Bicheno

Tuesday April 17th we headed North from Triabunna along the East coast to Bicheno. We had booked in for a week as school holidays are scheduled for the next two weeks in Tasmania. We will use this as a base to explore the East Coast.

We travelled through Swansea on route to checking in at the Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park. We arrived in late morning and got two large powered sites. The sites are very wide with pads and lots of grass. Unfortunately the roads are fairly narrow and we had a tight fit getting onto our site. We did fairly well though and got setup without any serious issues. A couple of amenity blocks which are kept very clean. 4.5 stars for these ones! Would be one of the nicest caravan parks to date in Tassie!

The girls got straight to work on our laundry which had stacked up since our last caravan park. The weather was good and the winds had died down quite a bit which was helpful for getting clothes dry! We walked over to the Visitor Centre in the afternoon and gathered some information for our week ahead.

Wednesday we set off with the Ransleys to Freycinet National Park. We drove to the end of the road which is just South of Coles Bay and the National Park Visitor Centre. We loaded up with our backpacks and setoff on the 5 hour walk to Wineglass Bay and Hazzards Beach. The walk began with a fairly good climb to the Wineglass Bay Lookout. Quite a few steps with a couple of cool chairs/benches to rest at.

The lookout was crowded but the weather was good. We eventually got to the front of the crowds and got some good photos of the bay and beaches below.

From here we continued on down the hill towards Wineglass Bay. Lots and lots of steps this way but downhill at least. We spent a bit of time once we arrived at the beach enjoying the sun and the views. A beautiful spot for sure! We got to watch a Juvenile Pacific Gull enjoy a fish dinner while there. Quite a mouthful!

 

From here we took the Isthmus track which crossed from Wineglass Bay to Hazzards Beach on the opposite side of the peninsula. A lot less people from this point on in the walk as most people only go to the lookout or to Wineglass Bay before returning to the start of the walk. Not a lot to see on the Isthmus track but eventually we came out at Hazzards Beach. This beach was very different than Wineglass Bay but beautiful in it's own right. More shells, rock, and seaweed but also a bit more character. We enjoyed walking along it for a bit before stopping on some rocks to enjoy the lunches we had packed. Very enjoyable!

After lunch we took a bit more time exploring the rocks at the end of the beach before entering a more bush like track again at Fleurieu Point. Lots of ups and downs from here with a few nice viewpoints of Coles Bay. We were pretty tired again by the time we returned to the parking lot. All up the 11Km walk took us about 4 1/2 hours although we would have had at least an hour of breaks. A good workout though with lots of steps both up and down! A great day though with super weather.

Thursday we decided to take a bit of an easier day and set off in our car for Swansea. We stopped at a lookout at Devil's Corner Vineyard on the way there. They had a lovely tower viewpoint that overlooked the vineyard and Moulting Lagoon, with the Hazzards of Freycinet in the background.

We then travelled through Swansea before stopping at Spiky Beach. We did a bit of a walk and some rock climbing there. Beautiful colours with another perfect day weatherwise.

Next stop was only 150M down the road at Spiky Bridge. I think you can figure out the name from the photo. Very interesting and in surprisingly good shape. I would say it was much better than many bridges currently in use on Tasmanian roads!

Back on the road North we had another short stop and walk at Cressy Beach before stopping at Kate's Berry Farm for morning tea. Rans and I enjoyed an ice cream while the girls were spoiled with gluten free scones c/w jam & cream. I nice surprise for them that they thoroughly enjoyed!

After morning tea we headed back to Swansea where we did a short walk along the beach and around the headland. I'll challenge anyone on the proper pronunciation of the walking track name in the photo below.

Rans and I picked up a couple of meat pies and we all enjoyed our lunches at the waterfront. After lunch we turned North again towards Bicheno. We toured along the coast a bit with our first stop taking us to the Swan River where there was a boat launch and a small area for camping. Next we took the Dolphin Sands Road which followed a long beach that ended at the small community of Dolphin Sands. From the beach here you were only a short distance across the water from Coles Bay.

On the return journey we stopped at Melshell Oysters. We picked up a dozen oysters to take back to the caravan. They turned out to be large and delicious (possibly the best of our current trip)!

