Stanley, Day 1: It could’ve turned to custard

After my recent praise of the weather, today dawned grey and a bit drizzly. Well, we thought, we can’t be greedy, and it is a driving day. In fact, as it was a driving day, we thought we’d just write one post for our two nights in Stanley, but then we decided that two shorter posts might be easier for y’all to take than one long one, so here we are.

Gorging, in more ways than one

We started, despite the inclement day, with a quick visit to Cataract Gorge on the South Esk River. We just did the little walk that takes you from the carpark, around the back and then over the suspension bridge, and back to the carpark. Enough to get a feel of the gorge environment if nothing else, and we did see a pair of black swans feeding in the “basin” and a wallaby on the path. Critter sightings always add to the enjoyment, don’t they?

Next on our schedule was to visit my aunt Alison’s oldest friend, Dorothy, who lives in the west Tamar area. On the way is the Tamar Island Wetlands so, having ten minutes or so to spare, we thought we’d pop in to check them out, even if we wouldn’t have time to enjoy them properly. Unfortunately, an enthusiastic volunteer took up what little time we had by chatting to us so that was the end of that. We’d love to have been able to focus more on the swan and cygnet families swimming around.

Anyhow, we enjoyed our visit with Dorothy and her son Michael. She has a pretty home, with lovely gardens, overlooking the Tamar River, which we could see as we chatted and partook of morning tea in her sunny front room. Sunny, you ask? Yes! As we sat there, the clouds started to lift, and we could see it was going to be another gorgeous (ha!) day after all.

After an enjoyable but all too short a chat, we set off for Devonport, where I wanted to lunch overlooking the water. With a little research – “Hey Google, restaurants near me, please” – we found Drift in the very modern Devonport Surf Lifesaving Club. Just the place. The food was fresh, tasty and interesting, including their desserts. We shared a platter that included meringue and flourless chocolate cake for me, and toasted croissant and boysenberry icecream for Len. They must have seen us coming!

Touristy stuff

We did fit some sightseeing into the day, too, including a quick look at the Mersey Bluff lighthouse at Devonport. We do like a lighthouse. Our main goal in Devonport, though, was to see Home Hill, the home built in 1916 by Joseph and Enid Lyons. We arrived just as a tour was starting, so we joined in. Loved it. A spacious and airy house, full of wonderful memorabilia, described beautifully by the clearly passionate guide. What would we do without volunteers at historic sites?

Among other things, she pointed out that when Lyons was sworn in as PM, it was a Catholic PM being sworn in on a Protestant Bible by a Jewish Governor-General. We loved the link with our lives: our first home was in the suburb, Lyons, named for that PM, and our second and current home is in the suburb of Isaacs, named for that G-G. (Note too, that Lyons was our first Catholic PM, and Sir Isaac Isaacs, our first Australian-born G-G).

And, finally, Stanley

The drive to Stanley was a little slow, with the highway wending through many little towns, but what a picturesque drive it was, with all sorts of agriculture to the left of us and clear, sparkling sea to the right. It’s a long time since we’ve driven through such a landscape.

And then, Stanley. When I said in a previous post that I had three goals for this trip, I lied a little! I really had four, the fourth being to visit Stanley, and to see and climb the Nut. That will be tomorrow’s activity. But, in the meantime, Stanley! What a very beautiful place. Our guesthouse is an historic building – the old Shamrock Inn, dating around 1849. Its owner, Sandy, is delightful and absolutely passionate about the building and her business.

As we walked into town for a bite to eat, the late afternoon sun shone on a row of old beautifully maintained buildings in our street – and on the Nut looming over them. Tomorrow, we can tell, is going to be another special day!

Pictures from a not-custardy day at all …

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Swans in Cataract Gorge

In Cataract Gorge