Monday, April 12, 2010

Tassie Part 10

Fri 12, Day 10:

I drove Ellen to the airport for the first flight out.

Dover.
We drove via the wide peninsula bounded by the Huon River to the west and D'Entrecasteaux Channel on the east. There was a sheep cheese place at Birchs Bay we wanted to visit.
Good spiel by the guy but very expensive products. They did have a nice pinot noir spread ala quince paste. A TV chef that Caroline hates was doing a segment to camera on the balcony. We each bought a small peice of the vine leaf wrapped harder cheese.

Drove on coast road all the way road - great views. Caroline was fixated on picking up a cucumber for the salad. Before the road joined the south road at Huonville we stopped at an honesty-box booth and picked up a whole swag of fruit and vege and some eggs.
Getting back into the car I was told "We've got a cucumber - that's the important thing."
She was also very happy about the eggs. If anyone is at a loss for a present for the Aunt then a dozen fresh laid free-range eggs are a sure fire winner.
South on the other bank of the Huon River. Beautiful peaceful beds of rushes. The road is slightly elevated with hills to the west. Orchards and vineyards on both sides of the road in a strip that goes down to the riverbank and up the nearest hills. Taller ranges just beyond these are forested. Near Waterloo we spot cherries and stop to sample them. They are enormous and flavoursome - bursting with trapped sunlight and drool. The old farmer is a character. I say we are in the state for another ten days. He says 'Well, you'll need two kilos, then!' Certainly for $15. Done. The Aunt starts expressing doubts we can eat them all, but I am up for the challenge.
The farmer suggests the scenic drive to Dover by taking the turn off to Police Point, as the main road cuts through the hills.
Drive, drive, drive. 'Oh, not another picturesque seaside-slash-rural village with beautiful aspect!' I moan.







At Dover, Caroline once again kindly upgrades us to a bigger cabin with large beds - we are staying three nights after all. It is still early enough in the afternoon to go searching for the supermarket. We drive around and through the town leaving it on three roads without spotting a supermarket. We do see the second-hand bookshop in an old church and other very nice weatherboard buildings, and eventually go back to the quasi general store where the Aunt picks out some disappointed greens. On the way back to the caravan park which is on the north side of the town, I manage to take the wrong road at a five-way intersection and end up instantly in the carpark of the enormous IGA we'd missed because we were too busy being entranced by pretty little weatherboard buildings.
So, even when we made an attempt to explore the town properly we still managed to miss key points ie what we were actually looking for.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

damn, the internet ate my comment
Taffy