You may have noticed that we have been in Tasmania, sorting out lots of things as it may be a long, long time before we return. We decided to drive Mark’s mother’s car home, which was a fairly big undertaking.
Before leaving we packed the car with personal things such as paintings, photographs and odds and ends. I found eight wool blankets that I could not leave behind so they are in there too. At one point the pile seemed quite small but by the time we left the car was rather full. This is the view from over my shoulder and it’s just the back seat, the boot is also packed.
The car is German built and very solid but it’s 14 years old, although it had only done just over 70,000km when we set off. We were going to put it on a transporter but then I read the fine print and it had to be completely empty. So that wasn’t going to happen! However, can you see that blanket? It has to be from the 1950s or 1960s and there are two of them. I found them right at the top of a wardrobe and was rather thrilled. I also found six other wool blankets so they are in there somewhere too.
We left Hobart in fairly wet conditions, but by the time we made it to Launceston, Hobart was awash with cars floating away and many businesses in the CBD flooded. The police were advising people to not drive on the highway to Launceston. A lucky escape. We had a pleasant day sightseeing and went to Penguin; a place I have never visited.
It is a most charming place. This building houses a shop that sells refashioned clothing and recycled furniture.
Penguin is the home to fairy penguins and, as you might expect, has a giant penguin stationed by the beach.
The day was just fabulous. I love these sort of moody clouds with the sun peeking through making the ocean look silver. 
A fascinating part of Penguin’s history is this little building. It is the gaol and was in use until 1962! I cannot imagine how awful it would be to be incarcerated in this building, especially in high summer or the depths of winter. I am not sure whether it is more of a holding cell than an actual prison, but it’s still horrific.
On the drive to Devonport we passed this fabric shop and I made Mark stop so that I could investigate. The shop is in Ulverstone and I actually knew about it because my friend Catherine has told me about it. 
It looks a little tired from the outside, but I was rather charmed by this fabulous fire inside. It was so warm, I could have taken up residence!
Speaking of fires, we stayed in a gorgeous manor house in Devonport waiting for our ferry across Bass Strait, and it was total luxury. However, this is a fake fire, which is rather a shame, but I understand why the proprietors would not want to be managing real fires all through the house.
I took a photo of the ferry the night before we left. This was to be our home for the next ten hours
Our trip across Bass Strait commenced with a long queue and then a drive into the maw of the ferry.
Once in Melbourne we made straight for Hepburn Springs where we stayed in a friend’s holiday home, which was beyond wonderful. Think warm fires and electric blankets. We’ve never stayed in this part of Victoria at all and were blown away by the scenery and the amount of things to do. The area is known for its spa springs, and although we didn’t indulge we did enjoy lovely walks.
There is a gallery locally known as the Convent. Well worth a visit, with glorious gardens at this time of the year.
The building is an old convent and school, now repurposed as a gallery and function area.
and it has beautiful views over Daylesford
They produce their own wine called “Good Catholic Girl”, which Mark was rather taken with. I did think of a couple of my friends and had I had room in the car, I might have bought them a bottle each!
It was a quick trip to Bendigo, and we had a lovely day exploring the area and visiting the Marimekko exhibition at the Art Gallery. I took a gazillion photos, but here is just one. It’s a quilted coat and skirt and I went into full-blown covet mode!
We also visited Ballarat, and it was interesting as I’ve done quite a bit of work in Ballarat but never visited as a tourist and it was lovely to have time to visit the galleries. I included a photo of the Archibald Prize winning painting of Jenny Kee in a previous post but I had to include this knitted man.
He is knitted in one piece from jute and I was fascinated by how this was achieved. Just imagine!
Whilst on the subject of art, we found lots scattered across our journey. This was found (by Mark) in the men’s public convenience in Minyip. I would love these in my outdoor area at home.
I really liked this mosaic in Coonalpyn.
and thought it worth highlighting this very cut echidna.
Coonalpyn is also home to this amazing piece of silo art. We saw a few decorated silos but this was my absolute favourite.
We travelled over 4,000kms to get home and saw some fabulous sunsets
wide open spaces
some quirky things, and some unusual things. One of the lesser known (to non-Australians) facts is that we have the world’s longest golf course, being over 1300km long!
Each hole has it’s own name and I did miss taking photos of most of them. However, I did stop and look at this one. Can you spot the tee off area? Yep, that piece of green artificial turf.
We had the foresight to pack one of our Trangias, and this proved to be so useful for when we had the urge for a cup of tea. We stopped in some amazing spots and it was lovely to have a break from the car.
I posted photos of the trangia on IG and a couple of people asked me what it was. Basically a camping stove that has its own frypan, saucepans and kettle. This is what it looks like when it is packed up.
When we contemplated this drive I was very concerned about the little car and how it would handle road trains whizzing past. Can I say that it didn’t miss a beat, and these long trucks didn’t bother it at all.
So we are home now and it is nice that we have no trips planned (except maybe some short excursions) until next year. I might actually get some serious sewing done.