2. Liffey Falls

If you head west of Launceston, on the Bass Hwy, it’s a lovely drive to the agricultural town of Deloraine.

This area of pastoral land used to produce oats and corn.  In the 1830’s and 1840’s it had flour mills, colonial cottages and homesteads, and many of the buildings have been preserved and restored to their original beauty.

From there, if you you head south towards Liffey, you’ll find a World Heritage Area Forest Reserve, housing rainforest and giant ferns.   The absence of rain in recent weeks meant that the cascading Liffey Falls were more like a moderate gushing when I visited, but they still looked pretty nonetheless.

I had a picnic there once, many years ago, sheltering from the sun in the cool damp shadows cast by the forest canopy.  There was a guitar serenade afterwards, if you’re paying attention, and remember the details on P.44 of the story.

However, this time I went there with Roods – Callie – with whom I’ve now chalked-up almost 30 years of friendship.  They just don’t make friends like that anymore.