Spirit of Tasmania

From Beechworth with no respite from the heat to Melbourne with icy winds and rain. And snow forecasted for Tasmania, where we are headed! Oh, Australia! How you mess with us through your diverse weather extremes!

A quick pit stop in Melbourne before boarding the Spirit of Tasmania for the overnight trip across the Bass Strait. The Kombi’s fourth time on a floating vehicle. For those that know Daph, she doesn’t fare well in floating things. The fish and chip supper they had in Port Melbourne will most probably be making a comeback at some point.

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The Spirit of Tasmania ferry trip was uneventful. Despite Daph’s nervous disposition caused by the excessive amount of rust on the ship, and the Titanic-esque lack of enough lifeboats, Daph slept quite well. And her stomach contents stayed on the inside.

The aftermath of the Bee Sting breakfast was still wreaking havoc for Daph’s bowels, but with the convenience of an en-suite bathroom in the ship cabin, Daph felt it was safe to relieve some tension.

Daph: *Insert squeaky fart sound here.

Ern stops mid-turn, does a double-take, and gives the “stop” signal with his hand, “What are you doing?!”

Daph: “What?”

Ern: “We’re in a confined space with a sealed porthole. You just let rip, with complete disregard of the diminishing oxygen availability.”

We had a few issues getting the Kombi off the ship. For some reason, they parked us on the bottom deck. Which meant there was a steep ramp to drive up when disembarking. Obviously, these guys don’t realise we need a run-up to get up steep hills. Two failed attempts, nearly stalling and having to roll backwards down the ramp, and a third revving the arse off the old girl... and we were off.

Our first stop was to the supermarket, to stock back up after the border control guys confiscated all our food due to quarantine laws. Then onwards to Cradle Mountain. The drive was beautiful. Reminiscent of the English countryside, with bramble-lined country lanes. The residents keep passers-by entertained with their quirky mailboxes, each outdoing the last.

We arrived at our camping spot for the next two nights in Cradle Mountain National Park. And it is BLOODY FREEZING!! The forecast says snow overnight! What a complete contrast to the last few days. It took us all afternoon to create a cosy nook to protect us from the elements. And after a quick warming of the cockles by the open fire in the camp kitchen, we are now snuggled in bed for the rest of the night.

Tomorrow, we tackle some proper hiking if we don’t freeze to death overnight first.