We had a short stop at the Bicheno Blowhole upon our return. The seas were fairly quiet but we still got a few good blasts of water through the blowhole. Lots of neat rock formations with good colours to enjoy as well.

We enjoyed a sunny afternoon back at the caravan park. One of the few lately where we were able to have afternoon tea/drinks outside with the Ransleys. Rans and I enjoyed the oysters while the girls enjoyed cracker and cheese. We did a bit of planning as well for the next few days and our plans while the Ransleys returned to NSW for Scott & Skye's wedding. We also discussed our plans for the last 3 weeks of our adventure upon their return.

Friday we had another big day planned as we headed North with the Ransleys to explore St. Helens and the Bay of Fires. We got an early start and drove straight through to St. Helens.  Much of the road was along the coast and very scenic. Sections of it were actually really good, but of course there were many that weren't. How many major roads anywhere in the civilized world have corners with 25Km/hr posted on them?? St. Helens itself was a bit larger than we expected and looked like a beautiful coastal town. We stopped at the Visitor Centre for a stretch and to get a bit of local knowledge about the area.

The weather once again was shining down on us with clear skies (albeit a bit smoky). As such we decided to head North to Mt. Williams National Park and explore the famous Bay of Fires coastline. The road there while mostly unsealed was good and not busy. The few cars we met were driving to conditions and we felt as safe as possible on Tasmania roads. We arrived at Eddystone Point within about an hour. The lighthouse was quite unique with its bare unpainted rock construction.

We took a short walk through a fairly unkempt path to a secluded beach. What beautiful colours in the water and the rocks. We enjoyed a nice walk along the powdery white sand and bit of exploration through the colourful rocks. Wonderful to explore such a lovely area totally on your own!

We took another walk just on the other side of the lighthouse which took us through some rolling sand dunes before joining another beautiful secluded beach. How great to discover these wonderful sights to enjoy without anyone else!

We had one more stop at Policeman's Point on our return journey. There is quite a nice campground there where we enjoyed our picnic lunch on the sandy beach. The campground did have some spots for large caravans but we don't think we would chance it as there was limited turning area.

We returned most of the way back to St. Helens before we took a backroad East towards the Southern end of the Bay of Fires. We arrived at the main road tourist road near Binalong Bay but headed North towards "The Gardens". Another wonderful location with so many beautiful colours and incredible rock formations. A short walk took us to along some lovely sandy beaches and before doing some rock climbing. The smoke around St. Helens was long forgotten, leading to beautiful blue skies and wonderful weather. Wow!

We took a slow drive back stopping to explore a number of campgrounds and beaches. Only a few campgrounds would be suitable for larger caravans and we wouldn't attempt during peak periods although it wasn't as busy as we expected during school holidays. Highlight would be the beach and walk we did over the rocks near Slope Rock. Lovely colours and awesome rocks!

We retraced our route and then turned towards Binalong Bay. While this is the primary tourist destination at the "Bay of Fires" we found it underwhelming. Possibly because the lighting wasn't as good as earlier in the day but it just didn't seem as impressive as our other stops. Nice but not great in our opinion!

We took a bit of an off road experience out to Humbug Point campground. The road was a bit rough but it was a nice campground along the water at George's Bay. Again it wasn't probably somewhere we would go with our caravans but was a nice camping location.

We finally headed back through St. Helens and back to Bicheno. Lovely colours in the sky along the coast on our return journey. A long but wonderful day!

Saturday we planned a bit of an easier day again with us driving out to Freycinet National Park again. We first did a walk at Sleepy Bay which while short was challenging with many steps. Well worth the effort with beautiful rock formations and great colours. Unfortunately, there was smoky haze in the air which limited our photo opportunities somewhat. That being said we got some good ones!

Next stop was the lighthouse at Cape Tourville. One of the best short walks we have been on that is suitable to wheelchairs. A great wide ramp that circles the base of the lighthouse and offers great views of Wineglass Bay and the surrounding seas. The smoky haze meant the views were not as good as they could have been but still amazing. A short set of steps led up to the actual lighthouse which was less inspiring. It was only recently installed, completely automated, and quite simply very plain! We took the steps down to the circular walkway and completed the walk with impressive views to the North.

