Mount Nelson Signal Station Brasserie

I had a day off last Thursday. I know, big news, right? We'd had notice from the power company that there would be an outage all day while new power poles were installed. Rather than juggle working locations, laptop charging and wifi issues, David and I both took the day off. What a treat that turned out to be. First up, knocking over a to-do list of items in Kingston and Hobart, everything from get a long-overdue X-ray (Susan) to buy a new suit (David). Tick!

The weather was beautiful, so on the way back, we decided to drive up Mount Nelson and have lunch at the Signal Station Brasserie. It was our first visit, but won't be the last. Our food was absolutely delicious. Nice Tassie wine list, lovely garden surroundings (dog friendly) and Derwent River views. And it's only a short drive from the centre of Hobart. My only gripe would be the lack of Tasmanian cider on the menu. There was only a commercial Aussie one, which seems a crime when Hobart is surrounded with fantastic local cider brands. The brasserie would be a perfect afternoon tea spot too - the cakes and scones arriving on the table near us looked excellent. We've added this place to our "when we have visitors" list and will go back soon, perhaps followed by a walk around Mount Nelson to work off the cake.

Mount Wellington: vistas for visitors

It was peak tourist time at the summit of kunanyi / Mount Wellington yesterday when I went up with our three visitors from Britain to check out the view. As we drove up, cars heading down featured the traditional small snowman or pile of snow on the bonnet. The car park was almost full, with bus and car loads of people from around the world. One woman lay on her back in a small patch of snow making snow angels while her friend took photos. The kids were having a blast. One of my visitors inhaled deeply, amazed at just how fresh the air is. The cloud cleared long enough for us to grab a few nice photos. We'd spent the morning strolling around Salamanca Market, with a couple of coffee stops on the way, while the mountain lurked in the background with a little snow still visible on top. Going up Mount Wellington again has got me excited about exploring more of the tracks up there soon.

P.S. Hello uncle John!

Summer solstice sailing

Three years ago, a beautiful 1930s Danish ship showed up in Franklin after a round the world voyage. The family who sailed her here decided to stay. Now, this summer, you can spend a Sunday afternoon aboard the Yukon, sailing down the Huon River enjoying locally sourced produce prepared by chef Ashley and Jacinta from Pantree Produce. It was an amazing special treat for my birthday. The whole experience was understated, relaxed, personal - an afternoon on the river with friends and great food. "The duck we are eating came from that hill over there," says Jacinta, pointing to the hills south of Franklin. "See that roof there? That's the house they came from." Fresh peas, broadbeans, beetroot, peaches, berries, river herbs and flowers, pink eye potatoes. To drink: local wines including a sparkling chardonnay from Wombat Springs (also in the hills of Franklin), Seven Sheds Ale, a stunning pinot noir from d'meure wines at Birchs Bay and home made limoncello - and yes, the lemons were also from Franklin. We could see where most of our meal was grown. David and Ea who own The Yukon told us the story of her restoration and how she came to Tasmania. We got to explore below decks - the galley, engine room, bunks and bathroom. Wonderful.

I have been completely and utterly spoiled this weekend. First, my dear friend Cheryl flew down from Sydney - a surprise visit plotted weeks in advance with David. I had no idea she was coming until the car pulled up in the driveway on Friday. Cider and burgers at The Apple Shed on Friday evening. Saturday morning shopping in Wilmot Road, Huonville and at Salamanca Market and relaxing in the garden in the afternoon. And then yesterday's feast on the Yukon. Happy, happy days.

Up a country lane

When we first moved here, I started exploring our immediate area on foot. I would drive to the start of a road leading up from the Huon River, park at the bottom, and walk to the top of the road. Just to see what was up there, and the view of course. I haven't done that in a while, so today I walked up Castle Forbes Road, then Harwood Road and down Fourfoot Road to Geeveston, where I got on the Tassielink bus back to the car at Castle Forbes Bay.

As I climbed higher, I noticed a familiar smell in the air... leatherwood! The leatherwood trees are in flower - you can see one in the picture above. "I hope the bees are busy making honey," I thought, then looked up to my left and saw a collection of white hive boxes on the hillside. I love leatherwood honey.

It was a lovely walk on a sunny day, with the rivulet running alongside for much of the way and something new around every corner. Chooks, cows, birds, blossoms... and two NBN satellite dishes at the top.

The bus driver told me he used to live near the top of that hill as a kid and had to walk that way to school every day. Hmm... nice walk for me, but perhaps not one he ever wants to do again.

Jane Franklin Memorial Museum opens

It was entirely fitting that Mrs Frances Underwood, wife of the late Governor of Tasmania Peter Underwood (beautiful tribute to him here), officially opened the Jane Franklin Memorial Museum and Gallery in Franklin today. In her speech, she drew comparisons and contrasts between Lady Jane's experiences as wife of Tasmania's Governor Sir John Franklin, and her own experience in that same role over recent years.

