Places – Our Other Blog: Two Sisters and Two Points of View

Sisters Beach: First Impressions

Naomi and I are just back from our trip to Sisters Beach. We left Oatlands early on Thursday morning. It is a long drive but despite wet weather and roadworks we made good time and had time for lunch at the local shop and a quick drive around the neighbourhood before going to the house.

We were hoping to show you some photos of the house but due to some miscommunication between the owner and our real estate agent, we arrived to find that the tenants were in the process of moving out. We were able to have a look around but didn’t take any photos inside we will have to keep you in suspense for a couple more weeks.

We did manage to take some nice photos of the beach between showers though. It’s just as beautiful as we thought it would be. Here are a few of my photos and below Naomi’s photos and impressions of the day. I have read that it is possible to see whales and dolphins from the shore at this time of year and I am looking forward to that. Once we get settled we’re going to research the history of the area a little more and we’ll share what we find here.

Sisters Creek

Well, the big day finally arrived on Thursday, November 7th after much anticipation. I got up early and made some breakfast for each of us and then after settling the dogs we piled coats and cameras into Wazza and set off. November has been very cold. In fact, it has not been much of a Spring at all. We have been having temperatures of eight and nine in Oatlands and the weather all the way to Sisters Beach did not look promising. It was rather a gloomy day with wind and rain but we left in high spirits to the sound of some of our favourite 70s and 80s artists. With stopping for fuel along the way I think we did the trip in three and a half hours.

Sisters Beach, of course, is on the north coast near Burnie and Wynyard. Burnie is a city while Wynyard is a very large town. So if you are thinking of looking it up on a map that is where you will find it, 12 kilometres west of Wynyard. We got there a little early as I had suggested leaving early to allow for the seven-year Midland Highway upgrades and other problems that might occur throughout our journey. As it was raining we had taken it a little easy. Despite this, we had plenty of time for lunch and a little drive around the neighbourhood. I was pleased to see that there were still quite a few of the original little timber houses still standing.
An original Sisters Beach home
Around by the beach, we found a nice park. There was a playground for the children and a lovely lawn area. There were clean toilets and a large car park. We found a few paths leading to different parts of the beach. It was raining so we only had a quick walk on the beach. I decided to take my photos later if the weather cleared up a bit. We went to the one and only General Store which is the heart of the community. They have meetings there for the town as well as selling take away food, the paper and other odds and sods. We got some hot chips and a hot drink each and stayed there until it was time to go to the house. To pass the time while we waited for our food we checked out the notice board and watched to see if any locals and holidaymakers would enter the store. I was all ready to suss them out. Well, the big moment finally arrived and we drove over to Buz Street. Our home faces Lagoon Street. Buz Street is just an alley to connect Lagoon to Honeysuckle so I had to park on Lagoon. I found I could not park at our house as there were numerous vehicles including the tenants moving van. I found a spot behind the agent’s car across the road. The scene looked pretty chaotic with people packing up, cats and huge barking dogs that were not thrilled to have visitors. Still, we ventured inside and had a bit of a look around since we had come all that way. The house was in an uproar and the agent was, of course, curious about us and asked us about ourselves and our plans. We happily chatted as we explored the house trying to picture our furniture in the various rooms. The idea had been to measure the spaces and match them up with what we had written down in our notes but I found the presence of the agent and the tenant who had stayed back rather distracting. This is our house.
Our new home (not my car)
I was thrilled with the house as it had big rooms, two kitchens and multiple bathrooms giving us choices. We’ll explain about the rooms later. The fancy red carpet is just right to go with my dark timber furniture. Outside there is a good-sized laundry, a double garage, gazebo and covered walkway to get to them. We also have a lovely big balcony where we can sit and enjoy the fresh air. We will take photos as soon as we can get back there so watch out for those at a later date. So after looking around at the gardens and chatting with the tenant, we thought we ought to leave so we went back to the beach and had another drive around. Here are a few pictures I took while at the seafront.Sisters Creek meeting the sea.
I found the beach lovely and clean.
Big waves came rolling in.
Rocky Cape
I don’t know that the little island is called yet.
Sisters Beach from the beach.

