The Deep South

Cockle Creek lays claim to having Australia’s southernmost road. Having driven on Australia’s Easternmost, Southernmost, Highest and, given we have been to Lake Eyre, arguably the Lowest I’ve added to my list of extremes. I missed my opportunity to drive the westernmost and I’ve no immediate plans for the northernmost, so that might be it for the moment.

From the southernmost road this morning Louis and I walked to the southernmost beach, but not the most southerly point. That title goes to South-East Cape and there doesn’t seem to be a readily available track there so it was off the agenda.

Quite a pleasant walk through coastal heath to the rugged southern coastline.  It forms the end stage of the Melaleuca to Cockle Creek walk, and 8-day hike through the South-West wilderness area. We passed a number of walkers coming out, basking in the glorious sunshine we had which was in stark contrast to most of their previous week.

Cockle creek is actually quite delightful in pleasant weather. It was even warm enough for Isabel and Elliot to have a swim, of sorts, after their ranger talk this morning. Being aimed at kids, there was a sand sculpture building exercise that created a dolphin as well.

So from here on in it is all north. We called in at the thermal springs on the way but elected to have lunch rather than pay for a swim in a “thermal” pool at 28degC. From there it was on to the wooden boat centre at Franklin on the Huon River. This is a training centre aimed at keeping the art of wooden boat building alive. The basic model is that a sponsor pays the cost of materials and an instructor for a project to build or restore a wooden boat. Students work on the project, at the end of which they receive a qualification, and the sponsor receives the boat. It isn’t cheap though. A Huon pine dinghy would cost $9000 and the projects go skywards from there. A good display and an interesting tour of the workshop.

Since it was getting late we had little hope of getting to the apple museum and finding it open, but on Fridays it goes to 8pm, so we were in luck. Willie Smith is about a fourth or fifth generation apple grower in the Huon Valley. The museum, I suspect is older than their interest, but appears to have been recently taken over by them and is now a marketing outlet for their cider product, a new venture. It documents the family activities in the apple business and how it has changed through the generations. One of their exhibits was a display documenting all of the historic apple varieties grown in their “museum” orchard.

From there it was only a brief step down the road for another dose of $15/kg raspberries and then back to Hobart. It is only domestic chores now that separates us from the wild west which is beckoning. Hobart treated us to another one of their wacky weather changes. After a glorious day under sun, after sunset some ominous black clouds rolled in and we were soon in a full on torrent of icy wind-blown rain, just to greet the newly-hung washing.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?