Buckland - hidden treasures

We left Hobart the next morning and breathed a sigh of relief as we left the traffic behind us once more.  Our first stop was at Richmond where we enjoyed a wander around this lovely old historic town. 

Nestled in the heart of The Coal River Valley it was established as an important military staging post and convict station linking Hobart with Port Arthur.  Famous for its Georgian architecture and it's Heritage listed buildings we could understand why the streets were full of tourists.  

Richmond's most famous landmark is the lovely old bridge crossing the Coal River.  Built between 1823-1825 it is Australia's oldest bridge still in use.  

One of Bills ancestors had been born here so we checked the local cemeteries to see if there was any sign but some of the old headstones are so worn you are unable to see the words at all anymore.  The tilting headstones in the churchyard are a bit of a concern though.

We left Richmond, still not sure where we might end up, we had a quick look at the free camp in Sorell and decided it looked a little suburban so continued on along the Tasman Hwy to the tiny township of Buckland.

Here you can camp for free behind Ye Olde Buckland Inn and so we decided to call it a day here and look at what to do next.  With Easter in three days the options were (a) stay and sit here for 5 days and avoid the holiday madness or (b) move on tomorrow and hope to beat the crowds. 

Leaving the van at Buckland that afternoon we drove on a bit further to Orford and Triabunna to check out the camps there and found them already full so made our decision to stay put in Buckland and do day trips from there.

Of course we had a look around Triabunna while we were there and discovered that it was originally established as a garrison town for the penal settlement on Maria Island.  We loved the little harbour and on seeing the ferry come in decided that a trip across to the island would be one of our day trips and booked our tickets for the next morning.

Back at home we discovered a few extra campers had come in to the large flat area behind the pub so we had neighbours for the night.  Most of them were backpackers in Bongo Vans but all were quiet so no problem.  While the camp is free, there is the expectation that you will call into the pub and buy a drink or two.  Not really much to ask but over the week we only saw about 3 other couple do this.  Of course we enjoyed our 'beer and bubbles' each night.  These lovely little Thornbills visited us each afternoon as we enjoyed the sunshine.

So where is Buckland?  It's about 61 km from Hobart on the Tasman Hwy.  Once a busy timber mill town the area was settled in 1820 and was originally known as Prosser Plains.  Today it is best known for the historic church of St John the Baptist.  This lovely old church was built by convicts in 1846 and was constructed as a replica of the church at Cookham Dean in Sussex.  It has a famous 14th Century stained glass window but the church was closed and we were unable to see this.  

Today it is more a village than a township and with just the old inn and a roadhouse you would think no one would know it existed.  A spotlessly clean toilet, a lovely park, playground and bar-b-que sees people popping in all day but I'm sure they never look at what else is there.   Some of the old buildings have been maintained and are used as accommodation, B and B's or self contained allowing visitors to enjoy the gentle pace of this tiny rural town.  

The next morning we left early to return to Triabunna for our trip to Maria Island.  We stopped to have a look at Orford on the way and immediately fell in love with this classic Tasmanian fishing village located at the mouth of the Prosser River.  The drive in is only the start of the beautiful scenery that greets you as you arrive at the bridge.  

Stopping at Raspins Beach there is a lovely view across Mercury Passage towards Maria Island and soon after we were on the ferry and on our way.

Maria Island is a little bit of paradise just off the coast of Triabunna.  It is a mix of World Heritage listed, convict buildings and beautiful natural landscapes and protected wildlife.  On our arrival we walked up to the Commissariat Store, the oldest building on the island, now the ranger information centre and picked up a map and planned our next few hours here.

We walked across the bridge to Darlington Probation Station which is part of the 11 Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.  Some of these 14 convict buildings are now used as bunkhouse accommodation and others are set up as museums but all are kept in good condition and it is easy to imagine life here in a much harsher time.

From here we did the Reservoir walk which took us through the white gum forest to the convict built reservoir.  We ate our picnic lunch here but other than a friendly little Robin birds were few and far between.  We continued on this loop walk and came to the old brick works where the track split and so here Bill went off on the Fossil Cliff trail and I returned to explore the Probation Station a little more.  The only animal we both found on the island were Wombats.  We saw plenty of Cape Barren geese, some water birds but not the Forty Spotted Pardelotes we had hoped to find or the Tasmanian Devils which are meant to be very easy to spot here.  

On the way back to the jetty to catch the ferry home it was this boat ramp that caught our eye.  Not much use when the tide is out eh!  It was two weary travellers who made their way home a little later.  

The next morning we drove back to Sorell to do some shopping and we stopped to have a look at the wetlands here.  Once again not a bird in sight so we checked the old cemetery next door before returning home to enjoy some time out under the awning.

On Saturday morning we headed off early and made our way inland to Oatlands.  This is one of Tasmania's oldest settlements with more than 150 sandstone buildings.  This makes it the largest collection in any Australian town.  The intact Georgian townscape, mostly convict built in the early 1800's, shows a complete representation of the architecture, design and heritage of early European settlement in Australia.

Many of these buildings now operate as Cafes or shops and we picked up a self guided walk leaflet at the history centre and enjoyed learning about each building as we walked.

The most noticeable building is of course The Callington Mill which was built in 1837 and still operates today.  The Lincolnshire tower mill is the only operating mill of it's type in the Southern Hemisphere.  And of course there was a gift shop but this one actually sells the flour and grains produced by this mill.

We stopped to look at Lake Dulverton, a lovely lake and wetlands on the edge of town but once again with not too much water being available any birds were far too far away to see, other than the usual array of ducks, geese and swans who thought you were going to feed them the moment the car stopped.  We didn't but took a walk to see the quirky Topiary figures beside the lake instead.

On Sunday we decided that we had enough travelling and so just chilled out at home in the morning and in the afternoon drove just 4 km to look at the Tasmanian Bushland Garden.  We had passed the sign each time we went along the road and thought we should stop and have a look.  It was at this point we discovered that sometimes the tiniest places have hidden treasures.  This was one of these.

This lovely garden, once an old quarry, is now lovingly cared for by volunteers.  There are picnic tables, barbecues, quirky sculptures, waterfalls and three walks which take you through a variety of natural flora.  This 'Block Head Family' sculpture was just one of the highlights in the garden.

The view from the top, over the Buckland Valley, is well worth the steep climb and we enjoyed exploring this unexpected little surprise.  Back at home we had some surprise visitors as these Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos spent a couple of hours in the old pine trees across the road.  

That night we had our 'last drinks' at the pub and got ready to move on the next morning.  We figured that at least some of the Easter crowds would go home on Monday so we hoped to move in where they had left.

Time for us to make our way up the East Coast now and the washing basket was bulging.  Let's hope we can find a home.

until next time........