England here we come!

Tasmania to England, 36hrs, four flights, random movies and airplane wine - bring it on!
See you there!

A little more info

We are staying in a hotel in Bristol on Friday and Saturday night.  Sorry, we have not arranged any group transport to or from Chew Magna.  We had thought we would catch a taxi back after the pub shuts (at midnight).  If you are arranging transport and have space for a few more, let us know and we should be able to help you make up numbers.

The pub is kid friendly, so please feel free to bring your kids and babies to the celebration.

Hey everybody

Hey everybody, the invites are in the post for our wedding party.  If you have any questions just get in touch.

These are a few of our favourite things

Welcome to Tasmania

We've come up with a few ideas on easy ways to see some of Tassie.  Seeing you are already coming there's no need to do the hard sell so instead here is our insiders tip to the Tamar Valley:

Launceston has been our home now for 18 months and a couple of places have fallen into our favourites list...

• Fresh, 178 Charles Street - an awesome vegetarian eating experience, cool interior and creative menu, even die-hard pulp mill supporters will deny their views to eat here.  Best for breakie or lunch.
• The Cataract Gorge - this is lots of things; great walks, adventurous swimming, lovely restaurant, bustling BBQ's, thousands of years of history, ruled by a tribe of Peacocks - it is a proper microcosm of Tasmania.  Best way to see it is to park at where Stillwaters is at the old mill (nice little gallery and providore upstairs), cross over the bridge and walk up the right hand side of the river, after 15 minutes walk you'll get to the first basin which is where the cafe and restaurant is.  Never done the chairlift, we generally go for a swim or to the restaurant.
• City Park - it has monkeys and the Tasmanian Design Centre, the occasional impromptu performance and some beautiful big old trees.
• Black Cow Bistro, Cnr George and Paterson St - Tasmania's clean air and water combined with an innovative farming community means that there is some great meat out there - big fat fact!  Black Cow knows the best way to cook it.
• Landfall Farm Butchers, 49 Balfour Street - the number one place to buy said meat.
• The Royal Oak, 14 Brisbane Street - a great boozer in the English tradition, best after dark. 
• Star Bar, 113 Charles Street - Launceston lacks a good beer garden, the tables out the front of here make for good people watching with a nice cold Boags.
• Shopping - quirky stuff-shops, independent clothes stores and a shop that still sells records, we have happily passed time browsing through the likes of Cocoon, Mojo, Content, Homebody, Mabella & Boy, Route 66, Sodium. 
• The Northern Club, 61 Cameron St - Not bad for a boogie, gets better as it gets later, or is that as we get more drunk!

As you venture out of Launceston on your way to Low Head we'd recommend you check out: 

East Tamar:

• Hillwood Berry Farm - pick your own or buy from the shop - their super sweet strawberries are in season at the moment.
• Bay of Fire winery - give the biggest serving at a wine tasting and all for free.  They have a big claim too; their House of Aras Tasmanian Sparkling wine has beaten French Champagne at blind tastings - it is what we would be drinking at the wedding, should we be millionaires. 
• Jansz winery -  is what we are drinking at the wedding - it is pretty damn good too and Tassie's most famous sparkling wine makers.  Their vineyard is worth checking out as it has awesome geese that keep the vines bug free and make the whole place feel like you are in a period drama. 

West Tamar:

• Rosevears Tavern - in Rosevears, along the beautiful riverside road.  Doesn't serve food all day but does have a good beer and wine selection to enjoy outdoors.
• The Gravelly Beach road - again a lovely river side road, very picturesque and with assorted vineyards to pop in for a tasting.  Stoney Rise make a formidable Pinot Noir and Iron Pot Bay has some great price Rieslings if you ask nicely.

George Town and Low Head:

• Belles Tea Room, far end of Macquarie St - a beautiful little tea room straight out of a story book, makes a mean sandwich too.
• George Town Fish Shop, 38 Franklin St http://www.georgetownsf.com.au/ - follow sign posts for light industrial estate, pop in on Friday afternoon if you plan to chuck a shrimp on the barbie, this is the most likely place to see someone famous in Tassie!
• Low Head light house - best place to stand and put everything behind you then turn around happy with your back to the wind, ready to go.
• Low Head Pilot Station cafe - open 9am to 5pm seven days a week, its the closest place to the campsite to get a good coffee, the closest place to the church to have a wee, and now it is licensed will be a likely pre-wedding meeting spot.

Happy snaps

Where's that to?

Attached is a link to a google map of the location of "Moana".

If you are arriving Thursday or Friday come straight to the house and set up camp at the wild dog camping field:
From Launceston airport, follow signs to Launceston then from Launceston, follow signs to George Town / Low Head, along the East Tamar Highway.
Once in George Town, follow signs to Low Head, after you have left the built up streets of George Town, turn right into North Street, following the sign to Bell Buoy Beach and the Aerodrome.
Take the first left into Old Aerodrome Road, again sign-posted to Bell Buoy Beach.
Turn left into the driveway through a yellow brick gateway - the drive is about 2km long, so just keep going and you will see the campsite.  If you're lucky there will be a cold beer in the fridge with your name on it!!

If you are arriving on Saturday, the house will be sign posted "Wedding Parking" from Low Head, so please drive straight there.  Please follow the signs to either the campsite or day parking.  Please use the 'park and ride' shuttle bus so you can join us walking on the beach and don't have to worry about moving your car.   There will be a car or two driving from the ceremony to the reception, whilst we walk, so you can put anything you don't want to carry in the boot.

From drawing board to draining board

We have just had a long Sunday working on the personal grooming section of the wild dogz field.  A wash basin, shower cubicle complete with antechamber, hot water supply are the ideas from the drawing board.  It wasn't absolutely obvious how we were going to do this but after a days work we are well on our way to equipping the wild dogz field with an all-purpose all-weather outdoor bathroom.  And there's the loo with the view, a tin and wood palace to bodily functions with commanding views of the Bass Strait, it's beautiful!

What's all this about walking on the beach?

To get from the church to the reception, at Sarah's parent's house, is either a 5 minute drive through a paddock or a 30 minute walk along the beach.  We are planning on walking and would love as many of our guests to join us.  The last 5mins of the walk will take us through some low dunes then across a field.  This may effect your choice in footwear.  Obviously if the weather is not conclusive we will all take the bus.
Xx

Ashes rematch

We are both fans of a good sunday session so on the day after the wedding we're going to put on a BBQ and the brothers Weeding have challenged the visitors to an ashes rematch.  It turns out the recent ashes loss hasn't gone down too well in Australia.  So dig out your whites, oil up your bat and practice your around stump yorker to silly wicket.