Paddling on the Mersey

Paddling on the Mersey River and walking in Kelcey Tier are two activities accessible to me within minutes. Nothing beats that for a daily exercise!

I try time my paddling with the coming and going of big ships, more than the tides or the currents. Watching a ship glide past you when you are in the kayak is an awesome view. Maybe it is a male thing...

Lily is less impressed. She just loves coming out with me. Not sure if it is to please me or to go for the paddle, but she is happy to come aboard any time.

Just need one more www.ebay.com.au/itm/281233367593 so I can pull both the kayaks down.

Walls of Jerusalem

The Walls of Jerusalem has to be one of my favourite spots for a hike! Just this weekend I went up with friends. The first day we left about lunchtime and walked past Trappers Hut to the comfortable tent platforms at Wild Dog Creek, just below King David's Peak. On the second day we took daypacks and hiked to Dixons Kingdom hut and some of us went up Mount Jerusalem and the others went up Solomon's Throne on the way back to the tents. The third morning we hiked back to the cars. Always great! The tent platforms have a watertank and toilet too.

Dropping Keith and Malinda onto the Overland track

What a great winter day! Drove up to Ronnie's Carpark and started on the icy track. For some reason people have been stepping into the cubed wombat poos on the track, I thought that was just vandalism, they are such pieces of art!



The Nothofagus Gunii was completely bare, the only deciduous native tree that I know of in Australia. Button grass looking really green, Pandani Trees everywhere, plenty of Pencil Tree Pines, Scoparia's... We walked up to Crater Falls, past Crater Lake and up to Marion's Lookout. No views today, just wind and rain, icy cold, just what you'd expect on a blistery cold day in the Tasmanian Wilderness. 


Cindy and I split at Marion's Lookout before returning back to the car. A quick stop at the Scout hut (available for rent!) on the Horse Track and a hot Milo with Brendan from Don there.


Tonight our happy campers will sleep "in" Waterfall Hut where they will be warm. CF Tasmania received a $100 donation from them! I was on new nebulised drugs and felt awesome too.

Nothofagus Gunii

I took Robert from NZ to Dove Lake last week. Perfect timing as the last week of April is the time that the Beech tree changes their leaves! Nothofagus Gunnii is a deciduous shrub native only to Tasmania, and is Australia's only deciduous tree!


Here is  a view of the Pencil Pines, King Billy Pines and the Nothofagus Gunii in AUTUMN colours.

And below my favourite bird the Tasmanian Black Currawong...


Robert admiring Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain....


Another great day, love this place!

Bakers Beach

Bakers Beach is only 15 minutes from Devonport, and is such a lovely spot. I walked up Archers Knob in (Narawntapu National Park) with my Hash House Harrier friends on the easter weekend.

Through the ti-trees...

Grasses are awesome... as are the fungus and the wildlife!

Views always good...

And walk home along the beach, the only semi-recognised nude beach in Tasmania!


Can't wait to go again some time soon. See the Forester kangaroos and the wombats...

Badgers Range - Kimberley's Lookout

Ree and Mouse went with me today up to Kimberley lookout. Followed by a quick ale in the Sheffield pub before returning to Devonport. Lovely afternoon once again.

The first part of this walk is a bit steep but then it levels out it. An easy going walk with medium gradients. Excellent views of Sheffield, Mount Roland. A good 90 minute return walk just out of the Sheffield township.

Here is the new postcard doing the rounds shortly.

PS. Be careful when requesting specialty nude cooking, becareful not to tempt me with modeling nude for life drawing nor tempt me to walk nude on the beach!

Kayaking with Frank

Took colleague Frank for a paddle on the Mersey recently. My favourite spot to go, and only a minute from where Ree lives. We paddled to the cormerand rock below the Bluff, past the Lighthouse, and back again past the Port side marker.  We paddled over the shipwreck which was completely covered by the tide. I went back the next day and took some photos.
I saw what looked like a plastic bag floating in the river and decided to pick it up. It turned out to be a floating rock! We also had a huge seagull dive 10m. in front of me into the water and come out with a fish. The fish darted out of its beak, somersaulted and landed back inside as the bird flew off. My camera was on my lap...

The shipwreck in the river is the G. Ward Cole, an iron twin-screw steam dredge, 431/196 tons. Built in Renfrew, Scotland, 1889 and registered in Melbourne in 1890. Lbd 146.5 x 32.2 x 11.3 ft. Whilst under the command of captain F. M. Calvert it parted from her cables in a heavy squall and grounded on the Mersey River breakwater on 29 October 1930. Damaged beyond economical repair, dismantled and abandoned.

