Category Archives: Tasmania

Grandvewe Cheeses

Posted on by
8

While travelling with my sister, we made the wonderful discovery of Grandvewe Cheeses.

About 40km south of Hobart at Birch’s Bay, Grandvewe is the only sheep cheesery in Tasmania. We were greeted at the door by a special family member.

3.dog

We fell in love with the gorgeous sheep

4.retirement village5.sheep

and the lambs were adorable.

The Grandvewe dairysheep have been especially bred to withstand Tasmanian conditions.

The produce is amazing. As well as delicious cheeses, they offer Whey Vodka, an interesting Vanilla Whey Liqueur and Sheep Ice Cream. The Pinot Paste, made from the marc of the pinot pressings, is a fabulous alternative to quince paste.

15.produce

The scenery was beautiful despite the misty day

16.scenery

with views across to Bruny Island.

17.scenery

Even the graffiti on the bathroom walls was tasteful.

You can purchase products online at http://grandvewe.com.au

Guide Falls

Posted on by
2

The pristine Guide Falls is a twenty minute drive from our house. It is a lovely spot to have a picnic or just enjoy the scenery.

1.summer2.summer3.summer

There are steps to the bottom of the falls and a walking track along the river.

5.summer4.summer6.summer7.summer

At the end of summer there isn’t a lot of water flowing

8.summer

but winter paints a different picture.

9.winter10.winter11.winter12.winter13.winter14.winter15.winter16.winter

Another beautiful place right on our doorstep.

awesome aves

Posted on by
9

Being surrounded by forest means we are visited by a multitude of creatures, some of the most fascinating are the birds. The yellow-tailed black cockatoos usually stop by for a drink at the stock trough.

I don’t know how she was hanging on but this one found the bark of a tea tree very tasty.

I love their mournful call, unlike the hair raising screech of their sulphur-crested cousins.

One of my favourites is the kookaburra, they have so many different sounds.

Returning from the forest with Poppy one afternoon, she found this young fella in a predicament.

10.kookie in fence

He must have dived for a tasty morsel and ended up with his head stuck in the fence. It was a rare occasion when Michael wasn’t around. I ran home and grabbed the wire cutters (and my camera) and cut him free. He was unable to fly so I made him comfortable in the possum trap

11.kookie in cage

and called a friend experienced in wildlife rescue. She took him home for a couple of days while he recovered from exhaustion and dehydration, then, because kookaburras are territorial, he came home to be released.

The superb blue wrens continually bob around the garden

and are handsome even in their eclipse phase.

The New Holland honeyeaters,

18.new holland honeyeater

eastern spinebills

and black-headed honeyeaters

22.black headed honeyeater

enjoy feasting on the flowers. These three were deep in conversation.

23.black headed honeyeaters1

Bath time is always a delight to watch.

The scarlet robins are gorgeous. It’s always nice to see them and to know winter is on the way.

34.robin1

This pair moved in last year, I hope they return.

35.robin2

The green rosella is a regular guest

36.parrots

but herons are rarely seen. This pair may have been staking out the fish pond.

37.herons

Masked lapwings are a common sight. Often mistakenly referred to as plovers, they are much prettier. Notorious for nesting in the open and being very protective parents, I was privileged to approach this nest in our paddock without being attacked.

38.masked lapwing eggs1

Here is my reward.

39.masked lapwing2

This cheeky chap joined me in the sunroom the other day.

40.

The starlings are a bit of a nuisance but they look good in silhouette.

41.birds on a wire

It’s not easy photographing birds, but I shall keep trying.

wondrous walk

Posted on by
8

My favourite walk with Poppy is one we call the river walk. The Blythe Conservation Area meets our property at the eastern boundary. Across the paddock and through a gate, we join a walking track. A short distance along, I look to my right and am awestruck at the realisation we live in our own patch of Tasmanian wilderness.

1.valley1

The view across the valley changes with the seasons.

2.valley23.valley3

Now and then there is a little surprise

and the forest embraces from all sides as the track continues.

7.forest18.forest210.forest4

Nature’s debris has its own beauty

and the trees reach for the sky.

15.lookup

About a kilometre into the forest, the track descends steeply to the Blythe River,

18.river317.river2

a serene spot for a few hours of fishing.

16.river119.river4

The light reflects the natural tannins in the water.

20.river5

The best time of day to walk the river track is early morning, the rising sun glistening through the trees is spectacular.

24.sunrise4

27.sunrise7

Just another day in paradise.

Gunns Plains

Posted on by
6

Gunns Plains is a rich, fertile valley in northwest Tasmania. Named after botanist and early explorer, Robert Campbell Gunn, the Leven River winds through pastures, grazing stock and rich, red volcanic soil. Forty minutes drive from our house is George Woodhouse Lookout where George and his wife, Lurlie, are resting with a view of their beloved plains.

1.sunny view

The view is breathtaking, even on a cloudy day.

2.cloudy view2

It is a place we like to take visitors, building them up to this astounding vista as we get nearer. It was a little disappointing, one clear June day, to find the valley under heavy cloud. Still beautiful but not quite the same.

3.fog14.fog25.fog3

The scenery is just as captivating once down on the plain.

6.plains17.plains28.plains3

I love the poplar trees as winter approaches.

9.plains4

Beneath this gorgeous landscape lies over 150 caves. The second largest was discovered in 1906 when a possum hunter’s dog fell into a hole. It was opened to the public three years later. The formations in the cave are magnificent, particularly the calcite shawls

10.shawl

and the flowstones are so varied.

11.flow

Stalactites, stalagmites, columns and young shawls abound.

This cute little fungus caught my eye.

21.fungus

The underground river still flows and is home to the endangered freshwater crayfish, platypus and eels. The delicate display of the glow worms can be appreciated when the torchlight is dimmed. We look forward to returning to the caves, maybe with our next visitors….