Van Journal Week 5: Tassie Tour with Mum

Van Journal Week 5: Tassie Tour with Mum

Home on the move...

After living in our new van for over a month, we can confidently say that we are getting used to the whole “van life”. It's certainly true that a home on wheels is a great ticket to freedom, but it comes with some necessary limitations that aren't shown on social media. What I didn't expect is how much cleaning and maintenance is required. You might think that living in a small space would mean less cleaning, but it's like the opposite is true.

Let's just say that after spending most of the last week strapped into a backpack, dirty and smelly, we had a lot of cleaning, washing and repacking to do. I thought that after living in guesthouses and hostels for so many years, I had the practice down pat. Unfortunately, things are a little more complicated when you're moving your entire house. The infamous “wash day,” a familiar ritual shared by van lifers and gray nomads alike, is at least an all-day event.

On this occasion we wanted to make things a little more sparkling while also creating extra space for my mother Caroline. She had booked a last minute flight to Hobart to join us on a week around Tassie.
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First snow

If you've been following our month-long trip, then you already know that we enjoyed sunny coastal weather and warm baths on the East Coast. I think it's true when they say that the weather in Tasmania changes in an instant.

A cold snap had brought gale force winds and snow to southern Tassie. On the drive to Hobart, Mount Wellington was already covered in white frost at its top.

That was a shock for my mother. She had flown in from warm, tropical Cairns and suddenly found herself throwing snowballs at Mount Wellington. It was funny to see how much the tropical climate had spoiled them. Mom had lived in Sweden for her first 26 years and was now wearing thick sailing jackets and double fleeces while still shivering on a 9-degree fall day.

Still, it was heartwarming to see her smile when she saw snow for the first time in over twenty years. Even though it was just Slask Snoo.

• alt=“SCHNEE IN TASMANIEN“>
• alt=“SCHNEE IN TASMANIEN“>

Mount Field National Park

Next on the agenda was Mount Field National Park. The weather didn't allow for a trip to the Alpine region, but we still enjoyed an incredible hike on the Three Falls Track.
alt=“TASMANIAN WATERFALL IN MOUNT FIELD NATIONAL PARK”>
Mount Field National Park is home to some of the tallest flowering trees in the world. As we took the longest loop through the park, we were able to see some of the most impressive and see three magnificent forest waterfalls.

Read more:

• Besuch der Russell Falls Tasmanien: Der berühmteste Tassie-Wasserfall
• Besuch der Horseshoe Falls in Tasmanien
• Zu Besuch bei Lady Barron Falls in Tasmanien
• Three Falls Circuit & Tall Trees Walk im Mount Field National Park Tasmanien

• alt=“BÄUME AM MOUNT FIELD NATIONALPARK“>
• alt=“SCHNEE IN TASMANIEN“>

Camping at Bradys Lake

A night in the Tassie wilderness is something every visitor should experience. Camping at Brady’s Lake was definitely one of the highlights of the week, even though it was quite a drive from Hobart. The weather was clear but the wind was still strong. Luckily we had our van and no tent.

Read more:

Camping at Bradys Lake
alt="BRADYS LAKE TASMANIA">
When we arrived, we parked our van at the edge of the lake and began gathering firewood. Once we got it going, we thought we would try to block the fire by parking our van in the path of the wind. However, this made things worse as it created a whirlwind of smoke that whipped around and coated us as we cooked. But after moving the van a few times, we finally figured out the location - until mom got up and her chair flew into our campfire!

The wind didn't bother us. It was great to spend time with mom, away from distractions, drinking wine and keeping warm by the fire with toasted marshmallows.
alt=“CAMPING AT BRADYS LAKE TASMANIA”>

Glamping in the Huon Valley

The Huon Valley was already on the list of places to visit with mom. Luckily for us, we were invited to stay at Huon Valley Campground to photograph and promote a new glamping business.

It was a unique experience staying in the glamping tent, something I had never done before. It seems Covid isn't the only thing changing travel. New accommodation options are constantly being explored and it was a privilege to experience this new movement in one of the best facilities in the country.

• alt=“HUON-TAL-GLAMPING“>
• alt=“HUON-TAL-GLAMPING“>
• alt=“GLAMPING IM HUON-TAL“>

Huon Valley Campground is also home to two rescued Tasmanian devils. Unfortunately, we didn't spot any on our three day hike around Maria Island, so it was definitely cool to see our first two here, albeit in captivity.
alt=“TASMANIAN DEVIL EATING”>

Wild and windy weather on Bruny Island

The wind showed no signs of slowing this week. But being the optimist that she is, Mom didn't show the slightest concern.

“Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder,” she said. In Swedish this means “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. It made me laugh as I remembered her, a hardy Swede shivering in temperatures above zero.

As always, optimism continued and we decided to take a trip to Bruny Island. We walked the Fluted Cape Track, spotted a rare albino wallaby and camped at one of the island's southernmost points in Cloudy Bay, as far away from tropical north Queensland as you can get in Australia!

Read more:

• 11 Dinge, die man auf Bruny Island nicht verpassen sollte
• Der Fluted Cape Walk auf Bruny Island, Tasmanien

• alt=“GEFLÖTETE KAPSPUR“>
• alt=“ALBINO-WALLABY AUF BRUNY-INSEL“>
• alt=“GEFLÖTETE KAPSPUR“>

alt="CLOUDY BAY TASMANIA">

Thinking about the home in motion

They say that when you travel in the company of your loved ones, you come home moving.

I think my little family has always known this. When I was ten years old, we were already living in five houses and emigrated to a continent on the other side of the world. This constant movement has taught me that home is not anchored in cold bricks and mortar. Instead, it is a feeling that travels with you, ready to fill you with warmth, reassurance and comfort every time you are in the presence of your loved ones.

I can thank my mother for giving me this unconventional idea of ​​home, rooted not in the place but in the family.

alt=“CAMPING WITH MOTHER”>
alt="CAROLINE GASPAR">
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