I feel so lucky to be sitting where I am right now typing away. I have the most beautiful view of the Tamar River and the mountains beyond, actually it is hard to type when all you want to do is look out your window and take it all in. But let’s start at the beginning.
After waking up in Davenport we took the opportunity to explore the most incredible antique store I have ever seen, I didn’t know stores like this existed, it’s massive, it seriously goes on for ever, and just when you think you’ve seen it all you find another part you missed! And yes I did happen to make a few little purchases. In my defence I could have filled a crate load to ship back to Melbourne, but we are downsizing after all, so I restrained myself.
We then hit the road, we had heard about a chocolate factory that was on the way to Launceston (where we were heading), it’s called Anvers Chocolate Factory and it’s located on The Bass Hwy. It not only delights in chocolate (although that would have been enough to get us there, especially given that they have FREE chocolate tasting!) But it also happens to be the prettiest place. Set in1.12 hectares of gorgeous gardens and a restaurant set up in a gorgeous 1931 Californian bungalow it is just too pretty to ignore! I do wish I had been pre warned though, the waffles are HUGE! There is two per serve and it is a big serve. None of us finished which is saying something when it comes to chocolate! I felt ill, I should have stopped at half a waffle, but I stopped just shy of a whole one, luckily Steve and I were sharing as he ate the other one. We ordered the kids one serve each, novice mistake, we had so much left over. I think Adam mistook the chocolate sauce for a bath. I mean how else would he have ended up with it not only on his face, but also his arms, pants and legs, it was everywhere.
Aspen and Adam excited and ready for chocolate.
Aspen ordered Hazelnut and chocolate sauce waffles. April ordered Lemon Curd. Adam and Steve and I ordered Chocolate waffles.
As we hit the road I swore I would never want to eat chocolate again. The views on the drive were lovely, especially of cradle mountain. Hubby decided to go off road to try and get some great photos, only we ended up going who knows where. But as they say . . .
which is what we did. And what do you know we saw some lovely scenery and came across an Alpaca farm. Aspen was over the moon! She jumped out of the car and headed to the fence, the Alpaca’s were clearly as enthralled with her as she was with them and all wandered over to the fence to say hi. They are so cute, well at least they were until all of a sudden one Alpaca decided it would be awesome to spit at her. She received a lovely Alpaca shower much to her disgust and our amusement. Does it make me a bad mum that I laughed at my daughter being spat on? The look on her face was priceless. She soon recovered after a few emergency baby wipes!
An excited Aspen when she spotted Alpacas
We finally arrived in Launceston and at our Villa for the night. Tamar River Villas, which is where I am sat writing this post. Thank goodness they actually have decent free wifi for guests, (not just for me, it is keeping the kids amused too). I am also grateful for the air conditioner it is a really warm day here. The views are fabulous and all rooms face towards the river to make the most of its location. We have stunning River and Mountain views from our top floor villa.
View from our Villa balcony
It’s nice and spacious too, which is great when you are a family of 5! And right now I am so grateful for the kitchen facilities as it was nice to cook a proper meal tonight after our two minute noodles last night. The bathroom is lovely and clean. Aspen commented that the windows are so clean here that it looks like they are not there! ( Confession I Can’t say the same at home.)
One of todays highlights though is this lovely place called Launceston. The history, houses, and views are just beautiful. I wish we had more than one night here. Our favourite thing of all was our visit to the breathtaking Cataract Gorge. I can not recommend you visit this beautiful place enough, it is an experience you will not forget. We took a ride on the chairlift which boasts the worlds longest chairlift span. We were all blown away by the beautiful views of the basin, the trees, mountains, wallabies, and bird life including peacocks. The water falls, the cliffs and the natural flora is stunning and so relaxing. I lay back on the grass just relaxing and looking up at the trees and sky. There is a great swimming hole and a gorgeous swimming pool too. It even has restaurant and cafe, but we were too full to eat after the waffles.
we walked over this suspicion bridge it is 100 years old, but feels new
Aspen ahead of me on the chairlift. Adam and Steve where in front of Aspen and April and I rode at the back.
Launceston really is a fascinating and pretty place to visit with so many parks and gardens. Of course if you are more into wining and dining or art then there is plenty of that too. One thing that stands out to me so far in Tassie is the history here. So many historic buildings and the gorgeous Georgian streetscapes. If you are into the spooky there are ghost tours too, but I am happy to spend the evening in the lovely Tamar River Villa and enjoy the sunsetting and the lights of the town sparkling and twinkling in the distance.
It really has been another lovely day in Tasmania, and I look forward to see what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie xx
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Read my Spirit of Tasmania Post
We have been lucky enough that Tamar River Villas has put us up in this gorgeous villa in return for my honest review. All opinions and photos are my own. Want to stay here or find out more? www.tamarrivervillas.com
call Toll Free: 1800 623 026
phone: 6327 1022
email: trv@intas.net.au
Adress: 23-27 Elourea Street Riverside Tasmania 7250
Thanks for commenting, love mg