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The time had come to leave Hobart and head south down the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, named for a French explorer who first charted it.  The winds wer extremely variable and shifting all over the place, so we made a short sail of it and anchored about 15 miles away in Oyster Cove where we spent a pleasant night. In the morning of January 9 it was on to Port Huon, near the town of Geeveston where there appears to be plenty of hiking and golf. We reached Port Huon in a couple of hours, found a pleasant anchorage and went ashore on a scouting mission. Port Huon is not really a town. There is a small hotel, a little store, and a payphone that doesn't work. We soon found that there is no bus service and no place to rent bikes or cars. So transportation is a little bit of a problem. Geeveston was only 3km (1.8 miles) away but we decided to try hitchhiking to see how easy it would be to get a ride. We split up with Bradley going on his own and Mike and I teaming up, reasoning that it would be difficult for three people together to get a ride. Mike and I had walked halfway to town before someone stopped for us, but we did get a ride. Bradley, who had given us a head start, actually got picked up first and beat us.

Geeveston is also a small town and is about 30 km from the area we want to go hiking. After checking around, we determined that we could probably find a ride out there without much problem. We also learned there is a golf course in Geeveston and two more in Huonville, 25km north. We decided to hitch a ride to Huonville. Again we split up and Mike and I were picked up by a kayaker (no, he didn't pick us up in a kayak, it was on top of his truck!) going about halfway there to the town of Franklin. As soon as he dropped us off we were picked up by a guy who owns a small fishing boat which is docked in Port Huon. We had seen his boat on the way in. Bradley was picked up by a guy whose son was competing in a woodcutting competition in Huonville and we all arrived in time to see the final event - a kind of relay race where the first guys uses a very sharp axe to cut through a log while standing on top of it. When he is done his partner then cuts through a log standing vertically. It was amazing to see the axes fly and to see how fast they could cut through the logs. We asked about the location of the two golf courses, had a drink in the local pub, and split up again to get rides back. The rides came quickly and Mike and I were picked up by a couple who had a four month old Staffordshire puppy with them. He promptly climbed into the back seat and fell asleep on my lap.

On Saturday morning (Jan 10), a low pressure system was still hanging around and there were a few clouds, so we decided it was not the day to climb a mountain. Mike and I decided to try the golf courses at Huonville. So we set off to hitchhike carrying Mike's full set of clubs. It took a while to get a ride because there wasn't a lot of traffic but finally a woman with a baby in the backseat stopped. She took us all the way to the front door of the Huon Heights golf course even though it was a bit out of her way.  The course was beautifully situated among rolling hills and cow pastures. Greens fees were $AU8 (about $5.75 US) which you deposited into a box. There were nine holes with each one having two different tee locations, one for the front nine, and one for the back.  The fairways were 50% covered by dandelions and the greens consisted of a nice combination of moss and grass. It was actually quite a charming course and very scenic. We were mooed at several times and Mike hit one ball into the cow pasture, but we both did pretty well and really enjoyed it. We walked the mile or so back into Huonville where we enjoyed a nice lunch at the pub and waited out a rain shower. Then we decided to tackle the other golf course, which had been advertised as "12 holes and 18 tees". It was about 5 km down a small side road so we set off to get a ride. A woman stopped to pick us up, but when we opened the door, we found she had a huge golf bag taking up the entire back seat. She looked back and said "oh, I forgot those were in there. Guess I don't have any room". But she did confirm where the golf course was so we knew where we were going. We we soon picked up by a young couple who worked at the local mushroom farm. Again, they went out of their way to take us right up to the front door.

Huon Valley Golf Club is a semi-private club with greens fees for visitors of $AU15. It has a real clubhouse and is a very pretty and well-maintained course. There are indeed twelve holes, with the first six doubling up as 1-6 on the front and 10-15 on the back. Again, the scenery is wonderful and we both played well and really enjoyed our round. We were finishing up right around 6:00pm and wondering about how easily we would find a ride back. As we hit onto the 18th green I saw a guy come out of the clubhouse and go to his truck. I ran over to find out if he was leaving and if he could give us a ride back to the main road. It turned out he was going all the way to Dover, past where we wanted to go, so he gave us a ride all the way home! He turned out to be the president of the golf club too.

On Sunday, Ron was heading back to Hobart to pick up his girlfriend Sarah who is visiting for a week. They are renting a car and will spend a few days visiting wineries and staying at B&B's before rejoining us on Wednesday with a car we will keep until Mike departs on Friday. So we'll plan to use the car to get to the mountain hike and in the meantime, Mike, Bradley and I are off to Bruny Island. After a brief stop in Cygnet where we stopped to check out the local Jazz festival and have lunch, we proceed to south Bruny Island and found a nice anchorage. We went ashore for a walk to the Bruny Island Lighthouse where we enjoyed spectacular views of the Southern Ocean.

On Monday, we planned to do a longer walk - a six hour circuit around the southern peninsula of the island. Just as we were set leave, the water pump on the boat decided to quit working. That meant that although we had plenty of fresh water in our tanks, there was no way to get to it. No running water and no toilets. We actually have two water pumps which work in tandem and if one goes out the other should continue to work. So we set about to find the problem. First, we determined that there was power to the first pump. But that pump did not seem to be working. And the second pump, which gets power passed through the first one, was not getting power. When we bypassed the first pump and put the power source directly to the second, it worked fine and we were back in business. But it did take a couple hours.

