I can't believe I'm here on holidays when at home they're having to endure a watery Armageddon. All through the last week more and more of the state was declared a disaster. Now it's hit closer to home. Yesterday Toowoomba was hit by a wall of water. Toowoomba is only an hour and a half drive from Brisbane and is on top of a mountain range. People have been washed away. Homes and cars have been washed away and the disaster is now heading towards Brisbane.

Back in 1974 we had a huge flood. To prevent a subsequent flood the government built a huge dam west of the city. That dam is now at 190% and they're having to release the equivalent of the Sydney Harbour into the Brisbane River every day. Combine that with king tides and Thursday is looking grim. My house should be okay but one of my sisters may have issues. She's moved in with my Mum. And here I am miles away on holiday feeling a little helpless.

Yesterday Iven and I headed out to Port Arthur. Port Arthur is the remains of one of the country's harshest penal colonies. The worst of the worst came here. Funnily enough I saw a family name in the list of 'guests' of His Majesty. It was a fascinating day. In 1996 it was the site of Australia's worst shooting massacre. I found the Memorial Garden very moving.

On the way back to Hobart we stopped in at some natural attractions - Tasman's Arch, the Tesselated Pavement and the Blowhole.

Today's itinerary included a walk at Mt Wellington, about half an hour drve from Hobart. It was a challenging hike over a lot of boulders in the rain. We were supposed to find a natural feature called the Organ Pipes but the terrain was so rugged that we spent the whole hike watching our feet and totally missed them.

Next stop was Sorell's Fruit Farm. Pay just $12 and you get to fill a pretty big punnet with whatever fruit you want to pick. Strawberries, loganberries, youngberries, berries-that-I've-never-heard-of-but-taste-delicious, nectarines, apricots and cherries. Oh those cherries! Yum! I'm now over the Cadbury chocolate disappointment. But I was wondering if you can eat too much fruit. I think Iven and I aye almost as much as we brought away with us.

The last stop was Richmond. It's the site of Australia's oldest bridge which is still in use. It was a beautiful village. Lots of interesting shops and lovely buildings. If you like history, Tasmania is well worth a visit.