unruly crowds were out and about, but we didn’t hear anything either.

I don’t think we’ll be back - I’ve been 4 times and Song can’t go out to the reef, so nothing else to do here. It was nice to get away from the Melbourne weather for a few days.

Day 4 - Karunda scenic railway and rainforest

Woke up at 0800, slept like a log. Out at 0945 to get to the train station, stopping for a coffee and a terrible croissant from Muffin Break.

Got to the station, a big queue because for some reason they don’t allow payment online in advance although you can book. We had paid for Gold Class on the way up which meant comfy seats and a small plate of food. We were coming back Heritage class because the later train didn’t have Gold. Heritage class was wooden bench seats so Song decided to buy a cushion for the way back because the trip was 2 hours. 

The train was due to leave at 0930 but there were late comers as usual and they were subjected to the Andy Horne stare of disapproval. Eventually left at 0940.

Weather was fantastic, blue skies and about 25C although a bit humid. The train didn’t have air conditioning (might have spoilt the historical aspect) but there was a refreshing breeze with the windows open. Song said the train must be over 100 years old - now that I’ve hit 60 that’s not particularly impressive. Stopped to pick up more people and the food staff and the carriage filled up.

Lots of views over the canyon and across valleys, past a couple of waterfalls including one where we stopped for 10 minutes to take photos. This was the third time I’ve been on this train; once with a mate when I first came to Australia in 1993, once in 2012 when I came to see a total eclipse and now. I’d also done the cable car three times, and this was my 4th time in Karunda. Unless I get married again it will probably be my last.

Decided it was a bit early for a beer so opted for a soft drink to go with the savoury muffin, Anzac biscuit and some other nibble.

Got off the train and wandered into the village, it was very busy. Lots of tourists and souvenir shops, cafes and art galleries. Found a cafe but were told it was a 40 minute wait for food so went to a German sausage place and had one each. We had to wait a while and were subjected to a speaker blasting out 80s disco tunes - actually German 80s disco tunes which was worse. Food was ok, we didn’t feel like much. Wandered along and grabbed a coffee then walked to pick up the bus to take us to the rainforest tour.

The tour was in an ex army amphibious truck from 1944 which was the slowest vehicle I’ve ever been in, but the idea wasn’t to speed through. The tour guide was the typical lame joke cracking one (life jackets are $5 today ha ha) but it’s what you expect. The tour was good, saw some dangerous plants, a bird, a couple of lizards and a turtle. It sounds dull but was good, relaxing and the weather great. There was an American teenager sat next to me who spent most of the tour on her phone looking at instagram. Luckily Song wasn’t sick as the truck entered the lake. Got on the bus back to the station and then on the train back to the hotel. Decided to upgrade to Gold Class on the way back as well because the other seats were too hard and the carriages very busy. It also meant I could have a beer after all my hard work. In fact, I had two and we were served a cheese platter and a dip plus mango sorbet.

Crashed at the hotel for about 30 minutes before heading out for dinner at a seafood restaurant (for a change) just a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Feeling a bit full from the train food, I decided to just have an entree of clam and bacon chowder and share the seafood plate with Song, and also skip the beer.

Day 3 - Reef trip

Woke up at 0700, bit tired, got ready and left for the boat, stopping for a coffee on the way. Got on board with plenty of time to spare, got a good seat by the window and scowled at the people who were late.

The weather was decent, warm but a bit cloudy, hopefully it would be nice out on the reef.

The boat took about an hour and a half to get to the reef spot, a pontoon moored on the reef where they had an area sectioned off for snorkeling, a glass bottomed boat and a semi-submersible that hopefully wouldn't implode. The water was a bit choppy to start, then we cleared the land that was acting as a shelter and it got very choppy.

They brought out some pastries but Song was starting to feel a bit unwell so I had mine and hers, and went up for a third when they left the tray on the counter.

For most of the trip Song was very ill, as was about half the boat. The crew were obviously used to this because as soon as the boat started pitching about they were all standing ready with sick bags and tissues (and cups of ice which supposedly helped), rushing to hand them out and collecting the full ones. I bet they didn't think this was part of a marine biologist's or tour guide's job. I have to say they were fantastic - a lot of people were throwing up and they were very attentive and efficient. 

