After my monumentous day at Cradle Mountain it was time again to move on to Tasmania's second city, Launceston. The city is by far one of the most traditional looking in Australia with many colonial period buildings still in their splendor and unlike Hobart there were few if any 1960's tower blocks ruining the whole cityscape.

I arrived on a warm, sunny late Friday morning so I decided to have a look around and enjoy the sun but most importantly I needed a place to sleep that night which was a b***** as there was a music festival on over the weekend and the city was booked out apart from one bed in a hostel.

After a look round I went on a tour of the famous James Boag & Sons brewery. Seeing how my favourite tipple is made and packaged was surprisingly fascinating in the whole process of brewing and bottling but the best part was at the end with the tasting of their various beers!

After that I went to my hostel to check in and sort myself out. As it was Friday, my intention was to go out and get slightly pissed and set out meeting the other guests. I stumbled upon a group of Aussies from Victoria who were out for the same thing so time to drink.

Saturday and I had no place to sleep so I needed to work out what the hell I was to do and after 2 hours of looking at different options, I decided to go and tour the Tamar wine region just north of the city and then head down to Hobart way as I was due to go on a jet boat ride the next day on the Derwent River. For convenience I booked into pub accommodation in New Norfolk where the boat rides operates.

The ride from Launceston to Hobart was an odd one as the middle of tas was full of things I didn't expect of Tas namely how brown it was and how English the towns and villages looked. Later in the afternoon I arrived in New Norfolk.

Going to New Norfolk has now turned out to be the biggest mistake of my entire journey so far. After a restful night I packed my bags and headed to pack up the car to go exploring. As I arrived at the car I arrived at Merv to find the front passenger's window smashed. I ran back and told the manager to call the police and what had happened and at the point I realized I left my rucksack in the boot so I ran out and opened the boot to find to my horror it had been stolen.

I was gutted and truly devastated and really did not know what to do next. After phone calls back to Adelaide I decided it would be best to return back later in the day. After I had finished with the Police I drove back to the airport and returned the car to Avis and sorted out my flights home.

After a call to my insurance company, I set about on Monday to replace the items stolen and pick myself up from the ordeal ready to get myself ready for the next stage of my journey and my eventual return home in April.

Also this weekend I have a good one planned as I'm going to a V8 Motor Racing Festival in Adelaide and next day a farewell BBQ with my family here and Monday I'm going to see Ross Noble in Adelaide too! Good times ahead!