Launceston revisted - motorhome rally

So we arrived back in Launceston, at the Inveresk precinct, which is home to some University of Tasmania schools as well as museums and sporting arenas. We pulled in just after 1.00pm and already there were over 150 vans there. We got to our site with Werner and Mary pulling in next to us.
Our sites are on the edge of the paved tramway and walkway which leads into the city.
 We're on grass and behind us is the N. Esk river.

                    Tram going past our vans, Michael and Mary outside Werner and Mary's van.

More vans arrived through the afternoon; 4.00pm was Happy Hour and the gates were closed for the day.
The first Happy Hour gathered everyone in the one area, but unfortunately the acoustics were really bad and the entertainment was Country  and Western.
 (Why do amateur singers always have to sing so loudly, actually why do they have to sing at all?)

The rally calendar was not a full one, there was lots of time to explore the city or wander around and meet motorhomers. The Inveresk precinct is just a 15 minute walk from the centre of Launceston and a tram runs right through the precinct. On weekdays there's a free "Tiger Bus" running from the precinct into and around the city. All this for just $33 for the entire rally! (Apparently there was a little hiccup with the accounts and a higher fee should have been charged, but they reckon that they'll still be able to donate over $3,000 to Cancer Research!!! The secret being that the Tasmanian state government is giving an amount for every Mainlander coming to the rally and spending so many nights in ''commercial accommodation"!)
At close of the next day there were a total of 254 vans at the rally.

We really like Launceston, and on our first full day at the rally, as we weren't involved in the Disc Bowls competitions, we headed off on the Tiger Bus into the city. We walked around a bit and had some retail therapy including Nuts and Bolts. Nuts and Bolts is an amazing shop and we were able to buy some real brass screws - something that has disappeared from ordinary hardware shops, and the service was really good.
Michael opted for the bus option to get back but I wandered along the streets, enjoying the old buildings.

                     The "Cook with Gas" slogan is actually brick fretwork (is that the right term?).


On the Friday night we were persuaded to try the food at the local Bowls Club, which was just across the oval, a 2 minute walk. They served dinner between 5 and 7 so -
6.00pm we ambled over.
6.25pm we had just signed in!
Q. Why does it take more than 15 seconds to write your name, home address, tick a box if you live more than 5 kms from the club, and sign your name?
A. I don't know. (but some people in front of us really struggled with it - maybe it was the tick box that confused them? Not sure of where they live? I took 10seconds!!)
Anyway after queuing to sign in, we queued for a table.
6.45pm we had a table - but still had to queue for food.
6.50pm we gave up and went back to the van.
7.05pm I served dinner - (instant curry and naan bread - really yummy)

(Werner and Mary persisted and they ended up being served just before 8.00pm!!!!!!!!)

The same weekend that we were in Launceston, the city was celebrating 'Festivale' a Food and Wine Festival at City Park, which was just across the river to Inveresk. Friday night was Festivale opening night and even inside our van we were treated to the Daryl Braithwaite concert.

The next day there was very little on the rally calendar during the day so it was museum time.
Firstly we checked out the inaugural 'Harvest' which is a new food market in the city. There were some great stalls and they nearly all sold out well before their closing time. We were too late to try any rabbit or Buffalo Fetta Cheese but we did get a kilo of really beautiful strawberries for $8.00
Oh and saw these BIG chefs - (is that opposed to little chefs - UK joke!)

After a scrummy snack - tasty beef sausage in a slice of bread with rhubarb relish for Michael and me, baked potato with assorted dressings for Werner and Mary - we all crossed the road to the Automobile Museum. Included in our rally showbag there was a discount coupon for the museum entry and this saved us $3 each.
The museum is only a small one, basically just 2 rooms but it is really, really good. We would venture that it's actually better than the National Motor museum in Birdwood, South Australia.
And we're not just saying that because they have some of our favourite cars -

                                      A 2CV

                                   An ALVIS

                    A Fiat Topolino
                                          


There's also the only remaining Day Leeds in the world.

