Two weeks in Tasmania

Sorry for silence - just spent two weeks in beautful Tasmania and been too busy being dragged up mountains by Helen to update blog!

We were staying with Joan, an old friend of Helen's mum, who lives in the stunning Huon valley, around 30 minutes south of Hobart. Some of the best fruit in Australia is grown here - in fact the next door farm supplies top quality cherries to Marks and Spencer! Joan kindly lent us her car, meaning that we were able to explore Tasmania's stunning scenery under our own steam. A highlight of the trip was our visit to the Freycinet National Park on the east coast, where we visted the beautiful Wineglass Bay, did loads of hiking, mountain biking and even abseiled down a sheer cliff above the seashore - brilliant! We also spent a fantastic couple of days hiking around Cradle Mountain, including a strenuous (and vertigo-inducing) rock-climb to the summit, and went horse-riding in the valley, enjoying the green, fertile landscape - which is increasingly rare as Australia continues to suffer from quite a severe drought.

We also had a few fun nights out with another friend of Helen's, April, trying out some of the great bars along the waterfront in Hobart, as well as some fantastic BBQs! We saw some absolutely beautiful empty beaches - white sand and turquoise waters - and even swam a few times although the water was fairly chilly.