Day 57 / 2015 - St Helens to Launceston

We had to decide which way we wanted to go from St Helens to Launceston. We could either go via Scottsdale on the A3 or head back and go through St Marys and Fingal along the A4. We had sampled some of the A3 towards Scottsdale and there were several steep passes along narrow roads we had driven through before you even get to Scottsdale. Along the A4 there was only one to negociate St Marys.

Either way there was only 3 km difference to Launceston but the A4 option was a lot flatter so we opted for the A4 route via St Marys and Fingal. We headed off from St Helens back down the east coast route then turned right to head up St Marys pass. To navigate the pass you start at about 9 Metres above sea level and climb to a height of about 300 metres over a distance of about 8 Km. The road was quite good and had gentle turns with enough room on the road for vehicles travelling towards each other to pass.

Once we had reached the top the road flattened out as we headed towards St Marys there was no steep road to go back down as the land tapered off gently as you travelled towards the midlands. We passed through St Marys deciding not to stop there and headed towards a small town called Fingal. There is nothing much at Fingal but there is a free camp and this one was unique as it supplied power for 2 sites. We arrived and were supprised to find no one there so we backed down into one of the bays and connected up the power. Not long after we arrived a motorhome came down and took up the other parking site with power.

Fingal is a small town has an IGA and a school and thats just about all it is about 60 Km from St Helens. Anne took advantage of the power and cooked up a few yummy treats. The only other activitiy we did was take a walk through town otherwise we just took it easy. 

Next morning we left and headed the final 100km to Launceston. We had stayed at the Big 4 peviously but had heard there was a cheap campground called Old Macs Farm with sites for $10 per night so we decided to give that a try. I wasn't looking forward to driving into Launceston again due to the steep roads and thought maybe this campground was in a more level area of town but alas no we had to pass over 3 large hills to get there.

Old Macs Farm is on a flood plain near the river. There is a large grass area marked out into bays. There is no power but there a taps connected to mains water placed around with hoses to allow you to fill up your water tanks as needed. There was no toilets but you could access a toilet about 200 metres away at the cafe. The camp site is about 7 km from Launcestons CBD making it an ideal location to explore the town and the region around it. We have returned to Launceston to look at some of the attractions we had missed the first time around.

Since we hadn't been to Scottsdale we though we would take in the loop heading from Launceston following the A3 to Scottsdale then taking the return back to Launceston via B81 going past the Lavender Farm and Lilydale. Following the Hwy we climbed over the pass some 600 metres high which separated the two towns  eventually ending up in Scottsdale. After a quick look at the town we then moved on  travelling towards Bridport then after a couple of kilometres turned left towards Lilydale.

Before reaching Lilydale we came across Bridestowe Lavender Farm. Unfortunately we missed all the flowers in bloom as it had just recently been harvested but we were able to try the Lavender scones sold at the cafe. There were lots of locally made products in the gift shop attached to the cafe. Just passed Lilydale we came across Hollybank reserve. At Hollybank they have a flying fox which you are attached to by a harness and lead by a guide flying through the tree canopy. The line goes for about 350 metres with a number of landing platforms inbetween and is about 20 metres off the ground. As an alternative you can also do Segway tours which have you zipping around the Forrest floor on these two wheeled machines.

Next day we headed off towards Grinderwald a town in the West Tamar  valley based on a Swiss village design. The town contains a central shopping village and is part of a golf resort. Most of the houses surrounding the village and resort have embraced and incorporated the Swiss design when building their house. The town was founded by Dutch immigrant Roelf Vos in 1980 and is only a 15 minute drive from Launceston along the West Tamar Hwy. leaving Grinderwald we headed further down the West Tamar Hwy towards Beaconsfield untill we reached the Batman bridge were we crossed over to the East Tamar Hwy. From there we headed towards the coast to Low Head and George Town.

Low Head is at the entry to the Tamar River from Bass Strait which meanders all the way to Launceston. At Low Head is a Maritime Museum as well as the lighthouse. Low Head is also another area of the coast where the Penguins come ashore to nest. The lighthouse contains a unique method of warning ships approaching in the form of a low frequency fog horn. When this horn is blown it can be heard up to 60 km out to sea. From here we returned back to Launceston via the East Tamar Hwy winding past a number of vineyards as we went.

The cafe at Old Macs Farm is open for breakfast and dinner. Friday night was pizza night so we booked in. Ordering we wern't disappointed as two large pizzas arrived which we could only just fit in.