Tess in Tas.

Fashion.

Food.

Folks,
Doug & dog,
two of the locals.

The three-night visit, flying in and out of Launceston, went well. Accommodation at the Weldborough Hotel was comfortable (and economical) with one night spent in a hotel room and two in the miner's cottage. Tess got plenty of driving practice on the winding roads between Launceston, Weldborough and St Helens. We had many meals at the hotel and also ate at the Pub in the Paddock, Holy Cow Cafe (both at Pyengana) and the Blue Boat in St Helens. Local beverages like beers and ciders were sampled. Visits to local sites included St Columba Falls, Lottah and the Blue Tier (via a very rough road, our fault for driving around the "Road Closed" sign), St Helens and the Bay of Fires where the fishing was fun but unsuccessful. She met some of the interesting individuals who live in the small town of Weldborough. The "red back" work boots turned out to be a very good purchase and brought a sense of fashionable style that's lacking in Tas.

Ben shopped in Launceston today and now has an extra-long sleeping bag that he can actually fit into and a new tent that's slightly larger than the damaged tent. Replacing the stolen and damaged gear cost over $1000, good quality camping  gear isn't cheap. Lesson learned and he has to be more careful about camping in remote locations. The plan is to stay somewhere near Launceston tonight, perhaps 30km away at Myrtle Park where facilities are good and camping costs a mere $3 per night. He's got an employment/career interview tomorrow in Launceston.