Come Friday morning, as hoped, some boats left the wharf and we were able to secure a good berth for Tegwen. Spoke to the Tasports officer and he was happy with where we were for the expected duration, so need to worry about having to move. The weather forecasts look good for a Sunday morning departure so we have a couple of days to occupy ourselves at Lady Barron.
Friday was well spent securing Tegwen at the wharf, fetching fuel, some supplies and a coffee from Max's store and then availing ourselves of the shower and washing machine available at the Tavern, all the while dodging sporadic rain. Once again the locals offered us a lift back with the full jerry cans which saved us some effort.
Saturday saw us back at Max's watching the passing parade of people seeking their weekend newspaper fix. The early morning mist and rain had kept the airport closed for some time and the delivery was delayed. People were getting anxious as they went through newsprint withdrawal. We discovered while waiting there that we had missed the markets at Whitemark, the capital of Flinders Island, held earlier that morning. We had wondered about hitching up that way for a ,look around to fill in the day. After asking the newspaper delivery man who had finally arrived with the newspapers if he was going up that way, he replied no, the other van had gone up there. However, he had an old car he was happy to lend us which he did! The Tasmanian hospitality never ceases to amaze! So it was a leisurely drive up to Whitemark, fortunately getting to the bakery just before it closed and similarly to the general store and newsagency. Whitemark, unfortunately, has seen better days but we did get some feel for the nature of the landscape along the way. An enjoyable afternoon's amble after all.
We prepared Tegwen for the early morning departure for Eden and then endeavoured to sleep, while the ferry from Bridport arrived to unload gravel and then load logs for a lot of the night. The wharf is convenient but has its down side too.