Bradley dropped Mike and me ashore where we enjoyed the 5-hour walk around the south peninsula of Bruny Island. There were more great views and we accomplished our primary mission - Mike got to stick his toe in the Southern Ocean! We also saw a couple echidnas, a porcupine-like animal, along with many kinds of birds and lizards and thousands of assorted insects.  After feasting on a meal of Bradley's home made pasta sauce and garlic bread, we had a great night's sleep.

The next morning it was back across the channel to the town of Dover. Entering Dover there is a lot of marine farming - special areas where either mussels or salmon are raised for food. This is very common in Tasmania but Dover so far has the most we have seen. We discussed going out to visit one of them and trying to obtain a fresh salmon from one of the farmers. After finding a snug anchorage near seven other boats, we prepared to explore the town which was an easy walk from the dinghy dock.  Several people from the other boats had waved at us on the way in and after we were anchored came by to say hello. Soon we were off to Dover which didn't take too long to explore. We found a community center which had internet access but for some reason were not able to get through to our Cox webmail site - seemingly some kind of firewall issue.  We found a butcher, grocery store, pizza restaurant, laundry, deli, and gas station. On the way back to the boat we were entertained by a nice pod of dolphins right in the harbor.

Next it was off for a dinghy trip up the local river. Again, a very scenic journey, though very shallow in parts. We went several miles and found it very peaceful and relaxing. We encountered some of our neighbors from the anchorage also out exploring the river. Two of them had rowing dinghies and had rowed quite a way. One was getting a tow from the one who had a motor and we offered a tow to the others, who gladly accepted. So we gave them a lift all the way back and then got invited over for tea. In the meantime, a big power boat motioned for us to come over. Wondering what he wanted, we pulled alongside and he introduced himself and asked if we would like a large side of fresh salmon! Our dream had come true and we quickly accepted. Barry also invited us over for drinks with two friends of his who were on board, Kathy and Lynden who live near Hobart. Barry is a real estate developer in Melbourne and a very nice guy. 

Ron and Sarah returned with the car and we loaned it to Barry so he could take his friends back to Hobart more quickly than he could with his boat.  Mike and I fit in a round of golf at the Dover golf course which was again in a beautiful setting. It was a nine hole course but in good condition and a lot of fun. We would have some photos of it but we only took one camera - Mike's - and it unfortunately decided to go for a swim as we were disembarking from the dinghy.

We invited Barry over for dinner and he contributed more abalone along with a few bottles of wine. Bradley procured two beautiful crays (lobster) from a fishing boat that had just come in. Ron made up a wonderful seafood chowder with the crays, abalone, and some calamari as appetizers. It was delicious!

The next day, Bradley, Mike, and I set off in the car to do some exploring and eventually to take Mike back to the airport at Hobart. We had decided on the winery tour over the 5-hour hike up Hartz Peak. Along the way, I noticed a sign for fly-fishing for trout and salmon. Bradley has always wanted to try fly fishing which is very popular here and also in New Zealand. So we decided to stop and check it out. The place was a private fish farm with two nice lakes well stocked with fish and run by a Scottish couple, Stuart and Evelyn. He set us up with rods and gave us some instruction, then we fished for an hour. It was a very windy day, making the casting difficult, but we all seemed to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, none of us caught a fish, though a guy fishing nearby us caught two. We also didn't see any of the platypus which inhabit the lake and apparently can be seen frequently. Guess we'll have to go back!

Next, we toured a couple wineries and a cheesery, enjoying tastings at all. Tasmania produces some very good white wines and pinot noirs, though the climate, like New Zealand's, is too cool for the more full bodied reds. The drives to the wineries were just spectacular, with gorgeous views in every direction. It was a great way to spend the day. As evening approached, we began to look for a place to stay. It seemed we had passed dozens of cute little bed and breakfasts during the day. But of course as soon as we started looking for one, there wasn't one to be found. We checked out a little hotel that was not really appealing so we just kept driving. Soon we were in Hobart, and, lo and behold, in front of the casino! Their rooms were pretty pricey so we got rooms at the hotel across the street and Mike and I set off for a rematch with the Pontoon dealer. We were very successful and after three hours, Mike had tripled his money and I had doubled mine!  A great way to cap off Mike's visit.

The next day we said goodbye and dropped Mike at the airport. Then Bradley and I set off to do the hike up Hartz Peak. The various guide books describe it as a moderate to difficult hike requiring 5-6 hours. After our Mt. Wellington experience, we were prepared with backpacks full of various kinds of clothes, food, water, and even a GPS. But the sun was out, the weather was warm, and we hiked in shorts and tee shirts all the way to the top. It seems the guidebooks were a little conservative, as it only took a little over 2 1/2 hours to complete the round trip. Hartz Peak reaches 1255 meters and offers great views of the surrounding area.  After a nice dinner at a local winery, we headed to Kettering where Ron and Sarah had taken the boat.

On Saturday, Ron and Sarah headed off to Geeveston in the car and Bradley and I walked several miles to attend the Woodbridge Chopping Carnival. Seems like wood chopping is a big thing here in Tasmania and there is an abundance of local competitions.  We watched some sawing and some axe competitions and must admit we've never seen anything like it!. There were also about 80 beautiful antique cars there to admire.

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