Bay of Fires @ Binalong Bay

We stayed only one night at Bicheno by the Bay. After check out this morning, we headed towards Binalong Bay. The drive from Bicheno to Bay of Fires in Binalong Bay was about 1hr 40mins.

Famous for its crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches and orange lichen-covered granite boulders, the Bay of Fires is one of Tasmania’s most popular conservation reserves. The area contains rocky gullies, with many small secluded beaches and inlets to explore. Binalong Bay is the area’s main beach – a beautiful stretch of white sand and clear water for swimming, snorkelling, surfing or simply relaxing. We were not there to snorkel or surf, just for photos and to appreciate the beauty of the area. The colour of the sea was amazing!

The GPS is not exactly accurate for this site and depending on whether you input Bay of Fires or Bay of Fires Conservation Area, may lead you to different points along the coast. At one stage we ended at a dead end with nothing in sight. If you input the Gardens, there is an option to take you to the middle of the road. All these are not exactly ideal. So here is what I can advise:

The southern section of The Bay of Fires is in the Conservation Area, situated along a 13 km stretch of coast between Binalong Bay and The Gardens. Access to the southern section of the Bay of Fires is via the Binalong Bay Road (C850 ) out of St Helen’s. Take the turnoff on the left into the C848 at the sign – “The Gardens – 13Kms” This is a sealed road. The road terminates at private land at “The Gardens”.

DSis’s car and ours ended in different places and we actually could see each other across the bay on different outcrops…hahaha. In the end we realized that we were at different ends and could walk to each other between the 2 points. It was an easy walk.

We spend some time hanging around the various rocks and gullies, basically fooling around.

Lunch @ Mohr & Smith, St Helens

It was about lunch time and we decided to go to St Helens. I consulted my “G” secretary and found several places. We decided on Mohr & Smith and called to check if they had a table for 10 before we headed there.

Mohr & Smith is a contemporary restaurant and setting was simple and beautiful. It was relatively quiet when we arrived.

The menu was interesting with an Asian fusion twist. I specially enjoyed with Japanese pancake with roasted pork belly that I had. I was almost missing Asian food by this time of the trip and the roasted pork belly (A$20) was excellent. It was crispy and juicy. Almost like how we do Chinese roast pork belly. DH, DS1 & 2 and DD are boring and all went for the beef burger (A$16). But they were all praises for their burgers too.

For drinks, DH & I had an ice coffee (A$7) each, DD had a caramel milkshake (A$6) and the 2 boys had a coke (A$3) each. The straws which came with the cokes were made of steel! And DD’s milkshake came in a huge metal container. Really cool! Our ice coffee was the most ordinary :(.

Overall a good meal in a very pleasant setting. But when I try to check it’s website to try to provide a link when I am writing this post, it seems that the restaurant has closed….what a pity!

Brief shopping stop @ Tasmania Honey Company

The drive from St Helens to Sheffield where we will be spending the night is about 3hours. We cannot find anything interesting to look see along the way. So we decided to do a shopping stop at the Tasmanian Honey Company in Perth which is 2 hours from St Helens and 1 hour from Sheffield. We were hoping to make this a toilet break as well, but unfortunately found out that the shop did not have a toilet for us to use. Instead we were directed to a gas station nearby.

The shop was not big, but had an interesting array of different flavoured honey. We especially like their Manuka honey drops which Dmum, and DSis and I, all bought. If you want to buy honey, this is a good place to buy it if you are nearby. We found these honey sold at Launceston airport when we were leaving flying to Melbourne and found that it was at least double the price of what we paid here.

Our 2-Bedroom Apartment @ Sheffield Motor Inn

We finally arrived at Sheffield Motor Inn. We had booked a 2 BR apartment (A$225) for my family, a double room (A$125) for my parents and a triple room (A$140) for DSis’s family. All came with kitchenette.

What I like about our apartment was that they had proper beds for 5 and 2 bathrooms! The 2 bathrooms were much welcomed after having to share 1.5 bathroom among the 10 of us the night before at Bicheno by the Bay. As for the bedding configuration, one bedroom had 2 single beds and the other had a queen and a single bed. Like most motels, they provided milk. We had 4 small packets.

There was a coin service laundry available so we used that too that evening. Wash was A$3/A$4 (sorry, can’t remember the exact amount now) per load. Dryer was A$1 for 15 mins.

