The Phoenix Tour

Today, I had time to take it easy.
Check in for the boat wasn’t until 4:15 and Devonport was only about an hour away.

I figured a delicious brunch was on the itinerary.
Rode about 45 minutes to the Christmas Hills raspberry farm. This is a really lovely raspberry farm that has a very nice Cafe overlooking a pretty little lake.
As you could imagine,  there was all things raspberry on the menu and some other really good looking dishes all using fresh Tasmanian produce.
After spending an eternity trying to decide, I settled on pancakes with raspberry sauce, raspberry icecream and fresh raspberries, of course.
So good. I would have loved to have bought some fresh raspberries to eat on the boat tonight but I just didn’t have the room…

I wandered around the lake, growled at two kids that were throwing sticks and chasing the little Tasmanian native hens, waited as they scurried back to their oblivious parents and then hit the road again.

Next stop was the Tasmanian Aboretum.
This is  in a rural area, about 15 kms out of Devonport.
I pulled into the little car park, expecting to spend around half an hour or so looking around this little arboretum.
I walked in and paid my $5 into the honesty box and headed into what I thought was the arboretum.

I followed a mown grass path….
2 and and half hours later, I was hurrying back to my bike, feeling annoyed that there was still so much more to see.
This place was huge.
I did not see another human, instead I passed my time in the company of hundreds of birds. Blackbirds singing, wrens flitting across the grass pathways, black currawongs arguing, swans, ducks and native hens gathered around the lily covered lake.

I walked through 40 year old beech forests, Australian rainforests, majestic oak trees, deep red maples, monkey puzzles, king Billy pines and a whole lot of other trees I had never seen before.

No regimented lines of trees here, either. Just trees in ‘collections’ of different origins, planted randomly.

Every now and then there would be a wooden bench where I would sit and just bask in the blissful tranquillity.

I could easily have spent a whole day wandering along the winding green paths in this glorious forest wonderland.

But, I had a boat to catch.

Rode into Devonport,  stopped at a Café for some lunch.
Met Ron, a lovely Scotsman from Perth who was heading back on the same boat after riding his Triumph with a trailer around. His bike unfortunately had done a clutch so his Tasmanian adventure didn’t quite go as planned.
We had a good chat in the Café and then it was time to join the queue to board the boat.
Long wait this time and far fewer vehicles than when I came across from Geelong.
Only 9 bikes this time.
But we had a good 45 minutes of standing around time so lots of time to swap riding stories and even time to fix the flat tyre on one girls motor scooter!

Was feeling a bit weird as I went down to get on my bike this morning,  ready to ride off the boat.
I miss my family and critters but I’m not sure I’m ready for this to be over yet. Reality is only 700 odd kms away.
I pushed that thought back for a while. Still one day to go.

My stop tonight is beautiful Beechworth. A town full of absolutely gorgeous buildings, stone churches and stunning old houses.
Immaculate, wide, leafy streets still have numerous pubs and old fashioned shops.
They have even covered every bollard in the streets with these cute knitted Christmas covers.

I went for a cruise around all the streets and could not find an ugly house.

I was a bit early to check into my accommodation for the night (The original Hibernian Hotel) so I went to visit Billson’s brewery.
Billson’s brews gin and vodka both neat and in all kinds of premix flavours (I think about 40 in the vodka). They also do cordials, ginger beer and beer varieties.

I tasted quite a lot but then decided I should probably get going before I got too wobbly…
Back to check into my really lovely room for the night.

Delaying reality for just a little longer.