I was I think the last car off the ferry, parked in one corner of deck 2. There were no cars to follow out, so almost took a wrong turning coming out of deck 2 out of the ship. It's not as though there's any marking on the ship at all to actually indicate where to go, and if you're the last one out that doesn't help,

Reflecting on my voyage to Tasmania in the winter, it taught me several things. I learnt a bit from this trip, even if I didn't enjoy all of it.

Pumphouse Point is somewhere that made me the most miserable, for the most amount of money, dressed up in the airiness of luxury. It is luxurious, but completely not for me.

I didn't get the relaxation promised, I didn't really enjoy it either. But it taught me and gave me an example of what I don't want, which I think is a valuable lesson in and of itself.

My experience there wouldn't stop me from returning to the general area again, there's the Lake St Clair lodge that also offers accommodation which might be more my thing.

But the stay at Pumphouse Point with its regimented time for dinner felt a little too much like a tour-type experience where I had to be there and there was a big speech about how dinner worked. I'm much more for a relaxed way of dining where I can just go and do my thing and leave, returning to my room to relax.

Upon reflection I realise now I would have preferred to stay somewhere where I have full control of what I do and when. At Lake St Clair I didn't really feel that, even for that single night I was there.

I prefer long drives to take in the scenery, the doing stuff at the destination has less appeal for me, I knew this already, but this Tasmanian trip has confirmed it.

If I was going to go to Tasmania in the winter again I'd take a lot more warm clothing.

I should have brought more pairs of my pure Merino socks rather than half Merino and half wool blend socks.

Also a few other things like a air compressor (the cold gave the tyre pressure warnings in my ute a bit of a freakout).

I was right to take three pairs of shoes, even though I only used two of them. One of the pair were some waterproof Gore-Tex boots which kept my feet dry in the muddy Ranelagh site.

I wonder if I would go to Tasmania again in the winter? I'm not sure, maybe. The last time I went to Tasmania I went in October, which was really pleasant. Cool but sunny days. I think I might go to Tasmania in the latter parts of winter, again. But perhaps not the middle of winter.

But then...maybe I'll go again to the Mid-Winter Festival, I enjoyed it this year, and maybe I'll go again, I'll just make sure to book better, warmer, nicer accommodation next time. And going again with a better idea of what will happen might make it more enjoyable.