Launceston - June 13, 2006

Perhaps it is an indication of how "at home" I feel here that I got a late start this morning. I had a great night's sleep and didn't even get out of bed until almost 8 AM. Then I lazed around Harvey's place in the morning (both Harvey & Betty had left for work) and took my time getting ready to head out. I made myself a Vegemite sandwich for breakfast, took a shower, and left the house only a little before 10:30 AM.

My first stop was the gunpowder mill (Penny Royal) in Launceston. This is repllica of an old gunpowder mill and is an interesting little visit. I was one of the only people in the park and took the little "boat ride" in the big boat by myself. Then, they have a little replica of a schooner that they take you around in and even fire the cannons. It was all cute and fun, but would have been a LOT more fun with the kids. I think they would have enjoyed it more. This took about an hour. The $15 ticket also includes a windmill and a watermill nearby, so I walked over to those attractions too. I walked all the way up to the top of the windmill tower and had a great view of the city. However, it made me a little nervous because it is quite old and the walkway is made of creaking wood. Plus, the railing around this creaking, wooden walkway doesn't even come up to the waist. I stayed long enough to take a couple of photographs and feel my mild vertigo. The watermill was also attached to a famous sweet shop (lollies, as they say here) called "Gourlay's." I bought some traditionally English candies that I enjoyed as a kid, but don't recall having seeing in the U.S. - humbugs and bullseyes. Actually, maybe the kids will like them as I think they talk about humbugs and bullseyes in Harry Potter.

As you can see, it was another beautiful, bright, sunny day in Tasmania. I drove back into town and headed to the visitor center to find out more about the "wine route" up north. Since I was close to Boag's Brewery, I decided to stop by their "Centre for Beer Lovers" to inquire about Brewery tours. They told me there was a "big tour" at 2 PM. They have a brief tour (lasting an hour) and a more detailed "big" tour that lasts an hour and a half and goes into more detail on the brewing process. Since it was about 1:15 PM at this point, I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I would have time for both the brewery tour and my drive up north into the wine country. Finally, I decided to sign on to the 2 PM tour. I walked over to a nearby cafe for lunch and then came back in time for the tour. So, I learned all about the difference between malted barley (they let the barley germinate a little bit) and unmalted roasted barley (they dark roast the barley before it germinates), the different types of hops (Tasmania is one of the few places in the world which grows both its own barley and its own hops), what double-hopped beer is like (they add hops both at the start of the fermentation process and at the end), the difference between flash pasteurization and regular pasteurization, the lagering process (they lager their beers for 30-60 days depending on the variety), and more. Then, we got to taste Boag's Premium, Boag's Premium Light, Boag's Draught, and Boag's Strongarm Bitter. Each of the beers was paired with an appropriate local cheese (Blue cheese, creamy double brie, cheddar, and pepper cheddar respectively). I really liked the Boag's Draught and the Boag's Premium. The Strongarm Bitter was quite good and tasty, while the Premium Light was disappointingly tasteless. I thoroughly enjoyed the beer and cheese tasting, though.

It was close to 3:45 PM when I was done with the whole brewery tour and was ready to hit the road along the wine route. I drove out of town, but again could not resist stopping every now and then for a few pictures. This drive is along the Tamar River. The wineries are dotted all along the Tamar River Valley. So, as you can imagine, the scenery is beautiful. Make sure you click on a couple of these photos to see a larger size image. The first winery I stopped at was Strathlynn and I found it had closed at 4 PM. Realizing that I was running out of time, I hopped right back into the car and headed just a couple of kilometers further to the Moorilla Estate/St. Matthias winery. I tasted a bunch of wines and bought a couple for Harvey and family as well as one for myself. Apparently, the cellars of these wineries all close at 5 PM, so I knew I had to hurry up if I wanted to get to any more. I headed north and came across a small winery called Stoney Rise. Since it was about 4:45 PM by this time, I knew this would be my last winery stop. I walked in and made friends with the old man running the place. I told him I was from America and wanted to know all about Tasmanian wines. He seemed quite in the mood to talk and we chatted for a long time on everything from the australian wine glut to the development of the Tasmanian wine industry. This guy has a 10-acre vineyard and he went into some detail on what it takes to develop the vines and manage it in this relatively difficult climate. Very interesting guy. I got into the mood and even made disparaging comments about some Americans who drink wine because it is fashionable and don't appreciate the complexity of various wines. I then asked him for a taste of his wines (we had been talking for a while and he hadn't pulled out the bottles yet) and made some impressive sounding comments about the "earthiness" of the pinot noir and the "fruity bouquet" on the Chardonnay. He then told me about "Verjuice" (he was selling that too) which is the juice of a very young pinot grape (plucked when it is still green and has not turned pink yet) that is used for cooking. I bought a bottle of his verjuice for Harvey & Betty. I bought a few bottles of wine off him and he seemed happy. The tasting room was attached to his home and I even met his son, son's wife, and their baby. Very nice guy and as you can see in the photo to the right, a breathtaking view from his front window. You can see the vines and the Tamar River beyond. I told him how beautiful Tasmania was and he admitted that since he lived here, he sometimes took the view for granted. After a long and interesting visit, I left his place at almost 5:30 PM, by which time it was completely dark.

The drive back to Harvey/Betty's place was uneventful. I stopped at a Woolworths to pick up a little more banana candy and came home. Then, as if all their incredible hospitality wasn't enough, Harvey & Betty insisted on taking me out to dinner at a local restaurant. I had a "scotch fillet" (an Australian steak) that was great (though a little over done) and we enjoyed more beer and wine. I tried hard to convince them that I would like to buy them dinner, but they would have none of it. We got home, chatted a little longer and I found myself quite sleepy by 11:30 PM. Tomorrow it's off to Tasmania's east coast - ending in Hobart.