Wifi here was very unstable, so don’t depend on it.

Overall a decent basic motel that has all that you want (except WiFi) at a reasonable price.

Dinner @ Basilico, Sheffield

We decided to have dinner at Basilico as it was only next to Sheffield Motor Inn. Basilico was a casual Italian restaurant that just opened a few months ago, but the few reviews I saw on TripAdvisor were positive. When I called to make my reservations, they said that for groups of 8 and more, they offer a set meal at A$25 per pax. As we were 8 adults and 2 kids (since DD and DN are both under 12) they said that they will only charge for the 8 adults and the 2 girls can share our meal. Their sets were done family style, ie we share some pizzas and pastas. We thought it was very reasonable and so accepted their suggestion. We left it to them to decide what to prepare for us as we had no dietary restrictions.

We were served the following:

1. Tomato and basil pasta

2. Beef cheek pasta (ragu)

3. Rocket and apple salad

4. Margarita pizza

5. Salami pizza

6. Rocket & parma ham pizza

After our meal, they asked if we were game for another pizza and we definitely were! So they served us a dessert pizza – Nutella Pizza. It was so good. We all loved it!

For A$200 (excluding drinks) for 10 of us, it was very reasonable. Most importantly, food was good! I’d highly recommend eating here. It’s really value for money!

Next up : Day 8 – Cradle Mountain

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017: Day 7 (Bicheno- Binalong Bay – Sheffield) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Breakfast this morning at Highland restaurant was included in our room rates. They serve standard hotel buffet. It was a welcomed change after so many days of simple self prepared breakfast. A break for me!

After breakfast, we checked out of our cabin and headed back to Sheffield to do what we had originally planned to do yesterday. It was raining at Cradle Mountain and we were glad we were leaving and had done our walks the day before when rain was relatively lighter and had occasional breaks.

Tasmazia & The Village of Lower Crackpot

First stop this morning was Tasmazia & The Village of Lower Crackpot, a small theme park with 8 mazes, a miniature village and an Embassy Garden. Adult pass was A$27.50, child Pass was A$13.75 and Family Pass was A$77.

The 8 mazes all had different themes. The Great Maze – at the time of planting the world’s largest! The 8 mazes includes the Great Maze, Cage Maze, Balance Maze, Hexagonal Maze, Irish Maze, Hampton Court Maze, Yellow Brick Maze, Confusion Maze. Some complicated, some easy, but all were fun! I was expecting a kiddy maze, but really it wasn’t. Well worth the entrance fee!

The Village of Lower Crackpot was a whimsical model village built to 1/5th scale. It was fun and cute with lots of humor too. You just need to spend time reading all the signs!

The Embassy Gardens was apparently a recent addition, containing sixty buildings dedicated to over 40 countries.

The most funny must be the representation of USA (Statue of Liberty) and Mexico (cactus). And in between these, they actually have a wall with Trump’s face on it – yes, Trump’s Wall! Hahaha!

If you are visiting Cradle Mountain, do drop by Tasmazia for some laughs and to get lost! It is not only for little kids. Really lots of fun! Highly recommended!

Lunch @ Blacksmith Gallery Cafe, Sheffield

I had made reservations for lunch at Blacksmith Gallery Cafe in Sheffield. Because there were 10 of us, I figured that it was better to call ahead to reserve a table. Furthermore based on reviews I read in the internet, this cafe is very popular. So after leaving Tasmazia, we headed back to Sheffield Town.

This cafe combines traditional style country food in a heritage building that was once the town’s blacksmith and this is reflected in the mural outside the cafe. The interior of the cafe is decorated with a wonderful selection of local art and craft. The whole atmosphere was very cozy. It’s a great place to sit around and relax with friends over a cup of coffee.

This cafe serves simple fare including homemade pies and cakes. As we were there on 23 Dec and they were going to be closed for a few days over Christmas, the choice was a little limited.

Among our family of 5, we had 2 blacksmith burger (A$10.50), 2 chicken and veg soup (served with bread) (A$9.50), 1 sausage roll (A$4) and 1 chicken, cheese and sweet chili pie (A$5.50). For drinks, we had 2 ice coffee, 1 long black, 1 coke and 1 bundaberg guava juice. Total bill came up to A$73.

There is an IGA next to the cafe, and we took the opportunity to shop there for supplies for our dinner that night and on Christmas Day before we left Sheffield.