Luckily I was fine - I don't suffer from travel sickness and can't remember ever being sick on a boat or plane. I felt very sorry for Song, she was really bad. I thought that we also had the same trip back but thought it best not to bring it up (so to speak). Luckily Song hadn't eaten anything so there wasn't anything for her to recycle, but others on the boat for some reason thought it would be a good idea to have the big breakfast that morning.

The crew were kept busy running back and forth carrying empty bags to the passengers and taking full ones outside somewhere (I didn't want to know).

We eventually arrived at the pontoon which was about the size of the boat and a half with a kitchen, changing rooms, showers and a platform to enter the water. 

I was given a very unflattering wet suit which was too small so I asked the girl if she had it in fat size and was given one that was slightly bigger that I managed to squeeze into. Looking around, there were people of all shapes and sizes so I didn't feel too bad. Song had found a spot outside on the pontoon which was very windy but she said it was the best place she could find where she didn't feel sick. I was very disappointed for her, she was really having a bad day. We've been on boats quite a few times and although she hasn't felt the best, it had never been this bad; last year we took a ferry to Rottnest Island in WA and also a speedboat trip to Bruny Island in Tasmania and she wasn't great, but wasn't sick.

I grabbed a mask, snorkel and fins and shuffled into the water - pleasantly surprised at how warm it was. There was a bit of a chill when first getting in, but after a few seconds it was fine. The wet suit was bouyant, and the swell was a bit choppy and it was easy just to float on the surface and let the wind and waves do all the work. 

There was plenty to see, although the coral wasn't too brightly coloured, there were bits that were orange and bright blue, but for the most part it was a brown and green colour. The fish were a different matter - brightly coloured parrot fish, some yellow fish, green ones and a couple of tiny bright blue ones. Obviously I didn't know any of the names except the parrot fish which were easy to identify.

Drifted around for a while, loads of people in the water and got kicked occasionally by some idiot who had no idea what they were doing, acting as if they were the only people out there.

Went back to the boat after a while and the glass-bottomed boat was leaving so I hopped on that - the water was very choppy so Song couldn't do that either. It was a bit boring, designed for non-swimmers; it went out and about and you could see the coral and some fish, but it was better snorkeling. The weather was too bad for the submersible but Song wouldn't have been able to go on that either.

Got back to the boat and lunch was being served, Song couldn't face it but I had a plateful - potato salad, coleslaw, ham and pasta. They had other stuff, not a bad selection.

I sat with Song for a while, she was still bad, then went into the water again. Saw a giant clam, more coral and fish, including some big ones, and then they started to throw feed off the boat so went and watched that from in the water, loads of large fish eating what was being thrown. 

I was in and out a few times, then spotted the Underwater Observatory so thought that's something Song might be able to do - it was pretty stable and had windows onto the reef. Luckily she was OK there so at least managed to see some fish and the coral. While she was there I went back into the water and swam around and she managed to take pictures of me, and I could see her through the window. I dived down a couple of times so she could get pictures, and a woman next to her was waving to me and telling me to dive down again - I felt like a performing seal.

I got out and went to see Song, and the woman apparently thought I was her husband.

Went in again and didn't see anything new so got out for the last time and took off the wet suit with the help of Song. Got dry and sat down, then we were heading back. This time Song had taken a couple of anti-seasick pills the boat had (basically just ginger) and said she didn't feel as bad. She even managed to eat some cheese and crackers that were handed out. The crew gave a couple of presentations; one was a didgeridoo demonstration and another was about the Crown of Thorns starfish, which was interesting.

Arrived back at port, Song managed to keep everything down but couldn't face going back to the restaurant from last night that we'd booked so I cancelled it. I felt really bad that Song felt so ill and didn't get to see much, but we didn't realise she would have such a bad reaction. No cruises for us, we'll have to stick to flights.

Got back to the hotel, had a shower and checked on the cat, then Song was feeling up to eating so just went to a Vietnamese place round the corner. Had to queue for a few minutes, we shared some spring rolls and rice paper rolls, I had vermicelli with beef and Song had Pho. It was OK, not great. Went for a quick walk, I thought about an ice cream but was full so we just went back to the hotel and watched some TV. 

Need to be up at 07:45 tomorrow to get the train up to the rain forest. Hopefully we won't need the sick bags on the train.

