| After surviving one of the hottest summers of | | | | It was a long drive from Sydney to Melbourne |
| my life, with regular temperatures of over | | | | before boarding the ship once more to cross |
| 100f, I decided that South Australia was not | | | | Bass Strait. I am not certain who was more |
| fit for this particular human's habitation. I | | | | excited about the prospect of being Tasmania |
| needed somewhere cooler, and more scenic. | | | | bound, myself or Margie. Both stood with |
| (Adelaide is basically flat, and, in my | | | | mouths agape as we caught first sight of the |
| opinion, best seen on a day trip). | | | | land from aboard the ship, eager to make |
| | | | landfall and begin the search for a new |
| I had always wanted to visit Tasmania, | | | | domicile and the new experiences that awaited |
| having heard a lot about it from friends, and | | | | us. |
| seen many photographs that demonstrated a | | | | |
| place of immense beauty and diversity. Plenty | | | | If there was ever any doubt in my mind as to |
| of mountains, lakes, trees, and rainforest. | | | | the validity of my memories of the beauty and |
| This was my kind of place. | | | | grandeur of the Tasmanian countryside, the |
| | | | drive south dispelled them. As soon as we got |
| Around this time, in 1996, major things were | | | | out onto the open road I fell in love all |
| happening to put Tasmania in the | | | | over again with the magnificence that I saw. |
| international news on a daily basis. Some | | | | Each corner of the road forced my jaw to sag |
| crazy had lost it and gone on a killing spree | | | | a little lower as I soaked up the beauty that |
| in one of the major tourist centres. While | | | | surrounded me, in what I knew was to be our |
| most people anguished over the tragedy I was | | | | new home for a very long time to come. |
| awe struck by the scenery the images | | | | |
| regularly broadcast over television showed | | | | We decided to take a side road from the main |
| me. A tragedy, for sure, but what a place it | | | | highway and head out to Richmond, a quaint |
| happened in. I made my mind up that I had put | | | | and very historical village east of Hobart. |
| it off way too long, it was now or never. | | | | It was in the surrounding area of this locale |
| | | | that I had hoped we would be able to locate a |
| My partner of the time, and I, packed our | | | | house to live in whilst we got our footing in |
| house up, sent the boxes to a removals | | | | Tasmania. One phone call, and we had located |
| company for storage and began a trek to this | | | | a nice, isolated, mountain top home, set in |
| remote southern land. We had no idea where we | | | | natural bush. Surrounded by the sounds of |
| were going, nor how we would manage to find a | | | | nothing other than the wind and bird song. It |
| new house to live in, we simply knew that | | | | was perfect, and more than either of us could |
| this was the place for us. | | | | have hoped for on this first day in our new |
| | | | homeland. |
| After visiting my family on the east coast | | | | |
| of the mainland, and spending a little time | | | | We spent 18 months in that location, day |
| in Melbourne, we finally boarded the ship | | | | tripping to various locations around |
| that would transport us to this penal colony | | | | Tasmania, falling in love over and over again |
| that was Tasmania of old. I will never forget | | | | with a land that is truly unique on the |
| my first images of the island. Out on deck, | | | | earth, and one which every person should |
| just on sunrise, the light still filtered | | | | visit at least once in their life. |
| with the sun not quite awake yet, I saw a | | | | |
| rugged coastline, nothing appeared flat, it | | | | Returning to Tasmania has been the |
| was as though this was the land where nature | | | | fulfillment of a long held yearning for me. |
| had let loose her fury and thrown things up | | | | It is a journey that I could not be happier |
| in a random manner. In short, it was one of | | | | to have made, and one that has brought a |
| the most beautiful coastlines I had ever | | | | great degree of richness and satisfaction to |
| seen. I knew, then and there, that this was | | | | my life. It is so very nice to be home. |
| the kind of place I had been searching for, | | | | |
| this was my kind of terrain. | | | | When day tripping was not enough, and it |
| | | | never is in order to explore this land, the |
| We landed in Devonport and boarded a bus to | | | | real journey began. Three months on the road, |
| take us down south to Hobart, the capital. As | | | | living out of a tent, with no set itinerary, |
| we journeyed south, through the midlands and | | | | simply a desire to explore. |
| historical townships, my sense of awe grew | | | | |
| beyond belief. Every corner produced a new | | | | The house we had found was perfect for |
| vista to excite the senses, my jaw constantly | | | | us.... that was until the owners decided they |
| dropped open as I gazed upon the natural | | | | were going to break up their marriage and |
| beauty that filled every moment of that trip. | | | | sell the house. Our home was situated on the |
| | | | same block as where they lived, so we had |
| A week after landing in Hobart we located a | | | | regular contact with them both. To begin |
| quaint cottage with a private beach, a little | | | | with, there were no real problems, and we had |
| to the east of the main city. A rural and | | | | begun to look around for somewhere to move. |