Sheffield – The Town of Murals

After lunch at Blacksmith, we took a stroll around town to explore the murals scattered all over the town. Sheffield is renowned as a heritage country town with old-world ambiance. It was one of the early townships in Tasmania. Over the years and left behind by development around it, the population of the town declined. Inspired by the story of Chemainus, a small Canadian town that had through mural art, rescued itself from ruin, the Kentish Association for Tourism (KAT) worked on the vision to combine the arts and tourism to revive and reinvent the town of Sheffield.

Today, Sheffield has become a major tourist attraction due to it being promoted as a “Town of Murals”

The first town mural was painted in Sheffield in December 1986. Since then over 60 murals depicting the area’s rich history and beautiful natural scenery have been painted on walls throughout the town and buildings along the roadside. The murals attract an estimated 200,000 people to the town annually.

One of my favourite murals is the one of the old gas station. It look great with the old world vehicle of yesteryear parked next to it.

Murphett’s Cottage, Red Feather Inn

We left Sheffield Town and headed to Hadspen, just outside Launceston, where we will be spending the next 2 nights. We had book Murphett’s Cottage, a stand-alone Cottage of Red Feather Inn which can accommodate all 10 of us, 8 adults and 2 kids. The check in time here was very strict, only between 4-5pm. We paid A$550 per night for the cottage for 10pax.

DSis arrived first and there was a lady who directed their car to the Cottage. She was then handed with 3 sets of keys and then the lady left. The lady did not even bother to show her around or explain anything. When she was checking out the Cottage, we arrived as well. When we counted the beds, we realized that there were only 3 double and 2 singles. The sofa bed was not made up. We figured that we can do it on our own, but we couldn’t find the beddings. So we walked over to the Red Feather Inn, but the lady had locked up and left! There was a phone number to call in the literature that we found in the Cottage but no one answered the phone. I left a message and no one replied in the 2 days that we stayed there. In the end, we made do as there were additional pillows on my bed and we found some duvet in the cupboard. But we couldn’t find any sheets. My 2 boys used that sofa bed, and they just made do. The service here was really disappointing. In fact, no service at all.

But we must admit that the Cottage was beautiful and very cozy and comfortable. The beds were comfortable too. There were 2 bathrooms. Based on the layout plan on the Red Feather Inn website, there was a laundry room. However, we found the room, but there was no washing machine in it. So not sure what they meant by laundry room. Anyway, there was a coin laundromat nearby and DH and DS2 brought our laundry there together with their iPad and iPhone to entertain themselves while they waited. while we ladies were preparing dinner.

The kitchen was well equipped and they had all that we needed to prepare our meals. Oven, microwave, stove and dishwasher. The pots and pans were generally clean and in good condition. That night, we had a dinner of steak, salad and potatoes. I made the steak and DSis did the potato and salad. DMum helped us. Ddad commented that it was the first time that he has seen DMum, DSis and I prepare a meal together!

One big negative here was that while they say they provide WiFi, all of us hardly can get any reliable signal. I think we needed to stand at the gate to get some decent signal which was ridiculous. So don’t depend on it.

Despite the unhappiness of not having sheets and pillows for the sofa bed which was not made up and non-existence WiFi, our stay at Murphett’s Cottage was overall comfortable. It was a very pretty cottage with space for everyone. Although there were 10 of us, we did not get into one another’s way.

When we left on Christmas Day 2 days later, we just dropped the keys in a box outside the Red Feather Inn before the 11am check out time. Yes it was all self service! We never saw anyone except the lady who opened the door for DSis when we arrived. They had already debited my credit card for full payment before we arrived.

Next up: Day 10 – Launceston

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 : Day 9 (Cradle Mountain- Sheffield – Launceston) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Cradle Mountain

We had originally planned to spend the morning exploring Sheffield town which is well known for its murals, then visit Tasmazia to explore its mazes before driving up Cradle Mountain that afternoon. However, the weatherman was forecasting light showers this morning and early afternoon today and whole day of rain tomorrow. So we decided to switch our itinerary around and drive up to Cradle Mountain today. If the weatherman was to be believed, we will at least have a relatively clearer afternoon today compared to full day of rain tomorrow, and a visit to Cradle Mountain definitely is better with less rain.

