threelilprincesses.com

Category: My Tasmanian Backyard

My Tasmanian Backyard: Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot, dubbed the world’s largest maze complex, is on your way to Cradle Mountain at a little place called Promised Land in Tasmania’s North West. Yes, sounds like something out of an Enid Blyton book, doesn’t it? Well, wait till you see it.

Tasmazia was declared one of the world’s best 10 family attractions by GoTravel24.com, South Africa’s premier travel company. Aside from the tea rooms’ scrumptious pancakes (oh my goodness)

and the view out to the lavender fields, it’s easy to get lost in Tasmazia – and I’m not just talking about the mazes.

Princess Ella particularly loved the fact we were taking the usual mazes from her activity books and turning them into a real life experience. And there are plenty to choose from – Hampton Court Maze, Confusion Maze, The Balance Maze,

Hexagonal Maze, Irish Maze and of course The Great Maze (which we survived, I might add).

The girls were particularly taken with the Village of Lower Crackpot and this little house called Fairy Princess Sam’s Pink Palace:

Built just for us, right?

The village was by far the highlight for Ella and Holly, whose imaginations ran wild.

Add to that a list of things you have to try and “seek’’ out, like The Three Bear’s Cottage,

The Crackpot Correction Centre, Cubby Town (Ella loved the theatre complete with little stage),

Humpty Dumpty’s Wall,

The House That Isn’t There, Hobbit’s Hole, Signs with Sayings (over a dozen)

and even the Kitchen Sink.

You receive a little map on entry, so it’s relatively easy to navigate. There’s also a little gift shop with the most lovely staff, a noodle bar and some development over the hedge with some new little houses being built. Yes, we couldn’t help but sticky beak. The only point would be that it’s a little pricey for larger families, with adults $20 and children $10 each. Bear in mind, you will spend quite a lot of time there though.

While our girls (4 years old and 16 months) were happy to wander through the mazes and discover the village, I can imagine it would be even more ideal for children of reading age who would be able to take over the provided map and dictate the adventure a little. Overall, we highly recommend it if you’re heading to Tassie’s North West and love places with an element of fun – and maybe a little quirkiness thrown in.

What: Tasmazia and the Land of Lower Crackpot

Where: 500 Staverton Road Promised Land, North West Tasmania

Opening hours: Dec-April 9am-5pm and May-Nov 10am-4pm.

Cost: Adults (16+) $20, children (4-15) $10, Seniors (valid card) $18 and tots (3 and under) free.

Are you into mazes? Does your area have a place that fuels children’s imaginations?

See more photos on Facebook and read more from the My Tasmanian Backyard series.

DISCLAIMER: We receive complementary tickets to experience Tasmazia. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

March 3, 2012
#AllBran and Wakame crusted Petuna Ocean Trout

Before the princesses came along, there used to be quite a lot of experimenting go on in the O’Brien kitchen. There was even a bit of competition as to who would be in control of the oven and “who’s meal reigned supreme’’ at the end of the week. And yes, sadly we’re Iron Chef fans.

When Kelloggs submitted a challenge to a host of mummy bloggers to create a dish using its newly released All Bran Fibre Toppers, a spark was reignited in me. Not more so because the carrot dangling from the end of the Fibre Toppers box was a trip to New York to experience BlogHer (one of the world’s biggest blogging events). Now there’s an idea, Fibre Toppers Carrot Cake…

Of course, I wasn’t about to pull out any Iron Chef-style shark fin dishes. And yes, I can hear a chorus of mothers right now saying I shouldn’t knock something before I try it. But shark fin? Really?

However, I did decide two separate studies revealing children don’t eat enough seafood and fibre was enough reason for this Taswegian to pull out the seafood/All Bran card. Just half a cup provides 33% of your daily fibre requirements. Not than No. 2s are an issue around here.

I might not be Tetsuya Wakuda, but I sure know how to create a healthy winner for the O’Brien dinner table. The hungry devils loved the crunch of the All Bran Fibre Toppers and flavour from the herbs and wakame. And just wait till you see what was for dessert.

