Category: Travel

I have written about our visit to the glass museum at Penn Cottage. Jamestown is a service town and in the past had a significant railway station. The station is still there but is a museum these days. The museum was unattended on the day of our visit. A call to the number on the door revealed that the caretaker had business in Port Pirie all day so we couldn’t peek inside. The only living things at the old railway station were some chooks seeking shade under a tree. its a lovely old building with a letterbox dating to the reign of Queen Victoria. Would have been good to peek inside.

The other big attraction was a German world war one cannon housed inside a substantial glass building in the local park. The glass panelling was so reflective I couldn’t get a decent photo. However there was a pine tree in the park sourced from the Battle of Lone Pine . I suspect that there are many such trees in country towns across Australia commemorating the Great War.

It was very quiet in Jamestown on the day we a were there because 300-400 people were attending a funeral. Also of note is that Jamestown is the birthplace of RM Williams the famous boot maker and supplier of outback clothes. There is a wooden sculpture of him as per the picture above. Glad we went may not get another opportunity to go there. There are lots of small towns like this in South Australia that we have never visited.

The third AiRBnB on our road trip in January 2019 was Orford. Again like most of our trips the was only about an hours or so from Primrose Sands the previous stay. We travelled slowly as the next check in was after three pm.

As we left Primrose Sands we stopped at nearby Dodges Ferry. This had been and alternative place to stay which in the end was much nicer than Primrose Sands. We found another lovely beach there. Saw a man cleaning his roof carrying a pressure cleaner

We detoured to Richmond a town that we have been to about four or five times. Famous for the Richmond Bridge built by convicts in 1823′ the oldest stone bridge in Australia. Its a bit of an arts and crafts centre. Other than the bridge there is not lots to see. Its a a very tourist driven town with expensive gift and produce shops. Mostly highlighting local produce and wine.

We then continued on our journey towards Orford and the next AirBnB

Continuing our road trip onwards from Hobart. We headed to the next AirBnB at Primrose Beach which is on the East Coast of Tasmania. The beach is fabulous and secluded well not many people where there. The beach is the highlight of this place it is glorious. The AirBnB was satisfactory and the hosts Jeff and Liz were lovely. We had a great walk on the beach with them and their dog Sofie.

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The town itself is not much chop a collection of beach shacks and a permanent population of about 900. One general store come petrol station and not much else. Arguably the worst fish and chips that I have eaten. The only place to eat is the local RSL club. The people were quite friendly and the bar prices good. Seems as though the place is only open Friday and Saturday nights. The food which we ordered was a seafood platter not cheap or wonderful at $30 plate. Essentially a fryup without any sign of salad.

I guess that this is problem of being almost half an hour down a long dead end road. I imagine that this has been a shack town. The nearest big town is Sorrell about 40 minutes away. It’s a pity because the beach is fabulous and the people that we met were all really nice.

In January this year we headed to Tasmania for a week long road trip. We stayed in four different AirBnB’s along the east coast of Tasmania. This is our fifth trip to Tasmania. Luckily for us we missed the bushfires which had cast smoke across Hobart.

Our first AiRBnB was in the suburb of Lindisfarne in Hobart. Our host Sue an artist who works in many different media was super helpful. The B&B was only about eight minutes from the CBD. We were in sight of the Derwent River and walking distance to shops. We are increasingly using AirBnB for accommodation when we travel. Having someone who is local can help with things to see and places to eat.

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Hobart is a lovely harbour city with a working port and really easy to get around . A feature of the foreshore is Salamanca Square where you can find a market on Saturday Mornings. There are many high end gift shops featuring produce and local crafts. Lots of Tasmanian timbers on show. the prices where a bit heart stopping. No crowds when we there mid January.

No visit to Hobart is complete without visit to Battery Point. This is an area of Hobart that is full of old cottages that have largely been renovated. Nestled in the middle of Battery Point is a fantastic bakery Jackman and Mcross look them up on Facebook you won’t be disappointed.

We have just spent three weeks in the US including a few days in Toronto. This is our last night before we head back to Australia. We have been to New York, Raleigh North Carolina, Las Vegas and San Francisco. All very different places. Our three weeks in the US has been something of a whirlwind.

New York was cold and the people brash. We saw Times Square and rode the subway something I never imagined that I would do. Central Park seemed safe and we walked the the length of it admittedly by mistake. Nevertheless it was an interesting experience.

North Carolina was different as we visited my cousins who I only found through family history research. They looked after us very well. I met four second cousins which was great . North Carolina had a much gentler pace than New York. The visit was great.

San francisco was another world altogether  old architecture when a distinctly European flavour. This is not surprising as California has its roots in Spanish and Mexican culture. The big surprise was how cold it was.

Finally our three weeks in the US revealed that most people were friendly and helpful.