Southport Tasmania…Australia’s southern most settlement…Getting my act together every morning…

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This adorable coffee shop in Southport made us laugh. It appears to be a diving bell!

Our road trip of a few days ago left us with dozens of photos we’re excited to share over these next several days. Having had to opportunity to head south on a sunny day, we later realized it was the perfect day for such an outing when the weather has been windy, rainy, and cloudy since then.

Entering Southport, we spotted this sign, “Australia’s Southernmost Pub!” Southport is Australia’s southernmost settlement, closest to Antarctica.

In reviewing a map, Southport doesn’t appear to be the most southerly point of Tasmania, as shown in this map below:

However, in researching online, we noticed many comments repeatedly, stating that Southport is the most southerly “settlement” or town in Australia. So, for a frame of reference, we’re currently living in Forbes Bay, aka Castle Forbes Bay, shown north on the red marked highway.

“Southport, Tasmania (from this site)

Australia’s southernmost town

Southport is known as Australia’s southernmost settlement. It is now little more than a quiet holiday retreat and, looking at the shacks and small shops, it is hard to imagine that in the early 1800’s it was Tasmania’s second-largest town, and it was proposed as the capital of the colony. Then, it was a bustling and dynamic convict station, whaling station, timber town, and international port exporting timber to Europe. The modern appeal of the town lies in its away-from-it-all sleepiness. It is known for its excellent recreational fishing, and the journey to Roaring Beach and Lady Bay rewards the traveler with beautiful white sand beaches and bull kelp near the rocky headlands.”
Arriving in Southport, Tasmania, we couldn’t believe the brightness of the white sand beaches.

The roads to make it to Southport were paved for easy driving, although we observed that driving further may have required the use of some unpaved rock-covered roads. 

Driving a rental car while responsible for rock damage, we often decide to avoid rock-covered roads for long distances, which may have been the case in heading further down to Cockle Creek and/or South East Cape.

With little use of the beaches in this cool part of Australia, the beaches are pristine as they may have been thousands of years ago.

We’re hoping to head to Bruny Island on the day of my birthday (February 20th),  a portion of which will require a 15-minute ferry ride. However, if it’s a rainy or cloudy day, we already have a backup plan for an indoor venue near Hobart. We’ll get back to you on this.

We apologize for today’s late posting. Unlike me, I’m got out of sync with my familiar routine and fell behind in preparing the post promptly. Oddly,  I never feel stressed or pressured to prepare the day’s post. 

Wherever we drove along the beach, the scenes were breathtaking.

Every morning, regardless of where we are in the world, I awake with the intent that once I’m showered and dressed for the day, I’ll sit down at my laptop with news on the TV in the background to begin preparing the day’s post. Most days, this transpires seamlessly.

On travel days when we’re leaving early in the morning, I usually prepare the morning’s post the prior day to be automatically uploaded at our usual time, around 11 am (our time).

More spotless white sand beaches.

On occasion, when boarding a cruise ship, we won’t post in the morning; instead, of preparing and uploading the post after we’re checked in and settled into our cabin. In those cases, I’ll post a short notification earlier in the day, alerting our readers that the day’s post will be six or more hours later than usual, barring any Wi-Fi issues we may encounter.

Undoubtedly, this is a huge commitment, one we both take seriously. If it weren’t for our dedicated worldwide readers, this task could be daunting.  Instead, rarely struggling with the prospect of the work required to prepare the post, we take upon the task with joy and our own sense of dedication.

Mountains at a distance.

We can easily watch the ticker for the number of readers we’ve had since the onset of our site, now well over 500,000 as of a few days ago and the activity hour by hour, day by day, month by month. This has a magical way of spurring us on, knowing somewhere in the world at any given moment, someone is reading our posts.

This morning was one of those days when I was preoccupied, lounging in bed reading news on Tom’s phone (the shipment hadn’t arrived yet with my new phone) until almost 9:00 am. Then, finally, I jumped out of bed, anxious to get the day going. 

Pelican Island Conservation Area off the coast in Southport.

I was planning on making a multi-step meal with several side dishes requiring excessive chopping, dicing, and measuring for a new recipe. I needed to “get the show on the road.”

Failing to sit down until 9:30 am to begin the post after getting some of the chopping out of the way, now after 12:00 pm, I’ve finally got a good handle on the post. 

Sandbars peeking through the sea at low tide.

Not only must we contemplate a topic somehow related to our travels (in most cases), but I must also go through hundreds of recent photos to select those befitting the day’s post (not always related to the written topic). 

At times, a photo may need a bit of editing, although we make every effort to share them exactly as taken. However, if the scene is worth it, I may use an editing app to remove power lines or obstructions.

This reminded us of the spot where we sunbathed in Kauai, meeting a wonderful couple, Vicki and Jerry, with whom we had a great day.  Please click here for details.