The drive from Sheffield Motor Inn to Cradle Mountain Visitor Center was about 1 hour. We headed to the visitor center first to get our National Park Pass. There were various types of tickets available. The service staff at the Visitor Center was very helpful and advised us that for 8 adults and 2 children, the cheapest option was for us to get a National Park Car Pass for A$60. That covers up to 8 pax. Then we can buy 2 one day child ticket at S$8.50 each for the 2 children. These passes will cover the shuttle to Dove Lake. So we got that and headed to Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge where we will be spending the night.

But as it was still early, we were not able to check in, as expected. They advised that since we had our own cars, we should leave our luggages in our cars as we will be able to drive directly to our cabins later on.

I had originally made reservations for dinner at Highland Restaurant for 10 of us at 7pm. But as we were expecting the rain to clear only in the late afternoon, we expected that we will be late coming back from Dove Lake. Unfortunately, the restaurant was full and if we wanted to push our reservation back, they could only accommodate us at 8.30pm. We decided to just take it and have a late dinner that night.

Enchanted Nature Walk

All logistics settled, we put on light raincoats and windbreakers and headed out to do the Enchanted Nature Walk which starts just outside Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge. This was an easy 20min walk along proper foot path. We had a brief break from the drizzle that had been going on for the whole morning. That left rain drops an the plants and spiderwebs, creating interesting photographic opportunity.

Pencil Pine Falls Walk

After we completed the Enchanted Nature Walk, we took a second trail nearby, the Pencil Pine Falls Walk. A fully constructed board walk guides you to the waterfall.

It was a pretty waterfall, but was not big. We continued along the path which took us to Kynvet Falls just a further 10 mins up the track. Here we got a different waterfall view – a view from the top.

These two waterfalls were nice but did not have the wow factor. DSis said that it was because we had seen the majestic waterfalls in Iceland, so all others pale in comparison. Maybe she is right.

Shopping @ Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge Shop

We doubled back and exit the Pencil Pines Falls Walk near the Lodge Shop. We couldn’t resist a little shopping so went into the shop.

I bought DD a T-shirt. When making payment, I was told that not only do they charge service fee for use of credit card for the room payment, they charge it for all payments including at restaurants and at the shop. The service fee was 1.1% for MasterCard, 1.25% for visa and 3% for Amex. The only credit card that you can use and not have to pay a service charge is China Union Pay! I can really kick myself for not bringing my Union Pay Card. I should have learned from my Sept Tokyo Trip that the Chinese dollar is really powerful and the Union Pay Card has its privileges!

Lunch @ Tavern Bar & Bistro, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

It was lunch time by now and we went back to the Lodge to get some food. We went to Tavern Bar & Bistro, the casual restaurant at Peppers. Here, we placed our orders and paid at the counter, then the food was served to us at our table.

DS1 and I both decided to have the Schnitzel (A$29). DS2 and DH both had the Fish & Chips (A$29). DD decides to have the beef pasta (A$25). I like my Schnitzel, DS2 was happy with his fish and chips, by DD said the beef pasta was ok only. Soft drinks were at A$4 each. Mother and children all decided to have the Sarsaparilla. DH went for Ginger beer (A$5.50). Yes not real beer but ginger beer. So rare for him.

After lunch, we sat at the lounge area to wait for our rooms to be ready. Official check in was at 2pm. But when we checked with them around 1.45pm, our rooms were ready. The lounge area was very cozy and comfortable and had free WiFi. It was the only place in the whole resort that you could have WiFi. Mobile data around the resort and in our rooms was only available on the Telstra network. So again, only DS1 had mobile data. The rest of us were on Optus network and so had no data connection.

Spa Family Cabin, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

We booked our accommodation at Peppers 9 mths in advance in March 2017 as we wanted the family cabins and there weren’t many of those. I thought it should be early enough but was I wrong! When I called, they had only 2 Spa Family Cabins left! I would have preferred the Pencil Pine Family Cabins which were cheaper and seemed more cosy based on the photos, but those were fully booked. We paid A$779 for one traditional spa cabin for 4 adults and 1 child. This came with breakfast. Yes, it was very expensive. But then you have little other choice in Cradle Mountain.

We drove right up to our cabin. After you enter the cabin at the foyer, this was a separate small “kitchenette” area where you can find the fridge, sink, cups, saucers, kettle and coffee and tea sachets.