GE DIGITAL CAMERA — Sisters Creek

Well, the big day finally arrived on Thursday, November 7th after much anticipation. I got up early and made some breakfast for each of us and then after settling the dogs we piled coats and cameras into Wazza and set off. November has been very cold. In fact, it has not been much of a Spring at all. We have been having temperatures of eight and nine in Oatlands and the weather all the way to Sisters Beach did not look promising. It was rather a gloomy day with wind and rain but we left in high spirits to the sound of some of our favourite 70s and 80s artists. With stopping for fuel along the way I think we did the trip in three and a half hours.

Sisters Beach, of course, is on the north coast near Burnie and Wynyard. Burnie is a city while Wynyard is a very large town. So if you are thinking of looking it up on a map that is where you will find it, 12 kilometres west of Wynyard. We got there a little early as I had suggested leaving early to allow for the seven-year Midland Highway upgrades and other problems that might occur throughout our journey. As it was raining we had taken it a little easy. Despite this, we had plenty of time for lunch and a little drive around the neighbourhood. I was pleased to see that there were still quite a few of the original little timber houses still standing.
An original Sisters Beach home
Around by the beach, we found a nice park. There was a playground for the children and a lovely lawn area. There were clean toilets and a large car park. We found a few paths leading to different parts of the beach. It was raining so we only had a quick walk on the beach. I decided to take my photos later if the weather cleared up a bit. We went to the one and only General Store which is the heart of the community. They have meetings there for the town as well as selling take away food, the paper and other odds and sods. We got some hot chips and a hot drink each and stayed there until it was time to go to the house. To pass the time while we waited for our food we checked out the notice board and watched to see if any locals and holidaymakers would enter the store. I was all ready to suss them out. Well, the big moment finally arrived and we drove over to Buz Street. Our home faces Lagoon Street. Buz Street is just an alley to connect Lagoon to Honeysuckle so I had to park on Lagoon. I found I could not park at our house as there were numerous vehicles including the tenants moving van. I found a spot behind the agent’s car across the road. The scene looked pretty chaotic with people packing up, cats and huge barking dogs that were not thrilled to have visitors. Still, we ventured inside and had a bit of a look around since we had come all that way. The house was in an uproar and the agent was, of course, curious about us and asked us about ourselves and our plans. We happily chatted as we explored the house trying to picture our furniture in the various rooms. The idea had been to measure the spaces and match them up with what we had written down in our notes but I found the presence of the agent and the tenant who had stayed back rather distracting. This is our house.
Our new home (not my car)
I was thrilled with the house as it had big rooms, two kitchens and multiple bathrooms giving us choices. We’ll explain about the rooms later. The fancy red carpet is just right to go with my dark timber furniture. Outside there is a good-sized laundry, a double garage, gazebo and covered walkway to get to them. We also have a lovely big balcony where we can sit and enjoy the fresh air. We will take photos as soon as we can get back there so watch out for those at a later date. So after looking around at the gardens and chatting with the tenant, we thought we ought to leave so we went back to the beach and had another drive around. Here are a few pictures I took while at the seafront.Sisters Creek meeting the sea.
I found the beach lovely and clean.
Big waves came rolling in.
Rocky Cape
I don’t know that the little island is called yet.
Sisters Beach from the beach.

A Photo A Week Challenge: Neighbourhood

Goodbye Old Neighbourhood

In just two more weeks I’ll be moving away from my home of the last seventeen years. My immediate neighbourhood is the small group of houses that lies between Geeveston and Port Huon.

I consider Geeveston to be my wider neighbourhood because although the town is two kilometres away I have spent so much time there visiting the shops on Church Street, volunteering at the Op Shop and the local radio station at different times and attending local events.

