Taste of the Huon 2012

Ate a delicious pork knackwurst with sauerkraut and home-made spicy mustard from Fat Pig Farm (a.k.a. Rare Food). Drank a Blighs cider. David had a gypsy roll (cevapcici in a flatbread wrap) and a Huon Valley Soft Serve ice cream. I enjoyed an ice cream from Icecream From the Valley (it's made one road north from us), as I did last year. Bought a blue alpaca wool jumper from Chakaya Alpacas, some riesling from Heron's Rise and dukkah from Bodhi Farm Organics. Sat on the grass with the crowds and soaked up the sun at the Ranelagh showground. How fantastic to enjoy such a good feed on products all made a short distance from our home.

Kaoota tramway

Today our social walking group walked the Kaoota tramway track, near Margate. There are many disused tram and railway routes in Tasmania. Many of them were used for transporting timber, but this one (built in 1906) was used for getting coal out of the mine at Kaoota down to the port at Margate. There were pieces of coal still to be seen from spills. As it was a tramway, the path is wide and level, making for easy walking. From the Margate end, it's a steady uphill climb for 6km and then a gentle downhill on the return of course. The track can be done by bike or horse as well, but dogs are not allowed, unlike the nearby Snug Falls track where on-leash dogs are permitted. There are some nice views along the way, like the one below north to Cape Raoul. Here's a little map of our walk.

Just walking the dog

Last year we joined the Huon Valley Dog Walking Association. As well as providing outings for dogs to be walked, exercised and socialised with other dogs, the group promotes responsible dog ownership, the health benefits of dog walking and also lobbies local government to make areas available for dog walking. They are pretty limited in our area and too many obviously good places to walk dogs are designed 'no dogs' or on-leash only. I have mentioned before that one thing we do miss about Sydney is the daily walk up to our local off-leash dog park. It was a large, relatively safe area where dogs and their owners gathered late each afternoon. Today we joined the Huon group on a lovely walk from the centre of Cygnet to the Sailing Club and back, finishing up at The Lotus Eaters for dog-friendly coffee and chat. If you own a dog in the Huon area and want to join in the fun, email for details.

Today's little harvest

... is some rather large carrots.

Southern vineyards open weekend

One weekend in March each year, vineyards in southern Tasmania open their doors to the public for cellar door tastings and sales. A lot of smaller winemakers are open so it's a good chance to try something new and also see some interesting locations off the main road. The event is promoted by Hobart's daily newspaper The Mercury, and unfortunately, the only way to find out the details of which vineyards are open and where they are is to get hold of the guide inserted in the Sunday Tasmanian on the correct weekend. I missed getting a copy last weekend - as I did last year - due to being in Queensland for work. Apparently the tourist information centre in Hobart also has copies, but that's no use to me down here in the Huon Valley. Anyway...

The other way to find out what's open is to drive past and see the signs. On the next hill south of us, there are two small wineries in the same road, Highland Brae and Wombat Springs. I have tried a nice 2008 pinot noir from Wombat Springs once before, bought at our local growers and makers market. I walked past on my afternoon hike yesterday. How's this for a rustic cellar door?

Blackberry bonanza

Yes, they are a weed around here and it's not easy to clear a major infestation. But it's a bumper year for blackberries and if you want some, find a nice back road and go pick some! I walked to the top of Braeside Road in Franklin today and saw many, many ripe blackberries along the road. I only ate a few, so there are plenty left for you.

Naked ladies

One day while I was away last week, David went to investigate what Gretchen was woofing at. It turned out to be these flowers that had suddenly appeared in our front paddock! More surprise flowers that we haven't planted. They are Amaryllis belladonna, an autumn flowering bulb from South Africa, with the common name of 'naked lady' due to the bare stems. They didn't come up last year, so I am guessing they must be enjoying the hot, dry weather we have had. I am sure there will be some web surfers who end up on my blog not expecting to see flowers...