Murals & Mailboxes in Northern Tasmania

Our time in Tasmania is rapidly passing - why does that happen when you're on holiday? Another great day out that we always try to do when we're home is a trip to Sheffield which is a small town 54 miles east of Wynyard. Its normal population is just over 1500 people but during the year they have over 200,000 visitors to see the main attraction of the town,which is murals.

Around the town there are sixty large murals and a mural park where a festival is held every year where nine artists compete for the best mural, meaning that every time we go there are new art works to admire.

The year before each festival they hold a poetry competition and the winning poem is the theme that the artists have to follow for their murals. The poem that this years competition was based on was called 'Through the eyes of a child'.

This is the 2017 judges choice winner, Make Believe.

This was last years winner of both the judges choice and the visitors choice and is called 'Pondering'. I love how the modern scene is reflected by images of the past. The title of the poem that the artists had as their theme was Reflections of Time.

After our look around the murals we went for lunch at the Blacksmith Gallery Cafe which is in, surprise, surprise, the old blacksmith's building. We really love this cafe as it's quite funky with lots of quirky things throughout the building. Note the very colourful tablecloth (and Ken pretending he's posh with his little finger stuck out).

Here's a few close up shots of the very interesting tablecloth.

Very cute salt and pepper shakers.

Sign on the cash register - love all four of these notices. If you can't read the last one, its says; 'Warning, today's lunch special 3-Bean chilli' and then there's a picture of a gas mask.

A couple of shots of the cafe - there are decorative teapots everywhere you look.

The toilet doesn't disappoint in it's quirkiness and there are quotes and messages written all over the walls and ceiling which I love - I think Ken and mum thought I had fallen into the toilet as I took so long reading the walls. Of course I had to leave a quote of my own; 'Not all those who wander are lost' - J R R Tolkien.

I laughed so much when I read this message below - so funny.

Love these eyes that are above the toilet door, looking at you whilst you're in there.

Mum and Ken went into Slaters which is a general store established in 1899 and I went for a walk down to The Emporium which is a antique/second hand store which is beyond eclectic. What I love most about this store is the notices the owner puts on some of the items.

In case you can't read the notice on the wheelchair, its says:

'Brought gran on holiday and now regret it? Whinging and wining and too many toilet stops? Here is your answer! Strap her in, give her a tin mug and sit her on a street corner in each town you visit. She might make some fuel/food money or you might get lucky and forget her!

Another funny note on this old metal bedpan - I wasn't tempted to buy it.

More artwork. The cockatoo (beautiful colours) is a painting on the front of the Emporium, and the mural is further up the street on the side of a building. You can't tell it in the photo, but the cat looks like it is sticking out from the building it is so realistic.

A couple of pictures of things around the town that appealed to me. All the names on the sign are actual places not far from Sheffield.

After Sheffield we headed to Wilmot and the novelty mailbox trail. Over a distance of 25 km there are 80 novelty mailboxes - we didn't do the whole trail but we did see a lot of them. I've put them into collages to show you the variety that there are.

Wilmot is known as the valley of views and you can see why on a day like we had with such a clear view of Black Bluff which dominates the skyline.

 The two best mailboxes we saw on the trail were the Dalek which marks the start of the trail, and the very groovy red baron.

We stopped in Wilmot to buy a drink from the general store and enjoyed sitting in the sun to drink it - despite it being winter, out of the wind it was a really lovely day. The artistic theme continues in Wilmot, with a painted shed, a horse pulling a mural, and a tree wrapped in a blanket.

This is a spot the creature photo - I've not included one of these for a while, but this is a good one. The white all over the tree on the right and flying to the one on the left, is a flock of white cockatoos. There is a farmhouse just out of shot on the right - it must be so noisy when they are sitting there.

A great day of fun, and if you're ever in the north of Tasmania make sure that Sheffield is on your list of places to visit. Until next time, be good, stay safe, and take time this week to enjoy the quirky things in your life.

Pamela & Ken
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P.S: Final shot is what I can see of my beloved when he gets into bed - he's cold here at the bottom of the world and is sleeping with his whole face covered up - it's very cute.