Day 2 - Pottering around Cairns

Woke up around 09:00, got ready and went out at about 10:30, into warmth and sunshine. 

Because we came from cold, grey, rainy days the impact of the nice weather was heightened - no gradual change which meant it felt so comfortable and pleasant to be in the warm and sun outside.

Walked around to get a coffee, not many people about, and stumbled across the man made lagoon on the sea front where there were some people swimming and generally lazing around.

Picked up a coffee, most of the cafes were busy with people having brunch and coffee, and then walked through the town to the main shopping centre to get some lunch, fancied some sushi.

It was quite hot in the sun, so kept to the shade.

Grabbed some sushi, then went to check out the train station because we need to be there on Wednesday for our rain forest trip. It's only about 10 minutes from the hotel, Song has booked us into a place that is in the centre of everything. Did a bit of shopping in Woolworths, just fruit and water for the reef trip tomorrow.

Walked back to the hotel, I was hoping to find an ice cream place but we didn't pass any so just went back to the room to chill, literally, putting on the AC.

I watched the rest of World War Z, had a cup of tea, really relaxing to just sit in the room because we're going to be going to the reef tomorrow, rain forest Wednesday then back home Thursday afternoon.

Song checked out a couple of seafood restaurants and we decided to book because there are a lot of people here and it's probably risky to just turn up at these places. There are plenty of restaurants but only 3 or 4 that are decent seafood places so they'd get full quickly.

I decided to head out to get another coffee and would probably accidentally find an ice cream place.

Most of the coffee places were shut, but luckily found an ice cream shop so sat down and had one.

Walked along the seafront and the tide had gone out, for miles. It was mud flats so there wasn't anyone on it. The lagoon had a lot more people around it now.

Wandered along to a different Woolworths to get some milk for the coffee machine and then headed back to the hotel.

Watched some tv then went out for an early dinner because everything after 17:15 was booked. The restaurant was only 5 minutes away and we also found the place we need to be to get the boat to the reef tomorrow.

I ordered the Barramundi and Song had the seafood tower, a selection of stuff. I also had a beer.

The barramundi was on a roast sweet potato and had a little garnish but wasn’t much and wasn’t very hot. Luckily Song’s tower had too much for one person so I helped with the calamari and chips.

Song said hers was very good. A woman sitting behind us was dining alone and ordered Yabbies, ate them all and then complained to the waitress that they weren’t very nice so didn’t want to pay. The manager came over and said nope, so the woman said she’d give a bad review. Based on the fact that the place was packed I don’t think they were too worried. I’m of the opinion that if you’re not happy with your food you can usually tell after a couple of mouthfuls and are within your right to send it back, but to eat most of it and then complain is just trying it on.

I was going to order a dessert but was too full, but Song was so impressed we booked it again for tomorrow.

Walked back to the hotel, the area was buzzing with loads of restaurants and bars all busy. 

I think Cairns has got the tourism thing well-balanced. There are nice restaurants for the up market crowd, but also plenty of bars and pubs for the youngsters to enjoy. It was a really pleasant vibe.

Got back to the hotel and checked on the cat, watched some TV then to bed - got to be up early for the reef trip tomorrow.

Day 1 - Off to Sunny Cairns

We’re heading off to Queensland for a short trip to visit the reef and the rain forest and to get away from the Melbourne winter.

Flight is at 14:55 so don’t have to get up early, but we still left a bit later than I planned. 

Still made it to the airport with plenty of time, through security and grabbed a coffee before heading to the gate which was the furthest from the main bit so hoped they wouldn’t change it at the last minute.

When we tried to go to Western Australia during the pandemic they weighed our bags and because we were overweight had to pay $60. We were on the plane when I got a news alert that WA were closing the borders and we’d be turned away when we got there so decided to get off the plane. And we never got our $60 back.

This time the queue was long so they didn’t bother to weigh our bags but I think we were under weight having learnt our lesson.

Got on the plane only to find that the seats I’d paid extra for were not the ones we were allocated – I’d deliberately booked 2 aisle seats but they changed the plane to a smaller one and now we had 2 together and I was sat in the middle; something I wanted to avoid. I hate Jetstar. We were also right at the back next to the toilets so had the pleasure of lots of people walking past with their kids and the sound of flushing every 5 minutes.

