Saturday, March 19th …..

It’s been quite a while since I took the time to write some thoughts for the blog. While we were at Myrtle Park, without internet access, it was easy to put off the writing to another day and then I lost the impetus.
However, here we are at Lake Dulverton on the outskirts of Oatlands in Tasmania’s midlands and I’m back to work. I remember that Jamie rowed here at one time, probably 1985 or 1986, but the lake has deteriorated a lot since then. Weed has taken over the foreshore and it would be hard to launch a boat now and impossible to row it out through the weed to open water. Now the lake is tagged as a waterbird sanctuary and there are hordes of black swans, Eurasian coots and a variety of ducks.
The ducks, as always, are a pain, hanging around the door of the van demanding to be fed. The little flock that has adopted us also has a goose as one of its members and its honking certainly adds to the noise. Late last night we saw him out on the lake, alone, honking plaintively. Marilyn says he has misplaced his mate and is calling out to her.
Where we are camped is a free spot and is limited to three days. We’ll probably stay one more night before moving on. The big attraction of Oatlands is a restored windmill which we plan to visit this afternoon. I’ll write a little more after that visit.
In the meantime, I should tidy up a couple of loose ends from the last few weeks. Myrtle Park was a wonderful place to stay and we’ll certainly be heading back there at some other time. Every day was a revelation with the comings and goings of people in their individual camping set-ups – from very flash Winnebagos to shabby little bongo vans and even shabbier tents. One fellow arrived on a motor bike and set himself up with a hammock covered by a flysheet. He had all the utensils he needed for cooking and even a chair! I don’t know how he got all his stuff on the bike and we weren’t there when he left so we could check it out.
On the recent long weekend a large gang of people arrived from the Dutch Reformed Church. There must have been 200 people in numerous vans and tents, with lots of kids on bikes. Everyone was very pleasant and it was good to feel part of it. In fact, we were crowded in by a couple of family groups who had set themselves out nearby and whose camp had grown as new people arrived. However, we certainly didn’t feel encroached upon.
This get-together has grown from their traditional Church Picnic and has become an annual affair. We were visited by one of the ministers and his wife who had been part of the original picnics 25 years ago, and are now based in Winnipeg, Canada. They were a very nice couple and have invited us to look them up when we get to North America.
Yesterday, we had an appointment in Launceston and were rushing out the door when a fellow stopped us to tell us there was to be Memorial Service held today on the very spot where we were camped. There is a plaque under one of the trees remembering motor-bike riders who have been killed in road accidents and the God Squad organizes regular services at that spot.
This was the spur we needed to make the decision to move on and so we packed up and set off on the next leg of our travels. It was hard to leave because Myrtle Park is such a beautiful place and each day just rolled seamlessly into the next. We’re heading south now and hope to end up in Hobart in a day or two. I’m keen to explore some of the areas we had found when we lived there 25 years ago and this is a good chance to do that.
At the beginning of March, we flew to NSW to spend a few days in Wollongong to see my mum and Uncle Archie, and in Mudgee to see Marilyn’s father. We were able to celebrate Marilyn’s birthday at the Wollongong Golf Club with Sandy and Jenny and the oldies, and then take the train and bus to Mudgee to see Marilyn’s side of the family. We were only away a week but that was long enough to touch base with everyone.
We’re booked on the Spirit of Tasmania on May 10th to take our van to the mainland and will travel around there until the end of October. To break up the routine, we’ve booked a couple of weeks at resorts using our timeshare points. In June, we’ll be at Rafferty’s Resort on Lake Macquarie for a week, and in July we have a week at Seashells Waterfront Resort at Hallidays Point, near Taree.
Before that, though, we have a cruise which leaves Sydney on April 16th (just 4 weeks from today) and that is something to really look forward to.