A trip to Tassie
Most of us are burdened by life's daily grind and monotony pushes romance to the bottom of our to-do lists. Is romance something only to be dreamed about? Perth Woman Magazine sent Mary Shepherd to her dream location of Tasmania with her husband Gary, in search of romance, passion and life...
First stop Hobart. We'd arrived and were ready for a night at the Henry Jones Art Hotel, the Peacock Suite no less. This 200-year-old jam factory turned five-star hotel oozes character with a renovation that showcases the original bones of the building yet sits alongside the new luxuries with a supreme resonance. The building makes me feel very comfy and special. After some retail therapy and a sunset walk along the picturesque harbour, a relax in the overflowing spa bath helped wash away all memories of the day's travel and stress of preparing for a holiday.
Nicely relaxed I started to dress for dinner but it was still the same wardrobe I've always had, the same problems with my hair I always have and the surroundings didn't count anymore. I found myself needing something else to keep the 'feeling' alive.
Henry's Restaurant in the hotel complex proved to be both atmospheric and delicious with a fine dining menu and service completing an afternoon way out of the ordinary for me. Surely this is romantic?
I have always longed to see the Tasmanian wilderness and as we drove to Strahan on the west coast the following day, my dream came true. We stopped along the way to take in the magnificent views and to breathe in the moistness of the temperate rainforest and majestic waterfalls. The cold latches onto any part of exposed skin and makes hand-holding and cuddling compulsory. It's great to be able to share this with someone special and while I don't have 'that' feeling, I am in a nice place and starting to warm to the idea of finding romance.
That evening we stayed at Tramway, our 1890s cottage that Russell and Jo of Renison Cottages have renovated delightfully with warm reds in the lounge, soothing stonewash blues in the bedroom and tasty olives in the kitchen. All the extras like the crystal decanter with port and glasses atop the mantelpiece of the fire already filling the room with a warm glow make us feel welcome, the atmosphere is us and I feel the best I have felt for a long time. I feel cosy, safe, warm and alas sleepy. Tonight I will dream of romance.
Now you're probably thinking this sounds very romantic but when you wake up habit, morning rituals, familiarity and day-to-day duties take over, making the previous night seem like a schism in an ordinary world. So is romance only for the newbies who are yet to become completely familiar with each other through things like the joyful expose that is childbirth or life's other surprises, or is it only available in certain timeslots under certain conditions in certain surroundings; could there be some mathematical formula attached to making length of time in a relationship inversely proportional to romance?
As the sun set we drove into the Cradle Mountain National Park for two nights at the Cradle Mountain Chateau, where it was time for a quick spa and fine meal then off to bed. I ponder the special treatment and surroundings; have they worn thin already? Has it all become the norm so quickly and if so, where do I look now for romance?
Maybe romance can be found in personal fulfilment, so being a lover of animals who will do just about anything to spend time with them, today my quest would be to find, see and touch a wombat. We set off on a two hour guided walk, in the rain no less. We were treated to a range of mountain ecosystems in the one walk and at no time did the mountain look like showing itself through the clouds. We found wombat poo but no wombats, however it was the most exhilarating and fantastic experience.
Time to sit by a fire and eat another great meal I don't have to prepare (I'm liking this break from the usual). As we walked to the car after lunch I looked to my side and in the Button grass was a fat wombat chewing away. I could barely control myself but after some slow and careful manoeuvring I managed to lay a hand on his ample rump, which was soaking wet because it was still raining. I turned and there stood my husband in the rain taking photos of this momentus occasion. It was hard to wipe the smile off my face and today was certainly uplifting.
Later we went to the largest photographic exhibition in Australia at the chateau and a collection of the most stunning photographic works we had ever seen. We spent the last few hours of sunlight (again in the rain) searching for another rush of wombat magic. Unable to find this we went to Devils at Cradle Viewing Centre where, unbelievably, one Tasmanian Devil was picked up and brought around to touch and see. Although cute, I thought they were nasty critters unable to be handled, but this fella sat in the lady's arms like a baby.
