Corinna

Posted on January 11, 2025 by kathy

We recently ticked another item off our bucket list with a short stay at Corinna on the west coast of Tasmania. The gold rush of the early 1880s brought a flood of people to the area and Corinna was proclaimed a town in 1894 with a population of 2500. Within a few years, the gold deposits that could be easily worked were exhausted and the town declined in population when the Emu Bay railway to Zeehan was opened in 1900. The historic mining town is now a wilderness retreat set on three hectares surrounded by the Tarkine rainforest. The owners have restored and developed the buildings in heritage style to create a village atmosphere. We enjoyed a very comfortable three nights in “Hobbs” cottage.

Named in honour of explorer James Hobbs who led a party to the west coast of Van Diemen’s Land in early 1824, our level of comfort far exceeded that of poor Hobbs. I am always prepared that photos on property websites are more enticing than in reality but we weren’t disappointed. The open plan living space downstairs

and bedrooms upstairs

were even better than anticipated and the gas heater warmed the whole area without effort. The rainforest embraced the spacious back deck

and the front verandah was the perfect spot to share a platter and bottle.

We were happy to share our food with the locals, especially when one had a baby on board.

Corinna is totally off grid with solar power, rain and bore water and chemical free sewage treatment. Cooking, hot water and heating are powered by gas cylinders. Visitors are requested to take any rubbish with them when they leave, not a big ask to maintain the pristine environment. After settling in, a stroll around the village revealed remnants of times past.

The old butcher’s shop is now guest accommodation.

A light drizzle accompanied us as we wandered to the Pieman River at the edge of the property.

For those arriving at or leaving Corinna in a southerly direction, the Fatman Barge takes five minutes to cross the 130 metres to the other side of the river. It is the only cable driven vehicular barge remaining in Tasmania.

Although the cottage was equipped for self-catering, the Tannin Restaurant in the on-site Tarkine Hotel has a mouthwatering menu.

After a days adventure we would amble to the Ahrberg Bar and take up residence on the squidgy Chesterfield with a pre dinner beverage.

Moving on to the dining area, the meals were superb, all prepared using fresh Tasmanian produce. The only down side was, I didn’t have any room for the desserts on offer.

With no TV or Wi-fi (a blessing) it was back to the cottage for board games and bed.

raising the bar

Posted on December 7, 2024 by kathy

When we finished our renovation of the back verandah, our intention was to create a bespoke bar, the plumbing for which was installed at the time. Seven years on, we had a window of opportunity around our other projects. We started with a vague idea

and a basic frame.

The framework for the sink section came next and before long, the skeleton was complete.

With a bit of inspiration,

the next step was the bar top. Michael had acquired a couple of magnificent slabs of California redwood and spent many hours sanding them to perfection. We needed to join the two sides and embarked on the nerve-racking task with a newly purchased dowel jig kit.

The timber was too thick to use the jig as designed so we modified our approach with great success.

Our collection of reclaimed fence palings were finally put to use for shelving.

More hours of preparation with the invaluable help of Michael’s new toy.

At this point, our trusty old drop saw gave up the ghost so we added another new toy to the ever growing arsenal.

With shelving installed on the base of the bar, we moved on to the sink fitting.

Some unidentified reclaimed timber we had lying around in the workshop made for the perfect sink bench.

With tiled splash back and plumbing complete, the worktop shelving was added.

A strip of Huon pine to edge the bar top and a few coats of Cabothane later, it was fixed in place without drama.

Now for the cladding. We had collected a few random pieces of timber over the years, starting with the King Billy planks from the old hydro water pipes, complete with marks from the strapping. We always intended them to be a feature on the bar.

A concoction of vinegar and bleach easily rusted some nails to use on the other elements of the cladding.

Our approach of “make it up as we go along” seemed to work well as we added an assortment of timbers, some feature panels and a couple of cigar boxes.

Cupboard curtains complemented the bar fridge as well as the soft furnishings in the room.

Another two coats of Cabothane on the bar top

and the addition of LED lights

and we have another project successfully concluded.

blissful bubbles

Posted on November 2, 2024 by kathy

It’s that time of year when the veggie patch is transforming from winter weariness to summer surplus. Our robust rhubarb provides at a steady rate throughout the year but I am now digging deep into the repertoire of rhubarb recipes to keep up with the harvest.

