Thursday 10th, at the crack of dawn we arrive in Devonport (on the Mersey river) and head off down the Tamar Valley to our destination which is the town of Launceston (second largest city in Tasmania, with just under 100,000 population). We have to pinch ourselves to check that we haven't travelled back to the West Country! The route to Launceston passes through lush agricultural land dotted about with Holsteins, Freisians, Belted Galloway and, of course, plenty ...

Port Melbourne is a short drive from the city and is where the Spirit of Tasmania sails daily from Melbourne across the Bass Strait to Devonport on the north coast of Tasmania, a distance of some 250 miles. We boarded at 7.00 pm for the night service which gets us in at 6.00 the next morning. We have a deluxe cabin which boasts 'total luxury'. Having crossed the English Channel in similar sized P&O Ferries many times and seen what it's like, this was really n...