13 October 2013 - Treasure Island Caravan Park, Berriedale, Tasmania

I was incorrect in reporting that it was the “Leisure and Camping Show” we were heading off today; it was the “Lifestyle & Leisure Expo” however under either banner, it was a bit of a disappointment. We headed off soon after 9 am intending to park some distance from the show and to walk. The rain had held off since first light and we were optimistic about the weather.

Chris was keen to park near the Cenotaph, a place suggested by the woman in the Information Centre. Checking the map, the actual access looked quite complex so I abdicated the responsibility of finding our car park for the day to our Tomtom. Alas he was not very clear at one turning and we ended up crossing the Derwent River on the beautifully arched Tasman Bridge and having some difficulty turning back in a complex web of under and over passes. This was not a good start to the day. When we did manage to head back to the west side of the river, we were treated to a spectacular view of the city and Mt Wellington under a colourful rainbow frame. Unfortunately it was not convenient to stop in the middle of the bridge to take a photo.

When we finally arrived near the Cenotaph, we had no problem finding a non-ticketed space, one we stored in our memory banks for future use. The rain stayed away while we walked down the hill into the city and along the waterfront toward Princes Wharf. The charming peel of Church bells rang out and bounced around the tall buildings, something that would not have been considered when the bells were originally installed, but a bonus for the future, our present.

By the time we arrived at the gates of the Expo, the queues were slowly moving forward through the ticket office and into the exhibition. This is the third such exhibition we have attended here in Australia; the first in Melbourne, the second at Batemans Bay and now this, although this is labelled a little differently. We were expecting caravans, motorhomes and all the paraphernalia that goes with camping and travelling on the road. There was quite a good turnout of caravans, three motorhomes, and little else. When we considered that this was instead “Lifestyle & Leisure”, we could then list all sorts of other products that might have been promoted: fishing, tents (none except a few swags), boats (there might have been half a dozen), magazines, camping paraphernalia (there was so very little), sailing stuff, footwear, tramping gear, and so on.

Chris is very good at window shopping, I am not. I also find squeezing into caravans with a dozen other bodies rather claustrophobic. Shall we say I did lots of people-watching and lots of waiting, however Chris was in his element. I had not packed lunch thinking it unlikely picnicking facilities would be offered especially if it rained. I was right; we bought our lunch at the show, hotdogs and chips which Chris loves; I would have been happier with a muffin or even a marmite and cheese sandwich.

And speaking of which, Marmite, that is, I discovered a small pot of this almost extinct product in the Coles supermarket in Glenorchy yesterday. Since stocks of this product ran out in Australia after the factory was destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake, I finally settled on a local product called Mighty Mite which most closely resembled my beloved sandwich spread. Alas, they have either changed the recipe in the interim or my taste buds have been corrupted by the Australian attempt to copy the real thing. Marmite is not half as nice as I remember.

After our greasy lunch, we found little more to see, and so, disappointed with the small offerings, walked back along the waterfront and back up the hill to reclaim the landcruiser and head home. But all was not lost, the Bathurst 1000 annual motor race was on the television and we were treated to the noise and monotony for most of the afternoon, except for the respite of the televised Sydney harbour production of Carmen, which we both enjoyed very much.

We have since learned that the Australian Labor Party is now to be led by Bill Shorten, until the next coup, that Len Brown has managed to hold onto the Auckland mayoralty and that our home city of Whangarei has a female mayor, the first for a few terms and one whom neither of us would have voted for had we exercised our electoral rights. Politics generally seem to have settled down in this region of the world; quite a let-down after so much drama particularly here in Australia during our time here so far. In the meantime there is always the United States and their on-going government shutdown if we do not wish to concern ourselves with the never-ending wars and unrest in the Middle East.

The rain has started to fall yet again. Tomorrow we need to find somewhere to have the landcruiser serviced again. How quickly 10,000 kilometres come around!