My mobile phone brightly displays today’s weather at -3 degrees, and I smile reflecting happily upon my new life in Tasmania. The move to the Apple Isle from sunny Queensland had been a lot easier than I ever imagined and the world's cleanest air was certainly smelling fresh today.
My friends think I am crazy at the age of 55 years moving over 2000 km away to an Island where I have no family or any friends and just taking my faithful dog.
But my wandering heart has been determined to have a home filled with healthy home-grown vegetables so I can enjoy the organic abundance that Tassie is well known for. A walk to a convenience store along with a welcoming style pub is on my shopping list with some old-fashioned cottages to admire in the neighbourhood.
One year later after many drives along quiet countryside roads with my best friend Bazil, a patient King Charles Cavalier, we settle on a village of 1345 residents at the last census count. With loads of Edwardian-style cottages in the township of Evandale built in c1830.
Evandale is located on the South Esk River and is approximately 10 minutes drive from Launceston Airport. The town is famous for events such as the Penny-Farthing Championship. People from around the world compete and the locals line the streets and cheer the riders.
The name Penny Farthing came from the British penny and farthing coins, the former being much larger than the latter so that the side view resembles a larger penny leading to a smaller farthing. It became a symbol of the late Victorian era and the first machine to be called a bicycle.
My new home overlooks innocent sheep munching away at straw-coloured grass in an adjoining paddock to the house. I have 5 rain tanks for the garden and solar panels for the electricity and loads of flowers and vegetables growing.
Bazil enjoys the walks around the flat streets where I admire the homesteads with Roses, Poppys, Iris and many other delicate flowers growing in their gardens. A short stroll takes me to the Sunday Market which is filled with friendly locals who sell home-grown products and have plenty of time for a smile and a chat. A Sunday afternoon drink produced at the local winery is a lovely way to end the week at the local pub. There are 2 pubs and both full of character.
The Clarendon Arms hotel was built in 1847 and has convict-built walls in its beer garden. They are remnants of the old watch house and convict cells where it is believed criminals were housed before being transported to Hobart.
Among the prisoners who served time at Evandale was John Kelly, father of Australia’s most notorious bushranger Ned Kelly. The Clarendon Arms was home to Kelly during his final two years as a convict. At that time, he was part of the road gang that built the road from Evandale to Longford.
The other pub is the Prince of Wales Hotel built in1836 by William Sidebottom. He came from England and also built a tannery and boot factory which supplied Government and private contracts. The fireplace is warm and local characters sit around the bar on their barstools and are always ready for a chat.
Today the township is a National Trust-classified Georgian village and has many heritage buildings and each one I suspect has a story to tell.
However, the greatest surprise in my move to this island is the pleasure I gain from my exploration of the night sky. In the crystal-clear evenings, the stars flash like a beating heart in tune with their rhythms while the “dancing lady’ puts on her show. That is not me dancing, although some may disagree, that is the name experience chasers of the night sky used to describe the Aurora Australis.
Solar winds strike the earth’s magnetosphere and excite electrons in the high atmosphere. When the electrons return to their normal state, they emit a photon, a particle of light. Oxygen produces green and yellow auroras while Nitrogen produces pink, purple and blue auroras.
This colourful vision is an incredible sight and one of the best viewing locations is 5 minutes drive away from Evandale in the nearby town of Nile. Nile has approximately 150 residents and has cottages and homesteads built in the early 1820s.
Cars patiently line up quietly along the side of the road in Nile with their lights off to capture that perfect exposure while they create their colourful images.
My frozen fingers fumble over my new camera where I am adjusting the shutter speeds, tripod and lenses in the pitch blackness and I laugh as I pretend to blend in with local professionals and try my best not to fall over in the dark.
So, with my numb fingers and oversized beanie, I just stop and stare into the abundant universe before me and although there are some excellent facts and explanations of this dazzling abyss, I quietly reflect upon this relatively unknown last verse and realise I am happily in the right place, right now.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Lyrics of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -Source: Wikipedia
Events in Evandale
Verandah Music Festival
In early 2020, when Tasmania was experiencing its only Covid lockdown, two Evandale families took to their verandahs to share live music with passers-by.
When lockdown ended, they decided the music need not and the Verandah Music Festival was born.
Enjoy a weekend of folk, blues, jazz, funk, classical, choral, guitar-vocals, barbershop, pop, country and more!
Evandale Village Fair
Penny Farthing races throughout the day, with the highlight being the National Penny Farthing Championship. But you don’t have to be a bike enthusiast to enjoy the event–-history buffs and classic car fans from around the globe are tempted by the country fair and period-themed festival.
John Glover Prize
The prize commemorates the painter John Glover who has been described as the father of Australian Landscape. Held in Evandale where John Glover last lived, is the exhibition of the finalist's painting.
www.johnglover.com.au
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