A pademelon wallaby came to check us out whilst we were having our picnic lunch.
Our day in Burnie started at the Makers of Burnie Workshop, an area that gives craftspeople a space to work and also a sales point. Burnie has a long history of paper making (which no longer happens) so the Makers space devotes an area to hand making paper. Their displays were incredible, both life-like and looking like marble statues yet made from paper; we were intrigued.
Another artist that caught my attention was this lady who collects old ropes from the sea shore, unravels them then sews them into baskets and pots.
She said that she gets very excited when she does the unraveling and sees what colours she has. An environmentally pleasing craft.
The displays included many of the local produce items - cheese, wine, oil, jams, honey and even rocky road. It was a challenge but I resisted!
Time for a quick walk in the park and up to the waterfall.
The Burnie Museum was well worth the time we spent there. There were two sections; one devoted to Burnie of the past and one recognizing the locals who served in the World Wars. Both excellent displays.
After lunch it was off to the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden where, despite it not being rhododendron flowering season, we still thoroughly enjoyed the garden. Commenced in 1985, this 11 hectare site with over 22,000 plants is run by volunteers.
Another day and another waterfall, this time Preston Falls.
From Preston Falls we continued on to Kaydale Lodge Gardens. What a beautiful example of a family working together to produce something really special. This 2 hectare garden is a cool climate garden so it has many plants which do not grow well in our area. The stone work is a feature of the garden.
After a quick picnic lunch it was on to Leven Canyon, a limestone gorge of great age. The walk to Cruickshanks Lookout was reasonably easy and the view made it worthwhile. Breathtaking in fact, and not just because we were standing on a little platform 275 metres above the gulch.
From there we took the Forest Stairs, 697 steps to the Edge Lookout. Certainly challenging as you could not take your eyes off the steps.
The view from The Edge Lookout shows the zigzag pattern of the Leven River as it passes through the canyon.
It was just as well that we had eaten some sustenance earlier as the climb back up Fern Walk was extremely challenging for some of us, especially me. I think it was picturesque but I can't be sure as I was gasping for breath most of the time.
Back at the car park the group gathered for a photo, however not all these people did the walk.
We had certainly earned our seafood dinner at Fish on the Edge in Burnie. Most had the seafood platter to share but we had the superb seafood laksa.
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