One of my favourites is rhubarb champagne, the reward is definitely worth the effort. Start with 875g rhubarb, 875g sugar, a lemon (from the abundant lemon tree) and 11 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

Chop the rhubarb, slice the lemon

and place all these ingredients, along with 5 litres of cold water, into a food safe bucket (I use our beer fermenter). Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and leave for 48 hours.

Sterilise 10 PET bottles (I use Milton solution)

and strain 500ml of the mixture into each.

PET bottles are preferable as they have more ‘give’ and it is advisable to squeeze out as much air as you can before capping.

Pop the bottles in the fridge and try to refrain from sampling for at least two weeks. Deliciously refreshing as a sparkling beverage,

we recently discovered the benefits as a mixer. One and a half measures of gin topped up with rhubarb champagne, we have lovingly named it the ‘Stowport Stonker’. Cheers.

Warning: open bottles VERY slowly.

broken hearts

Posted on October 19, 2024 by kathy

Our darling Poppy has left us. We are broken hearted. It has been quite a journey from the neglected puppy I found wandering in July 2009.

Poppy has been a very special part of our lives, happily taking Michael for a walk each morning and evening come rain, hail or shine.

She would cheekily ask for any paper or cardboard if she saw us with it, take it into the lounge and rip it to pieces.

That habit stopped a couple of years ago but she still enjoyed running and jumping on her stuffed hippo, giving him a good shake and then summoning us with her eyes to join her on the floor for a much loved armpit tickle.

Four years ago she developed a dreadful autoimmune disease called pemphigus, her daily medication was something she learned to tolerate after a bumpy start with the aid of peanut butter.

One of the side effects of her medication was increased hair growth and she sported a delightful quiff that needed serious trimming for a while.

Over recent years, the hours snoozing between walks and meals had lengthened, she had plenty of comfy beds to choose from around the house.

She never missed an opportunity between naps to explore the garden and just sit and contemplate her lot.

Poppy was diagnosed with arthritis in her lower spine a couple of months ago and started on anti-inflammatory drops. She refused to restrict her walks in the forest and it was impossible to deny her eager little face.

She was doing very well until Sunday evening when she declined her meal and again on Monday morning. Despite that, she still insisted on her long walk into the forest, Michael had no idea this would be the last photo of our Poppy when he captured her on video.

On her return, she rapidly became very stiff and had difficulty walking, no wagging tail and looking very sad. Obviously in a lot of pain, we managed to get a lunch time vet appointment. Faced with the option of strong pain killers which would render her heavily sedated for the remainder of her days, and after much deliberation, we chose the dignified option. She had lived her best life. At the age of 16, the sun has set on our sweet pea but she will never be far from our sides.

hen haven

Posted on October 12, 2024 by kathy

Our chooks have always had plenty of room to forage and scratch and play and, well, do what chooks do. Part of their run was completely enclosed and safe from predators and a larger area was fenced but otherwise open.

We had thought about enclosing the whole area for a while, mainly to keep the ornery sparrows from stealing the chook food, and finally tackled the mammoth project after visitations from raptors with eyes on our girls. The first task was to remove the huge native pittosporum, a favourite hotel for the sparrows and far too big to retain within the new run.

We proceeded with hole digging and post erecting,

and it wasn’t long before we realised the need to allow the girls to roam and shut them out of the work space. They were just a little too helpful.

Unfortunately, they make a terrible mess of any tidy garden space, something I had to ignore until the end of our mission.

Once the boundary posts were in, we added the support beams

before continuing with the central posts and beams.

Next came the tricky part – the roof.

Accompanied by minor swearage, we manhandled the first section of wire into place and secured it, feeling inspired to carry on.

We soon finished the roof and used netting clips to join the sections.

Rather than purchase a lightweight aluminium screen door from a local retailer, we sourced a solid steel model from the salvage yard at a quarter of the price. By the time we sprayed a coat of primer, spent hours painting two coats of colorbond and fixed the bird wire, I’m not sure the effort:reward ratio was favourable but it serves its purpose.