This week my best mate, Craig and I are on a five-day golf, photography and drone adventure in the wilds of the Apple Isle. Where is that you ask? Well, in Australia the island of Tasmania is also known as the Apple Isle after its prodigious ability to grow the crispest and juiciest apples in the world.
Tasmania is also known for a host of other things including its stunning natural beauty, unique wildlife including the cheeky Tamanian Devil (yes, it’s a real animal for those outside Australia), some of the cleanest air in the world, not to mention it’s delicious food and wine. However, Craig and I are down here for other reasons…
Over the course of our lifetimes, he and I have had some amazing adventures including playing golf in Scotland with a notable addition of enjoying a round of golf at the traditional home of golf – the Old Course at St Andrews. However, that is far from the breadth of adventures we’ve had over the years. Other notable trips have been to the UK and London, plus New York, Montreal and Toronto. This week it’s Tasmania’s turn to host our antics.
So far this week we’ve played at Barnbougal Dunes golf club, which is consistently ranked in the top 100 golf courses globally and in the top 3 in Australia. It sits, as you’d expect on the sand dunes just outside the small town of Bridport on Tasmania’s north coast. Its a unique course as it winds it’s way between the sand dunes and farmers’ fields. Irrespective of our scores we had an awesome time, laughing all the way.
Day two sees us get ready for some photography and drone action. Me with my camera and Craig manning the drone we’re looking to capture some of the beauty of Tasmania’s northern coast, albeit trying to comply with the rigid rules of drone use in Tasmania. So far, we’ve only been able to establish two or three narrow stipes of coastline where it’s permissible.
We started our photography and drone work at Mermaid beach adjacent to the village of Bridport on the north coast of Tasmania, with some stunning shots from Craig’s drone. Fortunately for us we had visited to the Australian Spatial Infrastructure site to understand where it was permissible to use a drone. For the most part the Australian coastline is a restricted area except for those otherwise marked, of which Mermaid beach is an unrestricted area.
Day two saw us make our way over to St Helen’s on the east coast of the apple isle, however, we did take a few detours to check out several isolated communities including Tomahawk and Anson’s Bay. Neither town had a general store, post office or any other amenities and were more than isolated.
As an example, the town of Anson’s Bay supposedly has a population of 62 residents, but the only way to reach the town is over 40 kms of a rough dirt, corrugated road. The settlement is set within a large forest on the edge of a small bay and truly a step back in time. Even Wikipedia states that the town is a throwback to the 1940’s – now that is an understatement. Realistically it would be the perfect place to be totally off the grid, anonymous and not have anyone find you.
We made our way down the coast to the village of St Helens and after dropping our bags at the accommodation (Bay of Fire apartments) made our way to the Panorama Hotel where we checked out the drone footage over drinks, stories and a lot of laughs. Dinner was at the Wharf Bar & Kitchen which I would highly recommend, this upscale restaurant has incredibly fresh and delicious seafood.
Mid-week found us heading down the coast toward Swansea with a few deserted beaches in mind for some drone and camera work. Craig has been experimenting with different moves and polarizing lens on the drone, each of which have provided some stunning videos, but more
Fortunately for us the weather on our trip has been spectacular with sunny skies and a daytime temperature of around 24 – 26C (75 – 79F) which has made our trip ideal for golf, droning and photography.
After an overnight in Swansea, we were up early and drove the hour and forty-five minutes down to Hobart for our final game of golf. Craig had been able to get us on to the Royal Hobart Golf course which was the opposite of our first game on the north coast of the Apple Isle. No longer were we picking our way of sand dunes to find our golf balls but were immersed in a beautiful parkland setting for our final round… although still searching for our wayward golf balls…. Lol!
As with all trips with your best friend there a host of great stories exchanged, memories remembered as well as deep and heartfelt conversations about every aspect of life. Our adventure this week has been no exception!
And although we may not physically see each other more than once a year the bond is as strong as if we see each other every day. I realize that I’m fortunate to have this incredible and enduring friendship that has lasted decades and where honesty and support are the common denominator, all shrouded in laughter and adventures….
I can only wish the same for each of you.
Until next week.
Ciao!
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