We then visited the Visitor Centre where we did a short walk to Oyster Bay overlooking Coles Bay. From there we did a bit of a driving tour around the town of Coles Bay. Had a stop at a secluded bay where we did a short walk and search for shells.

We ventured a bit North to Friendly Beach where we did another short walk. We had planned a swim but the weather was not cooperative. While not cold there was a bit of wind and cloud. We did find some neat rock formations farther down the beach which reminded us of "The Tessellated Pavement" on the Tasman Peninsula. Rans managed to get wet shoes when a bit of a rogue wave caught him by surprise.

We drove back to Bicheno and had our picnic lunch at the waterfront. A beautiful setting and a nice relaxing day.

Sunday we had another big day planned with our second road trip up to St. Helen. We set out in the Jeep early after the girls had made a quick visit to a disappointing Bicheno Sunday Market. We took at detour to St Marys on our way beginning on the infamous Elephant Pass. Thankfully it was a short journey although steep, narrow, and winding. Not one we will be taking the caravan on anytime soon! Was interesting as we were passing through and above the clouds during our drive. We turned back at St Marys and took the St Marys Pass back towards the coast. This road was considerably better but still not one I would take our caravan on. Was much busier as well with off course an 80km/hr speed limit!

We stopped at St Helens again for a stretch before heading North West. At Pyengana we stopped briefly at the Cheese Factory. Sampled a couple of cheeses which were good but expensive.

We then travelled the short distance to St Columba Falls. Here we completed a short walk down to the base of the 90M falls. Quite a lovely walk through rainforest, where you could feel the temperature dropping as you descended. The falls themselves were quite impressive with considerable water pouring over the top. Would be very impressive after a large rain!

From here we took a shortcut on a small gravel road to Ralph Falls. The road was very, very narrow with lots of blind corners. Thankfully we didn't meet much traffic and the logging trucks were not operational on Sunday! Once at Ralph Falls we did another short walk that took us to a lookout platform. From here you got a good view of the falls and the surrounding farmland. Not much water running in the falls but the fields were a beautiful green in the valley below. Back at the carpark we enjoyed our picnic lunches before continuing on towards Ringarooma. Road was somewhat better but still steep and narrow. Only met one vehicle which was lucky!

We drove through Ringarooma stopping at Legerwood. Beautiful farmland with rolling hills and bright green fields in this region. Legerwood was a pleasant surprise as it had a number of memorial trees. A series of trees planted in memory of the town's war victims had been sculpted into works of art honouring each of the victims. Quite incredible as you can see from the photos.

 

From here we travelled back East through Branxholm, Derby, Moorina, and Weldborough before returning to Pyengana. Derby was the only sizeable town of the bunch and appeared to be focussed on mountain bikes. At Pyengana we stopped at the "Pub in the Paddock" for a cold beer and a look around. Basically a small pub on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but the beer was lovely and cold!

From here we retraced our steps back to St Helens and Bicheno. A long day as the roads are very challenging!

Monday was a rest day from touring although Sandra was busy doing cleaning and laundry. We had some meat pies for lunch which were some of the best so far and did a couple of short walks around Bicheno. The weather was nice again although it had come up a bit windy during the night. The Ransleys are heading off on Tuesday as they are flying home for a week. As such we enjoyed a lovely baked chicken dinner to send them on their way.

Sandra and I have decided to extend our stay at Bicheno for one day, then return to Triabunna to do the Maria Island cruise on Thursday. We were able to book in for the cruise and the weather forecast is good at present. The Ransleys got away early and Sandra and I enjoyed a relaxing day. A bit windy and cooler but we still managed to get the car washed and a short walk along the waterfront. Lots of laundry for Sandra and computer work for me. It did feel good though to have a couple of easy days of relaxing.

We will take in the ANZAC dawn service in Bicheno Wednesday morning before packing up and heading South to Triabunna. All in all we have really enjoyed Bicheno and our exploration of the East Coast. Marvellous scenery in this part of Tasmania! We would highly recommend the caravan park as well!

Triabunna

Sunday April 15th saw us say our final goodbyes to the Tasman Peninsula and begin our trek North along the Eastern coast of Tasmania. Our first planned stop was at Triabunna which is the main access point to Maria Island.