All Bran and Wakame crusted Petuna Ocean Trout

Ingredients:

2 cups of All Bran Fibre Toppers

1 cup parsley leaves

1 cup basil leaves

Sprig of thyme

5 cloves of garlic

3 sheets of wakame (dried seaweed, washed and chopped)

4 Petuna Ocean Trout portions, skinned and boned (Tasmanian seafood really is quality)

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Wash and dry the herbs with paper towel and combined with the garlic and wakame in a food processor until finely chopped.

Stir in the All Bran Fibre Toppers.

Seal the Ocean trout portions by frying in a very hot non-stick pan. This should take no more than a couple of minutes for both sides. Dip one side of the Ocean trout in the beaten egg and then into the All Bran and Wakame mixture.

Bake the Ocean trout in a moderate to hot oven (200C) with the crust side up for a few minutes.

Serve with vegetables (in our case, some beautiful new potatoes).

PS. You can check out all the recipes submitted for the challenge by searching the #AllBran hashtag on Twitter.

PPS. This has ignited a fire in me and reminded me of my love of Tasmanian food – and good food in general – so I’m starting a Tasmanian food series here.

Do you have any favourite recipes you could incorporate All Bran Fibre Toppers into?

February 25, 2012
My Tasmanian Backyard 2012 Calendar free printable download

THE lovely Bron from Maxabella Loves left a comment on the blog this week how I’m always doing “fresh and random’’ things. I guess I like to challenge myself. Not to mention putting myself under an enormous amount of stress. And like we all need a little more of THAT during the Christmas period.

I know there’s huge risk in the things I organise. They could fail and I could come off looking like an absolute dimwit. Not like that’s anything new.

Last week I sat down and made some blog, business and life goals for 2012. It was nice to see them all on paper and to clear them from my head so I can concentrate on more pressing matters – like how to keep Princess Ella out of the laundry before Christmas. I fear she may learn the truth about Santa and who really drinks the beer she leaves out Christmas Eve.

One of the goals is getting back to more storytelling, because that’s what I’ve spent my life doing. I also want to have more live events, like the Royal Wedding Pyjama Part-ay and the Carols in the Blogger Domain Party. Hopefully, one every two months – but we’ll see. Saturday’s Carols party attracted more than 60 people and, during such a busy time of year, I was pretty happy with that. Plus, I had an absolute blast, which was the main aim. Yes, it’s all about me.

But today, it’s actually all about you. I can’t give you all a nappy bag, two nights in a Melbourne apartment or a stroller, but I can give you a little bit of my home state. Today, you can download the My Tasmanian Backyard 2012 Calendar for free. It’s printable, so you can copy as many off as you like and give to family and friends as last minute Christmas gifts. It may even inspire you to come for a visit.

I did contemplate putting a price on it, mainly because it took so darn long to do. In the end, I thought it was best to use as my little pressie to you all to say thanks for being such incredible supporters of this wee li’l blog. It means more to me than the half block of Cadbury’s chocolate I devoured last night – and that’s saying something. I hope you enjoy it.

You can download it here, by clicking on the image below or on the My Tasmanian Backyard Calendar page.

Are you a risk taker? Do you have goals set for the New Year?

December 20, 2011
My Tasmanian Backyard: Gordon River Cruises Strahan

IT’S hard to believe Strahan’s Macquarie Harbour is six times larger than Sydney Harbour. In Sydney you don’t get to experience the narrow and treacherous Hell’s Gates, see the salmon farms which supply to some of the world’s top restaurants or be entertained by real life stories of cannibalism while on notorious Sarah Island. Oh yes, believe it.

However, after two days in Strahan and riding the West Coast Wilderness Railway, our final day was discovering all this aboard Gordon River Cruises.

It’s been a while since I’ve done the cruise. It all takes place onboard the Lady Jane Franklin II, which is nothing short of pure class. And this is the cattle class,

not the premium section.

If she was a real lady, she’d be wearing Prada and having her hair set weekly (do ladies still have their hair set?).

Hell's Gates

We scored comfy seats at the front of the vessel – near the toy box. Make a note: take children.

