Then it was time to sit in the sun and read those Janet Evanovich books.
Lunch was a turkey sandwich as dinner was steak, salad and christmas pudding with cream.
In the afternoon we had some thunder and some rain, sending us into the van on a couple of occasions but it didn't really turn into a downpour.
It was lovely to have internet cover and get emails and messages from family and friends.
On Monday, Boxing Day, we packed up, filled the water tank, emptied grey and black water tanks and headed into Hobart city.
The short trip didn't take long and we were soon at the Showgrounds, filling out the 'self registration' forms. There were about 30 vans (caravans and motorhomes) parked around the place.
Despite being a public holiday, on the Tuesday, we got the local bus into the city centre and did the tourist bit by getting on the "Big Red Bus" around the city tour.
This is an ex-UK double decker and we naturally had to sit up top, at the front.
The trip took 90 minutes to do a full circuit, taking in the Botanical Gardens, Cascade Brewery, Wrest Point Casino and Battery Point.
When we got back to the Showgrounds park there were now over 50 vans parked up - a popular spot.
The next day we were going to go to MONA (museum of old and new art) and had been told that taking the ferry out there was really good, the queue for the ferry was sooo loong! We decided to just get a bus out there (we already had an all day bus ticket). After walking up the long driveway (900m) we found the queue to get into the museum! We estimated about an hour's wait - so we walked back down the driveway and got the bus to the shopping mall near the showgrounds.
We sat in the food hall and had lunch and enjoyed people watching.
It was a particularly enjoyable, if frightening, game. Sociologists and psychologists would love this place: are the people 'hopeless' because there is no hope? Or is there no hope because the people are hopeless? You really don't need a BA to assess them, it's as clear as the tattoos on their faces!!
Have we missed the fashion for middle aged women to have stars tattooed down the side of their faces from temple to cheek?!!
The motorhome park at the Showgrounds deserves a full whinge - it is supposed to be for fully self contained vehicles only - huh! there were grey water pipes flowing directly onto the ground and most vans did not have fresh water tanks and were connected to the taps 24/7. The toilets were dirty and cold, we only saw a 'cleaner' on the first day we were there. There are showers ($1 per token) but the hot water is very hit and miss, and once again, never cleaned.
There is a caretaker on site but his main job seems to be to ensure that everyone has paid.
Near the end of our stay a 'fellow resident' decided that to sit outside and sing karaoke country and western songs, at full volume on his sound deck was perfectly acceptable. He ignored complaints and the caretaker said there was nothing he could do! This was not even on New Years Eve, so that evening did not bode well.
On the Saturday we again went into Hobart, going to the Salamanca Markets and seeing the Sydney to Hobart Yachts.
Salamanca Markets were Michael's idea of hell so I did a quick tour on my own. I think that they are now trading on their own name, not on their wares. Canvas bags are a good souvenir item, they were $2 in Strahan - $7 in Salamanca Markets!!
The Hobart 'Taste Festival' was on between Christmas and New Year, here we go again, another whinge - they were charging full menu prices for 'taste' size servings.
So we had good old fashioned fish and chips down on the docks (and they were very good too).
Then we had a wander around the yachts - we didn't see the winner arrive, we were back at camp having dinner that day, they came in around 7.15pm. But they were all now in the dock for us all to see.
I particularly wanted to see the Elle Bache yacht, I think that Jessica Watson is a fantastic role model for young women, ( as opposed to Jessica Simpson).
In light of our 'karaoke mate' at the Showgrounds we decided to leave earlier than originally planned and headed out that afternoon. (The caretaker did say that if we were back that way, we'd get a free nights stay.) It also meant that we wouldn't be on the roads heading out of the city on New Years Day.
We left around 2.30pm and headed south, getting to Southport around 4.00pm. The caravan park is behind the tavern and is 'the furthest south -caravan park and tavern - in Australia! They were full!!
So we headed a little further south, onto the foreshore in Southport and stayed there, next to our very own picnic table. It was really lovely and we could hear the waves on the beach.
We got ABC tv reception so were able to watch the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (traditional NYE viewing) and then at midnight the locals set off flares so we had a firework show after all.
The next day we were going to go on the Ida Bay Railway, but the weather put paid to that - it was misty and drizzling, with clouds down low over the tree tops. So we retraced our path back towards Hobart, stopping in Geeveston to possibly see a platypus in the Kerandie River - no luck. So onto Franklin for lunch by the river (unfortunately the wooden boat centre was closed until Jan. 3rd).
Then on to the other side of the Huon River, down to Cygnet. A strange little town, expensive supermarket, cafes and shops, a mix of hippies and yuppies. Carrying on around the coast we checked out a couple of camping areas but neither really attracted us so we headed on to Snug - such a lovely comforting name. We checked into the caravan park for 2 nights - it's next to the beach, wonderful, clean, really hot showers, a good laundry and internet cover.
As a bonus the butcher was open today (2/1/12) and had a really good range, so the freezer is full.
The weather can't seem to decide if it's going to be sunny or cloudy but I can't whinge about everything.
Can I??!!
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