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Published: March 4th 2015
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Scottsdale to Launceston 19th
After a very unsettled night we had a breakfast of cereal and toast. I had to go out to the garage across the road for some soya milk, otherwise it would be water with my cereal. Unfortunately the hotel was at the top of a very steep hill and timber wagons and other vehicles seemed to be passing at full throttle all night, plus a motorbike kept coming and going at 1am until about 2am. I just think I should have had a look for the plank which must have been put under my bed, as well, but just too tired. However, at 8.15 we were on the road in cow country heading for a 10 kilometre hill at 7-11% and a good viewpoint after 6k overlooking the valley we had left and the unusual sculpture of what appeared to be the early settlers of the area. This hill was followed by a great 10k descent before the remaining undulating valley to Launceston. At 11.30 and 26 miles under our belts we stopped at a welcome take-away cafe and had spring rolls and chips before descending into the city. Once in the centre we stopped at ’Gloria
Jeans’ for a snack and then on to the Penny Royal Hotel, which was very nice and cosy. The restaurant is an old corn mill with the water wheel still in situ. The rooms are very nice in the old brick building with exposed beams and bullet glass in the windows. Just along the waterfront there is also a nice pub which used to be an oat rolling mill and has tin sheets on the outside like many of the old industrial buildings in Australia. - very snazzy. As we have travelled north we have seen greener land, maybe due to the better soil and more irrigation, although it is a mixed bag of land conditions throughout the whole island. Whilst a lot of farms in the greener areas have big tractors such as Fendt and John Deere there are many farms still using small Massey Ferguson 35's and International and Case International. There are also still a large quantity of 1950's Grey Fergusons still in use. Whilst there are a lot of old scrap tractors and machines to be seen, I have not seen anything prior to 1950. It is as though the farmers went straight from the horse
in 1950 and jumped straight to the diesel era of tractors, bypassing the paraffin engines used prior to that. There must have been a good David Brown dealership in the 60's Andy 70's who then lost out to Massey Ferguson, who made tractors and machinery in Sunshine, Melbourne, at that time. In Australia the most common tractors are Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Fendt and Claas. In Australia they do not need to work to make hay. They cut it and leave it for a week before rowing up and baling immediately. We do not have the luxury of guaranteed dry weather so mow one day, turn over next day, straw out next day, row up next day and bale after a few hours, with constant prayer.
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