There are so many interesting exhibits.

Every couple of months they change the 'featured' exhibition, at the moment its Alfa Romeo and they have this rare vehicle. The very first Alfa ever made and the factory would love to have it but it's owner has declined and it's in Launceston Tasmania not Italy.

                                  

Then, exhausted it was time for a relaxing read of the paper before joining our neighbours, Werner and Mary and Neil and Dot from Queensland, for happy hour. We were surprised when someone appeared with medals for Werner and Mary - they were 2nd in their Disc Bowls competition. They were just as surprised, they didn't realise there was anything other than winning!!
The next day we walked across the carpark to the Esk Sunday Markets. Not a vast area but some good fresh vegies and the usual stalls of second hand junk and loads of books (this time we didn't buy even one!)
After morning tea we walked on down to the Tram Museum. They also had a special deal for us rally attendees, a discount entry price $6 and unlimited rides on the tram everyday of the rally.

We enjoyed a couple of rides on the tram and then had a look around the museum. Only small but interesting none the less. Launceston only had 29 trams operating and they have tracked down the history of them all. Some were used as farm sheds or holiday homes and in some of those holiday homes the trams were 'enveloped' by the house as it grew.

Happy hour with the neighbours quickly passed and before we knew it, it was 7.50 before we adjourned for dinner. Thank goodness for pasta and pesto stir through sauces.
The next day, Monday, Werner and Mary left to head to Devonport and sail back to Melbourne for a business conference and then back to WA to await the arrival of their first grandchild.

We went to the QVMAG (Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery). Another small museum and another interesting one, but we did wonder why the Alfa Romeo wasn't on display across the road in the Automobile museum. They had a special exhibition on Childrens Books Illustrations. It was everything MONA wasn't, MONA being full of excitement and crowds. The government museum had a curator and committees and guidelines, ergo dull and empty.

We treated ourselves at a little European delicatessen buying some lovely ham, some French King Brie and some of that Buffalo Fetta we missed out on at Harvest. Michael also bought some German non-alcoholic beer! We didn't join the throng at Happy Hour but spent the time down at our van playing our own Spicks and Specks - Name that Song. Trying to distinguish what song the guy was murdering!
(The non alcoholic beer is actually very, very sweet with a strong molasses taste).
Once the pre- raffle entertainment had finished we wandered up to join everyone and enjoyed the atmosphere as the 1st and 2nd raffle prizes went to non- Tasmanians.
The farewell BBQ was basic but adequate and we topped it off with the last of those strawberries.

The rally site had to be cleared by 11.00am and it was well on its way to that as we pulled out the next morning around 9.00am.
We went back to our mates at Nuts and Bolts to get a nut that had fallen out of our awning strut ages ago. All those caravan repair places we'd tried without success - Nuts and Bolts took less than 2 minutes to find one for us - we got 2 as they only wanted $2.00 each.

Then we drove up to the last tourist thing to do in Launceston,  (it was too far to walk and isn't on a bus route) - The Chair Lift over the First Basin at Cataract Gorge.

It's a really long ride, the chairlift spans 457 metres from station to station and the central span of 308 metres is the greatest single span of any chairlift in the world.

At the top station were a couple of little wallabies and a family of peacocks that were so slow getting out of the way we almost kicked them as the chair arrived.
We had a walk around the cliff gardens at the top, seeing more peacocks - with chicks of varying ages.

 Then we got the chairlift back and this time we travelled a little higher off the ground as a coach load of tourists had arrived and every chair was taken - we were the only chair heading back so our cable was lighter!!


Then we hit the Bass Highway, uncharacteristically, not using side roads. Up to Latrobe's lovely caravan park. Two days rest before we head up to Devonport for Thursday night and .........
the Spirit of Tasmania ferry back to Australia!!