Evening everyone
We made it to
Hobart today, after a nine hour ferry crossing during the night. It is cold and has been raining and reading the morning paper ( you get this for free when you get off ferry ), there is possibility of a white Christmas in the North.
If you intend doing this crossing, do it at night, if you have kids. We find that if we run them ragged all day, they will sleep all night and not get up too early in the morning. Crossing was good, though a bit rough, because
Melbourne was being blasted by thunder storms. I would describe the boarding process as co-coordinate chaos.. The bunks/cabins do have showers with towels provided, so once we bordered had a bit of tour, took pictures of
Melbourne's night skyline, the kids were buggered and it was time for bed, making them walk all over
Melbourne does that :-)
Anyway the mad scramble for the garages on the ferry was made and again co-coordinate chaos began again, as the morning announcement was made that we will be de-boarding. Then it was made dash to nearest deli for breakfast, in
Devonport, but don't buy there, go to the 24 hour one near the lights, in
Devonport, it is cheaper, $3.50 for a bacon and egg roll. A quick breakfast stop, then we headed for
Hobart, with the navman ( a woman, who seem to have a pre-occupation with turning left)...big mistake.
We did not end up on the highway one, we ended up on a tourist route...though the mountains, with two caravans. While it was mistake, it was worth it, took a heap of photos up there, though some of the road was gravel ( the caravans are covered in mud on the front), but it was worth it, though I have to say some of the locals were shaking their heads as they passed us :-)
So be warned when setting your navman, there is settings for fastest route, shortest route, truck route and car route....we took the car route with the caravans. My b-i-l should know this, but he keeps forgetting about it. Last time she wanted to take us to
Snowtown in SA. The road up there to the mountains ( Golden Valley,
Deloraine ), while postcardish, do not take you caravan, our car and Pete's didn't mind, but it was mistake. I used the map brought on the ferry for $4.50, it work better then the navman and her pre-occupation for turning left at the most stupid times.
We are going back up that way, as there is waterfalls there, and the roadside is full of waterfalls.
We finally made it to
Hobart about 2pm ( about 3 hours behind time), the
park we are at is not really suited for caravans, it is a slopping site and is general an overflow, more then a van
park,, we can't get the vans level, as the slop is that bad and because everything is booked out, we can't be picky. And it is close to were we are sailing.
Tomorrow we off to do shopping in
Hobart or what ever closest for Christmas lunch.
The car has performed perfectly, sometimes we are getting 20l/ 100 towing, then it come down to around 17/100km. Guess when it has been run in down, it has dropped it's fuel usage.
Now we are using the van, we can see what stuff needs doing, to make things allot easier.
Anyway I better got, using my b-i-l " I have been everywhere internet"...
On the Nullarbor, fuel prices range from about $1.66 to $1.88 at Balladonia ( Saturday last week), heaps of road kill on being eaten by eagles. We had a heap of headwinds for two days running so fuel economy was up the
creek, but then it came done to about 17/100, towing.
The
park we are in is not suited fir caravan slopping sites, but everything down here is booked out, so there is little we can do about it.
Debbie