Tasmania, Australia - On the Road.

The last glimpses of Tasmania will come from the road. It is a bit of a compilation of stop offs while cruising about the coolest of islands, yes I do mean that in two ways.  This is about some wineries, some beaches and some happiness, ok, a lot of happiness.

Just round the corner from the gorgeous Wineglass Bay is this little place, Freycinet Vineyard. It is a little over touristified but still a nice place and some pleasant wines, but when the website has a quote from 2008, you know it needs some help.

Where to next? The Devil's Corner, a wine I just recently saw in the UK, too! The Sparkling was lovely and fresh, but the Resolution Pinot was outstanding.

They also have some great snacks available.

I went with the coffee instead, with this view I didn't want to be distracted.

The quaint Spring Vale Winery, their had a nice Pinot, but their Gewürztraminer was a touch sweet for me.

Spiky Beach and its little conservation park. Very cute. 

Spiky Bridge, not sure how this convict built bridge got its name.....

Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia.

Bruny Island, it is an island, off an island, off an island continent. It has also been one of my dreams for many years to go there. It is a place where I have dreamt of living, even though I had never visited it. I even wrote a "short" story about a family living there, without having any idea if the information in the 72 pages of my dribble was accurate. So, on the last trip to Tasmania we decided to hit the shores of the little island full of glee and vigour. We jumped on the ferry at Kettering to see if our dreams were going to come true.....

The island has somehow become a mecca to people wanting to explore Tasmania and its produce. There are oysters, wines, berries, cherries, whiskey, chocolates and beer. One of the most popular places is Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co.

They make raw milk cheese!

Look at these youngsters aging away.

Some delightful honey. Leatherwood is just amazing and a real taste of the southern bush.

We were lucky enough to grab the last cheese board of the day.

The following morn, we were up early to explore. This is at the Cape Bruny lighthouse.

Some crazily beautiful views in this area, and another lighthouse ticked off our list of the million to see.

A shrubbery.

The roads are really this beautiful, you actually don't want to drive fast so that you can enjoy them.

The neck is a thin piece of land that joins North and South Bruny.

It has beaches on each side and a memorial to Truganini, who was considered to be the last full blood aboriginal from Tasmania. 

The neck's classic view.

It is hard to get time here without others around.

Even penguins come and visit.

The beach at Adventure Bay is amazingly beautiful with gum trees right up to the beach itself. I also have to recommend the Bligh Museum, it is just a quintessential Australian country town museum. I adored it. 

A curious local.

We went to the island's winery, and of course we had cider instead of wine.... logic never defies me.

Part of the coastal walkway at Cloudy Bay.

More of the walk.

Our fabulous airbandb hosts put together on this magnificent Bruny Island cheese platter. Luckily I had been for a run each morning there.

The sun sets to the west at Lunawanna with great beauty, like much of the island.

It was hard to leave this beautiful place, but alas, we had to. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Sicilia - The Etna edition

Sicilia, it is a beautiful, beautiful place. I am amazed at how it is not more popular with tourists when it has all that one could ask for. History, nature, fabulous food and wine, beaches, sun... I mean what does it lack? Oh yes, it isn't glamorous. But, to me, that is the attraction. I don't know what influence the mafia has there any more, if it is still so big or if it is nominal but it could be a great place to live. After falling for the western end of the island around Trapani, Erice and Favignana a few years back we ventured to the eastern end around Etna to start to see what we could find. Let's see what it is....

The view from our airbnb location, beautiful.

Being there in early spring we got to see wild flowers everywhere.

The almonds were in blossom.

There are prickly pears everywhere.

The accommodation had some great nature around.

It wasn't my bad photography the tracks are this angle.

Lots of terracing on the steep hills around Etna.

The classic Mediterranean life. 

I guess you have to have pasta sometime in Sicily, why not start with it and some local home made wine.

The local church, looking a little worse for wear.

Train station for the train from Catania to Taormina 

Maybe it was time for a drive, head off to the beautiful volcano side town of Zafferana Etnea and grab a local pastry and coffee.

It was the height of oranges and artichokes too.

A little meat.

The little volcano of Etna.

The pretty little town of Sant'Alfio

Sometimes old and loved is beautiful

And there ends the day.