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Published: January 8th 2023
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A much cooler night and quality curtains allows for a bit of a sleep-in and both kids are reluctant risers. It might be the 18,000 steps we’re doing daily. Today will be no different.We share a quick backpackers breakfast (Woolworths croissants, fruit and nutri-grain) in the Kermandie Guest Room. An expansive room with two 8 seater square dining tables, a couple of smaller tables and chairs and a couch, in front of a fire-place; all overlooking Port Huon marina. Dozens of seagulls circle and cry above the rows of boats below.
On the insistence of all at yesterdays dinner, we jump in the Kona and drive through Geeveston for the Hartz Mountain National Park. The last half of the drive is on unsealed roads but the Kona handles it well. Arve Road swerves through gum trees, bleak logged hillsides and massive ferns. Slightly rattled and covered in orange dust, we arrive at the Hartz Peak car park.The chill in the air is soon forgotten once we get into the relatively steep Lake Esperance walk. Elevated timber planks make the trekking smooth and protect the fragile cushion plants and spectacular colonies of small alpine plants (most in bloom) from hikers boots.
After initially weaving through dense shrubs and over rocky rises, the path opens up into alpine moorlands dotted with glacial tarns. Lake Esperance is a stunning reflective lake beneath the jagged ridge rising towards Hartz Peak. We turn around at Hartz Pass as it becomes unsuitably steep for our experience and footwear. Deaks is wearing his Doc Martens!The trek in is only us and another group of four, briefly crossing paths. The decent sees us delicately passing more people. One twenty-something bloke had no shoes, a towel and smelt like pot. We agreed that Lake Esperance would be awesome for a reflective float.
We snack on raspberry pancakes, blueberries and nuts in the weather shelter and we’re back in the car. They say the walk to Hartz Pass takes 2 hours return, we did it 1.5!
We rattle back down Arve Road and turn left to Tahune Airwalk. It’s a similar drive but thankfully, the road is sealed. This 600 metre long suspended walkway is an engineering wonder. 20-30 metres above the Huon River, the cantilevered finale really tests my vertigo - it is apparently designed to sway with people walking out and I must confess I
found it quite disconcerting - to the apparent amusement of my family.
We finally try the ubiquitous Valhalla ice cream and enjoy the view of these ancient trees shading the stout coloured Huon river.
We break up the drive back to Hobart with a quick visit to Willie Smiths Cider House and we buy some delicious blueberries from a roadside stall in Lower Longly or Grove.Up over the range and before we know it, we’re in the Hobart CBD. After checking in, we wander down to the harbour front and Battery Point. Quaint old cottages and a view of the bay but all the shops are shutting as we arrive. Milla and I hire e-scooters and we scoot around the harbour before joining Jules and Deaks for early dinner at Billy’s Burgers. A fair rival for Betty’s Burgers, I must say.
The Allurity Hotel we’re staying in is fine. Central to everything and has parking for the Kona. The low ceilings in the corridors remind me of the Being John Malkovich film. We overlook Bathurst St and Elizabeth St and we have a cool bagel cafe across the road, perfect for tomorrows early breakfast.I beat Milla 2-1
in our first ever game of Nine Men Morris and we’re all asleep by 9.30. Must be all that walking.
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