Monday, March 26 - Birthday in Tasmania

We were up early and ready to go by 6:00. We checked out and settled our bill, then called for an Uber to the airport. Thus began a very surreal experience!

First, the app showed a driver approaching the hotel but stopping nearby. Then I got a call from somebody who I had a very hard time understanding, asking where we were. I told him that we were at the hotel, and soon we saw a car approach the driveway, but it didn’t enter. 

So, we walked to the end of the driveway to find the driver, and he rolled down the window and (seemingly) said , “Search, search!” Sorry, what does that mean? Can we go to the airport? “Search, search!” I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean, are you our Uber driver to the airport? After a few more rounds of this conversation, he rolled up the window and drove away.

Well, that was useful, and now we've lost 15 minutes or more. We dragged our luggage back up the driveway to the hotel valet, and called a cab. He arrived promptly and we set off. A few minutes later, as we were driving away, I got another call. Apparently Uber sent a second driver? There had been no notification in the app. And it's too late now, so I didn't answer. But the fun was just starting!

The cab driver was cranky that we hadn’t tried for an earlier flight, because he said that traffic was terrible at this time of day. Thus began a 40-minute interrogation about anything you could think of. Why were we visiting Australia? Vacation... What do we think of it? We have enjoyed it very much. What don’t we like? The traffic…Oh, so you don’t like people then? There has to be traffic if there are people! What do you expect? And so on, for the whole ride. Just get us to the airport!

Next, while we were driving, I got an e-mail from Uber charging us $10 for a no-show. After the first driver bailed on us, that was just rude! And furthermore, the app no longer showed a record of who the first driver was, so I couldn’t report him for the stunt that he had pulled – or could I? We will have to think about this once we get done with this cab ride from hell.

Finally we made it through all of the traffic and arrived at the airport. We were so glad to be there! Once we were dropped off, the pleasantness started. 

We went to the Virgin Australia priority check-in counter, and we were offered preferred, exit-row seats further up front, instead of the regular seats that we had purchased. And again, they wanted to tell us about their lounge. Sure thing! This time, the lounge was before security, but there is a private security screening for us at the exit from the lounge. Sounds great, so off we went.

Another really nice coffee bar, and a breakfast buffet with hot dishes as well. We had a nice relaxing breakfast, without too much interrogation, then walked out through the super-fast security line and off to our gate with no delay at all. We could see the lines at the regular security screening and we were happy that we weren’t waiting there. 

And since this was a domestic Australia flight, you can bring lots of liquids in your carry-on! We still had a few bottles of wine from Barossa with us to share with our friend Lisa, and the flight attendants were very interested in hearing about the different wineries that we’d visited. One of the wines, she said, had came from her favorite winery. Too bad we couldn't open it to share!

Approaching Tasmania

A nice flight down to Launceston, and soon we could see landfall at the mouth of the Tamar River.

Shortly afterwards, we were landing. Lisa was waiting for us at baggage claim and it was so nice to see her after two years. Off we went on our Tassie adventure! We had already been to Hobart in the South 10 years ago, so this time we were concentrating on the East.

We made a brief stop in Evandale, to kill time before the reservation that Lisa had made at the first winery. A few antique shops and a nice little town, but our goal was to taste wine. 

So we made our way to the first stop at Josef Chromy, where we tasted several nice wines before walking around the grounds. 

Grounds of Josef Chromy, Relbia, TAS

Then we had a delicious lunch in their restaurant, accompanied by more wine, of course. The view was very nice and the food was even better.

Since we were nearby, we took a drive into Launceston itself. This was just a quick visit to see the Macaque monkeys in city park, and look at a few shops. The monkeys were all hanging out, doing what monkeys do. Lots of scratching and grooming. The little ones were pretty active.

The older ones, not so much. Maybe they'd had too much wine with lunch?

City Park, Launceston

There were gardens in the park too, but we were getting thirsty. 

Jansz Winery, Pipers Brook, TAS

So of course, it was time for some more wine tasting! We visited Clover Hill, with their sparkling wine and a beautiful view.

Then Jansz, with some nice sparklers as well, and finally Pipers Brook which had some delicious Pinot Noir. Of course, a few more bottles joined our stash and we were ready for dinner tonight!

From here we had about a 2 hour drive to get to Binalong Bay. It was scenic, and the rain held off, but we did see a rainbow!

Kingfisher Cottage, Binalong Bay, TAS

At Binalong Bay, we settled in at Lisa’s cottage for the next few nights. We parked on the deck with a waterfront view, and prepared for an evening of relaxation and fun. Could it get more idyllic than this?

Lisa broke out the cheese that she’d bought, and we started opening wine. The sunset views over the bay were gorgeous, and the food and company were perfect. 

A lovely evening, and things could not have been more different from the crazy beginning in Melbourne. The moon was a few days short of being full, but it was bright, the ocean breezes were pleasantly cool, and it was a great way to say Happy Birthday to me!

Moonrise over Binalong Bay, TAS