Trip Report ~ Tasmania
A few weekends back we took off to Tassie to celebrate Mini Shred’s 10th Birthday, which was back at the start of May.
On her Birthday we gave her three envelopes to choose from, one of them said something along he lines of,
On the 17th of May you will begin an adventure. The other two were horrible things, like cleaning the house or washing the cars…. we made sure she finally picked the ‘GOOD’ one.
So Ellé‘s Excellent Adventure was born.
For the entire adventure, each time we finished an activity, she would have to select from numerous envelopes, which would decide where we would go next.
Of course, the whole thing was rigged, it took a MASSIVE amount of planning to make it happen and look like everything was happening based on the selection of envelopes.
We started off rocking up to school early on the Friday, while she was still in class we presented the first envelopes.
The afternoon was spent getting to Melbourne via the park and a lolly shop with $10 to blow on anything she wanted. Total flat spin…. could not decide for the life of her!!! The staff were really good and helped pick good stuff and milk another few bucks out of us, “because she just has to have one of these!!”
Once we were in Melbourne, we met up with her big Sister and Tambo & I were ditched for the night (what a bugger, alone in the city with nothing to do)
Not sure what the Daughters did, but we ate at Japanese stone grill place, Sashimi for starters, then Wagyu that we cut and cooked ourselves on the stone. Melt in your mouth goodness. It was an orgasmic experience!!!!
Day Two, saw us at the airport early, and bugger me dead if we didn’t run into Mini Shred there!!! A quick pick of an envelope and even faster buying of tickets, we were on our way to Hobart.
We hit up Salamanca Markets, Mount Wellington then headed down to Kettering to catch the ferry across to Bruny Island.
While at the markets, MS had to buy food for dinner and breakfast for us. We got to meet and buy the BEST BACON EVER off Nick Haddow, one of the guys from Gourmet Farmer.
We bought some really good food, apples, cakes, bacon, other pork products, bread, cheese, veges, wine, cider etc etc
Once on Bruny we went to Nick’s cheese place and had some awesome wood fired pizza, tasted more cheese, bought more cheese. and then headed to our acom for the night, a 101 year old church.
It was really cool.
Ferry across to the island
The Neck on Bruny
246 steps to climb up, and then back down again
For the first three days, rainbows followed us everywhere.
The Church
Day 3, was started stupidly early!! MS was excited like a kid on Christmas morning and was awake at 5:00am. Which was not so bad, as the V8’s were racing in the states and it was being broadcast live from 6:00am. So we watched v8’s, ate Fat Pig Farm Bacon and Pork and Fennel sausages for breakfast and some fresh fruit to wash it down. Team Red Bull kicked ass, so the day was off to a great start.
It was time for envelopes!!!
We were off to Adventure Bay for a three hour cruise in this beast!!
The boat trip was awesome and amazing. They took us right in close along the cliff lined coast, like 3 mtrs off it at high speed. It was a bit lumpy that day, so some of the tricky stuff between big rocks and into caves was off the cards, but I was super impressed with where they took this boat into. We ended up passing the point deemed where the Southern Ocean starts and headed out for 10 mins to some islands with seals on them.
A blow hole in a cliff
Beautiful scenery
I had to wear my Pirate beanie and a big red jacket so I looked like a Tele tubby Pirate Arrgghhhhh
On the way back we went out wide to see some Albatrosses, amazing birds, so graceful
By this stage, a few of the passengers were spewing their rings out. MS decides that the birds are boring and sleeps all the way in as we pound our way up and down the swells. Too funny.
After the cruise we headed over to the Tasman Peninsula. We drove through the areas burnt over summer, mate did they get an ass kicking. It really did burn right down to the waters edge. How many lives were not lost is beyond me. It was a massive area, I was surprised at how big an area was burnt.
We ended the day, staying in a cottage built in 1841.
All the doors were really low, I could just walk through without hitting my head.
Day 4 saw us heading to Port Arthur (after watching the V8’s of course)
Such an amazing site. If you go, take a tour, you learn so much more than just wandering around yourself.
MS was not born when the nutter did his thing, so we had to explain what happened and how it changed Australia’s gun laws and was a major event in our history…. along with all the things that happened there 180 years ago.
I was sent the fun way…
Tambo wanted me to bring these home
Not sure why???
