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We had decided to stay in Huonville a few days as we wanted to explore the Huon Valley, as well as Bruny Island. We decided to leave the island for the next day as we thought it would be very crowded on the weekend. So, being a Sunday we headed off to Cygnet which had a Sunday market. We were hoping for better things after the disappointments of Salamanca.
Well the Cygnet market was certainly less crowded, much smaller, and not really very exciting. Cygnet was a real hippy town, as evidenced by all its residents and stalls. The thing we noticed mostly was the yarn bombing on everything that did not move - posts, trees, bits of buildings. Even on some things that did move, like a tricycle.
We went for a little walk up to the wharf area, and found more people selling cherries. The reason the cherries are so good here is that they are growing in people's back yards, and being harvested only when they are ready - big and dark and juicy. You can never find that in a supermarket.
We then drove on to other towns in the Huon Valley, making our way down the banks of the Huon River. The first town was called Franklin. It was small and looked quaint, but we decided to drive on and check it out on the way back.
The next stop was a town called Geeveston which was a bit more inland and surrounded by forests. This was a stunning little town, dotted with timber statues all over the main street, and full of small shops full of crafts and handmade items. There was a lot of woodwork here - one of our favourite things.
The next town down the road was called Dover. But it was a very long and winding road. The drive was pretty, but the town was not really worth it. Should have stopped at Geeveston.
So we headed back and stopped at Franklin. But by this time it was almost 4pm, and most shops had already shut, as they seem to do in Tassie. We found one craft shop / museum open and had a good chat with the owner. Apparently this town had been inaugurated by Lady Franklin, the wife of Governor Franklin, after whom the Franklin River was named. We were wondering about the connection, as the river is miles away in the west.
The other thing we found in Franklin was a very swish looking restaurant called Petty Sessions. There had been a restaurant in Melbourne with the same name, and we were wondering if there was a connection. Their specialty was scallop pies, and here you could actually watch the chefs preparing them.
Well, it was almost dinner time, so we decided to hang around a bit and stay for dinner. There was a wonderful free camping area close to the restaurant and right on the river bank. Taking notes for next time.
The pies were glorious, light flaky pastry, crammed full of succulent scallops, and enveloped in a mild curry sauce. Ross was good, but these were amazing.
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