Auspicious beginnings

[shapeofthings]

How do you start a challenging new year in the right fashion? Me, I decided to jump in the car and take myself somewhere I'd never been before: Cockle Creek. This is what happens when you take the southern highway out of Hobart and keep driving until you run out of road.

I had a long and happy day out, with the sun shining, the roads largely to myself and some little adventures along the way.

• On the back road to Dover I collected two grateful backpackers who had been stuck there from an hour. He was from Hong Kong, she was from Japan and we talked about their travels while I drove them to their temporary home, picking cherries out at Strathblaine.


• Past Southport I followed an inviting dirt road as it narrowed and wound its way through the forest, finding myelf at a pretty spot called Lady Bay with an amazing kelp forest that had me craving Japanese food and considering carting a sample home to experiment with (I didn't, as I figured it wouldn't smell too good after 5 hours in my car).


• At Lune River I stopped by the bridge and remembered the story my dad told me about visiting Aunt Avis there before the bridge was built, and having to shout across the water to the Jager clan to come over with a boat.


• After finally arriving at Cockle Creek I survived the dense bogan infestation of the campgrounds and navigated my 4 cylinder Japanese car safely through Ford-Holdensville.


• And on the drive home I found my Uncle Bob's house and stopped in for a cuppa and Bob-hugs, with the unexpected bonus of catching up with two of my cousins.

It was a good day.

How did your 2011 begin?