AROUND-OZ MOTORHOMES

The Spirit of Tasmania Review - continued . . .

The original ships used to provide meals in the fare price. This is no longer the case, but we must say that the food on the Spirit is truly excellent with something for everyone and they cater for all budgets. The Eatery is a self serve buffet. Breakfast costs $10.00 - any four items, Dinner including hot dishes $14.00 - any four items, Vegetable and Pasta Plate - $8.00. There is a picture of this meal below. Deserts are all $3.00 and tea/coffee etc. $2.00. This is a lovely area with tons of seating with a lot of it with glorious water views.

The photo of a small part of the counter was taken at 5 AM in the morning hence why there are no people! Note the pegs on the plate shelf for bad weather. The photo below right was taken outside looking into the restaurant. We spent a lot of time outside. You don't get covered in spray as one might think.

You can also dine A-la-carte on the other side of the ship. There is also a lovely quiet area as it is totally glass enclosed and is very upmarket without being over the top price wise. Yes you can gamble the night away if you wish as shown in the photo below at the Admirals Gaming Lounge on Deck 7. There is an excellent Tourist Office nearby. This is a great time to browse and plan your trip. Be sure to pick up the discount vouchers - huge savings possible.

The couple from Germany shown below were using free power for their laptop. TT don't advise you of all these excellent free extras. So many of us travel with laptops nowadays and keeping the batteries charged can cause headaches sometimes. The lassies in the photo below ate too much in the buffet!

The photo below left is the entry to the Mersey River at Devonport - yes it is very narrow yet these very clever Captains actually turn the ships around without outside help. Fascinating to watch. The area pictured is actually a lovely spot and this photo does not do it justice. It is a great place to wait for the return trip, however camping is strictly discouraged. Tying up takes quite a while, so there is ample opportunity to take lots of photos.

The photos below show the night departure from Devonport. Parking wise it is a million times easier at the Tassie end. Tons of room and you can start queuing up hours before departure. Those with older gas fridges should note that the parking area is a bit on the slopey side if you intend getting there really early.

The PA will announce the disembarkation procedure. The car decks usually get off first. They call the deck numbers and you then move downstairs to your vehicle. Don't forget to drop off your room key card if you have one as these are reprogrammed. If you have a pet now is the time to collect it. You must not start your engine until directed to - for obvious reasons! Unloading/loading is much slower at the Tassie end as it only has one ramp. We were told they were not allowed to have the same set up as Melbourne. AS soon as you are off the ship you will be THOROUGHLY INSPECTED by the quarantine people. They are extremely helpful and not really out to get you. Most of us still have something naughty even though you do check. In our case we had a small zucchini behind a crisper. They do check everywhere - not just the fridge. They even checked the false floor in our Winnebago. Remember not to take fruit/vege old boxes as these are also a no no. After this inspection you proceed to the main exit. The picture below left shows staff returning cylinders. This happens in the far left lane and doesn't hold others up at all. Everything runs like clockwork. A lovely touch was the lassies handing out Welcome to Tassie tourist packs - a wonderful idea. If you urgently need to restock on food Devonport proper is to the right. Signage is excellent. We stayed at the sports ground. There are several caravan parks. Free camping in Devonport is discouraged however there are dozens of freebies after 30 minutes driving particularly if you are heading to Hobart. Our favourite if heading Launceston way, is Andy's Bakery at Westbury. Allow 3 days there - it's that good!!!!

So that ends the trip from Melbourne to Devonport. The following is a bit of info on departing from Devonport. The security inspections are the same as per Melbourne. With quarantine the only prohibited item in May 2004 was lettuce due to a bug. The photo below left is at Devonport just after departure. On the night trip from the Tassie end the ship tends to settle down very quickly and everyone goes to bed. The stories of wild parties are a bit of a myth!

The photo below left shows the "cruise seats" used for night crossings. On daylight crossings this area is used as a great little movie theater. The program is posted outside - near reception. On our trip the times were 10.00AM, 1.00PM and 3.30PM. The photo below right is the fantastic shop. Pricing is excellent. You can also get sea sick pills like Quells etc. and soft drinks, lollies and ice creams. We fell in love with the Tassie specific clothing and dented the plastic big time. This is a great spot to pick up souvenirs for friends back home - saves you carting them all over Tassie!

We found the daylight sailings to be far more social, if you are a "Hav-a-chat" sort of person. You get to know dozens of new friends. This is because you are all embarking on a fantastic adventure and the feeling of anticipation infects everyone. Caravanners readily mix with motorhomers. Anyone interested in the history of Bass Straight Shipping will find tons of info on this page. This one is an excellent page on Statistics for Tasmania. There is a story in the Age and in The Australian on one of the worst storms to hit the Spirit. You will need to fill out a free registration to access the Age page, but it's worth it as it demonstrates how tough these ships are. The link to The Australian has no restrictions and is the better story of the two. This one from the Hobart Mercury gives a bit more factual detail, but you will have to "join" at $11.00 to access it. These media reports don't tell you why these hiccups occurred! Melbourne for instance had its wettest day since records were started in 1856 with 120mm of rain, and the barometric pressure was the lowest recorded for 107 years. Huge waves of just under 13m were recorded on the Kingfisher B oil platform just off Gippsland in Victoria. In NSW five people drowned in the surf. Best to check all the weather forecasts if you don't sail well. Unlike the old Cat days the ship rarely has to turn back because of weather. In summing up we have nothing but praise for the "Spirit" and the fantastic staff at TT Lines. Don't be put off by the bad weather stories you hear about as most crossings are very smooth. Tasmania itself - well that's another story!!

Bob & Chrissy Eustace