Monday, February 10, 2025

The view from our beds this morning was pretty incredible! The sun surprised us by peeking out from the clouds to light up Bay of Fires in the most gorgeous way. Andi popped out of bed at first light to fly the drone over the shore.

The scene was so gorgeous that I suggested we alter our travel plans this morning to drive further up the Bay of Fires coast. There isn’t much in terms of towns or services in the far northeastern corner of Tasmania; nothing but off-road tracks, beach camping, and spectacular views like this one that stretch on for miles. Mount Williams National Park is there, Anson Bay, and a lighthouse so we could stop at those landmarks. Andi and I revised our day’s route to take us along the Bay of Fires beaches before journeying west into northern Tasmania.

Quickly into our drive, the paved highway turned to dirt road. The RV rental company advised Andi to stay on pavement during our Tasmanian adventures, but we drive on gravel all the time in our RV back home and it’s not a problem. Bumpy, yes, but not dangerous.

Andi continued following Old Garden Road for half a mile or so. The road was really uncomfortable; it sounded like an earthquake inside our RV. We had seven more miles of this to reach our destination, and none of us were sure we could go through with it. “Maybe we should turn around,” I suggested to Andi.

After consulting the map, Andi and I agreed we’d turn around and revert to our original plan for travel today. Unless you stay on the highway, most side roads around Tasmania are dirt, and this RV isn’t built to handle such jolting. The kids were bouncing all over seated at the dinette table.

Just then, Andi noticed water running down the hallway of the RV. We quickly noticed it wasn’t just water; it was septic water! The toilet was seeping waste water from its base. All the bumping around must have jarred something loose.

Andi opened the hatch where the toilet cassette is held, and audibly groaned. The black tank cassette had spilled, and waste was everywhere inside the cabinet. How could one bumpy road cause such chaos??

Andi scooped out the soiled cabinet the best he could while I cleaned the RV floor and bathroom messes. Oh my gosh, it smelled so badly! How on Earth did that happen? “And to think,” Andi said, “We actually know what we’re doing!”

After we cleaned everything up, Andi decided to fly the drone one last time along the Bay of Fires. We didn’t make it as far north as we’d wanted, but the views were spectacular in every spot along the coastline.

Our revised route took us back to the town of St. Helens where we located a potable water station to refill with fresh water. Cleaning out the cassette cabinet would have to come later at a dump station. The major mess was cleaned up, but we needed a good washing of everything. Our RV smelled like an outhouse; it was disgusting.

Plan B’s drive for today led us to the town of Pyengana. I’d read about a fun restaurant called Pub in the Paddock with a beer-drinking pig. We were curious to see what that was all about.

Pub in the Paddock turned out to be just what we needed for a reset. The pub was cozy and comforting with country music playing on the speakers and the Superbowl being broadcast on the television. Lunchtime on Monday in Tasmania was the 2nd quarter of the Superbowl game in America.

At most restaurants in Australia, customers place their food orders at the register. Food and drinks are brought to the table by a server, but that’s the end of service unless you go back to the counter to ask for something more. Tory and Aden, in particular, like this method of dining out because there’s no waiting around for a check after we’ve finished eating. Tipping is not customary in Australia, but there is a tip jar at most registers to throw your spare change into, etc. if you’re so inclined.

We figured we’d better feed the pig a beer while we were here. The server told me where to find Priscilla the Pig behind the outdoor sheds.

Before lunch, Andi rested his arm on a fence post to take a photo of the sheep, and got electrocuted — quite badly actually! He was still seeing stars an hour later. So, we were all a little gun-shy about touching the fence around the pig pen. How does one feed a pig a beer? We weren’t sure how to go about this.

Tory tried first by pouring a drizzle of beer near the pig’s head. The pig seemed annoyed by this gesture. Aden put the mouth of the beer bottle through the fence, and the pig grabbed for it aggressively. “I’m not sticking my hand in there!” Aden said.

Finally, Andi gave it a try, and the pig latched right onto the bottle drinking it down like a baby. We belly-rolled with laugher by all of this. Nearby, a trash can collected all of Priscilla the Pig’s empty bottles. Geez, she’d been busy!