The trip was short in distance and the initial section was good road. That of course changed to the usual winding, hilly, narrow roads that we still haven't got used to. There was one section just before we got to Orford that was very narrow with a sharp drop to the left with only a few unsteady looking wooden posts. Not very relaxing especially when towing a caravan.

We pulled into the Spring Bay Hotel in Triabunna late morning and got set up in the camping area at the rear of the Hotel. The area is fenced and offered for a donation which goes to the local community. A very nice stop with good amenities across the road at the Visitor Centre. We checked in with the bar staff to let them know we were there while Rans and I enjoyed a cold beer. We did a short walk along the wharf area checking out the Ferry and tour boat, as well as numerous private vessels. Quite a pretty area with the sun shining the calm winds.

After lunch we headed out for a short drive to explore the surrounding area. We headed South again to Orford before heading towards the coast. Our first stop was Spring Beach where we had a short walk.

From there we continued where we got a nice view of Prosser Bay before another short stop at Shelley Beach.

We finished off with a short drive around Triabunna which wasn't all that exciting a place other than the wharf district. We did get treated to a really nice rainbow as we were returning to our campground.

Sandra and I were interested in doing the Maria Island Cruise on the Monday but when we called they were 90% sure it would be cancelled as very high winds were predicted. The Ransleys had decided to take the ferry over to the Island and do a few walks instead.

We woke to near gale conditions and while the Ransleys headed off for the 9am ferry they returned shortly as even the ferry had been cancelled. The day was miserable with cool temperatures and very strong winds. We ventured out for some hot chips at the Fish Van which were very good and reasonable. Sandra and I also did a short walk along the main street in the afternoon. There wasn't too much to see and we nearly got blown away. All in all it was a quiet day spent huddled in the caravan catching up computer work.

We are moving on tomorrow to Bicheno where we are booked in for a week during school holidays. We didn't get to do the Maria Island tour due to the weather but may have another look at it when we return this way to head up to Launceston.

Tasman Peninsula

Sunday April 8 saw us packing up in light rain for our trip to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. We needed to retrace our previous path to Kettering and through Hobart before turning South West towards Port Arthur. This was one of our longer drives with our caravans in Tasmania at 180Km. It doesn't sound like much but was fairly stressful given the state of the roads and having to tow through downtown Hobart.

We arrived at the Port Arthur Holiday Park around lunch time where we were booked for 4 days. This is a former Big 4 now run by the NRMA. As far as NRMA parks go it was reasonable at $35/night after our discount. The sites are a good size and most seem to be drive thru. Unfortunately the pads are quite uneven and our site dropped away at the front and back making for a difficult levelling operation. The sites are separated by trees so quite private and lots of wildlife in the park. A few parrots introduced themselves while we were trying to get the awning out. Amenity block is a good size and kept relatively clean. 3.5 Stars. The park seems to get quite a few school groups through so the amenity blocks are busy.

It rained most of the day but the girls still did some laundry. Had to use the dryers at the campground for some bigger stuff and hung quite a bit out overnight under the awning.

Monday morning was cloudy and windy but we set off for a drive with the Ransleys. We stopped briefly at the Port Arthur Historical site to gather information about costs and hours of operation. Beautiful new building but not really any area to seek information other than the ticket lines which were busy.

Our first stop and short walk was at Remarkable Cave. We walked down a short set of steps to a viewing platform which looks out through the cave towards the ocean. It was quite peaceful when we were there but signs advise to not go to viewing platform during big seas.

We next did some short drives on either side of Wedge Bay at Nubeena/White Beach. We did a short walk through the sand dunes to Roaring Beach which wasn't living up to it's name the day we were there. Looked like quite a nice beach although not warm enough to tempt Rans and I for a swim.

Next stop was Lime Bay State Reserve on the North West tip of the peninsula. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on a rock ledge overlooking the water towards Dunalley. We completed a short walk around the Coal Mines Historic site after lunch. A former coal mine run by prison labour from Port Arthur was quite a dismal place and certainly didn't look like somewhere you would have wanted to be when it was in operation. We did get some lovely photos of the old ruins while there though.

We then travelled East to Eaglehawk Neck. We stopped at Pirate's Bay Lookout before continuing on to the "Tessellated Pavement" which is a unique rock structure created by salt water over millions of years. Quite fascinating!

