Travel in Tasmania is easy, especially on the not so popular routes. The midlands is drier than south .
Today we are going through some historical towns known for their original Georgian architecture, Oatlands, Richmond and Ross. Each has a quiet, serene, country feel with wide streets. Amazing really when you consider that transport would have been limited and by horse or perhaps the coach service. We did see some isolated houses that would have offered that cup of tea or soup to the weary traveller. 
Richmond was set up as a convict town. There was a gaol…..no we are not visiting as you have seen enough convict places.
We are going to admire the houses and then have coffee. 
I found a platypus!
and I loved these ceramic pictures…..just couldn’t think where I could put it. You were no help so they had to stay there.
Oatlands was surprising. There was a beautiful mill and 150 Georgian houses. I loved the pictures they had running in the mill and mill cottage. It made the history real. What was your favourite?
Next stop, Ross and another beautiful convict bridge. This one even have decorative carvings and was finished quickly when the stone masons were offered emancipation as an incentive. It would have been an incentive for me as well I think. 
There was a female convict gaol here but there is only the supervisor cottage left. Women stayed here washing laundry or looking after babies for the township until they were allocated as servants.
Did you know Tasmania was once divided along the 42degree line? I didn’t. It was divided into the Count of Buckinghamshire and the County of Cornwall . They were very competitive and they were only unified when both leaders died. It wasn’t until 1959 that there was a ceremonial burying of the hatchets. We know how that goes…look how Melbourne and Sydney have rivalries in NSW. Ross still remains the only settlement on the 42degree line in the world.
Surprise! Ross is the wool centre for Tasmania . The museum was interesting…..and small so no groaning!
Bischeno is a lovely coastal town with beautiful beach views. There are penguins here during different times of the year. You guessed it…they knew we were coming and went on holiday. We spent ages down at the beach in the dark but I think children running, dogs barking and swimming was also a deterrent.
Hey look , it a wooden boat building centre. 
Let’s check it out…..it is run by volunteers who are trying to keep the art of wooden boat building alive. Now it’s internationally recognised and you can qualify for a certificate. Shame we don’t have time but the boats are beautiful. If you live here in Franklin, you can pay $150 annually to the boat organisation and use any of their many boats. This will be a problem for me……have no idea how to sail or row a boat….and I don’t live in Franklin.
Rest time and a quick coffee. 
Time to do a few more stairs. We are going to the Hasting caves and hot springs. 500 stairs involved. Are you up for it.Like all caves, it is dark with beautiful formations.
There was a cemetery here of people who were first fleeters or who were moved from the settlement on Norfolk Island. Parliament and government expansion required these graves to be moved . Now they form part of this park and are definitely not forgotten.
We know many of the crimes committed were fairly minor but punishments metered out were often harsh. Some crazy people actually committed crimes so they could be transported because they couldn’t afford the passage costs to emigrate. Big mistake!
Some became upstanding members of the society, others did not. Records of convicts transported, including the transport ship, crime, physical characteristics .occupation and what happened or them have been found. These can now be accessed from the archives.
There are signs that the soils are building up and vegetation is returning in the crevices between the rocky outcrops. Mining and tourism have bought benefits to the community and the population have embraced this in a series of sculptures depicting events in the area.
It was the link for the people to the outside world. Distances in this area between settlements are still quite large and even now communication can be limited. For most of our time there wasn’t even mobile coverage. Fuel stations are infrequent and may not be manned. If telecommunications go down, you can’t get fuel because your credit card won’t work. There are few other traveller on the road. We could count a one hand the number of cars we passed. 
I am glad they saved the river as it is so peaceful and beautiful. At the Heritage Landing, there is a list of trees you can identify. You know me and scavenger hunts….off we went and found all the trees. 
This changed in 1829 when a storm destroyed much of the infrastructure. Shipbuilding was started on the island and since there was a source of Huon pine and other timbers, it was successful. Convicts learnt skills and their conditions improved.
Heritage West Coast train trips are considered a must in this area. The train and line is being upgraded so sorry, you will have to come again. See I told you that you would have to come again and do the activities you missed this time. Afternoon tea? The scones are amazing.
It’s pouring rain. No bushwalking today……no cheering thank you…..it’s good for you. It may be museums or something else.
It is another windy day so even the birds were looking for a place to camp.
Beware of the bees and being blown away….but look at the view. It doesn’t disappoint.
Spectacular isn’t it? Were you blown away? I struggled to hold the camera to take a photo and Mike looked like he was going to lose his jacket.
Spot any? Me neither 🙁
I can see you are disappointed but we have to come back to ride the historical train in a year or two. You can go then…..if you would like. I was disappointed in the town. I thought it would be full of historical buildings but it wasn’t.
At last we’ve made it to Strahan, It is dinner time. You must be hungry, I am. Let’s book in and go to dinner. Tomorrow we are going up the Gordon River and need to be at the boat by 8.00am. Comfortable shoes and perhaps a jacket required…
Guess what you are doing! Nuts up on the “Nut”. It’s a bit like our drive on steroids,just at a 45 degree angle and half a kilometre…… but you can do it.
Sneakers might be good….
The Madrasah was a day school and one was for the wealthy only…..first private school? Now the Barack Khan Madrasah is a Quran museum. One book dates back to 644- 656 and was written by Caliph Oscan from the prophet Mohammad, and is considered one of the oldest in existence. The pages were thick and the writing large in a red coloured ink of pomegranate juice,ash and wool oil. It was very clear but of course I couldn’t read it. I don’t think you could either…..our early Arabic is a bit rusty .
Some of the hand embroidered textiles are magnificent. The stitches are so fine.