Vice president of the history group, Alan Cato, gave a lovely speech about Franklin and the importance of its past to its future. Dr Alison Alexander, author of the book 'The Ambitions of Jane Franklin', arrived in period dress and also said a few words about the determined Lady Franklin, who purchased land to establish the settlement of Franklin. A beautiful piano that belonged to Lady Jane stands proudly in the corner. Another clever history group member Jane Walduck has made a reproduction dress of Jane Franklin's from a photograph.

The museum is located in the former St. John's church hall, purchased a few years ago by fifth generation apple grower Naomie Clark-Port. Indeed her ancestor John Clark is credited with building the hall in the first place. Naomie is also the joint owner of Frank's Cider, named after her grandfather Frank Clark. The museum and gallery space is shared with a soon-to-be-opened cider bar and cafe. I am looking forward to enjoying a Frank's Cider there and taking a slower look around the museum soon. It features history of the apple industry, the Franklin waterfront, reclamation, egg island canal, local families, war history and much more to come.

Jazz on the Yukon

In a wonderful end to the Focus on Franklin weekend, the Danish ship the Yukon sailed the short distance from the Marina at Franklin to moor in front of the Landcare Walk along the Huon River just north of the town. A jazz band played on board and her decks were full of friends and family. People gathered along the board walk with picnic chairs, wine and snacks to listen, chat and groove away to to the music. On the road above the river, cars stopped to take photos and marvel at the sight.

ABC TV news featured  the Yukon in a story last week about the family who sailed here from Europe with her, but if you missed it, here's an ABC Radio interview with owner and shipwright Dave Nash. He's now offering tours which we must do with visitors one day...

At about 8pm, she sailed off down the river, bound for Port Davey. What a wonderful life.

Kent Beach, Dover

Our last visit to Kent Beach in Dover was not long after we moved to Tasmania and we were investigating local dog exercise areas... and discovered that in the main they are pretty uninspiring. This one is different. It is an absolutely beautiful spot, as you'll see in the photos below. The only challenge for people with more exuberant and easily distracted dogs and those who like to chase is that it is very close to a road. On Saturday we visited with a group of people and their pooches from the Huon Valley Dog Walking Association. Everyone played nice and enjoyed themselves. Even if a few owners did have to pursue their dogs as they headed towards Kent Beach Road.

A very social Sunday

The social season is in full swing. Some dear friends visited us from Sydney on the weekend and we enjoyed a lazy Saturday afternoon and evening of eating, drinking and catching up at home. 

To make up for it, we sure packed a lot in on Sunday. After home laid eggs on home made bread for breakfast, we visited Cygnet Market (right), Cygneture Chocolates and Hartzview Vineyard (to purchase spiced apple mead), had lunch on the terrace at Peppermint Bay, stopped in at the Homeland Delights store at the Margate Train for some German treats, then headed to the Longley International Hotel, where we listened to some lovely reggae/ska/funk from local Tassie band Lively Up and enjoyed a beer or two in the sun. What a top spot with a good crowd. We made a short stop at home to feed the animals and make my favourite basil dip with pita chips to take to share at the Sunday night classic movie at The Palais Theatre. This month's movie was What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a 1962 film of the genre variously called "psycho-biddy" or "hag horror" and starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford . It was truly awful, in a funny way.

Pickers hut at Hartzview

Flowers at Hartzview

The Hartzview cat

Peppermint Bay

The Longley Hilton

Beer garden

An inspirational garden

On the Sunday before last, several gardens in the Huon Valley were open to visit under the Open Gardens Australia scheme. On the way back from my walk up Grey Mountain I stopped in at Lanes End in Glen Huon, a peaceful oasis in the hills. My phone camera snaps simply did not do it justice, so I have only included one photo of the beautiful stand of gum trees, under which a planted understory attracts many birds. I loved the mixture of native and introduced plants and the lack of formality, and wondered if piles and piles of mulch could ever improve the clay at our place... maybe one day.

Happy 100th Birthday, Palais

Yesterday was a big day in the life of our town. Celebrations to commemorate 100 years of the beautiful Palais Theatre in Franklin were in full swing. The Tasmania Police Pipe Band played outside the Palais and the Tasmanian Lighthorse troop paraded, awaiting our special guests. His Excellency The Honourable Peter Underwood AC, Governor of Tasmania and Mrs Underwood arrived by boat via the canal through Egg Island - in the same boat that David and I "helped" (in my case I use the term loosely) to row during last year's Focus on Franklin festival. The Governor unveiled a plaque to mark this important day. We were entertained by the Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble and enjoyed music from around the globe played by the Franklin School Marimba Band - the school that narrowly escaped closure (so far) in last year's round of State Government cuts.

Ruth Young, author of a new book about the history of the Palais - and so much more of the town's history - articulated perfectly what this building means to so many people, and how its survival has been due to the hard work of countless volunteers. Franklin School students presented the chair of the Palais Management Committee with a time capsule that will enclose items from our time for future generations to learn from. An afternoon tea in the local tradition followed, tables laden with scones and slices. I have said before how lucky we are to have found ourselves in this community that is lucky enough to have a facility like the Palais, and yesterday really brought that home again. It was a fitting celebration of the heart and soul of our community.