Rediscovering Tasmania - Huonville

In days gone by, Huonville was best known for its many apple orchards. Today, tourists flock to it in great numbers for the scenery, the Tahune Rainforests, the Caves etc. Many a mainland visitor has been so entranced by the Huonville beauty that they bought property. It is an outstanding place to visit. Dover is one of those places and on this beautiful made a colourful pic:Another 45 kilometers further south from Dover is where the most southern road in Australia comes to an end, at a place called Cockles Creek. Don't you love that name? Well, I do. And at the end of the road, there is just magic and peace. Let me show you:The pic above of the bridge is where the road ends, and immediately beyond it is the following sign that tells you have arrived at the most southern road in Australia. From here, it is walking into the the great south-west, where you even meet quolls in their natural habitat. We enjoyed wandering in the area and time literally vanished!
Being the end of the road, Cockle Creek is not the most visited place. It is reached by a gravel road from Ida Bay. So, apart from it being the furthest 'place' in Australia reachable by road, what else do we know about it?

Cockle Creek is on the shores of Recherche bay, a sheltered bay with outstanding scenery as you can see from the above couple of pics. The following comments are from 'A Traveller’s Glimpse into the History of Recherche Bay in the Far South of Tasmania.'

The original inhabitants of this area were the Aboriginal people. Their first encounter with Europeans was with the French, an amicable meeting which could be considered a ‘cultural exchange’. The French expeditions were focused on the scientific study of native flora, fauna, geology and the waterways of Van Diemen’s Land.

Recherche Bay itself, sheltered from the wildest weather, provided some safe harbour for the influx of early settlers, sealers and convicts. Early industries based initially on coal-mining and whaling became established.

Jan and I walked along the beach to Bronze Whale Sculpture. Jan, being the artist, enjoys taking photos of things such as the following delightful patterns on the beach. It looks to me like a charcoal sketch of something:Along further, the bronze sculpture in a delightful setting:Pity really about killing so many whales. How I would have loved to seen whale calves frolicking in this bay. Certainly, the above story breaks my heart and I am glad that community opinion is against whaling.

On our return to Hobart, we decided to stop off at the Ida Bay Railway. It looked intriguing, and it was. In fact, it was a load of fun, laughter, and history. We arrived there for the last available train ride and.....yes, we were again the only ones aboard!

The tourist brochures will tell you that:

Ida Bay Railway is the last operating bush tramway in Tasmania, and also has the distinction of being the most southerly railway in Australia.
The 2' (610mm) line was constructed in 1922 to carry limestone to a wharf at Brick Point on Ida Bay, from where it was shipped to Electrona. In 1950, the line was extended to Deep Hole because of silting at Brick Point. The line was used for this purpose until 1975. The following year tourist trains commenced running and continue to do so until now.

With Jan & I being the only passengers, the whole two carriages were for us to enjoy, while the driver - Allan, and his girlfriend occupied the engine. All very cozy like! As far us two, well we just enjoyed the scenery and the attention from our interesting Guide. Let the pictures tell our story:

Above: I was kidding myself (or was it Jan) that we could be the engine drivers, but in the end were happier to occupy our First Class Carriage (below)We're on our way.

The narrow 610mm track that at times felt wobbly and made lots of noise. All part of the fun at no extra cost!

Our first stop was the cemetery. Alan kindly explained to us the history of the two graves, while his co-driver was comfortable in the engine cabin:The graves were part of the early history on Ida Bay and showed how tough those pioneering days were. Hard work indeed.

Jan took delight in taking shots of the beautiful scenery en route, while I took delight in taking a photo of her looking smug and happy!And the scenery along the way? Just a couple of Jan's great photos:Finally, we came to the end of the line and wandered around where the terminus had been in the past. Rusty railway and a discarded set of wheels that belonged to a previous era was some of the evidence of what must have been a hard time:
In all, an enlightening and enjoyable experience that completed a wonderful day! To finish, another of Jan's great finds - ever the artist and a great companion to boot!

No guessing who represents me - the front of course!!