Posting 365 days a year is not a chore. On the contrary, it’s a labor of love every day as I begin with Tom near assist with research, fact-checking, and final edits (no, we’re not perfect at this, nor will we ever be). 

Knowing YOU are out there, reading our often insignificant ramblings over a variety of “this and “that” motivates and fuels us to continue on each step of the way. Thank you, dear readers. YOU mean the world to us!

Photo from one year ago today, February 9, 2016:

Nine baby alpacas, although it appears there are eight. Can you find the ninth? For more photos of our glorious time spent in NZ, please click here.

Road trip to more exquisite scenery…Tasmania never disappoints…Brain chemistry…

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Guess this little farm grows peas and makes teddy bears. This is so Tasmanian, a bit of humor in everything they do!

If we were to rewrite our goals of long term world travel it may go like this: “Ambitious home-free and stuff-free retired couple traveling the world to explore the simple life in the countryside, nature, wildlife, traditions, culture and people.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean that we haven’t reveled in visiting some of the most beautiful big cities in the world. On the contrary, we’ve loved the diversity of our experiences thus far across the globe.

Here is a dam near the town of Geeveston.

Even a few less favorite locations have taught us to embrace alternate lifestyles, varying religious beliefs and cultural traditions far removed from the original reality from whence we came.

Isn’t traveling all about putting ourselves in locations that illicit an emotional or spiritual response whether its the profound experience of walking along the beach on the Indian Ocean or traversing through the souks in the Medina in Marrakech? 

Once we arrived in Dover, we were able to see the Tasman Sea once again.

After all this time its easy for us to clearly determine what really “trips our trigger,” (no pun intended). I often tell Tom how it feels as if I’ve been injected with  a drug providing profound sensation of “peacefulness and happiness” when we see wildlife, beautiful scenery or cultural events.

“They” say (whoever “they” are) that endorphins are released effecting our brain chemistry when we visualize something that appeals to us. That’s not to say that a sugar-coated jelly doughnut won’t also illicit a similar response from me, or a plain cake doughnut for Tom (his favorite). It’s all relative. We love what we love.

I was driving through the tiny town of Dover with a population of approximately 1000.

That’s not intended to diminish the value of any visual stimuli.  It’s simply how we humans are wired. If seeing wildlife and scenery triggered the release of saliva and gastric juices, we’d be slobbering messes. 

Although Tom is less inclined to express his responses to such triggers (its a guy thing) I practically fall out of the car trying to get out of the low slung passenger seat in the little rental car to stand to take a photo or two.

What a perfect day it was for a road trip!

Yesterday, although we didn’t have an opportunity to see much wildlife except for a few choice sightings as shown in photos over these next several days, we were catapulted into another realm when we embarked on yet another road trip in exquisite Tasmania.

A few readers have written to us privately saying they’re considering a visit to Tasmania after our many posts since December 3, 2016 when we arrived in this veritable paradise (by our standards).

However, we must caution travelers that if big city life, significant nightlife, and the hum of activity are most appealing, Tasmania may not be the place for you. 

View of the Huon River while driving south.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, Hobart is loaded with tourist attractions, lively entertainment and shopping. But, it may be less vibrant than some big cities when citizens enjoy evenings at their homes cooking outdoors with family and friends. 

There is a plethora of water sport activities, tours to islands and hiking to please the most serious of adventurers;  helicopter rides, zip-lining, bungee jumping and white water rafting. But, we find these types of activities are available in most countries in one form or another. 

River running through the town.

The slower pace and lack of hustle and bustle in Tasmania may be ideal for the traveler seeking a respite from the stresses of daily life in a big metropolitan area. But, if quiet repose is not on your radar for at least part of each day, this may not be the best vacation/holiday spot for everyone. Then again, each potential location appeals to travelers for a variety of reasons.

W cannot partake in sport-like activities with my delicate spinal condition and have naturally gravitated toward the things I can do, as we’ve shared in our posts, day after day. We certainly haven’t been lacking in exceptional experiences, have we?

White sand beach in Dover, Tasmania.

Tom, my devoted and loyal companion and love, who’d easily partake in more adventurous activities has found an appreciation for nature and wildlife that parallels my own. He, too, can spot a creature or scene from afar that may easily inspire a stop on the road to capture his discovery.

Today and over the next several days, we’ll be posting photos of the road trip to the most southerly settlement in Australia, closest to Antarctica. Wow! We certainly appreciate the scenery and countryside in Tasmania.

May your day present you with the pure sense of joy from your surroundings whatever they may be!

Photo from one year ago today, February 8, 2017:

This alpaca, Amber Rose, who’d recently given birth, often looked at me through the kitchen window while I was preparing meals, at times pressing her nose on the glass. So funny!  For more photos of life on an alpaca farm, please click here.