The plane filled up and there were loads of toddlers, which was annoying because it wasn’t long before they all started crying.

We were about at takeoff time when the pilot came on and said there was a technical problem and the engineer had to have a look. Oh, and it was change over time so there would be a delay. Oh, and then they would have to do paperwork so that would take a while. I hate Jetstar.

Left about 45 minutes later, I watched a movie (Wanted) and started another (World War Z) and then we were on our way down to land.

We were right at the back so were ready to make a quick getaway out of the rear door where we got on, then the announcement came that only the front door would be used, so we ended up being the second last off. I really hate Jetstar.

The warm air hit us as we exited the plane, the ground was wet but wasn’t raining at the moment. Since we always only travel with hand luggage we skipped the baggage collection and went straight to the taxi queue which was about 20 deep. It was moving reasonably fast as taxis came along, but it wasn’t long before the queue had over 100 people in it. Only took about 10 minutes, then we were heading into town and the rain came hammering down. And then stopped. And then started again. And then stopped.

It kept doing this all evening. Got to the hotel and were told we had been given a wheelchair accessible room which just meant the bathroom was bigger – we had been given one before in Minsk and I remembered the shower head was about shoulder height and we had to ask to be moved, but the receptionist said this one was normal height.

Room was nice, spacious and clean, free tea and coffee (love a freebie), but a packet of biscuits was $16 so didn’t think we’d bother with anything out of the mini bar.

There was a nice big TV but it was mounted on the wall to the side of the bed, which made lying in bed to watch it uncomfortable. I tried moving it to see if it was on a pivot but didn’t seem like it and I didn’t want to accidentally rip it off the wall. I’d brought along a cable so that I could attach my laptop to the TV but all the ports were flush against the wall so bang went that idea.

Anyway, dumped the gear and went out for dinner, it was now nearly 20:00 and looking at Google a lot of the restaurants shut at 21:00. Walked to a seafood place that Google said was good, then realised I’d gone the wrong way so turned around. It was only a couple of minutes from the hotel but managed to rain and stop a couple of times (I’d actually remembered to take the umbrella).

Song had bugs (think mini-lobsters) in garlic butter with a spinach and mashed potato veggie thing, I had salt and pepper calamari with a pine-nut, roasted capsicum and rocket salad. Both were good. We also had a baguette and dips to share to start, and I had a beer.

The couple next to us had confit of duck and a steak, which I thought was a bit weird – going to a seafood restaurant and not ordering seafood.

Wandered around for a little bit, the area was busy, obviously lots of people escaping the cold weather down south.

Watched a bit of TV on the laptop, checked on the cat using the webcams at home – we also bought an internet connected treat dispenser so we could feed the cat from anywhere in the world and watch her eat (is that sad? I don’t think it’s sad).

Bed was comfy so didn’t take long to fall asleep, although each power socket had an annoying blue LED light which was quite bright.

Lazy day tomorrow, nothing booked, we’re just going to wander around and relax.

Day 5 - Launceston to St Helens to Hobart

Slept really well, then up and out by 08:30 to visit the Bay of Fires in Eastern Tasmania.
Road was good, hit a couple of road works but didn’t slow us down much. Saw lots of nice valleys and hills, the weather was overcast but not too bad.
We saw a couple of signs advising that “St Mary’s Pass is open” - as we continued we encountered a very steep and twisty road with high cliff faces and netting. I guessed there had been a rock fall that blocked the road; if it had still been blocked we would have had to go back.
Made it in good time and decided to eat in St Helen’s before heading up the coast to try and find the fiery thing.
There wasn’t much choice but found a bakery and had some sandwiches and a ham roll.
Followed the gps and after 10 minutes saw lots of signs saying “Bay of Fires Conservation Area” so turned down a dirt track to the beach.
Disembarked, headed to the beach and saw tons of rocks with red lichen, giving the appearance of flames - hence Bay of Fires. Very impressive.
Lots of photos were taken, and we were able to climb onto the rocks and see more along the coast.
It was still overcast but ok.
After several hundred photos were taken, headed back to Hobart, this time taking the coast road. After a while the sun came out and as we drove encountered stunning bays and beaches as well as valleys. Incredible scenery.
Stopped off for a leg stretch and toilet stop and carried on to Hobart, arrived at the predicted time and checked into the rooms - the same block as before but a different company. Drove about 750km in 2 days.
The car was a bit grubby from the dirt roads so we took it to a car wash to avoid a cleaning charge and filled up with petrol.
Parked the car near the rental place and looked for somewhere to eat, but after wandering around for a bit decided to phone a seafood restaurant and managed to get a table.
I had seafood pie, Song had octopus and chips and Victoria had seafood linguine.
All were excellent, a lot better than the other place we went to.
Back to the room and crashed, fly out at 13:30 tomorrow.

