Elphin Grove Farm-East Sassafras, Tasmania

Elphin Grove Farm in East Sassafras, Tasmania. Doesn't that sound like the most magical place in the world one could live? Lesley and Ian Young and their son Matt and his family get to live there...and I got to visit for a few days at the end of my trip! I've already shown these first two photographs, but here are a few details to add to what I've already said...

Lesley picked us up at the Devonport Airport on April 11th, and then took us on a little tour of northern Tasmania on the way to Elphin Grove Farm. Lesley is a former state president of Tasmania's CWAA (Country Women's Association of Australia). I believe she was also a former national president. Lesley and Cara had made an instant connection at the ACWW conference in England a few years before. This is what happens at the international ACWW conferences. Connections are made. Friendships are started. Ideas to better the lives of women and children take root...

As we meandered over the rolling hills on our way to the farm, Lesley stopped at a spot overlooking a valley. In the distance is Elphin Grove Farm. This view took my breath away.

The first thing I had noticed when flying into Tasmania was the green that was everywhere. Although the locals told us the green was fading...that in the spring the green was bright and lush...it all seemed very green to me as compared to many of the places I'd been on the mainland of Australia. The Young's house is perched on a rise overlooking some of their fields. The sun was quickly setting and I barely captured this picture before the light faded. We had arrived when nearly all of the crops had been harvested. Gone were the poppies and some of the other crops they grow in rotation. The potatoes were done growing, but could remain in the ground for some time. In the foreground in the above picture is a crop called lucerne. When they told me what it was, I replied, "It's WHAT?" I've since found out lucerne is a type of alfalfa. Ahhhh, that makes sense.

The next day after the lucerne was cut, it was baled and wrapped to be fed to livestock as silage during the year. As I told you in the previous post, the crop in the distance in Picture #2 is a revolutionary crop for Tasmania...corn! The family experimented with baby corn, sweet corn and popcorn this year. They sold these at the Launceston Farmers Market and twice a month at the market in Hobart. The season is probably over by the time I get this posted, but I hope some of my new Aussie friends will look them up the next time they are in the area! 

This year, Elphin Grove Farm also sold celeriac at the Farmers Markets. Celeriac? "What is that?" I asked. Cara and I were soon driven to a nearby field and Ian pulled a large bulb up from the ground. I soon found out what celeriac was. I'd never seen anything like it. If you have guessed it has something to do with celery, you are correct. It is celery root or knob celery. Yeah, it is kind of turnip-y looking, but it is not in the turnip family. Yeah, it looks a little like a pineapple, but it is not. Lesley cooked it and mashed it up into the mashed potatoes. Ah, high in potassium and high in fiber? Just what the doctor ordered! Yummy, too!

Tasmania was the place that had soil, crops and topography closest to what I'm familiar with in Illinois. The soil was dark and their growing season is comparable to ours...in the spring and summer, into autumn. In the mainland, the crops are grown in their winter, when the rains are supposed to show up. 

Just when I thought the landscape couldn't get more stunning, I saw this. The sun hit this rolling field of harvested grain and turned it golden. But, what were those little dots on the hillside? I squinted my eyes and made out tiny sheep in the distance. Not only are the crops rotated, after each crop is harvested the sheep or cattle are moved to the field to graze on the residue and to add their own special secret ingredients to the land.

When you reach a high point on the farm, you can see Port Sorell in the distance, which is a part of Rubicon Estuary. Stunning!

 Okay, okay, I just do not get tired of pictures of sheep dotting the landscape...what could top that....

Tasmania!

I traveled to Tasmania with Cara Ausmus, Illinois Association of Home and Community Education's International Director. We spent four days with two different hosts in the Devonport area. Tasmania is about the size of the US state of Ohio. Flying in to Devonport from Melbourne was absolutely FABULOUS! The plane banked so we could see the patchwork of the lush green farm fields. I was not next to the window, so couldn't get a photo. It was one of the most spectacular views of my life.

I did get a photo of this guy...no, not in the wild (thankfully). This was at a wildlife park. I thought, "How cute!" as it lifted its little nose as I approached the pen...it looked really friendly. I saw a second one, so started filming them. Oh, how cute it was as they frolicked together! A second later they were viciously attacking each other. Yikes! I about dropped the camera into the pen--I was so startled. 

These are still found in the wild because Cara saw some dead on the road.

This is the famous kookaburra. I'd heard its call several times, but a wildlife park was the only time I saw one. 

No, I don't know if it is sitting on an old gum tree...

The entire time I was in Australia, I heard about the bushy tailed possum. Apparently it is not related to the American opossum...apparently not...because these are cute. Well, you could see it was cute if it wasn't snoozing. Must be nocturnal like many of the Australian animals. Many trees have a metal or plastic band around them so this animal doesn't climb them.

I saw animal crossing signs all over the mainland warning of kangaroos, emus, wild horses, lizards, snakes...in Tasmania these are the beasts that might cross your path. 

The farms in Tasmania tended to be smaller than the mainland ones. We visited one that was 500-600 acres and another one that was 4000. In Western Australia, I visited some that were 10,000 acres or more. The soil is much more productive in the northern area of Tassie than in most areas of Australia. The soil I saw was a dark brown/black.

