Strewth it was cold this morning at 0.3 degrees. The cold heralded clear skies and sun and the temperature rapidly warmed to 4 degrees by the time we had left St Helens for the 130km drive to Bridport.
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| 200415 Our route today, St Helens to Bridport |
We had to retrace some of the road we travelled when we did the trip up to Weldborough a couple of days ago. However it does look different when you are travelling in the opposite direction.
Evidence of the cold morning remained in the form of some pretty heavy frost on the ground, even close to St Helens. By mid morning the frost had disappeared and we were enjoying a beautiful day. However it will be cold this evening, given the absence of any cloud cover.
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| 200415 Frost just outside St Helens |
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| 200415 Frost near Goshen |
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| 200415 More frost near Pyengana |
The road took us over several ranges so we were continually going up and down passes which were interspersed with river valleys and small villages such as Derby, Branxholm, Tonganah, amongst others.
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| 200415 Branxholm, about to cross the Ringarooma River |
Some of the towns we passed through provided their individual points of interest. Each of them has at least one pub. They all seemed to be perched precariously on the edge of the main road as it passes through the town, waiting for one of the timber jinkers to crash into them.
Derby seemed to have a preoccupation with mountain bike riding and there were maps, instructions, warnings etc for several tracks in the area. Still more are under construction. We had a talk with two young families, including three children, all of whom were heading off to ride some of the tracks. Even the children, whose ages ranged between two and five, had their own bikes.
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| 200415 Resources to plan your mountain bike journey |
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| 200415 The mountain bike tracks near Derby |
Legerwood provided a poignant reminder of the approaching Anzac celebrations. Legerwood, a tiny hamlet near Ringarooma, had not even been named in 1914 when the call went out for young men to join the Anzacs to fight in World War I. From this relatively unknown community, the able bodied fathers, husbands and sons bravely stepped forward to answer the call.
Seven of these men did not return and on October 15th 1918, families and friends of those fallen, planted nine trees – one for each man, one for Gallipoli and one for the Anzacs – determined never to let them be forgotten.
In 1936 Legerwood was officially named and gradually the memorials grew and the wartime residents moved on, until the reason the trees were planted remained with just a few of the locals. In 1999 it became apparent that the trees had become unsafe and it was recommended that they be cut down.
In the spirit in which the trees had been planted, the tiny Legerwood community rallied and enlisted a chainsaw carver, Eddie Freeman, to bring the soldiers back to life in sculpture. Extensive research relating to the men’s stories and photographs has ensured the carvings are as authentic as possible. If you now ask a local about John McDougall, Alan Andrews, Thomas Edwards, William Hyde, Robert Jenkins, George Peddle or John Risely they will point to their war heroes, standing tall in the main street.
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| 200415 Tree carvings in Legerwood |
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| 200415 Tree carvings in Legerwood |
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| 200415 Tree carvings in Legerwood |
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| 200415 Tree carvings in Legerwood |
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| 200415 A plaque at the base of one of the tree carvings. Each tree has a plaque. |
We passed through Scottsdale, which is the biggest town in the region. It even has a Woolworths and it also has some sophisticated toilets.
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| 200415 Toilets with free Wi-Fi - I wonder |
From Scottsdale we turned due north and travelled through farmlands, mostly dairy and sheep, until we reached Bass Strait and Bridport. Bridport is a fishing and holiday destination on the northern Tasmanian coast.
Our caravan park is right on the water. Oh! Woe is us.
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200415 The view from our caravan park this evening.
Bass Strait was at its best |
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200415 The view from our caravan park this evening with Croppies Point
in the far distance |
Autumn colours flashed before our eyes the whole day, so we will leave one for the record. Electricity poles and wires are the bane of our lives when it comes to taking photos. This one is no exception.
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| 200415 Colour contrasts. Didn't have time to photo- shop out the pole |
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