We headed South from here back to our campground. Most of our washing was finally dry when we returned.

Tuesday morning the Ransleys set off to visit the Port Arthur Historical site. Sandra and I decided not to go as is a very dark part of Australian history, both from the penal colony and the mass shooting that occurred there. Instead we set off to complete the Cape Raoul walk. This is a Grade 4 walk that is about 15Km return and projected to take 5 hours. We set off about 9am and headed up the hill on a well marked and smooth track. The weather was good other than strong winds which we could hear as we walked through the trees. After about an hour of gradual climbing we reached our first lookout point which offered a great view of the coastline and the Cape Raoul bluff we would soon be venturing to. Well constructed lookout with solid fence which was good as was a straight drop down the cliffs and ocean below! Sandra loved a couple of chairs we came across on our journey. The first was called the Echidna chair and made out of wood, while the second we think was to look like a seal or a whale made out of black steel.

We headed off again for quite a level stretch through trees before beginning a gradual descent through rain forest like flora. The temperature dropped in this section but fortunately so did the wind.  Quite a few sandstone steps in this section before we levelled out somewhat on the actual bluff. The flora changed again to scraggly bush such as along beaches in some sand dune areas. A bit spooky looking. This ended near where the cliff portion of the walk began in earnest. The vegetation here looked almost alpine with very short plants that were obviously exposed to harsh winds.

Another couple of lookouts at this point looked down into a large rock crevice which we walked around. Got a call from Stephanie while we were near here which was funny as we didn't have mobile service for much of the walk. We also spotted a small echidna near the path here which cooperated for a few photos.

The walk continued through some more scraggly trees to the two main lookout points. The first looked directly down over the unique rock structure that is Cape Raoul. Good views of the surrounding sea and land as well.

The second lookout point was called Seal Lookout and gave a much better view of Cape Raoul itself from the side. There was a seal colony at the base of Cape Raoul which we could see fairly clearly with the zoom lens on our Canon camera. A couple of backpackers took advantage of our camera as well to get a better view of the seals. We enjoyed our picnic lunch here overlooking Cape Raoul and the sea colony. A lovely spot and well worth the effort to get there.

Sadly though we now had to retrace our steps to complete the walk. Quite a bit of effort to climb all the steps back to the original lookout. Our feet were hurting a bit by this point and we enjoyed a break and a snack at the lookout. Had another look as well as the weather had improved even from the morning visit. The remainder of the journey was mostly downhill but we were still pretty tired by the time we got back to the car. The walk took us just under the 5 hours but an hour of that was probably lunch, snack breaks, and lookout appreciation! We headed back to the campground where we had a quiet night. The Ransleys had enjoyed Port Arthur and did a bit more exploration of the Eaglehawk Neck area.

On a sad note we received a few pieces of bad news today. Firstly, was the terrible bus tragedy that occurred in Canada involving the Humbolt Broncos Junior Hockey team. At last count 16 of the 30 passengers on the bus have passed away, mostly young men between 16 & 21. It's hard to explain how travelling on a bus with your ice hockey team is such an integral part of growing up in Canada. The members of this team like many, came from several towns/cities across Western Canada.  So many lives would be affected. The second piece of bad news was finding out our good friend from Fort McMurray, Darlene Perrier, had passed away after a lengthy illness. We had enjoyed so many good times working and playing together over the years in Fort McMurray. Our hearts go out to her family. It was a very glum evening for us!

Wednesday morning the four of us set off on another challenging walk. This was another grade 4 walk to Cape Huay which was considerably shorter than Cape Raoul at 9Km return. I think Sandra and I set off a bit cocky as would be easy after the walk yesterday! Well we were wrong, wrong, wrong! Yes it was shorter but most of it was vertical, with thousands of steps up and down! The walk began with a large climb to the top of the ridge which a Ranger confided was called "Heartbreak Hill". The walk then consisted of a series of 3 valleys and climbs culminating in a short walk along the cliff edge into the lookout point. From the lookout you could look down on two rock formations called the "Totem Pole" and the "Candlestick". Both are amazing structures but quite difficult to see from the lookout above. You need to hang out over the lookout fence to really see both of them which is quite terrifying. I think I was the only one of our group to really get a good look and even I was pretty nervous. Huge straight drop off the lookout! The good news is we all made it to the end for at least a quick look and to say we had done it. The weather was quite varied throughout our walk with lots of cold wind and a few showers. The sun came out a few times though so we were forever putting extra clothes on or off!

