I woke up at 4.30 and remembered that I’d
left the groceries in the esky in the car. Luckily the Tasmanian nights are
cool enough that everything was still cold so no harm done – except I couldn’t
get back to sleep after I’d put them all in the fridge. Millie woke up not long
after so we played games together and on the computer for a while, then I
started packing and getting organised to leave. Caitlin’s friends came and
asked her to go and play so the kids went to the playground for a while.
We left (as usual) around 10.30 and stopped
for petrol and cash, then headed north. This was our longest driving day, and
listening to The Faraway Tree on Audio CD helped pass the time very well.
Millie fell asleep which also made it easier to get further without a stop. We
made it to Deloraine before we stopped for lunch, the kids played in the
playground and around the waterfall and on the suspension bridge, made a few
friends and patted some dogs, then we were on our way again.
The last leg to Cradle Mountain was a
beautiful drive, especially seeing Mt Roland, with cloud covering the top. The
windy roads were a bit tough on Caitlin’s stomach which was not unexpected. We
made good time and arrived at the caravan park just before 4. This meant Tony
was able to watch most of the Collingwood-Melbourne game on TV. Caitlin and I went for a walk to the Cradle
Mountain Visitors Centre (which was closed) and to the Caravan Park Reception
where we bought a map of walks in the Cradle Mountain area so we can plan our
stay. We saw 10 or more currawongs and a pademelon on our way. All the cabins here
are set in bushland, we feel quite secluded and I think this will be a great
place for seeing wildlife just outside our door. I wandered through the dark
bush to the laundry and had a bit of an explore of the park, Caitlin joined me
(she somehow found me in the dark) and we ran into a couple of possums on the
way back. One of them was on a log right next to Caitlin's head and gave her a bit of a fright.
Its raining tonight so not sure what we’ll
do tomorrow, will depend on the weather, but it will involve walking somewhere
in the Dove Lake vicinity. It’s (not surprisingly) much colder here than in
Hobart so I’ll be hunting out all the waterproof and warm gear tonight before
we go anywhere tomorrow. We’re all
pretty tired after our day of travelling so although I’d love to do a sunrise
at Dove Lake it might not be tomorrow morning…
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