Ulverstone 3rd and 4th April

Now this post and these couple of days is not really about Ulverstone, which is unfair as it is a lovely spot, however, we are really serving out the last days of our confinement before our deportation on the ferry. This post is more about the 280klm journey to get there. We have decided that since we’re soon on the ferry lets see as much as we can, so we head about 20klm back down the coast from St Helens and take Esk Highway west into Tassies interior. It’s an easy drive on a good highway, and pretty scenery over a mountain range and onto really great pastureland. We pass through Fingal and the road is veering south west until it meets the Midland Highway just north of Campbell Town.

Now we travel north towards Perth where we once more turn westward and soon join the Bass Highway. Gary and Jenny are travelling the same route and we call them to say we’ll stop in Deloraine for lunch, to which they agree. After a bakery sourced lunch, eaten in the park we part ways once more, they to Ulverstone and we via Mole Creek, Ugbrook, Sheffield, and Spreyton.

We’re now on secondary roads, so the travel is slower but much more interesting and we stop in several small settlements along the way. The main purpose of this leg is to visit Sheffield, home of wall murals! The road from Ugbrook turns north and climbs steeply over a low range, so steeply that for the first time the Landcruiser require first gear to make the twisting climb.

Sheffield, a really charming town with a long main street full of shops, cafes and many businesses related to the surrounding farming community. Over the years many artists have painted murals on walls, shopfronts, windows and an outdoor art gallery in the local park which is truly worth the visit! We walked around town for an hour or so soaking up the feel, though like all towns during CoVid-19 it was pretty quiet.

We arrive in Ulverstone and it’s getting late, it’s cold, it’s windy and after a quick set of camp we’re happy to retire into the caravan and start the heater while we have an afternoon drink. On the Saturday morning we have arranged to catchup with our Burnie mates, Bruce and Judy. Burnie is about 15 minutes west of camp so we drive the main highway to meet our mates outside their apartment building. We pickup a takeaway coffee (the only type now available in Australia it seems) and slowly walk the streets for about 40 minutes as we talk and get some great laughs at Bruce’s sense of humour. A jolly yet brief meeting.

Our passage on the Spirit of Tasmania is the night of the 5th, Sunday, and thankfully the caravan park, Big 4 Ulverstone, allows us to spend the day in camp. With not much to do we take a long walk around the town, then settle into a game of Backgammon….a sad farewell to Tassie!