Forest bathing

On Easter Monday I went for a rather long walk. More than 25km, according to Runkeeper. After weeks of being cooped up in 'iso', like (almost) everyone else, I was desperate for a leg stretch and some forest bathing, as I believe the Japanese call it. I turned left after leaving our front gate, then left again and just kept walking, up into the hills. Up and up, past the houses and fields of cows and chooks, to the land of wallabies and lyrebirds. Ah, the smell of fresh rainforest air.

I visited the Old Mill site in the forest for the first time since the surrounding coupe was logged a few years back. Then hiked down some forestry roads, in the hope of finding my way through to the top of a different road to return down the hill. However, it has changed a bit up there, and I got stuck and had to return the same way. It's been more than a year since bushfire roared through some of these lands, and I was a bit surprised how little has grown back in places. I was expecting much more green regrowth and undergrowth I guess. Next time I'll try the walk in reverse to see if I can work out how I got through last time. I love exploring the hills of the Huon.

End of an era

After a few false alarms and more comebacks than John Farnham (just joking guys), the wonderful Village Antiques of Franklin has finally closed its doors, going out with a bang of the auctioneer's gavel. The Bowmont building which housed the store has been sold and lovely new owners have moved in - more on that later I am sure. After viewings on Friday and Saturday, a good crowd turned up on Sunday for the huge auction of remaining stock, held in the old evaporators factory on the Franklin foreshore. We popped in and out during the day and missed out on the few items we had our eye on, but never mind. I could see just how much work had gone into it by owners Shane and Jane and some trusty helpers. Luckily for Franklin, they are not going far, just a short way up the hill. Now, who wants to buy the huge evaporators building and be part of the exciting renewal of Franklin?

Not quite the Point to Pinnacle

"Good morning and welcome to the Point to Longley!" boomed the man on the loudspeaker at the start line of the Point to Pinnacle event this morning, to a mixture of cheers, boos and laughter from the crowd. I had found out half an hour earlier from one of the friendly registration people that due to ice and snow on the last 4km of road leading to the top of kunanyi / Mt Wellington, we would be using the alternate route to the Longley Pub. It was not considered safe for all the support buses to get to the finish line.

While it looked sunny up on the mountain from Hobart, I had seen the piles of snow on Sleeping Beauty as I drove in, and as we walked closer to Fern Tree, the wind was very icy and waves of rain were passing through - so probably snowing at the top. You can see the rainbow over the mountain in one of my photos below. All along the route local residents came out to watch and cheer, some playing music (see the couple on the bagpipes at Fern Tree below!), some handing out snacks or water and others offering high fives. It was pretty incredible seeing the runners come past. There are some super fit folk out there.

Completing the Point to Pinnacle, a half-marathon length walk (for me anyway), has been on my bucket list for ages, and despite finishing the course today in 3 hours and 1 minute, I still haven't done it! Now I'll have to try again next year. You just never know what the mountain is going to throw at you.

Village life

It's been ten days since we moved down from the hills of Franklin into the centre of the village. This morning we walked across the road to the war memorial for the Anzac Day service, followed by a community breakfast at the Franklin Bowls Club. We've gone from having a large fenced yard to a small garden with no grass, so we take Gretchen across the road for regular short walks along the river. She's quickly settling in to being dog-about-town instead of farm dog. Yesterday evening we ran into friends on our walk who mentioned they were heading to the pub afterwards, so we met them there. Collecting our mail means wandering next door instead of a drive down the hill. There's a lovely little organic store only a short walk down the road, where you can refill your jars of dry goods like flour, rice and spices. David has had customers visit his main road office. And to my great surprise, the traffic noise hasn't kept me awake at all. I'm sure it will have its challenges, but so far village life is proving to be a nice change and an interesting little adventure.

Cha cha cha

Learning ballroom dancing has been on my bucket list for years, for a few reasons. I love dancing, and really miss it since giving up ballet all those years ago. Unlike ballet, ballroom dancing is something you can keep doing all your life. Opportunities to bop away on the dance floor or to a band are rarer these days. And I hate going to social occasions and watching others dance. Boring.

