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Dave Edison whispered in my ears on a sunny nut at Stanley: I'm desperately trying to figure out why kamikaze pilots wore helmets ...



The medicinal poppy industry has now been operating in Tasmania for over 30 years, and the State produces approximately 50% of the world’s legal poppy crop. Tasmania seems a little careless of its cash crop; the poppies are defended from smugglers by a waist-high fence and a lame instruction to Keep Out. Tasmania is a major producer of the world's legal poppy crop

Hasta la vista baby & Fairy Penquins There is no denying that Tassie is filled with magic
As we clocked almost 7000km across mainland and the Tassie landscapes I heard someone state: Have you ever noticed Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a moron.

Blink in Tasmania and you miss something... If you're a nature lover and you haven't yet made it to Bruny Island, you really need to do something about that. History suggests its pink granite cliffs, outlandish forests and chaste beaches so beguiled European navigators that they lost track of time and purpose. Discover seals, Albatross, quolls, echidnas and other rare creatures ...There are only two species of monotreme known to science: the duckbill platypus and the echidna, which is a small spiny anteater.

As luck would have it, we were fortunate to follow all the suggestions from the Tassie Tourist Guru - Walking Encyclopaedia Trish
We did all the things she suggested and even more as we came across amazing characters in the Apple Island but now fast becoming the Berrie, Lavender and Poppy world ...

Arrive on Spirit of Tasmania to Devonport



Suggest you drive directly on disembarking in the direction of LaTrobe and go to the Anvers (Belgian) Chocolate Factory for breakfast. It’s on the right hand side of the road, about 15 minutes drive out of Devonport, in an old Federation House…and has hot chocolate to die for!!!! There is also a small museum dedicated to chocolate.

Other interests nearby:

Reliquaire – an incredible shop (huge and packed full of the most extraordinary things) in the Main St of LaTrobe…and if Josef is interested in Woodchopping – then David Foster (Australia’s most decorated and famous wood chopper) has his “Axemans Hall of Fame” there too!

Other food considerations in the area at Elizabeth Town are Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm (very nice for lunch! Ashgrove Cheese Factory

But if they don’t fit into your plans first day, you can always plan to stop there on the way BACK to the Spirit on your last day. And if you find yourself driving through Burnie (not attractive!) – look out for Creative Paper (an eco-paper making concern, but so interesting…next door to a commercial paper mill! And there is a cool Whiskey Distillery up the road (they can give you directions) – which has a very trendy restaurant attached.

Suggest you head across North-West Coast to Stanley…which is one of my favourite towns. Cute cottages, great Tourist Park…or if you want something upmarket you could try @VDL (but pre-book)…So be careful, it is a gorgeous place…and might get under your skin! Trevor and Kathy have a wonderful Touch of Wood

Things to do: The Bistro in the Stanley Pub has just won a “Best Bistro in Australia” award…and everybody eats there! Visit Ye Olde Sweet Shop and say “hello” (who also have cottage accommodation and run 4WD tours, and Platypus tours)

Climb “the Nut” – Tassie’s answer to Ayers Rock! Visit Dismal Swamp Enjoy the magnificent scenery of this particular area!

Then to Cradle Mountain and its Lodge where you will see King Billy Pines - majestic trees:



Apart from the walks in the National Park Visit the Wilderness Gallery (if you are interested in photography) Devils@Cradle – if you want to get up close and personal with Tassie Devils, and help the good folk here in their effort to save the devil.

Stay in Strahan. Take a Gordon River Cruise (takes most of a day) Go down to the Wharf in the evening and watch the play “The Ship That Never Was” – written, produced and acted by Strahans resident thespian!

Take the West Coast Wilderness Railway to Queenstown (takes most of another day, but includes return to Strahan by coach) Or, check out Piners & Miners – which I have not tried yet (new this year), but sounds great!

Head back towards Hobart. Do stop in Queenstown for a look around – mining town
Fabulous old pubs with wonderful carved staircases (for gentry) alongside plain ones (for servants)…great history! And stop and enjoy the walks (you’ll see the signs as you drive along) in the World Heritage Area on road from Queenstown to Derwent Bridge.

