Hamilton 7 January 2008

Left Bothwell early in the morning after a chat with a Yorkshire couple who were shocked to have had a frost last night! It was cold and we had all the blankets on! Luckily the day was to be a sunny 23degs! We crossed country on a small sealed road onto Hamilton through very yellow grassy countryside through prominent hills dotted with cattle and sheep. Hamilton was even a smaller village then Bothwell, (about 150 people) that (once again) time had forgotten. It amuses us how proud the locals are of their towns and we were told that Hamilton was originally going to be the capital of Tasmania. Every town or village we visit seems to have the oldest church, pub, post office, school, stone/brick/wooden bridge in Australia! Had a wander around Hamilton in the morning and in the afternoon went for a drive to Meadowbank Lake to look at another campsite overlooking a vast water scene. We then decided to nose around some forest roads. Had a delightful drive on some dirt tracks stopping to admire majestic views of rolling hills and bubbling creeks – even went for a paddle. Also stumbled across a hydro-electric power plant, which was quite bizarre as it was situated on a bush track with a small narrow bridge across the river. Came out at Ouse, another tiny village where you can camp on the river in the Apex Park, then drove back to our pretty river camp at the town common in Hamilton and over to a colonial pub that served a great afternoon tea overlooking a wonderful lush garden!