Take a look around ...

Yes, I have been more than a little remiss in keeping up the content, but here's something I hope will make up for that. It's a very short video shot by my mate, Joseph, who was staying at the Gardens House with Chris. It gives you an idea of the panorama there.

The video was shot from the beach in front of the Gardens House and starts from the Gardens House, then scans around anti-clockwise, all the way back for a full 360.

Have a Happy New Year, and there'll be more up soon!

September moods

Tasmania is smack in the middle of the "Roaring Forties" - the belt of westerly winds which prevail about 40 degrees south of the equator. In September south-easterly changes bring rain and occasional storms and pile the waves upon the shore.

This is the time to head for the Bay of Fires if you like surf, or a reason to rug up, light a fire and create a cosy nest. Take advantage of breaks in the weather to wander along the beach and see what has come in on the tide, or head a bit inland along the flat near Big Lagoon and look for the first of the new season's orchids.

And some people think the beach is just for lying on a towel in the sun ...

Avoiding the floods!

The usual way to get to The Gardens House is via C850 - the Binalong Bay Rd - and turn off on The Gardens Rd (C848). Recently, the higher than usual rainfall caused some substantial flooding in the low lying area of the Binalong Bay Rd, roughly where the A - B line is on the above map.

This is not a major problem, as there are shops at Binalong Bay for basic food supplies, not to mention the Angasi restaurant!

There is also the alternative of Reid's Rd (C849) which takes you back through the hills to Priory. This is a fairly good, but unsealed road, so a modicum of care is necessary when driving. It does avoid all the low lying areas which tend to get flooded and is a good alternative in these circumstances!

It's not actually pink!

You can always tell the the poor tourism websites by the way they talk about the pink granite at The Gardens!

Phrases like "magnificent outcrops of pink granite, orange lichen" and so forth roll off the tongue, but unfortunately they miss out on accuracy. The granite at The Gardens is grey. In fact it is definitively grey and called Gardens Granite or Gardens Granodiorite if you want to get really technical.

Actually, if you think about it, grey and orange is a much better combination than pink and orange! Still, evolution is not necessarily fashion conscious so I suppose we'd better be thankful that it turned out that way.

If you are looking for a good escape, and are interested in staying at The Gardens, then make sure you book through a website that knows the place and what it is like ... this one for instance!