Day 4 - Hobart to Launceston

Slept well, worn out after yesterday, had a quick breakfast then walked 15 minutes to get the car. Made sure it didn’t have any damage and drove back to the apartment to pick Song and Victoria up.
Headed out of Hobart, traffic not bad. Zipped along until we hit some roadworks so down to single lane and speed of 60 kmh.
Very annoying, it went on for about 20km. We’d decided to stop at a small town to stretch our legs and turned off just as the roadworks ended.
Wandered around, saw an antiques shop so went over but they were shut. Probably for the best because the shop was filthy - there was a bird’s nest in the window and lots of twigs and poo on some of the items, plus loads of cobwebs and dust.
Carried on in the car, weather still great, and turned off to go via some lakes since Launceston was only a couple of hours away so thought we’d go the long way around and see some scenery.
After a few metres we hit a gravel road - dang - there was something on the rental agreement about it, so I checked and it didn’t say not to go on them but there was a charge if I had an accident.
It was 20km so decided to chance it.
It actually wasn’t too bad, and passed a few other cars - we had a Nissan X-Trail SUV which I’d deliberately chosen just in case. I’d also pre loaded the Google map of Tasmania, again just in case.
Bounced along for a while through dry trees and rocks on either side of the road, then came across the lakes - a bit disappointing. Carried on down the dirt road and then realised I might be going the wrong way so checked the map, luckily had just turned off so turned around and headed off down another dirt track for another 25KM.
The landscape was still mostly dead trees and rocks, not very interesting and Song and Victoria went to sleep.
Trying to take the scenic route was a bit of a let down.
Finally arrived back onto tarmac and drove a bit until we hit Miena, a small town but there was a pub which served food so I had a warm chicken salad, Song had salmon salad and Victoria had a fisherman’s basket (fried seafood and chips).
Back on the road, and we saw the Great Lake to our left, and kept seeing it as we drove alongside. Started to climb, and were soon driving along winding roads amongst the trees, catching glimpses of the lake every so often. As we reached the top, there was a sign for a lookout, so stopped.
Amazing. An incredible view across the lake, and with the weather perfect we could see for miles. Stayed and took photos, then back in the car and started to head downhill. Lots of valleys and mountains, and we could see Cradle Mountain in the distance.
Stopped off at Deloraine for a stretch and loo stop, then just 30 minutes to Launceston, we arrived around 16:30. Song and Victoria slept about half the trip from Hobart.
The accommodation in Launceston was a bit ropey - a motel on a main road, and the room smelt of curry. A rare stumble by Song. But it was clean and had a good view of the city and river.
Decided we needed to walk since we had been in the car all day, Song remembered a nice spot when she visited 10 years before, the Cataract Gorge so drove 10 minutes to that. It was pretty spectacular- a river that had a couple of small waterfalls and ran through a gorge into a basin before flowing out again, and there was also a suspension bridge that you could walk across over one of the waterfalls, which we did.
Walked around a bit and came across a couple of peacocks and a wallaby just sitting under a bush.
Googled for somewhere to eat, a lot of places were shut because it was Monday, but one of the top rated places was open so thought we’d see if we could get in, and we did.
I had a Thai Beef Salad, Song had Salt and Pepper Calamari and Victoria sea food pasta. All were good.
Drove back to the curry-scented room and I watched the World Cup final, I’d managed to avoid the result all day because we’d been in the car (Argentina won against France on penalties).
Watched a bit of TV, then bed.
Tomorrow we are going to Bay of Fires, the main reason we came to Launceston, then back to Hobart, a lot of driving for me and sleeping for Song and Victoria.

