KatieKat 2004 Cruise Chapter Three

This webpage continues our automotive jaunt across Tasmania, reliving our stay here two years ago on KatieKat.

Tasmania, from the Spirit of Tasmania ferry brochure.

1 March, 2004 -- Hobart

We found accommodations unavailable in Hobart, so we drove back up the river and stayed in New Norforlk for a few days in a 190-year-old Inn. Oops, no photos.

Lindisfarne, where we had so happily stayed the winter on KatieKat a couple of years ago. That's the Tasman Bridge on the left and Mt. Wellington in the background.

These three photos were taken two years ago from Mt. Wellington. The center photo is of Hobart proper. Lindisfarne is just to the left of the bridge.

Every Saturday there's a huge market at Salamanca Place, and you can see how popular it is. That's Mt. Wellington towering over the city of Hobart.

In the park adjacent to the market there are usually shows put on by car or motorcycle clubs which have come to town. This photo was taken two years ago, but when we were there now the Jaguar club members were showing off their toys.

That's the Tasmanian Tiger on top of the Cascade Brewery building. The Tassie Tiger just became extinct in the last 50 years.

Kathy playing with our new pet.

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4 March 2004 - Touring Tasmania

Kathy loves to explore old churches, of which there are many in Tasmania. The one on the right is in New Norfolk.

After I pushed the rock out of the pathway, we hiked up to view Wineglass Bay, which we unfortunately missed when we sailed down the coast two years ago.

There are cruising boats and then there are cruising trucks ready for anything. This German home on wheels has crossed some pretty daunting territory. You can barely see its track on the map.

In Bicheno we stopped briefly to look at their anchorage. Sure glad we missed this otherwise pleasant community when sailing the coast, as it's rather exposed to the north.

Skeleton Bay
(see writeup below)

After our rather dramatic experience two years ago when we pulled into Skeleton Bay in the middle of the pitch-black night as a front was just hitting us, I simply had to visit this place to see it again. At that time the predicted northwest winds (from which we should have been sheltered) were really northerlies and had us completely exposed with the rocky lee shore right behind us. We spent 24 hours anchored here with 100' of chain and a 75' nylon bridle on our trusty 33lb. Bruce in 30' of water. On the map, Skeleton Bay is just to the right of Binalong Bay. The bar into St. Helens is notorious so we weren't about to run it at night. Now that I've seen Binalong Bay, I need to check its entrance on the charts as it sure looks protected if it's possible to get in, although I suspect it's way too shallow. Oh, yes, Skeleton Bay was named after a whale's skeleton which graced it's shoreline for many years.

At Low Head, at the entrance to the bay leading down to Launceston, there was a cruise ship winding its way out the narrow channel.

Launceston. Nice new marina, inhabited by seagulls. This navy ship is a catamaran!

The visit to Pearn's Steamworld in Westbury, near Devonport, was fascinating, with a great collection of steamrollers and many old agricultural machines. This rideable miniature was cute.

From Devonport, we took the ferry back across Bass Strait to Melbourne.

To be continued...

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