Riding around the traps

Dean Saffron came to take photos of me for a CF project. Here he is at the Devonport Light house, a small side-trip from the cycle-path to the Don and back. Even though the 10 kilometer ride is very gentle, Dean felt it was enough!

Ride around the block

ANZAC day 2011 was a good day to cruise on the bikes. We rode to Deloraine for lunch, and returned via Mole Creek pub and the very windy Gog Range. Great relaxing day... Oh yes, and lest we forget.

Five Finger Feet!

Wanna try something completely different? These Vibram five finger shoes fit like a glove! You walk different on them, a much more natural 'the way God intended us' to walk and run. No interference of high tech soles to make us land on heels and roll on toes etc.. The end result is sore calves for the first few weeks. No more running injuries though.

Here is me pictured at my mother's local haunt in Canberra...

Squirm for me!

OK, ok ok guys, tell me I'm a fascist prick... But I did have fun! We all dressed up for Laser Skirmish and went bush. All was OK as we had daylight, wearing my prescription sunnies, but when the light went down and the glasses came off I couldn't tell the friendlies from the enemies. I killed one of my mates THREE times. To kill you need to get 5 shots into them.

Anyways, that got the aggression out of my system, back to my normal sensitive new-age guy life again, rekindle my feminine side again. [Slides HERE!].

Exemplary Behaviour

My favourite walk up Quamby Bluff!

Mouse was on exemplary behaviour, sticking to us like glue. Loving it all the way. Ree bravely fought the terrain until we got to the scree field where she hoisted her white flag. Low and behold we were standing on top of a geocache (Where Trees meet Rock). Both Mouse and Ree paid the price the next day.

Love this place!

Hamburglar in the NorthWest

Love it when someone with loads of energy comes along to visit. Young Hamburglar made the trip from Hobart and joined me on a ride, a hike, a run and a paddle on the Mersey. We had loads of fun. Gotta love Mount Roland as it is the most impressive and most commonly noted mountain in the NorthWest. Cycling part of the Tasmania Trail is just about a staple diet for anyone interested in riding a bicycle,.... just look at the pics above.

Fishing in the Mersey

Mate Richard came over from Canberra. Booked into the Gateway Hotel, hired a 4WD and had his mind set on fishing all week. Of course I tried to join him as much as possible. With the full moon we had very extreme tides, which meant fishing from the oyster covered shores along River Road.

Back to Strahan

Mate David came from Canberra to visit me. He had 4 weeks of boredom whilst letting his shoulder recover from surgery and needed entertainment to help see him through another 2 weeks of recovery. Took him to Burnie Hash in Port Sorell and Strahan on the West Coast of Tasmania.


Despite it just about being summer we had plenty of snow on the way home as we drove along the Cradle Link road.


I am the good looking dude, and the other one is David OK. All the photos are [here].

Kelly Basin

Last weekend friends from Hash drove out to Queenstown on the West Coast for a couple of nights. We walked to Pillinger, 6kms along an abandoned tram way following Bird River which was covered in mud and trees. It is one of the 60 Great Short Walks in Tasmania. Thanks to the trees and mud, it was a bigger effort than we remembered from past times. Great walk if ever you are in the Queenstown region.

Ulverstone bikepath

Eventually there will be a bicycle path connecting Port Sorrell and Devonport, Forth, Turners Beach and Ulverstone, and perhaps go to Penguin and Burnie as well! The Greens certainly have a great plan for a bikepath all the way to Smithton! At least we just officially opened the bit between Turners Beach and Ulverstone!

Cindy and I rode to Ulverstone for coffee and returned via the new cycleway, ending at the celebrations in Turners Beach. Lots of politicians blowing their horn, and so they should! Also met people from the North West Recreational Cycle group. They are not as initimidating as I had feared. Should ride with them one day!

Out and About with HOFT

Hashing Old Farts Trekking (HOFT) is part of the Hash House Harriers whenever anyone feels inclined to go for a mini adventure on a sunday. This time we went out along Little Fisher River, East of the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, a couple of hours drive from Devonport. We walked up to the Rinadeena Falls (above).



Pleasant hike, not too far, easy walking. Nice day out! Photos -here-

Hashing in Port Moresby

OK, OK, It is not exactly in the NW of Tasmania, but Hashing is what I do at home in Turners Beach. Right now I am in PNG visiting my old mateAndrew I convinced him to go on a Hash. Sure enough by chance the run started in the hotel right next door to work!!

Words would't do it justice, so just watch the slides...

For the full sized slides click <here>

Back in the Press!

The Advocate 7 April 2010, page 2!