Before we left the town of Pyengana, we stopped by the dairy store to buy some cheese. Aden hates cheese, so he insisted on waiting in the RV while Tory, Andi, and I went inside the store & cafe. Andi ordered an espresso and a slice of fudge. We sat on the outside patio while he and Tory enjoyed their sweet treat sans Aden.

There were several waterfalls and walking trails in this area that I suggested as possible options for our afternoon activity, but many of them required dirt roads to get there. Andi said he was wanted to stay close to the highway after all the trouble we’d had this morning with our black tank cassette.

We settled for a short walk through the myrtle rainforest in nearby Weldborough since the walking track was right off the highway.

Next, we drove to the nearby town of Derby. Once known for its tin mining, this town has been revitalized by the mountain biking industry. Trails connect the forests to the town center with facilities for bike tune-ups, public restrooms & showers, and camping. It’s nothing more than a map-dot town of 100 people, but the town vibrated with mountain biking activity. Aden was super jealous.

We parked our RV in town and decided to take a short forest walk to Briseis Lake. The sun finally made an appearance in Tasmania! We were all so happy to feel its warm on our faces. At the lake, we noticed a public sauna house floating over the water. Unfortunately, it was by appointment only so we couldn’t partake today. How fun would it be to sauna and then jump into this cool, clear lake?

For me, the highlight of the walk was spotting an echidna. This short-nosed mammal looks like a porcupine, but its closest relative is actually a platypus. Echidnas are a rare mammal species that lay eggs. The four of us stood for a long time and watched the echidna burrow its nose into the soil hunting for bugs.

Andi found a place for us to camp tonight in Derby using the Hip Camp app. This was another one of those places where people put up their backyards as places to park for the night in exchange for a small fee. The reviews for Jonathan’s place were glowing on Hip Camp, so Andi wanted to check it out.

At first we didn’t have the right address which led us down (or should I say up?) a steep gravel road. This didn’t feel right, so Andi turned the RV around and we ventured back into town for another go at finding it. Gotta love small towns — Andi asked a local near the post office if he knew where Jonathon B lived & — yes! The guy pointed us in the right direction.

As other reviews had suggested, Jonathon was a super friendly guy. There were three other people camped on his property already, so all his usual spots were taken. Jonathon was ready to get his tractor out and make us a flat spot to park the RV! After conversing for an hour with Andi, we were settled and ready to camp. Jonathon even brought us a mat to put at the front of our RV door and offered his Land Rover to use if we wanted to drive back into town. Wow! What a host.

Andi noticed there were three other families staying here with kids about Tory and Aden’s ages, which is one of the reasons he worked so hard to find a spot for us stay. Andi walked with Aden over to the Aussie’s camper to introduce themselves, and soon both Tory and Aden were running the land with kids Ned and Anna from Perth.

The Aussie kids were adorable, and so polite. They were enamored by the way Tory and Aden spoke, and wanted to know all things American pop culture. “Say that again,” Anna kept telling Aden. “I just love the way you talk,” she said with a smile.

Ned and Anna peppered Tory and Aden with questions. “Is everything really bigger in Texas? Do you say butt or buttocks? Jam or jell-o? Do you like the Chiefs?”

“You have 50 states,” Ned said, in amazement. “We don’t have nearly as many. I could never remember all those.” Yeah, tell me about it, Tory concurred.

We asked Ned, Anna, and their parents lots of questions about Australia, too, and talked traveling around their beautiful country.

Later, it was time for dinner. Andi made steak, broccoli and mushrooms tonight, cooked on the camper stove-top. Not having a grill to use is a bit annoying, but we’re making it work. Dinner clean-up was a team effort with Andi washing and Tory and I drying dishes.

Today was a travel day of highs and lows, but exactly what we love about RV life so much. Our day started with an epic sunrise. Then, there happened to be a cassette tank explosion which wasn’t the best. We adventured through small towns and met great people we’d normally never have visited if traveling by any other mode of transportation. We ended our day with a meal together around the family table; our hearts happy.

Tomorrow, we’re continue our Tasmanian adventure to the city of Launceston.