Well, intermission is over, and I am back to continue the Tassie trip with you. Naturally by this time we are home, but we had a little bit of patchy internet coverage and the final few days were super busy.
So here we go!
From Bruny Island we headed north to the pretty town of New Norfolk, just near Mt Field and that gorgeous Tasmanian wilderness we have seen pictures of. Whilst DH caught up with a friend I wandered around as, whilst it is small, there are some GREAT shops.


If you are ever there, call in for a yummy lunch at The Patchwork Cafe...


A great little patchwork shop and cafe with really friendly staff and great food in the old Willow Court Asylum complex.


Also in New Norfolk are two great shops....Flywheel and The Drill Hall...


quirky fabulous shops with antiques, stationery and old printing paraphernalia...great to see!


We stayed by the Derwent River, it was a really peaceful place to stay.


Heading south on the Tasman peninsula, past Tasman arch...


And on to Port Arthur.


I was a bit ambivalent about going there, in all honesty I think the terrible events of 1996 were clouding my perception of the place.


But we found a most beautiful and peaceful site and are so very glad we went.


We walked and walked, loving the buildings and the history of the site.


The gardens are beautiful...


As you can see...


and the guides are great...very passionate about Port Arthur.


We even found a hexie quilt at one of the cottages.


That evening, a very dark and moon-less night, we returned for a spooky ghost tour of the site on Halloween....wooooo!


It was fun to do.


As we were staying at a unit adjoining the historic site, we had a key to let ourselves in a back gate, so after the ghost tour we had to walk back through the site, just me and SB,


thank goodness we took a torch or we might still be there.....hehehe!


Back to Hobart for our final night, where we found we had been upgraded to the best suite ( tough, but someone had to sleep there!) where we were above seagull flying height...interesting!


A last stroll around the docks, then a final visit to Salamanca Markets ( Christmas shopping...tick) and we were headed home!


Don't miss Tasmania, it really is a great place....we need to head back and see more!
Cardygirl xxx


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Location:Back to Tassie

Down the road to Bruny Island....

After our stay in Hobart, we headed down to Kettering to catch the ferry to Bruny Island. What a pretty place it is. We explored it from north....


To south.


We found local producers and bought yummy food for our dinner.
Smoked ocean trout from the fabulous Bruny Island Smokehouse...


Cheeses from the Cheese Company...and chocolate from the Providore....mmmm!


There was also wine and oysters on offer, but the Berry Company had no berries as yet due to recent inclement weather.


We walked....


And walked..


stayed in amazing accommodation called 43 degrees...


Climbed the lookout at the neck...can you tell by the hair and jacket how windy it was! It was wild!


And went on a cruise...lots of fun!


We saw seals...


Blowholes...


And amazing rock walls.


Lots of fun, it was great having two nights here...even saw dolphins and a Bruny Island White wallaby...who "clapped" his hands in glee when SB stalled the car!


Here we are tired, semi frozen after our cruise.


New Norfolk here we come!
Cardygirl xx
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Our last night in Hobart we wandered around gorgeous Battery Point, until we found our destination, Da Angelo Ristorante....home of the most amazing spinach gnocchi, made by the owners 84 year old mother daily. And it was amazing. Do not miss it if you are in Hobart.


The houses are beautiful in this area...lovely to see.


A slow walk back to the hotel, past the docks...


Beautiful at dusk.


Today we travelled south to catch the ferry to Bruny Island.


We slowly made our way to our accommodation...


buying food for our dinner at the Smokehouse, Cheese Factory, and chocolate shop....mmmm!


We are staying at the beautiful 43 Degrees...lovely.


The area is so peaceful...we have walked along the beach...and just wandered about.


Tomorrow we are heading out on a boat to see the wildlife....seals, penguins and maybe a whale if we are lucky. We also intend to climb the lookout on the isthmus.
Wish me luck!
Cardygirl xx


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Location:Moving south...

Hobart...the patchwork edition!

We have had lots of lovely sightseeing time in Hobart. It is such a beautiful city, and quite easy to get around. The buildings are lovely and the people are friendly and helpful. It is a nice place to visit.


But, as we all do, we wonder, what sewing shops are there?


My poor long suffering, but very kind husband has ferried me around in pursuit of "the" ultimate fabric find! So here we go...


Frangipani Fabrics, Sandy Bay. A really cute little shop, light, bright and airy...clear, fresh fabrics, contemporary and modern...very nice with lots of screen printed panels and their own patterns. The staff were really friendly and helpful too. If I lived here I would be a regular!


The Quilted Crow, New Town. Crow Central is in a sweet sandstone church with easy parking. The crow girls were in the US when I visited, but their stand in was lovely. A great shop for wools and repros...their own patterns and book. Well worth a look as it is so nicely done.


Wafu, Kingston Beach. A cute little shop a short drive south. The lovely owner has a great range of Japanese silks and kimono pieces along with great buckles, braids and buttons. Great supplies for crazy patchwork. So much potential in here!


A Stitching Time, Sandy Bay. Fabulous little embroidery shop with a good range of threads, linens and cross stitch patterns. Nice to see a good embroidery shop as they are quite hard to find nowadays.
Possum Place, Hobart. More of a sewing shop with a reasonable general range of fabrics.
The Needlewoman, Hobart. An elegant patchwork and embroidery shop. Nice range of fabrics, predominantly pretty and conservative. No photos allowed here.
We are still to see Patchwork Cafe, New Norfolk, but I have been hearing good things about it. Looking forward to seeing it.
These are my thoughts, but if you are down this way, it might help.

Cardygirl xx



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