We’ve been absolutely spoiled by the views around Pyengana. Everywhere we turn, there’s another pocket of rolling green hills and deep blue skies that look like they’ve been pulled straight out of a storybook. It’s the kind of countryside that makes you want to pull over every five minutes just to soak it in. Lisa kept commenting on how lush and vibrant the paddocks are compared to the dry stretches we're used to back home—it’s a completely different kind of green altogether.
Of course, even in a quiet place like this, you can’t entirely escape the morning rush. We found ourselves caught in what passes for "peak hour" here in the country of Tasmania. It wasn't exactly a freeway crawl, but we had to wait our turn in a bit of a bottleneck behind a group of motorcyclists and a few other travellers, and of course, the cows as they were making their way back to the paddock. Standing there by the side of a grain silo, we couldn't help but laugh at the contrast to city traffic. Steve joked that we should have brought a thermos of tea to share with the bikers while we waited for the road to clear. It’s a much friendlier way to be stuck in traffic, that’s for sure.
We had our hearts set on seeing St Columba Falls, so we headed off into the thicker timber. We were winding our way through the beautiful tall ferns and heavy forest, almost at the car park, when the road decided it had other plans for us. A massive tree had come down right across the bitumen, completely blocking the path.
Steve got out to have a look, thinking we might be able to hook it up and pull it back out of the way with the Ram, but that log was a monster. It was far too long and heavy to move safely without a chainsaw and a whole lot more muscle. We stood there for a bit, just listening to the silence of the bush, before admitting defeat. We had to perform a bit of a careful u-turn and head back the way we came.
It’s a shame we missed the water, but that’s the beauty of travelling—sometimes nature just tells you to turn around and find another adventure. You kids would have had a field day trying to climb over that trunk, though Lisa probably would have spent the whole time worried about you slipping! Even without the waterfall, the drive through those ancient-looking trees was worth the effort.
