Day Eight - Richmond

Hi guys,

Sorry for not posting this yesterday; I actually ran out of Internet usage in the hotel as I uploaded pictures to facebook (mum, you can look at them there, and perhaps show Grandad as I probably won't get around to posting them here for a while). Grandad, this also explains whilst Skype cut out when I was talking to you, and Kerry, why I couldn't talk to you at all....

The involved another early start (obviously) to catch a bus to Richmond, one of the oldest towns in Tasmania (along with Hobart, Launceston, Oatlands and Ross I believe - all of which are along the Heritage Way), established in 1815 I think. This place is located just 30 minutes or so north of Hobart, and set amongst the beautiful countryside of the Coal River Valley. Now what makes Richmond so "famous" is its classic Georgian architecture, which makes it very similar to the other smaller settlements of Ross and Oatlands.

Once again there is a bridge, but this is not just any bridge, it is the oldest bridge in Australia which I think is quite impressive. What's more impressive is that this was only in 1815; stupid Australia with it's modern colonialism. Found in many places around this bridge are strange and wonderful creatures which at first sight appear to be ducks. If one wanders closer, however, it soon becomes obvious that these are no ordinary ducks. Firstly, they are gigantic ducks - at least goose size by my reckoning, not the cute little ducks found in the UK. Secondly, there is one strange species that looks like some strange hybrid of a duck, a turkey, and a goose. Again this creature is goose size, with a ducks plumage, but some strange red markings around its beak. I'm not sure exactly what this is, but I didn't hang around to examine further as I was notably freaked out by these wing-ed beasts!

In addition to learning a thing or two about strange animal amalgamations, I learnt a new word yesterday. Now before I tell you what this word was, I should tell you that I had been stumped about this word for a while, having come across it in my tour guide a fair few times, but thinking it was some strange Australian word and quickly moving along. Now, in Richmond, there happens to be one of these new-word things, so I plucked up the courage to ask our bus driver what it was...the word....GAOL. I had no idea how to pronounce this word, if I did, it probably would have been pretty obvious what it was. So what is a gaol I hear you ask (well perhaps just the other stupid people), it is a JAIL! Apparently gaol is the "British" way of spelling jail, with the latter being the American spelling. Being a Brit, I can honestly say with my hand on my heart, that I have never ever ever seen jail spelt like that. What is the world coming to eh?

So all in all, I lovely trip to a historical little town complete with mystical creatures and so-called gaols. Good times...