Thursday, February 25 – Drive West to Queenstown

Our time in Tasmania is short, so we are trying to hit the main “tourist” attractions. Yesterday we did Freycinet on the east coast; today we are headed for Queenstown on the west coast. We have heard that this is one of the “must see areas” in Tasmania.

We set off this morning around 10:30 from our hotel on the ocean and headed west on the B34 to Campbell Town. It was a “ho hum” drive for the first part along the usual narrow, windy, tree-lined roads posted at 100 kph which means finger gripping drives around bends, and the atmosphere filled with the smell of eucalyptus. We went through the East Coast Forest managed by Forest Tasmania, the Northern Midlands, Lake Leake and the Tasmania plains with tons of sheep melding into the wheaten landscape. We decided that because the grass is the colour of “wheat” this influences the colour of the sheep’s wool! Probably not so, but that is what it looks like.

After Campbell Town we turned onto the B53 and that is where our journey started to become a lot more interesting. We climbed up along very narrow, windy, roads with hairpin bends galore to a mountain top plateau. The scenery was totally changed. It was quite lovely in a very different Tassie way. We found a very narrow steep gravel road which we thought would provide some fun as it promised the “Adit tunnel” and picnic area, but we were thwarted because we hadn’t gone very far before we hit a sign that said “Road Closed”. So we retraced our steps and continued up the main road with its 25k and 15k switchbacks, bushfire burned forests, and a big, white, pipeline. And then we spotted another gravel road that looked interesting and when we arrived at the top of that we found a road along side of a concrete structure which seemed to carry a canal. We found some steps up and stopped to go up them and investigate but the middle part of the steps was locked up and we couldn’t climb past, so once again we were “thwarted”.  No matter, the whole area was wildnerness, we hadn’t seen another car for ever, and I don’t think many tourists take this route. We think that the canal took the water to the pipeline which then fed down into what we thought was a hyrdro power project. We’ll have to check but the internet is so slow I doubt it will bring up any sites.  I am truly amazed at the consistently poor internet availability since we left Sydney. It is worse than many of the less developed countries we have travelled in….or at least equal to…..and yes…..it is even worse than Xplornet!!

As we approached Queenstown we came across rocks with the most amazing copper, gold, and red colours. It turned out to be a mining area – copper and iron ore. You can see the remnants of mining all over the mountains. You can even smell the iron in the air. The towns in the area were booming a few years ago but sadly, now they are like ghost towns – the chap at the hotel told us that 2 years ago the population was 10,000 and now it is 2,000, but there is lots of hope that the mining industry will recover. It is sad to see the effects of the decline on a small town. The streets are deserted, the buildings have “for sale” signs up, and although the people who remain are hopeful, many have left.

So tonight we are staying at the Silver Hills Motel in Queenstown. Value about $65.00/night; actual cost $145/night…..by Canadian standards!! The costs in Australia bare no relevance…..and are mainly incredibly expensive and poor value….in our opinion. But what is not poor value is the intensity of the rain storm that moves in waves across the town and our motel unit. The skies have opened up the dam and let the water pour from the heavens to land with great force on the land. Probably badly needed to irrigate the parched land.