I don’t know how many people with purple rinses told Princess Ella to: “look out, you have a snake around your neck’’. They thought it was funny. Ella thought it was funny. Really, what else matters?

Without exaggeration, the pristine World Heritage area on the world-famous Gordon River is breathtaking and was even more so on the stunning day we headed out (it’s world famous because a fight to save the river in the ‘80s attracted national attention).

Although, a dead whale wasn’t so pleasant. Poor fella.

When we reached the salmon farms, Ella’s main point of question was whether they had pigs at the farm. Hmm, not that sort of farm, darling.

We then came in to moor at the feared penal colony Sarah Island – the highlight of the trip. However, it’s also where we chose to end our trip, because of mechanical problems with the boat. Of all the days.

We decided not to continue on with the other boat that was offered for a few reasons: the Bloke in The Shed and I had done it before (actually, I’ve done it twice – that’s how much I enjoyed it) and the boat we were being transferred to already had a full load (we weren’t keen on battling the girls on a crowed boat).

But please, don’t be put off by our decision. I highly recommend doing the entire tour. You would not want to miss witnessing the ruins from the old penal buildings. Nor hearing about how the convicts built incredible boats from Huon pine. And don’t miss the gory tale of cannibalism by one very desperate convict. This is not your average history tour. To top it all off, there’s a chef prepared buffet lunch.

The kids will love wandering around the island and it’s a good way to get them to be good – if you’re naughty, this is where we’ll send you. Maybe. As far as family experiences go, this one is hard to pass up. The staff onboard were so accommodating, especially with the girls. The toys are plentiful. Space is abundant. And the penal settlement is unlike what you’re likely to have seen before. Truly sensational.

How to travel: Cruise in Comfort with two-levels of seating and buffet lunch; or Captain’s Premier Upper Deck, with leather seats, Tasmanian produce and beverages and private deck.

Duration: 5.5 hours. Leaves at 8.30am and, in peak season, 2.30pm.

Christmas Day: 10.30am to 4.30pm

Children: Aged 3-14 are entitled to child fares. Aged 2 and under travel free. Child fares are not available on Captain’s Premier Upper Deck, but children and infants may travel on an adult fare. See the website for more details.

Cost: Between $85 and $210, depending on the time of year and travel class.

More information: Visit Pure Tasmania

Read more from the My Tasmanian Backyard series, along with our stay in Strahan Village.

DISCLAIMER: We received Cruise in Comfort tickets to board the Gordon River Cruises, thanks to Pure Tasmania. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

December 13, 2011
My Tasmanian Backyard: West Coast Wilderness Railway

AS MOST of you know by now, we spent three heavenly days at Strahan last month and had the chance to board Gordon River Cruises and ride the now famous West Coast Wilderness Railway on Tasmania’s West Coast. This one is particularly special to me having been part of trying to get it up and running again (then known as the Abt Railway) through all the media coverage at the time. Well, that’s what I tell myself, anyway.

While on paper it didn’t sound like the most riveting of experiences for a one year old and four year old, it couldn’t have been further from the truth. In fact, I think it was a pleasant surprise for The Bloke in The Shed too.

The trip is steeped in history from its start at the fishing village of Strahan through to the finish in mining town Queenstown. Pay attention now, because here comes a brief synopsis. The railway, built in 1896, is regarded as one of the engineering marvels of Australia. At some points the railway is etched along the side of plunging gorges (photos down lower) and you get to see some of the many bridges they built while standing in freezing rivers. Of course, this one’s now off limits.

It gives you chills thinking about the fact pioneers achieved such a feat 100 years ago. You’ll see what I mean soon. With some incredibly steep grades along the line (at its peak it hits 1:16), the railway works through a unique Abt rack and pinion system. Conventional locomotives couldn’t cope. And you get to still experience that.

The beautifully recreated steam train and carriages with exquisite detail inside wind along the faithfully reconstructed line through some of the most rugged scenery in Tasmania.

See what I mean? This is what you get to see a lot of. Picture perfect.