Many ponds dot the landscape to water the livestock. Farms might raise many crops such as potatoes, poppies, carrots, strawberries, hay, or blackberries. Some are experimenting with sweet corn, baby corn or popcorn in small batches. Lots of farms had plastic greenhouses for strawberries or blackberries. This way, the farmer can protect the fruit from birds. There is some irrigation. Sheep or cattle are put into fields after the crops are harvested. The field is then planted with a cover crop. The residue or sludge from the carrot harvest, for example, is fed to livestock. 

We drove up into these highlands to The Wall (http://thewalltasmania.com.au/index.html), an amazing work-in-progress relief sculpture of the history of the area. It is a must-see if you are ever nearby!

The coastlines were beautiful.

The town of Sheffield is filled with murals. Each year, there is a mural festival where artists from around the world are invited to compete. Those murals are done on plywood, which are then sold. Around the town are murals painted directly onto the buildings. This one depicts an early settler who had local critters visit him each evening. (http://sheffieldmurals.com/)

The alternate way to get to Tasmania from the mainland is by a daily ferry. You can take your car or RV with you if you wish. It is an overnight ferry where you can book a room or sleep in a chair.

Tasmanian sheep. So beautiful on the hillsides!

Taken at dusk.

This is a reversible plow with plastic mull boards.

Cara had hosted Amanda Bayles in 2016; she was a member of Rural Youth, the Australian organization for young people interested in Agriculture. Amanda's experience is online at: https://www.ruralyouth.com.au/amanda-bayles-2016-exchange-to-usa-(progress-reports). Rural Youth is kind of a mixture of FFA and 4-H. They are in charge of Ag Fest, an annual statewide showcase for agriculture in Tasmania. There are opportunities for (USA) hosting some of these wonderful young people through your local 4-H groups. I believe there are also opportunities for being an exchangee there.

Three photos from the fabulous Cataract Gorge near Launceston: https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/attraction/cataractgorgereserve.

And, yes, the bridge sways when you walk across it.

Tasmania is gorgeous, but chilly!

The Great Ocean Road--Victoria, AU

The Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park.

Are there 12? No, but it is worth coming to Australia for!

Stunning!

ACWW in Melbourne

Vegemite and cheese scroll...see how I could mistake it for a cinnamon roll?

The ACWW Triennial Conference is being held in Melbourne, AU.

The foot bridge over the Yarra River.

Early morning exercise.

Canada's delegation

Royal Flying Doctor display.

Inside the flying emergency room.

A New Food!

I have really enjoyed the food in Australia...I don't have to cook (biggest perk) and most things I've tried have been very good...

...with the exception of what I got last night...

Cara and I decided just to grab something at the local 7/11 for supper. I looked in the bakery display and spotted a huge cinnamon roll. Suddenly, that sounded really good...I'd eat a few bites, and then enjoy the rest in the morning. The little bag I put it in said "Krispy Kreme." Great! I didn't even know Krispy Kreme made cinnamon rolls! Later, as we sat down to eat, I pulled a section of the roll off. The brown cinnamon was thick on the piece. Yum! I shoved it in my mouth.

I chewed and chewed. Hm, something was funny. I chewed some more.

Where was the sweetness? Where was the cinnamon?

Something tasted odd...but familiar...

My brain rapidly tried to reason things out. Surely, it would get better if I ate more. Suddenly, I stopped chewing.

Noooooooooo! C-c-c-could it be………………………………...v-v-v-vegemite?

This made no sense to me. Why would Vegemite be in a roll that looked like a cinnamon roll???

Today, I confirmed it with Belinda...I had bought a Vegemite and Cheese Scroll, apparently a common and well-loved treat for the Australians.

Bleh! No, thanks!

My only regret is that I didn't take a picture before I threw it away.

ACWW Conference in Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne, Australia to attend the 90th anniversary of the Associated Country Women of the World Triennial Conference. 

There are 549 people attending the conference from groups similar to the IAHCE and CWA of WA. I will be reunited with a few of my hosts from Western Australia!

ACWW informs the United Nations on women's issues around the world

These are the countries that participate in ACWW.

We went on the city tour. The architecture here is amazing, no matter what era it was made.

The tower on this building was built for the fire fighters. No building was allowed to be bigger. This was so that the fire fighters could go up into the tower to see if anything was on fire.

This is Captain Cook's cottage.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I think this was the Lutheran Church, made out of the local granite called blue stone.

City scene.

This is typical of the early houses in Melbourne. The English tried to make the same kind of houses a they had in English...with attics and cellars. They soon found out that attics and cellars don't work very well in this climate. There is a really good Amazon Prime show called "Building Australia" that I recommend to learn more about early architecture. If you notice the "lace" ironwork, it is very common on old houses here. It was put in the ships as ballast (thus, balustrades); the ships were then loaded with gold for the trip back. These early houses had a veranda to catch whatever breeze wafted by.

This is the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. It was built in the 1800s to show the latest new inventions, such as a push lawnmower. It has narrow doors, so it limits modern use.

A view of Melbourne from the Yarra River.

Foot bridge over the Yarra River.