This is my neighbourhood.

Maker’s on Church St, Geeveston
Geeveston Post Office
Our visitor centre in disguise.
One of the wood carvings in Geeveston.
This plaque is in the main street.
An old Ute on the roof of Michelle’s Roadhouse Kitchen (formerly Geeveston Roadhouse.)
Outside the Geeveston Op Shop.
The forner Geevestson Fire Station.
log truck

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Blue

Just Another Blue Day

Here are some photos that I took specifically for this challenge during our visit to Sisters Beach yesterday. The weather was very changeable with heavy showers followed by short fine breaks. I thought that the colour of the sea and the sky suited the theme very well. Aren’t these clouds dramatic?

Uluru

On Friday, 25 October 2019 Uluru was closed to climbers permanently. Tourists, both international and Australian have always considered the climb a bucket list item but the local Anangu people consider it a sacred place and have always asked that visitors do not climb.

In 1985 the lands surrounding Uluru, then more commonly known as Ayers Rock, were handed back to the Anangu people to administer. Climbing the rock was not immediately banned but over the past thirty-four years, they have tried to steer tourists into other activities. As time passed fewer tourists did make the ascent and it was agreed that when the number of tourists who were climbing dropped to less than 20% of visitors the climb would be closed permanently. The decision was made in 2017 and the date of closure was announced some months ago. Over the last few months, a lot of people have rushed to have a last chance to do the climb. Many people on social media have made scathing comments about it being disrespectful but it is what always happens when people realise they will only have a limited time to do something or see something. They want to be there, the last sailing of a ship, a last train journey, the last time in a favourite hotel. It’s human nature I guess. I can understand it.

Uluru in the distance — Our first glimpse. Photo David Jensen

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post or two David and I visited Uluru in the 1980s with a penfriend of mine from the USA. I think this was just before or around the time that the land was handed back to the Anangu community.

At that time tourists were requested not to climb the rock out of respect for the beliefs of the owners but it was not outright forbidden. My friend and I did climb it.

In hindsight, I don’t know why we did it except to say that we had done it because it was “a thing”. Perhaps it was to conquer our fears because both of us were afraid of falling. I didn’t intend disrespect to the indigenous owners but I knew very little about their culture and beliefs.

I suppose that I should say that I’m sorry I climbed but I’m afraid I can’t do that. It was a special experience to be there. I remember how I felt the age of my surroundings and how it felt calm and peaceful at the summit.

In recent years when the subject of closing the climb has come up, I’ve felt relieved that my ageing body would no longer allow me to climb safely even if I wanted to. I wouldn’t have to make the decision. But if I were suddenly granted the body of a twenty-something would I go? Probably not, I may not understand the reasons any better than I did then but ultimately I think I would respect the culture in the same way that I’d accept the rules of any religious structure I visited, covering my head, removing my shoes or whatever is asked.

37 people have died whilst climbing Uluru, many more have collapsed due to heat, dehydration or the exertion of climbing. As I said, I was in my twenties when we went and moderately fit. We saw much older people struggling to get up there. We also saw people who ran up. I believe people have taken bicycles up as well. It’s really not the safest place to be. On Friday morning it was very windy at Uluru and the rangers were obliged to delay opening the track for safety reasons causing a lot of consternation amongst the line of waiting visitors.

I have added some links to news articles about the closure below if anyone would like to read more about the subject.

Uluru photo was taken on holiday around the early-mid 1980s. I have cleaned the picture up a bit as there were a few dust spots but the colours are what I saw.

Snapshot Sunday: The Red Bridge – Campbelltown, Tasmania

Convict labour built this bridge at Campbelltown which is on the main road between Hobart and Launceston. It dates back to 1838.

The Red Bridge, convict built bridge, Campbelltown Tasmania

Scottish Memories- Fort William to Inverness

This is another look back to a post from my early blogging days. On this day in 2014, I posted the third in a series of posts about our visit to Scotland in 1990. I have edited it slightly but it more or less as I wrote it at the time. I don’t think it is likely that I will ever visit the UK again but when I dream of places I would like to see again Scotland is always one of them.

