The last leg of Ben's Targa Tasmania Drive this week. First stop after Steppes was Great Lake, a massive 17,610 hectare hydro electric storage supply. It is one of Tasmania's most under-fished waters and is well stocked with brown and rainbow trout. While it looks barren with exposed rocky shores, fish are in very good condition and make excellent eating.
There are no formal camping areas, but if you don't mind roughing it you can pitch a tent or park your campervan on the lake's edge.
While there Ben and the crew happened upon a good old-fashioned wool shed dance at the home of Rin and Harry Frankham. They get a band in and throw their woolshed open to all comers, throw on a barbecue and have a wonderful night — all to raise money for the local community.
The night our crew was there they were raising money for a much-needed upgrade on the local fire truck. Sadly, increasing insurance premiums have forced the Frankhams to put an end to their good work.
Next morning the crew heard on the car radio that station CFM 109.9 was running a most unusual competition. They were trying for the world-record to have the most number of Daves in the one place at the one time, a big task for a small city like Hobart!
Well, the locals got into the fun of it and turned up in their "Dave" shirts and their numbers swelled as they walked the streets. They all ended up having a Boag's beer to celebrate — Ben's shout.
Next stop was Opossum Bay where Ben found himself in a situation a little racier than a bunch of Daves!
A group of very brave senior ladies got together five years ago to come up with a way to raise funds for new stage curtains at the Calverton Hall in South Arm. They all thought Dorothy Kelly was crazy when she came up with the idea of a nude calendar but somehow she convinced them to disrobe and Bare To Be Different calendars are now an annual thing, resulting not only in the purchase of new curtains but a new meeting room and renovated kitchen. And everyone had loads of fun and laughs.
Then it was back to the real reason for the trip — Tasmania Targa — so the crew headed north to Launceston where the big race begins. This year organisers have included a special Tour class for non-competitive drivers and that has created a lot of interest amongst all sorts of people who love the thought of being in the race but found the cost of the big cars a little prohibitive.
