The trip

As the holiday comes to an end I think I should make some notes so we can reminisce about all the things we have seen and done.
The people - all very friendly, good manners on the roads and no complaints with any of the service we got. The state has really embraced tourism and all the locals seem to understand the importance of creating a good impression.
The roads - sensational road network. It seems at times we were the only ones up and about and even though many of the roads were all bends (the road from Strahan to New Norfolk was 100 kms - there was one straight section of about 200 metres....I think) all the drivers were careful and considerate.
The attractions - very impressed with tourist attractions. The big ones like Port Arthur and Cradle Mountain have obviously had lots of money spent on the setup and the ongoing maintanence. The natural landscape is well worth getting into and doing a few walks, getting your feet dirty. Pam and I found the organised type tours (Wilderness Train, Sarah Island) with a commentary were interesting to say the least. Probably because we know alot of the history - the dialogue was real 1970s' and the attempts at jokes (even by MY standards) were corny, stilted asnd predictable. Unfortunately some people are still laughing at the jokes - it only encorages them!!!! The commentary is obviously learnt by heart and regurgitated on cue - may be OK for overseas tourists but Pam and I would just point and laugh!!!!
The weather - we got lucky according to the locals. One old bloke said to me one day that, "Summer in Tasmania is the best day of the year!" Seriously - every day was - showers clearing, showers with possible sun, sun with possible showers, possibly cloudy with a chance of rain....you get the drift. We seemed to strike it perfectly and the cold just kept us alert!
The food - we tried just about everything we could. We kept it local where ever we could. Lamb, beef, salmon, venison, prawns, oysters, scollops, pork, turkey....the whole lot!! We also got into the bad habit of having cheese/biscuits/salami/quince paste with our afternoon drinks. The cheeses are devine, it will be a hard habit to break. We drank the local alcohol, Ninth Island was a nice wine, Boags, Cascade were the standard beers. Alot of the pubs have micro brewries attached. I tried a beer in New Norfolk brewed with apples (Two Metre High brewery) and some 'Moo Brew' in Hobart. All very nice. All we have to do now is cut our calorie intake by about 90%, increase our exercise rate by 200% and we may get back to our fighting weight.......
The company - obviously Pam picked the ideal travelling companion - she constantly tells me what she thinks of me. She has been a sensational navigator (with a little assistance from the sat-nav) she is always telling me where to go - and she has been right EVERY time.
The blog - I started it when we went to Ireland a while ago to keep the kids in touch with what we are doing and I find Facebook a little dodgy. It has grown to become our travel diary and it provides great memories for us. It has been VERY frustrating in Tassie because of the lack of a decent wifi connection....I though the State was at the forefront of the NBN Broadband rollout - we may have to wait a while for the results to filter through.
Till next time - Pam and Vernon xxxx