You enter a second door before coming to the main lounge. The main lounge area had a queen bed and an additional rollaway bed. There was a wood fire place in the lounge which was cool for us Singaporeans coming from a tropical climate. There were 2 lounge chairs by the fire place and a dining table. There was also a balcony which looked into the forested area. The 2 other single beds were in a separate bedroom. Overall deco was pretty plain. May even be described as drab.

Since this was a spa cabin, as expected, there was a jacuzzi bath in the bathroom. Bathroom was in fact very big.

For A$779, it was a real rip off if you base it on cabin quality. In my opinion, the cabin was really in desperate need for a refurb. So I suppose one was paying for location as it was located right inside the National Park. When you are a monopoly you dictate the price.

Devil’s @ Cradle

We settled our stuff in the cabin and headed out to Devil’s @ Cradle which was just located a few mins drive from the Lodge. Devil’s @ Cradle is a sanctuary for Tasmanian Devils and carries out a captive breeding program for Tasmania Devils and Quolls. One can wonder through the sanctuary at leisure or join one of the tours. Their keepers tour takes place 3 times a day at 10.30am, 1pm and 3pm. Each tour takes about 45mins. We went for the 3pm tour. Entrance fee was $18 for adults and $10 for children (5-15). There are family tickets available. There is no extra charge for taking part in the Keepers tour.

We arrived about 15mins before 3pm, so we wondered around the sanctuary on our own while waiting for the tour to start. The Devils here were must more active and healthy looking than the ones who saw at Bonorong. Those at Bonorong were mostly sleeping or hiding. Here we see the devils running around, scavenging and interacting. We saw 2 Devils “quarreling”, but the keeper said that they were just interacting. And boy, was their interaction loud! Now I understand Disney had some element of accuracy in their portrayal of the interaction style of the Tasmanian Devil! Hahaha!

The Keepers tour starts with a brief video about the Devils followed by a walk around the sanctuary with the keeper who provided a wealth of information on the Devils as well as the quolls which they had onsite. The sanctuary was not big and the 45mins tour was pretty detailed.

I am so glad that we decide to visit Devils @ Cradle. We definitely had a must better experience here with the Devils compared to Bonorong. It helps that there were much much less visitors here. Also coming here means that DS1 who had not arrived when we visited Bonorong gets to see the Devils too. Bonorong was good for those who want to interact with kangaroos and see the koalas too. If it is just to see Tasmanian Devils, you are better off coming here.

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain

We left Devils @ Cradle and drove back to the Visitors Center. By now the sky was clearing. The visitor center staff had advised that we were better off taking the shuttle bus to Dove Lake from the visitor center instead of from The Lodge as the bus may not have enough seats left for all 10 of us by the time it gets to the Lodge.

Cradle mountain itself is a jagged, dolerite peak. Its name, supposedly, is derived from the mountain’s resemblance to a miner’s cradle. This most dramatic vista of Cradle Mountain can be seen at Dove Lake. In fact, one can already see this view from the carpark of the Dove Lake.

There were several walks that one can take along the shore of the Lake. But as we came to Dove Lake in the late afternoon (we arrived close to 5pm) and the last shuttle bus leaving Dove Lake was at 7.30pm, we only walked to the boat house, a famous site for taking the iconic photos of Cradle Mountain and did not take the longer walks.

Dove Lake was beautiful and we were lucky to catch a break in the clouds for a short while. The wild weather of the Tasmanian highlands often shrouds the mountain in cloud and the day we went it was raining earlier in the day, so we were so glad that the weatherman’s prediction that day was fairly accurate.

All of us left Dove Lake around 6.30pm, except DBIL who stayed on to take more photos.

Dinner @ Highland Restaurant, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

By the time we went to the Highland Restaurant at 8.30pm for our dinner, the restaurant was no longer very busy. The advantage of eating late was that food was served relatively fast as everyone wants to go home! There was no long wait for our food.

We were served a complimentary appetizer of tuna tartare. DH and I decided to have the trout (A$38). It was fresh and good. DS1 and DS2 has the ribeye steak (A$46). My boys love steak and will always go for it, especially DS1. They were satisfied with their steak. DD had the lamb (A$45). Since coming on this trip, DD had fallen in love with lamb. We also order some greens (A$9).

Overall meal was quite good but it was very expensive. They had a captive market here, so it was expected.

Next up: Day 9 – Cradle Mountain to Sheffield to Launceston

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 : Day 8 (Cradle Mountain) appeared first on Mums Travels.