Meanderings: Queenstown

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Queenstown

The drive from Hobart to Queenstown is only around 250 km but it goes through isolated, mountainous areas and takes much longer than you think will.

There are not many settlements en route.

I haven't done a road trip like that in decades. It was a fabulous drive.

We stopped in Hamilton to pick up vegan supplies for Freyja. It was really a bit early for lunch but research had shown that there was a roadside cafe by the name of The Hungry Wombat in Derwent Bridge, about an hour and a half further on. Freyja messaged them to see if they could accommodate vegans and vegetarians and got an almost instant, cheery response to say that yes they could. If nothing else they could make her an awesome salad.

We arrived to be greeted by one cheery member of staff and one exceedingly grumpy one who assured us they did not have vegan friendly food. When informed that we had asked and been told that they did she demanded to know who we had spoken to. On being told that Freyja had messaged their Facebook page she indicated with great disdain that she Did Not Do Facebook. In the meantime, the cheery member of staff had gone to consult the kitchen who suggested that they could indeed feed Freyja. And they did. To say that we were out in the middle of nowhere and that country Australia is not known for the interest of its salads, it was a very fine salad indeed. The rest of us enjoyed our burgers, sandwiches and whatnots. Not a bad little roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere.

On we went, through spectacular scenery, arriving in Queenstown late in the afternoon. Queenstown is set in rugged scenery and has been a mining town for pretty much all of its existence. The mountains around it have been deforested by the mining activities, although nature is fighting back and the trees are regenerating around the township. I think if we were to come again and with the benefit of hindsight we would probably stay in Strahan, about 40 km further on. There are many more eating places and things to do in Strahan. Having said that, the budget hotel we are staying in is more than comfortable and the little town is an easy potter about.

Yesterday we took ourselves across to Strahan, quite early in the morning and took the World Heritage Cruise. It was an all day cruise, setting off at 9:00 and returning just after 3. We went out through the harbour heads into the ocean, then came back in. We looked at the fish farms. We visited Sarah Island, where we had a walk. We had a very good buffet lunch, where they made a very good fist of accommodating vegans and vegetarians and people with other dietary requirements. We went on a forest walk. The talks and tours were witty and informative. It was a great day. It was also very windy.