One of the drawbacks of living on a property surrounded by forest is the nightly visitations from various furry critters. Very cute to observe but destructive to the garden, in particular those plants we are trying to nurture. For some reason, after 17 years of being ignored, they decided at the beginning of winter to dine at the bonsai buffet. The brush-tailed possums are not petite creatures and inadvertently damage branches while feasting. We immediately created some temporary protection while searching for a more permanent solution. Not pretty but it did the job.
When our new cover arrived (Maze products to the rescue again), we moved the bonsai inside
and set about modifying the stand so the cover would fit.
We removed the shelves and trimmed off one end of the top level,
placed a new base to support the frame
and replaced the original shelves.
Supporting brackets were added to the new base
and the frame sat perfectly in place.
We fit the cover and tied it to the frame and the base,
the front opens up for easy access.
The small birds would enjoy a bath and drink from the shallow water dish when it was on the open shelf so we created a new spot so they don’t miss out.
Michael is a happy camper once more
and we are hopeful the Japanese maple will recover.
Following our wonderfully relaxing sojourn in Tanunda, we took the rural idyll to the extreme. A few years ago, my brother-in-law and his partner escaped the rat race to establish an off-grid property in a tiny town with a population of 26 . After driving for two and half hours through mostly flat, barren countryside, we arrived at Stone Hut, named for the old stone cottage built on the banks of the Rocky River in the 1850s by stonemason Thomas Long. Originally a stopover for Cobb & Co mail coaches, the next twenty years saw the village, surveyed in 1874, become a bustling pioneer settlement. There is a lot of history at Stone Hut but not much bustle these days.
We had booked two nights at Stone Hut Cottages, adjacent to the famous bakery where, it is told, ‘visitors flock from miles to experience its delights’. We were so disappointed to find it was closed and, in a fine example of bad timing, re-opened under new management two weeks later. The cottages are scattered in a quiet bushland setting
and ours was very comfortable, spacious and well-equipped.
There are no convenience stores at Stone Hut but the town of Laura (population 552) is only 9km south and Wirrabara (population 353) the same distance to the north. Lunch at The Old Bakery in Wirrabara made up for our earlier dismay along with the discovery of a spectacular work of art painted on silos. To create a new tourist attraction for the town, the state Government offered an $80,000 grant to rejuvenate the non-operational silos, create a viewing area, car park, signage and lighting. In October 2018, Australian street artist Sam Bates (a.k.a. SMUG) created the forestry themed painting in twenty days.
On a side note, when we drove from Geelong to Adelaide we stopped at a town called Kaniva to find a spot to eat our packed lunch. A shaded picnic table was perfect, with a beautiful backdrop of another painted silo. This one celebrates the plants and birds of Little Desert National Park in Victoria and was completed by artist David Lee Pereira in October 2020.
Back to Stone Hut. A post-prandial walk was just the thing to counteract the bakery lunch before an evening indulgence of home-made pizza and beverages. We climbed the dirt road to Mariette’s Lookout, passing aged trees existing symbiotically with a younger generation.
I haven’t been able to find out who Mariette was, presumably a former resident of the town.
The views are expansive but at that time of year, the scenery was not particularly colourful. Being cropping and grazing country, the palette changes with the seasons ( I have seen photos of verdant pastures – really!)
A final attempt at a panorama before wine time called.
A visit to Dip Falls in northwest Tasmania isn’t complete without venturing a further kilometre up the road to experience The Big Tree. At the end of a short walk down a well defined track
surrounded by eucalypt forest and towering manferns
was most certainly a big tree.
The Browntop stringybark, formally known as Eucalyptus obliqua, is not especially tall at 62 metres, considering the species can reach heights of 90 metres. However, the circumference at the base is an impressive and unusually large 16 metres.
There used to be a boardwalk around the base for a close up inspection, I don’t know when or why it was removed.
The tree is estimated to be around 400 years old and it now has large holes and hollow cavities in it’s trunk.
Once it becomes unsafe it will, sadly, be cut down and laid to rest among fallen friends.
After many years exposed to the Tasmanian elements, the timber edging along our blackberry patch was starting to crumble. We had erected a temporary protective net that we have been meaning to upgrade for the same number of years.
Last winter, we purchased a couple of garden tunnels and finally got around to it. The new edging was laid with space to allow for the depth of the new covers
followed by plastic to discourage weeds and grass growth.
We filled in with soil
and a hefty layer of mulch.
Job done!
Or not. Our measurements hadn’t allowed for the 100mm skirt around the base of the covers. Back to the drawing board. We moved the edging another 200mm
and repeated the filling process. A new frame was added to support the training wires and the first cover fit like a glove.
With both tunnels in place
the canes were fixed to the wires, ready for some warmer weather.
We had a bumper crop this year, a few kilos of berries still being harvested at the end of April.
After a hectic first week staying in an apartment in North Adelaide, we were well and truly ready for a change of pace. Travelling north for an hour or so, we arrived at Tanunda in the heart of the Barossa Valley. Our stress ebbed away as we drove along the main street, brimming with beautiful heritage buildings housing cafés, restaurants, museums, galleries and, of course, pubs. We had booked to stay a few days at Tanunda Cottages on the outskirts of town.
There are three self-contained cottages which were purpose built in 1992 and when Grant and Helen Burge took over the operation in 2015, the original Winery Cottage on the neighbouring winery property was also offered for accommodation. Our self check-in to Cottage no.1 went without a hitch
and we were greeted by an immaculate sitting room, brimming with warm sunlight and cosy ambience. The unique Christmas tree in the corner added a delightful sparkle after dark.
The kitchen had everything we needed to cook a meal for ourselves and breakfast provisions were plentiful in the fridge.
At the end of the hallway, the main bedroom was very inviting
and next to it, an equally comfortable second bedroom.
The bathroom was spacious and spotless
with extra towels and eco-friendly toiletries.
Being the only occupants, we had the outdoor seating to ourselves to enjoy a vino or two on a hot afternoon.
We didn’t make use of the barbecue but it was a great space for alfresco dining.
Although situated on the main road, traffic noise was not noticeable and there were no close neighbours with the driveway to the Winery Cottage and gardens at the rear of the property.
