After a few years of unsuccessfully trying to visit Tasmania, the island state, in our motorhome, Belle, we finally made it in February 2024. Planning started in earnest when we had to book the ferry to Tasmania in September 2023. Who would have thought that ferry trip would be so booked out! We gave ourselves a leisurely five days to drive to Geelong, Victoria to get the ferry.
This is the map of our journey from Sydney to Geelong, where we got the ferry to Tasmania.Our first stop was a lovely free camp at Yass, NSWThe morning view of the river from my bedroom window.Night two was another free camp at Gadd’s Bend Reserve on the Murray River in Victoria, near Jingellic, NSW. It was a quiet, peaceful overnight stop.We did a nice walk along the river and I even managed some tree climbing. Then I almost walked into a large black snake on the path. Lucky Dick saw it in time to warn me! That ended our walk.Our free camp near Echuca was at Georges Bend on the Murray River. A nice quiet camp, probably because of the rough road in. We did a walk and played our ukes; no one close enough to be bothered by our noise!The sunset that night was pretty special.
Next stop was a great caravan park in Bendigo, with the best ever ensuite site (great towels, toiletries, and even our own clothesline). We did the laundry, had a dip in the pool and a lovely soak in the spa.
Finished off the day with a lovely dinner out with Steve and Sharon, who live near Bendigo. Good food and good company.On the day we were booked for the ferry, we spent our time in Geelong enjoying the sunshine and a walk along the waterfront near the ferry terminal. These wooden statutes adorn the waterfront. Being in Belle we could park anywhere, cook dinner and enjoy the views. In fact, we had to cook up or give away all our fruit and vegetables due to the strict biosecurity regulations that apply in Tasmania. Just as well we did as the inspectors entered the van and checked out our fridge; and also our gas bottles.Our sailing for the ferry, The Spirit of Tasmania, was scheduled for 11:30pm, but we joined the lineup to board at 8:15pm. By the time we were boarded, we were tired and went straight to our cabin and had a good night’s sleep.
The sailing journey went smoothly, the ship was well equipped (we could even get tourist information and buy our Tasmanian National Parks pass there). We were ready to start our Tasmanian Adventure! The plan was to visit new places, since we’d both had many previous trips to Tassie. We also had lined up time travelling in Tasmania with our friends, Denise and Steve. This seems a good place to end the first post for this trip.