This is the last post about our trip to Scotland in 1990. We were only there a week. How I wish we’d had longer. I guess that’s why I’m so attracted to television programs and films set in Scotland. Not “Braveheart” though. Too bloodthirsty. I preferred “Local Hero”. On television I liked “Shetland”, “Hamish McBeth”, “Taggart” and “Takin’ Over the Asylum” (even before I’d ever heard of David Tennant).

The last leg of our journey was partly based on “Confessions of a Train Spotter” an episode of the BBC television series “Great Railway Journeys”. The narrator of this episode was Michael Palin and I sometimes wonder if it was this program that started him on his career as a globetrotting documentary maker. In this episode he travelled from London to the west coast of Scotland by train ending his journey at Kyle of Localsh. We loved the scenery so much that when we planned our trip we decided that we wanted to see the West Highland line and Kyle of Localsh too.

Fort William

By Nilfanion (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

First we travelled from Glasgow to Fort William which is on the shore of Loch Linnhe, a large sea loch on the west coast. That journey was very scenic and we didn’t even mind the signal failure that delayed us en route. Our “Let’s Go” guide book described Fort William as being a climbing centre for nearby Ben Nevis and rather a boring town but we really liked it. One day while we waiting at the railway station I saw a railway cleaner washing a carriage on the platform . Cleaning trains was my job in Adelaide at the time and I often did exactly the same job myself. I remember thinking that it would be nice if I could exchange jobs with that person for a while and stay in Fort William for longer.

We had been staying in youth hostels for a couple of weeks so in Fort William we treated ourselves to a bed and breakfast place. There were a few other guests who we met at breakfast the next day. A lady who had just returned from a trip on a sail training vessel which we saw in the loch later and another Australian couple who were a bit younger than us. I’m sure most people know about the concept of “Six degrees of separation”. Well we had that experience. We chatted to this young couple and it turned out that they were from South Australia like us and they lived in a nearby suburb. But the best part of the story happened more than a year later back in Australia. One day when David was on the train home from work, he met the guy who we’d met in Fort William and discovered that he and his wife had moved to our suburb. What are the odds of that?

At Fort William we had haggis for the first time; we liked it. We had plunger coffee for the first time at the cafe in the Mountain Shop which probably started our coffee addiction. We had a huge pot of it for a Scottish “poond”. We walked 3 miles from the town to the beginning of the path to Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland at 1344m (4,406 ft). We had no intention of climbing the mountain although many do, we knew our limitations even in those days. The photo that David took of me at Glen Nevis is one of my favourites and that day was one of the best of our entire trip for me.

On the slopes of Ben Nevis pretending to be a mountain climber.

We also went on a bus tour to Glen Coe scene of the infamous massacre of the McDonald Clan by the Campbell’s. Our guide, if I remember correctly, said that the historical facts of the massacre were not quite the same as popular history suggests. Of course he may have been a Campbell himself ! However there has certainly been a lot written on the subject, some of it factual and some not so much. I did have to agree with our guide that the scenery alone is worth going there for whatever the truth of what happened is.

The West Highland Railway

Another highlight was the train journey from Fort William to Mallaig on the West Highland line. In summer you can ride a steam train on that route but we were too early in the season. However it didn’t matter. It was another day of beautiful views and impressive railway engineering. In particular the fabulous Glen Finnan Viaduct. You can’t actually appreciate how amazing this is when you are on it as well as you can in this photograph.

“Glenfinnan Viaduct” by de:Benutzer:Nicolas17 – Self-photographed. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.

Mallaig is a fishing port and we enjoyed wandering around the town for a few hours. The fishing boats were very picturesque. I would have liked to have taken a ferry to Skye from there. It’s certainly a place I would love to visit again.