MUST SEE – the Wall just east of Derwent Bridge - amazing sculpting by a local artisan. Head towards Hobart.

If you are there for Saturday – of course there is the famous Salamanca Markets on Sat morning (8.30 – 2.00pm approx) You can also cycle down Mount Wellington (Island Cycle Tours) or kayak with Hobart Paddle.

I like the Botanic Gardens…especially the Sub-Antarctic house – only small, but gives a good idea of life on Macquarie Island!

Cascade Breweries have tours (and they are the oldest Brewery in Tasmania) – but they also have a trendy restaurant and beautiful gardens…and from there you can walk down (quite a scenic way) to the Female Factory (remains of where the women convicts were sent) with Island Fudge (yum!) conveniently placed next door….but would probably have to think about logistics of getting back to your car (maybe take a Hobart taxi number with you?)

Check out the Henry Jones Art Hotel (won lots of awards for top hotel in Australia, etc) – and even if you don’t stay there, you can still have a drink in the Bar, or a coffee in the Atrium! [Lena at Batery Point rocks]

To eat – fish at Fish Frenzy on the Wharf, Italian at Harbour Lights Café (near Salamanca)…very inexpensive with Tassie Dining Card ... For tourist eats (and good food) – the Ball & Chain at Salamanca or the Drunken Admiral next to the Henry Jones Art Hotel. I have heard that the “Laundry”Café is the new “in” place (somewhere in Salamanca) – so if you find it, let me know.

Also have a wander in Battery Point (or even stay there!) – Hobarts equivalent of Paddington…very historic, little cottages (Arthur's circus,the Shippees pub), etc. From Hobart you can also do a day trip to the Huon Valley (or even better – time allowing, stay down there)

If you want something really different and seriously (but trendily) eco – check out Huon Bush Retreats. But you need to have a look on website first – as it is hidden in the bush, so may not suit everybody. (see page 20 & page 40 of Discover Tasmania book) Holm Hill Winery is a popular stop (and lunch stop) in the Huon

Tahune Airwalk – a bit of a drive, but you can wander through the tree-tops (elevated walk) with a cantilever or two, and this year they have also added a couple of swinging bridges. Experience wilderness from a different level! Then on the other side of Hobart, of course there is Port Arthur – but I would suggest that you drive and stay, rather than make it a day trip from Hobart.

[Like the good ancient Franklin River or the Nelson Falls, the Russell Falls (inside the first national park) the purity of the water is just amazing...]



Stop in Richmond on the way – a beautifully preserved Georgian village (and the nearest to England that you will get in Tassie…except it has a convict history). (Pick your own berries/ cherries to your heart's content at Sorrell.

(Ross was also wonderful ...) I love Stewarts Bay Lodge (has a great Restaurant too…funny that!)

You can walk around the bay to Port Arthur site from there. Do the Ghost Tour – as your first visit to the site. And then the NEXT day go back and enjoy it from a historic perspective.

We do have an excellent value package in the Discover Tasmania book page 15 = $135 per person per night for accommodation, evening meal, ghost tour and b’fast at the Port Arthur Motor Inn (which is a standard no frills Motor Inn, clean, comfortable, but not special – so depends what you want).

From there head up the East Coast to Freycinet. I have a big soft spot for Diamond Island Resort (Bicheno) – because it backs on to a little penguin colony, and you can hear them calling at night, and if you get up early enough, watch them all head out to sea. [How lucky to get so close to fairy penquines at Bisheno no photos as they are very sensitive to the camera flash but this is their home]



[The pink granite wears russet lichens, the shell sands are a virgin white and the turquoise trim of the Tasman Sea is a lure for exploers like Mal; until they test the temperature ;-)]

They also do a great tour ($20 per person) at dusk, and apart from learning heaps about penguins, you really do get very close, as they waddle past on their way home to there nests.

Or you can take it easier with Freycinet Sea Cruises ... And you can enjoy the wonderful views from the Bistro (or whatever they call their non-fine-dining Restaurant) at Freycinet Lodge…so worth stopping in, even if you are not staying there.

