Devils, and Wombats, and Roos, OH MY! Tasmanian Devils that is..........

DEVILS

WOMBATS

and ROOS

Oh my!!!!

Our main destination for our last Thursday in Australia was.........

Trowunna Wildlife Park

Each time we come back to Tasmania, this is one of the places we make sure we visit.

Joshua, Jessica and friend

I'm the king of the castle...........

Feeding kangaroos is a very tickley experience

Sam loved the cockatoos, they kept saying "Hello" to him everytime he started to walk away and then they all had a bit of a dance - Sam included!!  Joshua and Jessica fed the kangaroos a couple of bags of food and wandered around.  Sam hadn't had a "accident" the entire trip, preceeded to wet his pants, his spare pants and then a extra pair that I found tucked down the bottom of his bag.  Sam and I went and sat in the car and had a snack of Teddy Bear Biscuits.

On the drive to the wildlife park, the big kids had spied a Honey Farm store and museum in the middle of a tiny town called Chudleigh........of course, they wanted to stop and take a look......never mind that their little brother was pantless!

It was a cute place, suprisingly interesting!!!

They breed very big bees in Tasmania

The shop had anything and everything that you could possibly imagine......as long as it was to do with bees and honey!

They didn't have pants for Sam.........Jim wouldn't let me buy a yellow and black striped pair of tights for him.   They would have kept his bare little legs warm.........

It was fun tasting all the different types of honey.  Leatherwood is one of my favourites.

Bye-bye bees

We went to Deloriane to have a picnic lunch.  There is a nice park by the river, with a fun playground.  We did make a pit stop at St. Vinnies and picked up a nice pair of trousers for Samuel.  We didn't want any pantless Purdys running around the town.

We headed back towards Ulverstone.  Stopped off at Graham and Dianne's.

That afternoon we went and visited Dad's grave.

Another good day,  can't believe that our trip is nearly over!

Sally-Ann

Lunch with a Bunch.......of family that is!!

Today is Tuesday and we are meeting family at.........

The Lighthouse is on the main street in Ulverstone and is a bar/bistro/hotel.  It has been there for as long as I can remember, but the outside look has changed a few times over the years.  The latest look is a.......well........a lighthouse!

The outside.

The restaurant area.

They even have a great play area for the kids inside the restaurant - without there being a clown with big red shoes and wild red hair in sight!

Here is a copy of the menu, prices are pretty expensive for lunch.

STARTERS....

Garlic Bread $ 5.95
Herb Bread $ 5.95
Venue Bread $ 5.95


Fresh bread of the day, made in house


* Bruschetta $ 6.95
Ciabatta, topped with an Italian spicy tomato salsa and melted
mozzarella cheese


Soup of the Day $ 6.95
Bread Roll $ 1.50

ENTREE....

* King Prawn & Shrimp Cocktail $12.95
Fresh king prawns & shrimp served on lettuce & drizzled with a cocktail dressing

Scallops $12.95
Served either battered or crumbed


Seasoned Calamari Rings $11.95
Crumbed, seasoned with lemon pepper & fried until golden brown


Cajun Scallop Mornay $12.95
Pan fried in Cajun spices and cooked in a cheese mornay sauce


Garlic Prawns $12.95
Prawns sautéed in a garlic cream sauce & served with a timbale
of rice


* Caesar Salad $10.95
Crisp lettuce, bacon, croutons, shaved Parmesan cheese,
egg, tossed through our in house dressing


* Chicken Caesar Salad $12.95
Crisp lettuce, bacon, croutons, shaved Parmesan cheese, egg,
tossed through our in house dressing served with grilled chicken


Nachos $10.95
Corn chips, topped with tomato salsa, cheese, guacamole
& sour cream


Satay Spring Rolls $12.95
Vegetarian delight, served with a sweet soy glaze

MAINS....

Tridents Catch $24.95
Tasmanian Salmon, grilled and topped with semi dried tomato,
asparagus & a lemon dill hollandaise


Battered Fish & Chips $19.95
Served with tartare sauce & lemon wedges


Deep Sea Platter $24.95
The Chefs selection of hot & cold seafood, served with chips
& garnished with fresh fruit


Garlic Prawns $21.95
Prawns sautéed in a garlic cream sauce, served with a timbale of rice


Scallop Cajun Mornay $21.95
Pan fried in Cajun spices cooked in a cheese mornay sauce


* Hokkien Beef $19.95
Strips of marinated beef, stir fry vegetables & hokkien noodles
with a Thai beef dressing


* Lighthouse Roast $17.95
A roast to leave home for


Chicken Schnitzel $18.95
Chicken breast crumbed, fried & topped with your favourite sauce


Chicken Parmigiana $19.95
Chicken Schnitzel topped with tomato salsa, ham & melted cheese


The Works $19.95
Chicken schnitzel topped with crispy bacon pieces, pineapple,
barbeque sauce & melted mozzarella cheese


* Chicken Breast $20.95
Marinated & grilled served on a sweet potato mash with your choice of sauce


Chicken & Scallop Filo $20.95
Sautéed chicken & scallops finished in a creamy sauce, wrapped
in filo pastry and oven baked

GRILL.....

