Date: 15-16th February 2022
Travelled: 145 kms Bradyโs Lake to Franklin, Tasmania.
Visited: Hamilton, Huonville and Franklin
Stayed: Franklin Camping Grounds, $10, S43.09296, E147.00920 ย
Budget: 19 days @ $0 per day.
Pam has declared today washing day. Over coffee we look at our options and it seems it may better to go on to a caravan park in New Norfolk and do the washing there. Itโs not so much about being on power as it is about water. We havenโt had the opportunity to fill our tanks for a few days now.
So we say goodbye to the Bradyโs Lake social club and continue south-west. It soon become obvious we are driving through the heart of Tasmaniaโs hydroelectric assets. We see pipelines crossing the road or running adjacent to it.
Kms of huge water pipes follow the road near Tarraleah 
One of the two hydroelectric power stations here on the Nive River 
The Nive downstream of the power stations.
Dodging wide loadsโฆ 
Near Ouse the countryside suddenly changes. 
We stop at a discount fuel stop near Hamilton. A farmer pulls up and starts chatting as we fill, 30 minutes later we finally say goodbye. He tells us to keep an eye out for the RV stop at Hamilton its got everything. So we didโฆ
A few kms later we roll through Hamilton and see several motorhomes and caravans parked along the river in a small park. We swing down to find all the usual services plus showers, a laundry and some nice level ground and a couple of conveniently located taps, all for $5 per night. As an added bonus itโs only 200m from a lovely old pub.
Hamilton, Tasmania, Australia
So the rest of the day is 4 loads of washing, rotating things on the clothes line and chatting to our neighbours, some of whom we have met previously, and exploring Hamilton which doesnโt take too long.
The day just drifts by, thanks to the sun and a gentle breeze everything is washed and away by mid-afternoon. 
Around 5.30 the word had passed around that a meeting of the Hamilton campground social club would be held at the Hamilton Inn.
So we wander up to the Inn for a drink and a chat. It was somewhat unplanned but we ended up staying for dinner and chatting on to John and Cheryl from Queensland. Like many other Queenslanders we have met on this trip they are not fans of Ms Palaszczuk for some reason or other.
Things are a little quiet in the Hamilton campground next morning, several more small hire campers have arrived later in the evening, not that we heard them. We service the Jayco say goodbye to our neighbours and return to the Lyell Hwy.
We stop at New Norfolk for a shop at Woolworths (a nice new store) before continuing to follow the Lyell as it runs parallel with the Derwent River all the way to Hobart. The drive down the Derwent Valley is a beautiful drive, so many black swans just doing what swans do. We do a quick scoot through Hobart on the freeway and continue south.
We eventually secure a parking spot in Huonville and go for a walk. To our surprise we find a bakery and purchase an apple pie for desert. Other than the mural pictured above we found Huonville a bit charmless. Continuing south once again for Franklin which is only 7 kms down river.
Franklin, Tasmania, Australia
Franklin stretches itself along the Huon River, finding ourselves a spot in the camp grounds we settle in, chat to our neighbours for a while and go for a walk. Franklin is a funny little village, everything stretches along one side of the Huon Hwy. Thereโs a pub, post office, fish n chips shop and a Thai restaurant of all things.
The Cartela slowly rotting at its mooring. 
Artbox ? 
Lots of boats 
Originally St Maryโs Church circa 1840, it was re-consecrated St Johnโs in 1864. 
Tomorrow weโll start exploring the south-east.
Michael + Pam