Day 3 - Bruny Island

Slept well, but had to get up at 06:30 to get ready for a trip to Bruny Island.
Song had booked the apartment which was only 5 minutes away from the trip start, so a quick couple of slices of toast and then down to the bus.
Drove for about an hour, the weather was nice and clear but a bit cold, saw some nice views of bays and then arrived at the ferry, which was basically a flat deck, but apparently this was the backup ferry, there are others with 2 decks.
Ferry took about 10 minutes across a small channel of water, got off the coach for a couple of minutes to stretch our legs, then drove for about an hour to a stop where there is a thin spit of land between the water, called the Neck. Climbed 233 steps and had a fantastic view across 4 bays, the sun was out and it was clear so could see for miles.
Back on the bus, passing several beautiful beaches and bays; a lot of Tasmanians have holiday homes here. They ranged from nice stone houses with manicured lawns to 1980s caravans on a patch of mud. As we drove along the driver stopped and pointed out a white cat on someone’s lawn. Not really interesting, but it turned out to be a white wallaby, quite rare (about 40 are thought to be on the island). Arrived at the tour company building which had a restaurant and had a free muffin and cup of tea. Song realised she’d left her water bottle back outside the tour office, so had to buy a bottle of water on the way.
The main part of the trip was a boat jaunt along the coast, and three smallish boats (seated about 30) were waiting for us by the dock. We were told it would be cold, and some spray, so we were all given bright red waterproof jackets that almost touched the ground.
We were told that the swell was around 1.5 - 1.8 meters, which was small; sometimes they go out in swells of up to 4m.
We headed out of the bay, bouncing around a bit, then left the bay and into the Southern Ocean - and it felt as if we were standing in front of an industrial sized fan blowing freezing air in our faces.
The waves looked pretty big to me, but the boat was pretty stable except for the odd drop now and then, which elicited lots of “oooh’s” from the passengers. After a while a few people, including Victoria, weren’t feeling too well and went to the back of the boat which was supposedly more stable.
The weather was perfect, clear skies and sunny, but cold. Speeding along in the boat made it even colder, but I had a t shirt, jumper, down coat and bright red windproof jacket on and the only really cold thing was my face.
We kept close to the coast and stopped at various places - sea caves, cliff faces, blow holes etc where we could stand up and take pictures. We then headed over to some small islands where there was a colony of male Fur Seals - the females were at a different place further south. We got quite close, and some seals were swimming just near the boat. As we drifted along the rocks, we suddenly caught the smell of them - basically a public toilet.  
Since the weather was so good, the driver took us a bit further down, giving us great views of the cliffs and landscape. The rock is called Jurassic Dolerite, about 180 million years old. We were in the national park, and there is basically nothing here but nature - no walking tracks etc. There were also no trees, nothing can grow there.
We then headed back to the restaurant, pushed away from the coast and headed out to sea and got some great views of the island. The swell was about the same, but it got colder, if that was possible. The trip back took about 30 minutes and was pretty uncomfortable - not the motion, but the cold wind.
Finally turned into the bay and slowed down and started to warm up. Our boat was last so we sat on the water for a few minutes as the other boats unloaded, and watching all the people walk in a line up the dock in their red coats made them look like a cult, or a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale.
Headed up to the restaurant, now we were on land and out of the wind we warmed up even though it was probably only around 14C it felt a lot warmed. Removed the red coats and sat down for lunch (fish and chips for me, Pumpkin soup and salmon role for Song and Victoria).
Back on the bus then an uneventful drive back to the tour office in Hobart, had a bit of a snooze.
The tour office was still open so I said I’d go and ask if Song’s water bottle had been handed in, when Victoria saw it still in the place where it was left, it had been sat there all day.
Went back to the apartment to relax, then over the road to the restaurant we’d booked back in October, one of the better seafood places.
It was quite nice inside, with a view of the marina, but the food wasn’t great. I had fish and chips (again), Song and Victoria shared some oysters (I tried one, still don’t see the attraction), then Victoria had salmon and Song had seafood laksa. I also had a beer, a Cascade Stout.
My fish and chips was average, same as any you’d get in a pub. Song couldn’t eat her laksa it was so salty. Victoria said her salmon was nice but she might just have been being polite.
Left the restaurant and went for a walk to Battery Point, then back to the apartment, tried to stop for an ice cream (for Victoria, not me) but they had just shut.
Felling pretty exhausted, went to bed early.
Hiring a car tomorrow and driving to Launceston.