As we travelled through Tassie we were greeted by spectacular views, magical sunsets and terrific hospitality. We were challenged to rise to the dizzy heights of romance at places like Cradle Mountain where the cloud covered the mountain for two days and although our walk around Dove Lake was in the moistness of the temperate rainforest and majestic waterfalls. The cold latches onto any part of exposed skin and makes hand-holding and cuddling compulsory. It's great to be able to share this with someone special and while I don't have 'that' feeling, I am in a nice place and starting to warm to the idea of finding romance.
That evening we stayed at Tramway, our 1890s cottage that Russell and Jo of Renison Cottages have renovated delightfully with warm reds in the lounge, soothing stonewash blues in the bedroom and tasty olives in the kitchen. All the extras like the crystal decanter with port and glasses atop the mantelpiece of the fire already filling the room with a warm glow make us feel welcome, the atmosphere is us and I feel the best I have felt for a long time. I feel cosy, safe, warm and alas sleepy. Tonight I will dream of romance.
Now you're probably thinking this sounds very romantic but when you wake up habit, morning rituals, familiarity and day-to-day duties take over, making the previous night seem like a schism in an ordinary world. So is romance only for the newbies who are yet to become completely familiar with each other through things like the joyful expose that is childbirth or life's other surprises, or is it only available in certain timeslots under certain conditions in certain surroundings; could there be some mathematical formula attached to making length of time in a relationship inversely proportional to romance?
As the sun set we drove into the Cradle Mountain National Park for two nights at the Cradle Mountain Chateau, where it was time for a quick spa and fine meal then off to bed. I ponder the special treatment and surroundings; have they worn thin already? Has it all become the norm so quickly and if so, where do I look now for romance?
Maybe romance can be found in personal fulfilment, so being a lover of animals who will do just about anything to spend time with them, today my quest would be to find, see and touch a wombat. We set off on a two hour guided walk, in the rain no less. We were treated to a range of mountain ecosystems in the one walk and at no time did the mountain look like showing itself through the clouds. We found wombat poo but no wombats, however it was the most exhilarating and fantastic experience.
Time to sit by a fire and eat another great meal I don't have to prepare (I'm liking this break from the usual). As we walked to the car after lunch I looked to my side and in the Button grass was a fat wombat chewing away. I could barely control myself but after some slow and careful manoeuvring I managed to lay a hand on his ample rump, which was soaking wet because it was still raining. I turned and there stood my husband in the rain taking photos of this momentus occasion. It was hard to wipe the smile off my face and today was certainly uplifting.
Later we went to the largest photographic exhibition in Australia at the chateau and a collection of the most stunning photographic works we had ever seen. We spent the last few hours of sunlight (again in the rain) searching for another rush of wombat magic. Unable to find this we went to Devils at Cradle Viewing Centre where, unbelievably, one Tasmanian Devil was picked up and brought around to touch and see. Although cute, I thought they were nasty critters unable to be handled, but this fella sat in the lady's arms like a baby.
As we travelled through Tassie we were greeted by spectacular views, magical sunsets and terrific hospitality. We were challenged to rise to the dizzy heights of romance at places like Cradle Mountain where the cloud covered the mountain for two days and although our walk around Dove Lake was in the cold rain, it really was fantastic, truly exhilarating. Seeing a wombat in its native habitat was something I had always wanted to do and getting to pat one right outside the lodge was more than I had hoped for! Every room had great views and the restaurants were sublime but over the week I noticed a pattern of feelings that I have not felt for a long time.
Maybe romance has stages and what I knew as romance must be stage one. It's driven by pure desire, that new thing that makes you lightheaded and want to be together nonstop, it makes you want to build a future and throw around words like 'love' and 'forever'. But that was not what I was feeling.
This time together had made us think and talk at length about romance. Are we really looking for it? Does familiarity really breed contempt? Can we really be bothered with all the trappings of a new relationship, on top of all the stress we have to deal with as part of a two-income family with two kids? Maybe stage two of romance cannot happen until all those events have worn you down to a point where you suddenly want it, need it and go looking for it?
So did we find romance?
What we did find was that having a break allowed us the time that we have been denying ourselves for many years and this time has allowed us to realise that we do like to spend time with each other. With a little effort it can make us feel re-connected and re-committed, knowing that we want to be together and we do love each other.
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