By Judy Barnet, Ag Columnist
Our first four days in Tasmania were jam-packed and full of fun. After arriving on Friday at Monica and Yves’ sun-filled home in Cremorne, where Abel and Indigo were delighted to see us once again, we headed off for a stroll on the beach only 50m away. Cremorne is situated on a spit so we walked along the sheltered side of the beach and collected shells until my pockets were bursting. Then we rounded the corner to the rather blustery side. There were homes on the edge of the spit that were only accessible by car at low tide – otherwise, the owners left their cars on the side of the road.
Saturday saw us head off to the Salamanca Markets in Hobart, 30 minutes away. There, I was absolutely astounded at the size of the markets and the fact that everything sold was Australian. The range and standard of food there was amazing. The market stalls ranged from handmade jewellery, leather (including Australian-made Ugg boots), beautiful knitwear, felting and knitted toys. There were wines and whiskys – all Tassie made, and artwork of every mode conceivable. Not to mention fresh produce. Being a seafood lover I had a scallop pie for lunch which was mouth-wateringly good! We took a stroll to the nearby shops and I was surprised to find quite a few of them also only sold Australian-made wares. One shop had an artist painting and another a resident bookbinder.
On Sunday Monica, who is a chef and recently changed jobs to work at the Bonorong Native Animal Sanctuary running their Food Hut, surprised us with a night tour of the park. We arrived in the afternoon and strolled around, excited at seeing Tasmanian devils, wombats, an albino pademelon and spotted quolls. However, the night tour was beyond all expectations. We cuddled the wombat, fed Tassie devils and quolls, but my favourite experience was feeding Luigi, the three-legged echidna, out of my hand. They have a tongue a bit like a snake. Luigi shuffled up to me and stuck his tongue gently into my gloved hand, slurping up the mixture which looked like porridge. It was a beautiful experience. The difference between walking around and looking at the wildlife and having someone to take you into their enclosures, share their life story and to touch these creatures is just incredible. I highly recommend it.
On our last day with Monica and Yves we caught the ferry over to MONA – Tassie’s Museum of Old and New Art. The building itself was extraordinary, costing some $75 million to build, I believe. I wouldn’t say it was exactly my thing but the architecture I definitely enjoyed and outside the museum there was live music, fantastic food and an open fire that I enjoyed! After MONA we headed off to Monica’s parents’ place in Hobart. They are chefs and cooked us a magnificent dinner of fresh salmon!
On Tuesday we continued on our tour around Tassie, eating some great seafood. But unfortunately, by Wednesday I came down with “the virus” and it has knocked me for a six. Richie has also tested positive so we are keeping a low profile. For three days I was hardly able to move and breathing was a bit difficult. I think it will take a bit of getting over. In the hire car, though, I have been able to rest and look out the window. We did a lap of the magnificent old town of Ross which was incredibly beautiful. Sadly, I am really disappointed that I have not been able to catch up with the other directors of the Rare Breeds Trust that live in Tasmania, nor have I been able to visit the Heazlewood English Leicester Stud. Luckily, the seven days of isolation will be up by next Wednesday when we are due to return. Then it will be a busy few weeks getting ready for Jumpers and Jazz and also shearing and pregnancy testing the sheep.
So that is about it from me for this week. I did take some lovely photos though that I hope you enjoy.
