Pearls On Wheels

Maydena is in the wilderness.  Beyond lovely autumnal valleys and beyond Field National Park (the first National park in Australia). A warm welcome and a delicious dinner from our host Anthea's kitchen.   We had a lovely breakfast and set off to Strath Gordon and Australia's highest hydro dam. Ooops some trees across the road blocked our way. It is early Sunday morning so the chances of it being cleared soon seem slim. We turn round and ride to Westaway and stop for coffee alongside the Derwent River. We ride through lovely countryside.  As we approach the outskirts of Hobart... the signpost says MONA... we are lured to this amazing gallery. Museum of old and new art. This is a private gallery.  The art works are provocative. Some are stunning.  Some are stunningly unsettling. You can take a peek at their website  Mona    Some are eye-catching - this water fall spelled out words.  ...

A quiet departure from Hobart. Breakfast in Richmond. A walk around Port Arthur convict site. Lunch at a Dunalley bushfire  fundraiser. Evidence of bush fires, the recovery cycle of eucalypts and of the impact on peoples lives is evident in the small towns and farming areas along the Tasman Peninsula. A calm scene along the Tasman highway. Port Arthur convict settlement British motorcycle owners outing at Dunalley. Supporting a bush fires fundraiser.  A 1907 Aerocar. All along the highway are scenes of devastation. People have begun to rebuild homes. New fences are being  installed. Life is continuing. The eucalypts have begun to  regenerate .  Most trees would not survive forest fires. Detour down a country lane. Pastoral scenes dotted with eucalypts.  Looking out to Great Oyster Bay  Coles Bay, home for tonight. We went out to find a meal.  As we walked around...

Friendship is precious. It is one week since our friends Kathy and Eric died in a plane crash.  We are remembering Kathy and Eric as we ride today. They gave us excellent advice on riding through Latin America especially Panama and Ecuador where they had lived.   We remember their adventurous spirits, their love of Ari,  and their love of people, their love of ideas and their wisdom. We remember the fun we had together with a special group of neighbours who mourn with us. We are blessed and enriched by their friendship. I am reposting  this photo of Kathy, me and Ros when we were together in Newport Beach last September.  We rode to visit them at Newport Brach on our motorbike on the first day of the our 80 days Down the world to Ushuaia in Patagonia.  We were heading for the Mexican border the next day. Kathy was anxious about our safety and gave us lots of helpful advice.  Kathy and Ros sent us on our way with loads of f...