Day Two ... Devonport and beyond ..
Today we decided to have a wander through the main street of Devonport before the city came to life and before we had checked out of our hotel. We used an Ad Lab to take us on a wander to look at some of the historic buildings (or in some cases where they had been) and then headed back to our room to collect our luggage and to say farewell to Devonport (until we came back later in the day).
We then drove along the Bass Highway to Sulphur Creek where we started an Ad Lab that would take us to five geological sites as part of the Created by Chaos geological trail of Tasmania. At Sulphur Creek ... a little seaside town we stopped to look at the incredible rock formations located at the boat ramp. We would revisit this adventure again as the four remaining locations were spread out all the way back to Devonport.
Leaving Sulphur Creek we drove to the town of Penguin. Yep ... Penguin! So named because of the birds and boy did this town go crazy on the theme!
We completed an Ad Lab that took us to the big penguin (the one Ian is photographed with), the railway station (no longer operating), the war memorial, the cemetery (so many babies 😢) and a windmill built to honour the Dutch settlers. We then stopped for brunch at a wonderful Cafe ... with amazing food!
We said goodbye to Penguin (I highly recommend a visit!) and drove on to collect our next geological find - the Penguin Silver Mine (not much to see because of overgrown bushes) and moved on to the lovely town of Ulverstone. Now this town has clearly taken a particular interest in its war heroes as there were five parks we visited ... commemorating the Navy, the airborne, the Anzacs, the supporters of those that returned and the Rats of Tobruk. Each park was beautiful and well cared for.
Our next stop was a short drive out of Ulverstone to the Braddon Lookout. High on a hill it provided wonderful views of the valley and was our third stop on the geological trail.
Then a quick hop to a penguin sanctuary run by volunteers. Ideally you would go at dusk as then you would see the penguins but we visited to enjoy the views, read up on penguins, marvel at the pebble beach and be very impressed at the work of the volunteers.
Back in the car again (my hip is sore from all the in and out!) we drove to Don Head and the Elm Forest, passing a massive seedling nursery on the way. The forest was beautiful ... tall trees, a raised board walk, a reedy pond and birds. At the end of the walk was Don Head, the fourth stop on our geological tour. Incredible rock formations ... millions of years old.
On to Devonport ... to the last of our geological tour - the Mersey Bluff. Located north of Devonport, standing high on a hill at the mouth of the Mersey River is the Mersey Bluff lighthouse. Built on a dolerite foundation the surrounding area is stacked like packs of cards. The Bluff was WINDY! But the walk along the Bluff was so worth being blown wild.
We completed two Ad Labs in Devonport, one on maritime history and one highlighting some more historical buildings. Our drive around Devonport was lovely abd we ended with an ice cream for the road ... I had a Heart which I have not seen in years.
And so we headed to Launceston. Our home for the next 2 nights. Our drive took us along some back roads as google was advising us to get off the Highway as there were significant delays. We had a lovely drive through small towns, over mountains, passed farm land and forestry plantations and arrived at our hotel with time for Ian to do check his work emails and for me to blog. We completed 7 Ad Labs today ... a wonderful opportunity to explore, discover and learn.
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