Although, if you’re wondering about the colour of the water in the King River, that’s pollution – yes, on the edge of a pristine World Heritage area. But you can learn about that on the trip.

Among the highlights (other than being able to get Holly to sleep in the pram they supplied for us), were:

Getting to stop at Lower Landing, Dubbil Barril and Rinadeena, which were once home to small populations. Hard to believe.

Falling in love with the Christmas hills honey at Lower Landing. That’s Ella’s second dip, by the way.

The chance to see the train in action at the turning stations.

The Tasmanian produce on offer at lunch, which Li’l Holly thoroughly enjoyed.

There’s also a great little walk at Dubbil Barril, which would have been quite peaceful if not for a four year old singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs. We’ll thank Michael Buble for inspiring those ones on the two-hour trip down.

One of the real jaw dropping moments is when the wonderfully entertaining guide explains how the locals used to climb down that

to pick up balls and toys swept down the river. Seriously, that is crazy.

As the journey came to an end, I was expecting we’d stop at Lynchford. I’d told Ella – and Twitter – all about how we were going to pan for gold and therefore make our fortune. Back when it first opened that was what I had the chance to do. And I scored gold. A tiny little speck on the end of my finger. Instead we stopped briefly and I got this photo.

What a fitting end – Princess and Queen River Gold Mines. Now if that was created especially for us, I don’t know what was. That beats gold any day.

Coming into Queenstown you get to see the now famous barren hills, a result of the sulphur from the smelting at the copper mine. For the non-Tasmanians, Queenstown’s other famous landmark is its gravel oval – and yes, the fellas still play AFL footy on it.

It’s easy to see why this is an Australian Tourism Award winner. It really does transport you back to a time when dishwashers were created by having lots of children. The trip is quite eerie in parts, but mostly you will be captivated by the beauty of this place. Families with older children would enjoy this even more than our two preschool-aged girls. There’s seriously no where else like it. The trip is worth every penny.

A quick half hour stop and it was time to board the bus at Queenstown for the 50-minute drive back to Strahan. In a car it takes about 35 minutes – if I’m driving. It’s a pretty windy road, so we were thankful both girls were so exhausted from their day they were out to it within a few minutes of the trip.

Travel dates: October 3 to April 28, 2012 timetable now available online.

Queenstown departure: 10am and arrives in Strahan at 2.30pm and a 4pm coach back to Queenstown by 5pm.

Strahan departure: 10.15am and arrives in Queenstown at 2.30pm and a 3pm bus back to Strahan by 4pm.

Duration: About 5 hours.

Travel options: Tourist carriage (includes lunch and return coach) or Premier Carriage (includes lunch, snacks and beverages – that means sparkling!).

Cost: Vary between $110 and $210 per person. Children 3-14 years are entitled to child fares. Children two years and under are free. Child fares are not available for the Premier Carriage, but children and infants may travel on an adult fare.

More information: Visit www.westcoastwildernessrailway.com.au

Have I enticed you enough to want to go?

Read more from the My Tasmanian Backyard series, along with our stay in Strahan Village.

DISCLAIMER: We received Tourist Carriage tickets to ride the West Coast Wilderness Railway, thanks to Pure Tasmania. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

December 6, 2011
My Tasmanian Backyard: Strahan Village

EVERY so often we pull out our wedding video from the beautiful fishing town of Strahan on Tasmania’s West Coast. Each time Princess Ella asks: “Can we go to the wedding, Mum?’’ We’ve long promised her we’d take her to Strahan Village to see the View 42 Restaurant with the big balcony where we said “I do’’, the West Coast Wilderness Railway where we had photos taken and the harbour, featuring Gordon River Cruises, that was our spectacular backdrop.

Last week, we finally had the chance to do that, thanks to the kind people at Pure Tasmania. This is the first in three posts – this post on Strahan Village, the second on the West Coast Wilderness Railway and the third on Gordon River Cruises.

Here’s our three-day itinerary:

DAY ONE:

Heading from Devonport for the 2.5-hour drive, we decided to stop off at Rosebery to allow the princesses a chance to stretch their legs, get a bite to eat at the bakery and ward off any car sickness that might approach later. Yes, this is one windy road.

