Devonport

Sunday starts with brunch at a cafe in Ulverstone. Karina had seen their specials online and they looked delicious - and they are! The mushrooms in my veggie bowl are cooked to perfection. In Devonport we stop by some markets with fresh, local produce and quirky, handcrafted gifts and foodstuff. Karina is now the proud owner of a glass mushroom and a jar of vanilla pear jam.

Just outside the second market stall is the Southern Wild Distillery. Makers of Ocean, Meadow, Mountain and Saffron gins, we go in for a quick taste test and find ourselves sharing two cocktails at 11:30am! The first is a saffron gin with a twist of lime, the second: ocean gin with ginger. A decent walk is in order; Karina has to drive and my own breakfast hasn't been quite hearty enough to stifle the impact of a full cocktail before lunch. I realise at this point that anyone reading my blogs must think I'm a bit of a boozer - funnily enough I'm not much of a drinker and this is a holiday treat, and probably the reason it's all going straight to my head!

Latrobe is next on our busy plan for the day. There's a shop called Reliquaire which is divided into differently themed rooms. The stock and merchandising is superb and I find myself in Ollivanders wand shop, Alice's tea party (via a miniature doorway), a dinosaur garden, spooky room, and a huge array of retro-themed games and home decorations. It's all very cool - even for someone who professes to dislike shopping.

On to Mersey Bluff to admire more of that classic Tasmanian coastline, then home to drop off our goods before we go berry picking. Blackberries grow prolifically across the island and there are huge patches of them near the railway lines. We drive up to Sulphur Creek with empty containers and in between the thorn pricks and scratches, we fill our bellies with almost as much fruit as goes into the containers. There's little as tasty as fruit straight from the bush.

My ferry has been delayed an hour and it's past 10pm by the time I sit down to dinner. I've already met Kerry in the boarding line up - he's noticed my NSW number plates and come forward for a chat while we waited. I've now seen photos of his family and his new collection of gemstones. Mary is in the neighbouring recliner seat, she's a new nurse graduate who's moving to Melbourne for work. We attempt to get comfortable in our seats, which don't recline all the way as we're against the back wall. I don't think I sleep much at all between the snoring man two seats down and the pins and needles in my arms from resting in an odd position. At 7am the wake up call lets me know that at least I don't have to try anymore.

I have a job interview at 11:15am, there's plenty of time and nowhere to be. There's really no choice but to drive straight to Mister Nice Guy's for a breakfast cinnamon bun. In fact, it's an obligation - and one well worth it. There's work to be done and nowhere I can think of to do it with this sleep-deprived brain, so I sit in the car for what I hope is a successful interview and drive out to Fitzroy in the hopes of finding some lunch. I don't manage to get any food - I get distracted by a very cute dress that's taunting me with its breezy skirt and sleevelessness. It's over 30C outside; between the Tasmanian cool and Melbourne heat I'm not winning the clothing game.

The dress comes back to the car with me and it's time to go and see Fiona, who feeds me a lovely lunch in lieu of the one I didn't buy. We take baby Zac and go for an afternoon stroll. It's still ridiculously hot. Some travel advice from Yoni, a friend we bump into on the way, then a slow trip out to Zane's place for a night on his (very comfortable) couch.

I finally get to meet Ruby the dog and Ra the cat, two affectionate and huggable furry friends. Ruby is an exceptionally well-behaved rescue dog, her boof-headed affection is so contagious it's hard to actually stop patting her. Ra is beautiful - and she knows it. She's also as much of a lap-loving cat as my own Rami is, and probably just as fussy when it comes to food. Zane is so hospitable and we sit chatting late into the night. Oops, sorry Zane - work tomorrow for you, not for me.