If you chose to stay in Swansea (south of Freycinet Peninsula), instead of Bicheno – it is a really nice little town…so whatever you do in this area, you will enjoy it!

Then keep driving north to St Helens. Do go up Elephant Pass to the Pancake House at the top! (Not even the rustling of the bush, with its society of wombats, wallabies, possums and quolls, kept us from sleep, but the thin walls of Tidal Waters in the Room 23 did ...]

St Helens is the base of the Bay of Fires (just been voted the No 1 destination spot by Lonely Planet) [Bay of Fire: Garden of Eden Indeed!]



My pick of the accommodation is the Character Cottages (may be Bay of Fires Character Cottages, or St Helens Character Cottages?). The views were unbelievable! I have been desperate to go back and stay there ever since…so if you do stay, I will be extremely jealous.

The drive from St Helens to Launceston is lovely, lush, green rolling foothills.

Make sure you go to St Columba Falls…and you can stop in at Pyngana Cheese Factory on the way, and take a little snack to enjoy there in the wilderness!

The Lavender Farm at Nabowla (Bridestowe) is the largest in the southern hemisphere…you will be able to smell it well before you see it (mmmmm!)…and this is an excellent time to visit, as the lavender will be out in bloom (they cut it January)

And check out Hollybank (approx 20 mins from Launceston) – our latest exciting adventure – swinging through the trees on (seated) flying foxes…to land on cloud-stations up in the trees…the longest span is 370m!!


There is such a wide variety of accommodation in Launceston, I really don’t have a special favourite. But try and stay within walking distance of City Centre/Seaport/Cataract Gorge area, and then you can explore easily.

From there you can also drive along the Tamar Valley Wine Route and visit Seahorse World, and pass the famous Beaconsfield Mine – all this would be a day trip heading north.

But nearby, you also have the lovely little town of Evandale (market on Sunday), and historic Woolmers Estate (which is full of amazing stories and old treasures, and I have been lucky enough to have had a ride around the estate in one of the old vintage cars! Yeah!!) and National Rose Garden is attached to the property.


If there is any time at all left…as you head back to Devonport, the hinterland in Mole Creek is very pretty indeed. They also have fabulous caves – Marakoopa and King Solomon Mines… But by this time you may be heading for a Raspberry Farm lunch on the way back to Devonport

• Highly Recommended: Take a full day tour from Hobart or drive yourself to Adventure Bay, Bruny Island for our three-hour eco-adventure cruise. Bruny Island is accessible by ferry at Kettering, only 35 minutes drive from Hobart and say Hi to the storyteller extraordinaire Colin (Colliwobbles) A turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out ; [See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little; Tassie Temptations ]

• · Discover Tasmania If You Can't Be Good, Be Lucky ; Great Touch of Wood
• · ; Seals at Bruny Island noted: I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it

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The secret of a good blog entry is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible :-)

There are many blogs about Tasmania. Back in 2003 I used to read the Tasmanian dolebludger blog (by Meika VonSamorzewski)

Only Tassie pubs like Shippies at Batery Point provide in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat Van Diemen Land: Is Tasmania Really A Part Of Australia?
It is believed that the island was joined to the mainland until the end of the last glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago.
Much of the island is composed of Jurassic dolerite intrusions (upwellings of magma) through other rock types, sometimes forming large columnar joints. Tasmania has the world's largest areas of dolerite, with many distinctive mountains and cliffs formed from this rock type. The central plateau and the southeast portions of the island are mostly dolerite. Mount Wellington above Hobart is a good example, showing distinct columns known as the Organ Pipes. In the southwest, Precambrian quartzites are formed from very ancient sea sediments and form strikingly sharp ridges and ranges, such as Federation Peak or Frenchman's Cap. In the northeast and east, continental granites can be seen, such as at Freycinet, similar to coastal granites on mainland Australia. In the northwest and west, mineral rich volcanic rock can be seen at Mt. Read near Rosebery, or at Mt. Lyell near Queenstown. Also present in the south and northwest is limestone with some magnificent caves.

Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name. It is located 240 kilometres (150 mi) south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait. The state of Tasmania includes the island of Tasmania and other surrounding islands. Tasmania has an estimated population of 494,520 (March 2008)[4] and an area of 68,401 square kilometres (26,410 sq mi).

Tasmania is promoted as the Natural State and the "Island of Inspiration"[5] owing to its large and relatively unspoiled natural environment. Formally, almost 37% of Tasmania is in reserves, National Parks and World Heritage Sites.[6] The island is 364 kilometres (226 mi) long from the northernmost point to the southernmost point and 306 kilometres (190 mi) from west to east.

The first reported sighting of Tasmania by a European was on 24 November 1642, by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Captain James Cook also sighted the island in 1777, and numerous other European seafarers made landfalls, adding a colourful array to the names of topographical features.

The first settlement was by the British at Risdon Cove on the eastern bank of the Derwent estuary in 1803, by a small party sent from Sydney, under Lt. John Bowen for the purpose of preventing the French from claiming the island. An alternative settlement was established by Captain David Collins 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the south in 1804 in Sullivan's Cove on the western side of the Derwent, where fresh water was more plentiful. The latter settlement became known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, later shortened to Hobart, after the British Colonial Secretary of the time, Lord Hobart. The settlement at Risdon was later abandoned.

The early settlers were mostly convicts and their military guards, with the task of developing agriculture and other industries. Numerous other convict-based settlements were made in Van Diemen's Land, including secondary prisons, such as the particularly harsh penal colonies at Port Arthur in the southeast and Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast.

Van Diemen's Land was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales, with its own judicial establishment and Legislative Council, on 3 December 1825.
• Be careful about Tasmania Devils; Dog owners behind mass penguin kill;

Coda: "The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers."
-Erich Imrich Fromm

Pondering in Tassie about Rose of Bells: It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman in Tassie to avoid pregnancy by a resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to physics or chemistry ...

It is of no benefit to got to bed early to save the candle, if the result is twins ...

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
-- Oscar Wilde


Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year...

Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations and expochs, it is the rule ... ach ... Friedrich Nietzsche

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
-- Socrates


She had a rose named after me and she was very flattered. But she was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall ;-)

I've just learned about her illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial...

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.
-- Mark Twain

I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure ...

I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it ;-)

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Svety Mikulas is busy flying through the bohemian sky delivering goodies for chldren or rotten potatos for some ... and Tomorrow is a day of hopes, dreams and nerves as we cross the Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania The fire of fiction International guide book Lonely Planet has named Tasmania’s Bay of Fires as the hottest travel destination for 2009. Bay of Fires

Cinema AUSTRALIA ….THE WORLD ….
It was with the completion of this “Red Curtain Trilogy” – and after directing a Tony-winning version of Puccini’s La Boheme on Broadway – that Luhrmann began developing a series of epic films, including a project with Leonardo DiCaprio about Alexander the Great. But after two years of intensive research across Jordan, the deserts of Morocco and the jungles of Thailand with his wife and creative partner, Catherine Martin, the project was shelved when Oliver Stone’s Alexander film went into production.

While traveling back to Sydney from Paris, Luhrmann began to imagine a story about a main character who embarks on a great journey that transforms her in a profound way. “It is the issue of transformation that I am most interested in exploring at this time,” the director explains. “I recognize a feeling that exists in me and my generation that at a certain age, you get locked into a pattern of life that will remain constant for the rest of your days – growth simply stops. So I was very interested in the idea of growth and rebirth. Secondly, life in the post-9/11 world has created an unnerving environment in which the future seems unpredictable and precarious. So I was also interested writing a story about characters who live in uncertain and tumultuous times.