After spending the morning at Port Arthur, MS picked again and we were on our way back to Hobart. On the way we stopped at Dunalley, this place pretty much lost every second house in the fires. Very sad to see. There is a fish market there that sell Fish n Chips. When you order, you pay $15 for one person, $20 for two etc etc etc. You don’t choose what you have, it depends on what they have caught. We had Calamari (real stuff) rings and strips. Tiny octopus (so bloody good) and five different types of fish. I cannot recommend grabbing lunch at this place enough. It was fantastic.
When we ordered, the guy told us to look around, he would find us when it was cooked. We had seen a dog on the wharf looking in the water. We went over and there is a seal swimming around. The dogs is just following it up and down the wharf. We asked the bloke about it, turns out they are best mates and hang out all day. In summer the dog swims with the seal, but this time of year the waters to cold for the dog.
Once back in Hobart, we spent the afternoon at MONA and spent the night in one of the pavilions there. We were in the Brett Whiteley suite, MS was blown away that there was a painting worth 1.2 million dollars on the wall and some artefact around 3000 years old above the wine fridge, not to mention the coins from the same era in another display.
She adapted to the high very quickly, I hope she marries rich!!!
Day 5.
The envelope said to head to the airport, then to fly to Melbourne. MS was hopeful that once we landed the next envelope would say jump on another plane to somewhere else. Sadly that was not the case.
Big Sister turned up to pick us up and the next envelope said head to Sushi Train. MS had no idea what that was, thinking we were going on a train hahaha even when we were walking in the door, she said “Dad, this is not a train station!!!”
After we explained and she figured out how it worked, it was on like Donkey Kong!!!!! Wants to go back again now 
Then we had to head back to Chill Hill 
So over the five days, MS had to choose an envelope 30 times, there were 100 envelopes in total. We drove just over 1000 k’s.
MS went on / in; cars, train, tram, boat, ferry, golf cart, plane and I gave her a piggy back.
We told her we had an app that we entered information about us and it worked out the envelopes and we printed them from there and couldn’t read any of them.
It was so awesome that the entire time she thought that everything was based on the luck of the draw. Along the way heaps of people helped us by providing the envelopes at the correct time to MS. The deck hand on the boat said that everyone should live their lives like MS, one envelope to the next!!!
She didn’t even notice that we had luggage when we arrived in Hobart and was stoked to think she only had one set of clothes for the adventure.
My favourite pic from the trip, MS having an Excellent Adventure
A quick clip
Mate,
You 2 are ridic amazing parents! that would be mind blowingly epic to experience through her eyes. Hell just to witness it would be wicked.
I take my hat off to you and Tambo*
*im actually wearing a hat and took it off
thanks Deano
So my Bday is on Oct 17th…jus sayin if you feel the urge to do the same again
Maybe there is a business in this?
You are not the first to ask.
What deano said… Awesome, just awesome! She’ll remember that forever. That’s wicked.
Mate,
You 2 are ridic amazing parents! that would be mind blowingly epic to experience through her eyes. Hell just to witness it would be wicked.
I take my hat off to you and Tambo*
*im actually wearing a hat and took it off
This!
You are an amazing dad to all your kids. They are very lucky to have both of you in all their lives.
Love you guys to bits!
(i adopted Dylan can’t you guys adopt me??/)
The two of you are such amazing parents and people. I can say this having personaly experienced Chill Hill and the Chill Hill family. Your family is amazing, and it is such a credit to the job you do.
The respect I have for you and Tambo is off the charts!
Awwww shucks guys 
Thank you so much.
No room for further adoptions sorry, time to wind down, no more Dogs, Alpacas, Chooks, Ducks, Cats or other breathing critters to be added to our care.
Only vegetables….... which could see Mizu living here under our care 
maybe a Pig if I get to eat it 
Thanks guys!!
Awwww shucks guys
No room for further adoptions sorry, time to wind down, no more Dogs, Alpacas, Chooks, Ducks, Cats or other breathing critters to be added to our care.
Only vegetables….... which could see Mizu living here under our care
But if we adopt Ozzy, that means we get to be grandparents!!! And you forget, we already have 2 snow sons, and the german. Best news for us is that the oldest real kid has just seen the light and quit the real world to become a snow bum.
