Still overcast and showers happening we manage to get packed up and ready to roll without getting wet. Our destination is a van park at Legana just 11km north west of Launceston. We have decided as the weather forecast is for continuing rain and strong winds we think that being in a park on power is the way to go (after all the electric blankets have had a rest lately). Again the road takes us up and down a mountain and on a clear day the views would be spectacular. Unfortunately today we have rain all the way so the views are only of green valleys through a rain curtain, not what we would have liked but can’t be helped. Our trip is only approximately 80km in total so we arrive at our destination by around 11am and lucky the rain held off and started just as we finished setting up so we were able to enjoy our cuppa knowing that we have time to go off and explore the city during the afternoon. The rain became heavier however, we could dash across intersections and find arcades to wander through and keep ourselves dry. The city centre is like any small city (population approx. 200,000) with the usual stores and lots of places to eat. Of course there are lovely parks and there is also Cataract Gorge that could be visited however the rain during the afternoon had become heavier so we enjoyed what we could rambling around and then headed back to base and the warmth of the van. Hopefully the rain will ease overnight and tomorrow can be a day of exploring again.
Wednesday 12th April 2011 Still grey overhead however at least it isn’t raining. Washing done and dried, we set off for a drive along the West Tamar Highway to the coast at Green’s Beach. Vineyards dotted the hillsides everywhere we looked. We stopped at Beaconsfield and checked out the Mining Heritage Centre. This is found in the restored original buildings (1904) of the still operating gold mine located right in the middle of town.
This mine was the site of the successful rescue of two miners trapped for 10 days in 2006. During our detour into a shop Lawrie stopped to chat with one of the male assistants and it turned out to be none other than one or those rescued miners that the media had introduced us to. Brandt was willing to chat about all manner of topics and told us that he is now heavily involved with assisting rescue groups around the country trying to raise money when their funding has been severely decreased. We felt privileged to have been able to meet him and wished him well for the future.
The gift shop at the mining centre offers a variety of gifts and souvenirs and you can take a self-guided tour of the old workings for a fee. We gave this a miss and instead took a walk along the main street reading the various heritage signs regarding buildings in the town.
At Greens Beach we were able to look across the mouth of the Tamar and see Low Head lighthouse where we had been only a couple of days previous. We also stopped to admire carvings done from tree trunks.
Back along the highway we called in to Brady’s Lookout. From here you can see the river as it twists it’s way between the hills. Brady was a convict that was sentenced to 7 years for theft and he ended up at Sarah Island from where he escaped with some other convicts just one year later. He and his comrades hid themselves out in this area and tried unsuccessfully to hijack a ship (more than once) with the plan to sail away to freedom. He was eventually captured and tried, found guilty of theft and murder and was hanged. He was just 27 years old.
view from Brady's lookout
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