It was just a pity that all the classes were in Hobart, and I knew I wouldn't manage to drive in after work for classes every week. Then I spotted that Long-Steps Ballroom Dancing was starting a beginners class not far from us, every Wednesday night at the Soldier's Memorial Hall in Ranelagh, and decided to give it a go. So far I've learnt the evening three step, tangoette, the rumba and a few simple progressive dances, and today I went to a Saturday workshop on cha cha cha. It's so much fun.

David and I tried a couple of lessons over the years, including swing dancing which we thought would be great, but didn't really enjoy it. The dancers were fine, but they weren't good teachers. So here's the difference at Long Steps. Lindsey and Ian are very good at explaining things clearly and simply and getting everyone moving. It might feel a little awkward at first, but before you know it, things click and suddenly you're dancing away. It's great exercise for the brain as well as the body. I'm surprised how puffed I can get when we do a quick progressive jive as a warm up!

If you've ever thought about it, come along and give it a try. A new dance is taught each month, and we go over some old ones and do some easy progressive numbers to start the class. They also offer private lessons for those who would like some help or to learn something for a special occasion, like a wedding. Advanced classes are coming to the Huon Valley sometime too, so for those who have danced before, keep an eye on the Long-Steps Facebook page.

A day at the fest, 2018

The Cygnet yarn bombers have excelled themselves. Everything from garbage bins to trees was decked out in colourful wool at the 2018 Cygnet Folk Festival over the weekend and looked fabulous. Check out this beautiful chair:

This year we bought a day pass just for the Sunday of the festival and spent a long and full day there. We started off with a yoga class in the Cygnet Town Hall. That's where the wholesome stuff stopped. Let's just say my diet for the wasn't healthy, but it was delicious! Coffee with an Eccles cake and a spinach ricotta pastry from The Lotus Eaters for breakfast, a sourdough doughnut from Yeastie Beastie, an organic choc mint ice-cream, a Taiwanese steamed pork bun (from Geeveston), Willie Smith's cider, a currywurst sausage from Silver Hill... oh boy. I'm back on the wagon today. Still have a couple of Christmas kilos to lose.

As usual, the variety of acts at the festival was terrific. We enjoyed indigenous songwriting legend Joe Geia and his band (our choir in Franklin sings one of his most famous songs, called Yil Lull), The Band Who Knew Too Much from Melbourne (singer and accordion player Dave Evans right) and Canadian balladeer Scott Cook and the Second Chances. In St Mark's church, we heard the distinctive sounds of a collaboration between ARIA award winning traditional Greek band the haBiBis and Jewish Sephardic music from the Balkans by Saray Illuminado and later, the harmonies of Queensland duo, Noel Gardner and Alex Bridge. We dropped in on a Scottish tea dance in the town hall accompanied by harp players Van Diemen's Angels and wrapped up the day with Hobart's Bootleg Gin Sluggers in the scout hall in Burton's reserve. All in all a top day out. The organisers and volunteers really did a terrific job.

The legend of "the Turkish"

Ever since we moved to Franklin almost eight years ago, people who have lived here longer than us have told us about "the Turkish". In almost reverent tones. I don't know what the restaurant was called, but people have mentioned great steaks, delicious Turkish food, lovely bread, Friday night dinners, BYO bottles of red, tables full, good prices, had to book, casual meals... anyway, it had closed by the time we arrived. The building was leased, sold, re-opened very briefly as a cafe, repainted (maybe twice), closed again. There have been rumours, renovations, windows covered up, new kitchen equipment delivered, more rumours... frankly I have no idea what of the above is true and what isn't and we'd long since given up on it ever being reopened as an eatery. And now this! The window coverings have been removed, there are new tables and benches inside, and a  cryptic message on the window. So we are placing bets on a possible opening in March... or maybe 2019... something. Sometime.

Bowled over by roses

The weather is warming up, and a bunch of locals have started playing barefoot bowls again on a Friday afternoon. Just like in the movie Crackerjack, the Franklin Bowls Club is looking at ways to expand its membership and remain relevant to the local community. It's a great way for us to unwind and have a laugh at the end of the week.

As the sun set on Friday, I turned around to admire the green hills of Franklin, but got distracted by the gorgeous rose bushes of different varieties all around the bowling green. Someone from the bowls club has been tending these beauties well...