* Scotch Fillet 300g $24.95


* Rump Steak 400g $20.95


* Eye Fillet 250g $26.95


Mixed Grill $24.95
Sausage, steak, lamb chop, chicken, bacon, onion, egg, fried tomato, mushroom cap, barbeque sauce & chips


*Your healthy choice options
we recommend these dishes be served with vegetable or salad

I particularly like the bit on the bottom that suggests that if you add a vegetable or salad, the meal will be healthy!  Never mind the Flinstone size portions, etc.........a salad will wipe it all away!

Below are some candid shots of family.  Remember, Joshua had the camera, I asked him to get some good shots of family members together - I should have explained myself a bit better!

Marie Woodhouse (sitting), married to my Mum's cousin.  They used to live just up the road from us and she would babysit me. 

My brother Graham (plaid shirt).

 Nephew Jason and sister-in-law, Dianne.

My sister Gayle (sitting far left)

Nephew, Andrew

Niece, Katrina

Step-mum, Birdie (sitting)

Auntie Lyn, Mum's youngest sister

Dianne, Graham, Andrew

Gayle, Birdie, Marie

Andrew, Katrina, Jason

Andrew, Anthony, Jessica

Same group again, but......this time......Jessica is.......'

SMILING!

I suspect Auntie Lyn is giving Graham an earfull for not stopping by to visit more often!!!

Birdie

Sam and me

4 of the group were having birthdays within the next few days, so Dianne and Katrina baked a cake!

Anthony, Joshua, Jason & Denise

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Jason, Denise, Anthony & Joshua

Happy birthday to you!!!!!

After eating and visiting, we drove to Devonport to look around.

This is looking across the river from the Esplanade to East Devonport.

The Esplanade is a park that runs along the river from downtown Devonport to the Bluff.

The Spirit of Tasmania is an over night ferry service from Devonport to Melboune.  Ideal if you want to take your own car.

This house is located just off the Esplanade, and I would like to own it very much.

I think the Chicken Feed store was one of my Mum's favorite stores.  She would often send things to us that she had found there.  We bought an extra suitcase to bring home Tim Tams.

Sally-Ann

Platypus Capital of the World!

Today we spent the day in.......

LATROBE

PLATYPUS CAPITAL

OF THE

WORLD

We found a spot to park the car on the main street of Latrobe, and then headed off to explore a little bit.

Several people    EVERYONE has told us about a store in Latrobe that we absolutely needed to see, that a trip to Latrobe.....Tasmania......or even the whole of Australia wouldn't be complete without visiting this store.

So, with a recommendation like that, how could we possibly not check it out???

Reliquaire

Reliquaire is the name of the store, and if you want to check it out more, click on the link.

This store was packed to the rafters with stuff.  You name it, they had it.

Teddy bears and dolls

science stuff

books

Tasmanian food

ornamental things for your garden

renovation items

infant & children games, clothes, etc.

fairy room

puppets

telephones

the list goes on and on!

The foyer was jammed packed with things......so was the rest of the store!!!

These life size dolls were showing a little more wrinkley skin than a normal person would care to see, but they seemed familiar.........mmmmh?

Those who have ever been to a beach in Florida......

I loved this telephone, but the price tag was a little steep very steep - over $400! Everything in the shop was pricey, but it was fun.  Samuel liked the spook corridor and stomped his way up and down to make all the scary things go off.  At the end was a mirror room that was amazing.  Sam was lost in the maze of rooms and stuff on several occassions......at these times Jim and I just prayed that we didn't hear a great crash coming from somewhere.....remember the phone cost over $400 and that was cheap.  The big kids had a good time exploring as well.  I caught glimpses of them as we passed by doorways and turned corners.

We continued down the street where the kids found a big chess board and proceeded to play a game.  Jim and I chased Sam in and out of stores and tried to convince him that taking off down the street with a chess piece that was taller than him, wasn't a good idea!

We then headed off to Graham and Dianne's for lunch and to catch-up with everyone.  Graham, Jason and Andrew were coming back from the Lakes this morning.

Everyone was there except for Andrew.  Graham and Jason suspected that Andrew and his friend may be stuck in the snow.

We had a great lunch and then talked, and talked, and talked and

...........talked some more.

Anthony, Jason, Katrina, Dianne........and........my brother, Graham - waving?

No funny business in this photo!!

So, the big kids pulled out the legos for Samuel to play with.

What is missing in this picture????

Yep, no Sam to be seen, but the big kids are hard at work!!

Well, it was time to head out again.  We had a appointment to go on a platypus encounter.

How many people does it take to put shoes on one small child???

Last time we were in Australia, we tried and tried to spot a platypus in the wild.  We did get a brief glimpse of one, but wanted to try again.

"In 10 years of conducting tours, Ron Hedditch has never failed to spot a platypus at Warrawee Forest Reserve near Latrobe. The site is so reliable that David Attenborough and documentary makers from Japan and Germany have filmed there, and the local council agreed to call Latrobe the “platypus capital of the world”. Hedditch and his brothers are the core of a Landcare group that turned a 10ha quarry site into a thriving platypus habitat by the Mersey River. Picnic and barbecue facilities are under towering white gums, and there’s an observation boardwalk. It’s free, but to guarantee sightings, go with a guide for $10 a person. You might also see wombats, tawny frogmouths and possums. "

True to their promise, we found platypus!!!

Truly a unique animal that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

A great end to a great day.

Sally-Ann