| peaceful setting with water as our backyard | | | | Being pretty fussy about it though, and |
| and a mountain rising from the front. Water | | | | nothing was turning up. |
| and mountains I have always had an affinity | | | | |
| for, to me, this was heaven. It did not | | | | As time passed, and very few people showed |
| matter that we were around 7k/m from the | | | | any interest in buying the property, the |
| nearest store and without a car, I simply had | | | | owners started getting desperate. Although |
| to take this house. | | | | their marriage was over, they continued to |
| | | | live together, and this no doubt created its |
| For me, it was perfect and idyllic, the | | | | own brand of stress upon them. Soon they |
| nicest and most relaxing location I had ever | | | | became the landlords from hell, and stress |
| lived in. My partner found the isolation too | | | | was building all around. Our health and work |
| much to bear and soon announced she was | | | | were beginning to suffer, we could not relax |
| leaving to find more populated locations. | | | | at home, and worried about potential damage |
| Life is like that, and we each must seek what | | | | whilst away. Life was getting ridiculous. |
| we need for ourselves, I remained in my | | | | |
| hideaway, she moved to a township nearby. | | | | Things had to change, and change fast. We |
| | | | could not continue to live the way things |
| After 6 months of enjoying the beauty of the | | | | were going, and there was no sign of |
| region I had settled into I was forced to | | | | improvement on the horizon. We were sitting |
| return to the mainland. Reluctantly I | | | | in our car one day, and I looked down at the |
| returned to the smog of Sydney and work. My | | | | floor in front of me, noticing the guide to |
| uppermost thoughts being on the beauty and | | | | campsites around Tasmania. I looked at |
| serenity of the Tasmanian landscape and | | | | Margie, and said..."I have a solution to our |
| lifestyle, vowing to return as soon as I | | | | problem". I followed up with the idea of |
| possibly could. | | | | packing our belongings away, putting them |
| | | | into storage, for an unspecified time, and |
| 2004 was a turbulent year for me, loads of | | | | simply driving around the state, exploring |
| stress through the kind of work I was doing, | | | | Tasmania in a tent, for as long as it took to |
| living a hectic lifestyle, virtually in the | | | | get rid of the stress, and begin to enjoy |
| centre of Sydney, the smog capital of | | | | life again. |
| Australia. I had taken way too much on board | | | | |
| and needed to get away. Reducing my workload | | | | Whilst most people would have reacted with |
| to a single major project involving civil | | | | some degree of shock at such a suggestion, |
| liberties and social activism I left the | | | | Margie has a sense of adventure, and a strong |
| partner I was with at the time and moved to | | | | desire to seek new things. She agreed |
| the mountains west of Sydney. | | | | readily. 3 days later we were busy packing |
| | | | and arranging storage. 5 days later we hit |
| The project I had undertaken was shaky, a | | | | the road. The feeling of relief was |
| small team persevering against public | | | | immediate, but we still needed to get some |
| ignorance and resistance to change. It was | | | | time out before it would vanish entirely. |
| challenging though, and stretched my | | | | |
| abilities to their limits. During the time I | | | | You will find the descriptions of the places |
| was working on this project Margie came into | | | | we camped by looking in our community forums, |
| my life, an interesting person with an | | | | under the "Places To Pitch Your Tent" |
| openness to new ideas and potentials rarely | | | | section. I will basically gloss over the |
| found. By the end of the year she had settled | | | | finer details of the locations here, and |
| into my mountain home and life was taking | | | | focus on the stories behind the journey, and |
| interesting twists and turns. | | | | the many changes we experienced as we |
| | | | traveled. This is the "inside dope" on our |
| Early in 2005 it became clear that the | | | | life during the period we refer to as "The |
| opposition we faced in the project I was | | | | Journey". |
| working on was far too great. It was going to | | | | |
| take a long term commitment that promised no | | | | Not exactly wealthy, we did not have much |
| results in the foreseeable future. We decided | | | | left over after covering the costs for |
| it was time for a change, and where better to | | | | storage and getting a few things together for |
| make that change than Tasmania. Margie had | | | | the planned trip. We needed to wait for |
| never been there before, but had heard enough | | | | payday, and that was still 3 days away. A few |
| about it to have a desire to explore the | | | | nights spent in different locations around |
| environment. Her willingness to explore new | | | | Hobart saw us through though. After getting |
| places and desire for adventure took over and | | | | paid, we updated our camping gear (getting |
| we soon found ourselves reducing our | | | | what we thought we would need) and headed for |
| possessions to only that which would fit in | | | | campsite number 1...as far south as we could |
| the car before driving off for new places and | | | | possibly get, and into isolated lands, away |
| experiences. | | | | from the landlords from hell, and our |
| | | | problems of city living. |