Old pulp mill site at Port Huon

Just before you reach Geeveston, heading south on the Huon Highway, there is a left turn down a road that for the first few years that we lived here, was blocked by a barbed wire gate. We wondered what was down there. Then a short 1960s era promotional (propaganda?) film shown one night before the monthly Classic Movie in the Franklin Palais explained it all... the site used to be a pulp mill run by Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM) and a deep water port used to ship wood pulp to Sydney. Built in 1962, at its peak the mill employed 170 people, but it was never a financial success and it finally closed for good in 1991. See this paper by Huon Valley local John Young for more information.

Recently, we noticed that the gate has been open, and on a Saturday pilgrimage to Geeveston for sushi from Masaaki a couple of weeks ago, we drove in for a look. There is stuff piled around everywhere. By 'stuff', I mean huge chains, cement anchors, fishing nets and ropes, vats, pipes, platforms... just random aquaculture and other industrial bits and pieces. But the quantity of it just lying around is quite amazing. Plus a large abandoned building. The site is currently used by local firm Mitchell Plastic Welding.

Also on the site are remains of the Kermandie Experimental Pulp and Paper Mill that operated from 1927-30. Last year, the Geeveston Archives and History Society opened the site to the public. There is a very informative sign explaining what used to be there and tours can be arranged.

The Market @ Franklin turns two

There are plenty of good weekend markets around here, but there's nothing quite like having one in your own town. I love being able to pop down the road, pick up some fresh produce or a birthday gift and catch up with friends. Today we took the dogs with us and took it in turns to wait outside with them as they collected pats and cuddles from locals and visitors to Tasmania. We bought some rye sourdough bread, a free trade coffee, potatoes, a cute purse for a young relative and a delicious warm jam doughnut from the colourful little van out front. Stopped for a chat with friends and favourite stallholders like Kellie from The Forgotten Tree with her buttons and jewellery made from salvaged Tasmanian timbers and Marie from Wakky Taz Creations with her handcrafted glass jewellery - all great gifts when we need them. There were fresh mussels, cakes, scarves, second hand goods, cushion covers and a local musician singing.

When we first moved here, there was a market only in the summer months, but two years ago, local business owner Natalie of Simply Spellbound skin care products took the initiative to take it over and run a monthly market all year round. Stallholders vary so there is always something new and different. The Market @ Franklin is on the last Sunday each month. See you there next time?

The Cartela arrives

Today a very special guest arrived in Franklin, on the last section of her journey from Hobart. The Cartela is a 100+ year old steam ferry, the oldest continuously licensed ferry in Australia. She needs significant restoration work. And where better to access those skills than here in Franklin, where love of wooden boats of all shapes and sizes runs deep.

One friend we spoke to remembered going on 'booze cruises' on the Cartela in his youth. Also present in the crowd waiting to greet her today were one man who had worked on her as a skipper and deckhand for some years, and another who cut the tree for her current mast. What an amazing piece of history. She looked wonderful sailing up the Huon River on the TV news tonight. Once berthed, we were allowed on board for a look around. She even has a resident parrot, a.k.a. Trevor the chief engineer. Follow the Cartela's journey back to health here on Facebook.

Denison Forest Drive

This morning we drove out to Judbury Market (second Sunday of every month) held in and around the community hall in Calvert Park, right on the Huon River. I bought some vegetables from this stall - check out the size of the swedes!

Afterwards, we continued west, past the old Snowy River trout farm and around the Denison Forest Drive circuit.  I had only been out past Judbury once before, to get to the start of the Lake Skinner and Snowy South walk. The forest drive is part of the southern forests and for the most part goes through regrowth forest in various stages following clearfelling some years ago, but we saw a surprising variety of vegetation, for example, patches of sub-alpine plants like pineapple grass as the road climbed towards towards 650 metres altitude. It was quite a long drive but interesting to see what's out there towards the end of the valley. One day I'll do the drive to the Derwent Valley via the Plenty Link Road. There has long been a proposal to upgrade this forestry road to a tourist drive linking the two valleys, with federal funding for a feasibility study. It would definitely be good to have an alternative for heading north and west to going around Mount Wellington and through Hobart. A trip to the Huon could become part of a circuit drive for visitors instead of sending them back the same way. At least that's the idea.