While we didn’t get the honeymoon suite above reception, which we shared with a rather large Santa Claus, we were put up in a quaint two-bedroom cottage with plenty of space, gorgeous Tasmanian products and a stunning view of the harbour. To be honest, there was less romance this time anyway. There are plenty of different accommodation options under the Strahan Village banner, so it’s hard not to find something to suit on the hilltop or down near the wharf where we were.

Once the car was unloaded, we walked along the wharf, chatting to the fishermen, watching people come in off the cruises and taking in Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill and Strahan Woodworks. The smell of Huon pine is sublime.

We saw this little beauty:

Then saw the price.

It’s fair to say Ella won’t be getting one of those for Christmas. Not unless we run into quite a bit of this.

Yes, that’s made of wood too. At 3pm each day, you can then watch a breaking down saw in action.

On the way back to the cottage, we ducked into the fudge shop and stocked up on handmade fudge – Rocky Road and Honey and Macadamia. Nom nom.

We finished the day eating at the popular Hamers Hotel, which offers up plenty of what Strahan is famous for – seafood.

DAY TWO:

We started the day with a full buffet breakfast – I’m talking eggs, bacon and hash browns – at View 42 Restaurant. I’m not afraid to admit there was a slight tear shed, thinking back to the moment we got married there and now, nine years later, sitting with two little girls in the same spot.

To shake the soppiness out of me, we took a bumpy drive to Ocean Beach, where you can not only see shearwater, but is notorious for whale strandings. I witnessed two during my journalism career and can tell you, standing over a massive helpless whale pouring water over it in the hope it might just stay alive is a pretty chilling experience.

By mid morning we were ready to board the now legendary West Coast Wilderness Railway – the trip Ella had been so keen to take.

Admittedly, The Bloke in The Shed was dubious about taking two small children on a five-hour trip on a train to the mining town of Queenstown. However, his worries were soon eased. A pram was provided to allow one-year-old Li’l Holly to sleep and there was plenty of interesting stops along the way to entertain four-year-old Princess Ella. The honey stop was probably her favourite – she went back for seconds.

We ended the day with a picnic dinner in front of our cottage, with food from the next door bakery. It was also a nice chance for the girls to experience the friendliness of the locals, who each had a comment as they walked past.

That night, I sent the Bloke in the Shed out to capture this shot.

Magic.

DAY THREE:

We woke on our final day, ready for our Gordon River Cruise on the Lady Jane Franklin II, to a heavy mist.

It was pretty eerie, especially knowing the cruise is based around former penal settlement Sarah Island. One of the most famous stories is about cannibal convict Alexander Pearce. It’s actually recently been made into a movie called Van Diemen’s Land. Some who have watched it are said to have vomited. Yes, gruesome stuff.

The cruise itself was pretty spectacular and we were well looked after with prime seating at the front and a big toy box for the girls. This was class all the way and we were in the cattle class section – not the premium.

We viewed working fish farms, where Ella’s main question was whether they had pigs at the farm. Hmm, not that sort of farm, darling.

Finally, we hit the road for home. Our only regret was not stopping at Rosebery for a break, with Ella showing us the contents of her stomach at about Highclere.

We made it to Burnie and stopped off at Hellyer Road Whiskey Distillery for something to eat. Julian and I shared a platter.

Eyes off, Holly. But I’ll share more about that another day – the story, not the food.

In the meantime, we’re all in need of a bit of a holiday after that adventure. Yes, hard to imagine you can do all this in one small fishing village. The whole experience isn’t cheap, but well worth every penny. If you’re looking for a spectacular setting with an “adventure’’ edge for your next holiday, I highly recommend this history-rich, stunning fishing village.

What do you look for in a holiday? Are you a train buff or boat fanatic? Is history your thing?

This is part of the My Tasmanian Backyard series.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided with accommodation, meals, a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway and Gordon River Cruises as part of the Pure Tasmanian Visiting Journalists Program. All opinions expressed are our own.

November 29, 2011