We managed to get on a wait list for ANZAC day with the Spirit of Tasmania to ferry both us and our rig to the mainland. The booking was confirmed around 11am (at more than $500 extra to a normal price), so we sailed to the mainland last night.

Our last two weeks in Tassie were spent between Huonville in the South, and Ulverstone in the north. We loved both, apart from at night when the temperature was dropping too low for comfort in a caravan.

In Huonville we were camped on the banks of an inland river, in a proper caravan park with power and full water supply.

In Ulverstone we were camped in the grounds of the Blue Wren cafe, directly opposite from Moonlight Bay on Bass Straight. There is no power for the campers at the Blue Wren, and only one water tap. Power’s not much of a problem for us as we have two solar panels, and a generator for back up. We connected our hose to the hose in the grounds and filled our caravan tanks once daily, so water also not really a problem. At only $10 a night, and with an outlook to die for, it was worth forfeiting the convenience of being fully powered and watered up.

We’ve done lots of unpowered camping in the past, and generally prefer it to being within the smaller confined spaces in caravan parks. However, although we’re well set up for free camping, it’s much easier in places with temperatures conducive to wearing bathers all day and dipping in and out of the ocean regularly throughout the day.

We’re now in Ballarat, an old gold mining town an hours drive inland from Melbourne. After we’ve seen whats to see here we intend to mosey our way up through Victoria then out to the east coast and slowly wind our way up to Queensland. We’ll pick up the warmer weather sometime within the next three to four weeks and then intend to stay with it for the next two – three years, moving north during the winter months, and south during summer months. Lets hope we don’t get side tracked with other things – for a while at least.

All going well, we can now pick up where we left off almost a year ago. Back to living the Life of Riley on wheels.