Kyle of Localsh

Our journey to Kyle of Localsh from Fort William was an anti climax in some ways as we had to take a bus, a very crowded bus, which we were obliged to stand up on for most of the journey. As I am short that meant that I was not able to see very much of the scenery.

At that time there was no bridge to connect the town with the Isle of Skye so we took the short ferry trip across to Kyleakin, so that we could say that we had been “Over the sea to Skye”. The bridge was opened in 1995 and it is now free to use, initially it charged a toll which became a contentious issue for local people, so much so that many refused to pay it. The toll was removed in 2004. We took a photograph of the Kyle of Localsh Station sign but unlike Michael Palin we didn’t take a replica home with us. Nor did we sample the variety of malt whiskies served at the nearby Localsh Hotel. Instead we continued our journey by train on another scenic route, the line to Inverness.

Wick

At Inverness we stayed at a small hotel popular with rail enthusiasts. I had found the address in one of David’s rail magazines. They were happy to leave breakfast supplies outside our door when we chose to go out early in the morning on a day trip to Wick. We were a bit surprised that they left toast though. I hadn’t realised that in parts of the UK people ate cold toast.

Wick and Thurso are as far as you can go by train in the UK. We chose Wick as our destination for a day outing. Wick is a fishing port and once again I was captivated by the fishing boats. Wick was originally a Viking settlement and it would have been interesting to spend more time exploring the area which has ruins, walks and wildlife to see. I think a car would have been handy up here though.

Loch Ness

We couldn’t leave Inverness without travelling to nearby Loch Ness. We took a local bus to visit the ruins of Urquhart Castle. We also visited a local museum which had a lot of information about the loch and the various expeditions that had been made to try to find the elusive Loch Ness Monster. I have to say that on the day that we were there we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There have been a lot of hoaxes over the years and I think that I would be sorry in a way if scientists were able to prove or disprove that there was a creature living in Loch Ness. The mystery of it is part of the attraction. Either way tourist operators and businesses in the region have done well out of “Nessie”.

We watched the movie “Loch Ness” released in 1996 which starred Ted Danson. It wasn’t a brilliant movie, we watched it for the scenery really, but we did like the ending where Nessie is left in peace. I thought the castle ruins were very atmospheric and I liked hearing the piper who was playing there the day we visited.

Urquhart Castle ruins — The ruins of Urquhart Castle from above

The Piper — Piper at Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

We left Inverness finally and took the train all the way back to London and then on to Bexhill-on-Sea to spend Easter before travelling around southern England and North Wales. As you can tell from how much I have written twenty-five years have not made me forget how much I loved being in Scotland and I’d go again in a heartbeat if I could.

Vintage Wrecks at Willow Court

Another Trip to Willow Court

During my holidays in August my friend Phillip and I went to Willow Court New Norfolk.It’s a place I love to go as it has antique shops, interesting gardens, a nice cafe and lots of old wrecked vintage cars awaiting new owners to restore them. I always feel both sad and excited to see them. Sad because they are in such a state of disrepair and excited because I love to see old vintage cars anytime. I’m really into old stuff so I just love Willow Court. For those who don’t know Willow court used to be a hospital. I’ll leave a link at the bottom of the page because it does have some very interesting history of its own. Now onto the cars. I hadn’t been here in a long while so there were a lot of different cars, trucks and buses including the AC DC tour bus I posted a few weeks ago. After visiting the two antique shops and having a nice cuppa in the cafe I walked around and got photos of most of the vehicles, mostly the ones that interested me. In some cases there was more than one of the same make. So here is my slide show of the many vehicles there that Saturday in August.

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https://www.willowcourttasmania.org/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-21/willow-court-asylum-converted-into-artist-studio/11228708

https://newnorfolkonline.com/listing/willow-court-antique-centre/

Here are a few links to check out if you are interested in Willow Court or antiques in general or maybe just check out the cars. If you do an online search you can find plenty to read about Willow Court and the old Derwent Hospital.

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Category: Places