Binalong Bay in Pictures

Bay of Fires

It is the middle of spring break here so I have DorkySon home from school and haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and write. But we visited the East Coast of Tasmania for a few days last week and I really wanted to share a few photos.

We were staying in Binalong Bay  which is a small coastal village on the Bay of Fires, once named the best travel destination in the world by Lonely Planet. It’s about three and half hours drive from Hobart, although because we were travelling with DorkySon we chose to break the journey up with lunch on the way up (at Saltshaker in Swansea), and with ice cream on the way back (at Kate’s Berry Farm), so it probably took us more like four and a half. The roads were a bit hairy in places, but the views were spectacular for most of the way, especially driving though the wine valleys and then catching our first glimpses of that bright, white East Coast sand.

We had a really magical time. The house we were staying in – Bay of Fires Seascape – didn’t overlook the main beach at Binalong Bay, but it had an incredible view of Skeleton Bay, and all three of us spent a lot of time just gazing out the window watching the hundreds of birds, the sea, and the ever-changing light. Continue reading

One Year On

Hobart Tasmania

This time a year ago exactly, we were spending our last full day in Harpenden.

DorkySon had toddled off to his wonderful nursery for the last time, and he would come home a few hours later laden down with gifts and cards and photos of himself hugging the staff. I went for one last trawl of the local charity shops to see if I could find any bits and pieces for the flight – I got lucky, and picked up a collection of Shirley Hughes stories and a huge bag of toy cars for a couple of quid.

Our flat was a mess. The removal men had arrived that morning, and it was hard to move for all the sheets of packing paper, cardboard boxes, and enormous rolls of bubble wrap. That night, cupboards bare and crockery packed, we went for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Somewhere between the tagliatelle and the tiramisu, immigration officers raided the place and started interrogating the kitchen staff. We headed home for an early night.

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DARK MOFO and the Winter Solstice

DARK MOFO Hobart 2014

What a lovely little weekend that was.

It was the winter solstice here on Saturday. The shortest day of the year was a sunny one, filled from dusk until dawn with light and brightness.

DorkyDad and I went out to the Winter Feast on Saturday night – a loud and lively celebration of local food. It was the only DARK MOFO event we went to together. DorkyDad had been to listen to poetry and music at the Odeon Theatre last week, and DorkySon and I spent a merry afternoon with our mops at Yin Xiuzhen’s ice sculpture, but Saturday night was special.

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Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter

autumn in Tasmania

Tomorrow – the first day of June – is the official start of winter in Tasmania. I like the way the seasons are marked so precisely into three month chunks here.

Autumn has been glorious. The sunsets over the last few weeks have taken our breath away, and the daylight hours have had a real crispness to them. Most of the rain has come at night. On the few overcast days we’ve had, the river has looked all the lovelier, infused with a glittering silver light. The mist here, when it swirls like magic down the Derwent, is called Bridgewater Jerry. It creeps through the pillars of the Tasman Bridge, stealing it from sight for an hour or two, but it’s nothing like Edinburgh where the haar descends for days and chills you right down to the marrow.

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