Today we went south - as far as we could, to the southernmost part of Tasmania, the South East Cape. Gavan's grandparents came from Ida Bay, and there were a number of towns in the Huon Valley with which his family has connections. We spent quite a bit of time wandering the old cemeteries along the way. The research work has already been done - we have a history of Gavan's grandfather's side of the family which a relative of his published some years ago. So for us, it was just the interest of seeing the area for ourselves.
Our tour took us via Huonville, with stops as Franklin, Geeveston, Dover and of course, Ida Bay. Having come this far, we travelled the additional 20kms or so south to Cockle Creek and the South East Cape.
This was some of the loveliest country that I have seen. The area is completely unspoiled, and the tranquility of the various little bays that we passed along the way was a delight. At Ida Bay, the historic railway was operating. This is a narrow gauge railway which used to transport limestone from quarries to the wharf at Ida Bay. Today, a diesel engine is used to run the train as a tourist attraction.
sounds great, Caro and Gavan! Always love a bit of family history :))
ReplyDeleteThis area was my favourite part of Tasmania - its really pretty.
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