• Australia; [Czech Free Marketeer Vaclav Klaus to Become President of European Union = Governments are managed by elites who are beholden to somewhat larger elites for support. Members of the former usually spring from the latter. Whether the nature of rule dictates this sort of cozy arrangement, as pronounced by the Iron Law of Oligarchy, or not, we see this type of tight, inbred elite rule in virtually every society, regardless of its declared ideological commitments and ideals. It’s Who You Know ; Women are natural born leaders, argues author and executive coach Lois P Frankel - if only they'd realise it. Quit girlie nice ]
• · Merrill Lynch estimated in 2003 that more than 85% of all potentially usable business information originates in unstructured form. With the accelerating use of the Internet, the volumes of unstructured data such as blogs, wikis and social networks have also expanded exponentially Using unstructured information to provoke thoughtful decisions,; Bureaucrats running intelligence agencies; inter agency rivalry; political cronyism: they all affect Australia’s preparedness for terrorist attacks. British intelligence service MI6 is tapping the considerable public power of Facebook to implement its latest recruitment drive. Outgoing CIO of the FBI, Zal Azmi, was appointed in 2004 and has led FBI efforts to modernise information technology. "During 9/11, the Bureau didn't have the infrastructure to transmit even a single picture over its external networks," Azmi said. Many processes were grounded in old systems. There were plenty of information technology offices within the FBI, he said - almost one for every division - but they were "stovepipes," not unlike the broader intelligence community Moving technology forward
• · The Looming Threat of Deflation … Decades of consensus that deregulation, privatisation, and free trade are the right way to go have been consigned to the dustbin of history. People must resist the urge to think of unemployment as the end of the world, no matter how difficult it may be. Maintaining a positive attitude is vital. 7 secrets for surviving a layoff in a down economy; There's never been a more incompetent profession working against corporate Australia and the ordinary person in the street than HR management. Get a job! Not with HR
• · · Political buck passing means senior public servants' professional discretion is being exploited to save their political masters’ skins. Politicising the TreasuryInspector General for Tax Administration, US Treasury, 29 August 2008, 23p. "This report presents the results of our review to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is effectively projecting its future human resource needs. This review is one of several audits assessing how the IRS is addressing the Human Capital management challenge A more strategic and consistent approach to estimating retirements and other separations is needed to better plan for future human resource needs ; What is exciting about this Web 2.0 evolution is that there is an energy that comes with this new sense of freedom and connection The virtual gathering experience
• · · · Napoleon reputedly rated luck above other qualities, and the electoral gods have certainly favoured Obama. As dede noted Napolean used to sent three soldiers in different directions and the one who return was the best intel officer as the enemy was not there … With a world in crisis and an economy in a shambles, can Obama make it work? The new CEO of 'America Inc'; Rudd one year on … On blind hope and the awful truth ; If you follow any political blogs, you have experienced how vicious people can be to those who hold different perspectives. It doesn't have to be that way! Online bashing - It doesn't have to be that way!
• · · · · The media landscape is changing with readers flocking to online news sites at the expense of the traditional print media. Newspaper use-by date; Mere moments after the first shots were fired in Mumbai on Wednesday, terror had gone online Bloggers provide raw view of Mumbai attacks
• · · · · · Best Foreign Fiction Of 2008 ; It's all HUMBUG, I tell you, HUMBUG THE BEST HOLIDAY STORY EVER

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You know my old saying...

Connect on your similarities and profit from your differences

Robert of Boonah fame provides the images of a smiley faces . I only need to taste Dial's or June's cooking as well as invading the Sweet Spot and my face dials up a smile
(Gabbie and Katie of Bronte fame had a lovely time with June this week ...)

Regrets? Not if You follow Dragon's Tips Hitting the Sweet Spot and (Yarin) the Maroccan Feast of Randwick
The Sweet Spot Patisserie makes the best spinach triangle 18 Perouse Rd 2031 Randwick. For special orders call Peter and Angela or Paul (02) 9399 3344
Sticky Weddings

Even stickier Christmas parties Moroccan Christmas party

Randwick personality Georgina Safe wrote last month about her former boss who once told her that if she were ever stuck for an idea for a column, she should open a bottle of wine, then put pen to paper. Creativity, name the price

CODA: Love is wonderful the second time around, as the song says. But the housework load is not necessarily lighter or shared more equally in second marriages.Many men in second marriages shape up, becoming the partners their first wives had probably wanted them to be. They share the domestic chores more equally with their second wife than they did with their first ... Husbands better second time around