Sunday Drive

Similar to the company 'ute' of early 1950's

One of my favourite Tasmanian childhood memories was the 'Sunday drive'. Mum would load a picnic basket with sandwiches and drinks, dad would top up the petrol tank (at about 20 cents per gallon!) and we'd trundle off in the company 'ute'. We had a few favourite destinations, including a little town called Snug. We've just revived the tradition. Last Sunday we drove to historic Richmond and yesterday we drove to Snug, via Huonville, Wattle Grove and Cygnet.

In 1972, just 4 months before we met, Penny picked apples on an orchard near Wattle Grove in the Huon Valley. On yesterday's drive we spotted a sign pointing in that direction and veered off in search of the orchard and some of Pen's memories of her first visit to Tasmania 4 decades ago. Most fruit pickers in those days lived in tiny 'picker's huts' on the orchard. On Pen's orchard, several pickers shared a small house. She remembers the orchardist being a very kind older gentleman and her fellow pickers being a friendly bunch of fellow gypsies. On weekends they would hitch hike the gravel road 7 k to the nearest town, Cygnet. Usually they'd be picked up by a local, but occasionally they walked the entire route. We didn't find the orchard this trip, but when Aidan and Heather arrive we'll try again!

View from the Wattle Grove-Cygnet Road (2013)

Mum wanted to show us the Huonville waterfront park. There we found the Boat House Café on a barge moored to the river bank. It was early afternoon and our tummies were rumbling. A peak in the baskets of our fellow patrons revealed the local favourite - fish and chips - so we placed our orders and settled in at a table perched over the water. The place was hopping but the delicious sea food, when it arrived, was well worth the wait. To top it off, our cappuccino was the best yet! One thing we've noticed about the Aussies since our earliest visits together in the 1980's is the quality of the coffee. When we first brought Josh out to visit Nanny at age 2 months, a cup of restaurant coffee usually consisted of Nescafé. These days the Aussies insist on excellent coffee and the result is that even tiny road and riverside vendors make nothing but the best espresso!

Sunday Lunch Huonville - 15/12/13

Sunday Lunch Richmond - 8/12/13