The bad news is we now had to retrace all those steps to return to the car park. It was a huge effort for all of us and we were definitely worse for wear by the time we made in back!  I think the pictures say it all! Very sore feet and tired legs. Rans and I chugged a cold beer in the parking lot!

We then headed to Eaglehawk Neck for a fish and chip lunch. Girls were able to get a large package of gluten free hot chips while Rans and I had some squid & chips.

We had a quick look at the "Blowhole" and "Fossil Lookout" after lunch. We then had quick stops at the "Tasman Arch" and "Devil's Kitchen".  All were amazing rock and raging seas attractions. Well worth the visit although we couldn't fully enjoy due to our state of exhaustion.

Back to the campground where we soaked our feet and did little else! We enjoyed a lovely dinner that Carol had prepared for us.

Thursday we packed up in light rain to head a bit North to Dunalley. This is a small town that is at the very Northern tip of the Tasman Peninsula. We stayed in a large field behind the Dunalley Hotel which was a free camp. No facilities although you could use the Hotel toilets during operating hours. The wind was blowing a gale when we arrived. It changed direction 3 times in about 2 minutes as we drove across the field and began to set up. The wind was so strong that the bubble in the level was rocking back and forth as we tried to get the van level! We also couldn't get the fridge started on gas because it kept blowing out. We eventually got it going and covered most of the vent with some cardboard to keep it from blowing out. We will need to get it looked at again when we get home as it really shouldn't blow out in the wind. Rans and I enjoyed a couple of cold beer in the Pub to thank them for our stay during the afternoon, but most of the day was spent in our caravans sheltering from the wind and rain. We decided during the day that we would do the Pennicott Wilderness Tasman cruise on Friday. This is the same company that we did the Bruny Island cruise with and we were able to reserve spots for Friday morning.

We woke up to sunny skies and the four of us headed South in the car back to Port Arthur. Arrived there just after 9 where we paid our fares and did our final bathroom stops. We then took a bus back to Eaglehawk Neck where we boarded the two boats. Same boats as the Bruny Island cruises with lots of power and of course, the fashionable red wet weather gear!

Our first stops were revisiting some of the attractions we had seen the day before from above. The "Tasman Arch", "Devils Kitchen", and Waterfall Bay. Great views of all of these as we were able to go right into a couple of caves to explore. The rock formation here is all sedimentary or horizontal layers.

When we left this area we came across a large pod of dolphins and a large number of Albatross. The dolphins played with the two boats for quite a while giving lots of photo opportunities. Seeing a large group of Albatross like this is quite rare as they usually are quite solitary. The guides explained the rough weather of the previous few days had created perfect feeding conditions for the dolphins which attracted the birdlife including the Albatross. Huge birds with up to 3 meter wingspans! We also saw a couple of White Bellied Sea Eagles high in a tree along Waterfall Bay.

From here we continued along Fortescue Bay to Cape Huay. Here the rock formation changed to vertical pillars. We were able to view the "Totem Pole" and "Candlestick" again at water level from both sides of Cape Huay. Amazing and a much better view than from our walk yesterday. We even saw a couple of climbers on beginning to climb the "Totem Pole" which is 4 meters in diameter and 67 meters high. Apparently this is one of the most challenging rock climbs in the world. The "Candlestick" is also a highly sought after climbing location. Not for us as you need to repel down from the lookout before swinging across to the base of either. This is followed by a completely vertical climb!

 

From here we headed off across more open waters to Cape Pillar and Tasman Island. Huge 300 meter sea cliffs are the highest in the Southern hemisphere. We were lucky enough to see a sailing yacht go between us and the cliffs as we went around Tasman Island. There was large colonies of male Australian Fur Seals around the base of the island. A few were out swimming in the water but most just lying around on the rock ledges. Quite amazing how far up the cliff face they are able to climb for large clumsy looking animals.

 

We headed off in open waters again heading towards Port Arthur along the "Black Cliffs" which rarely are exposed to sunlight. We happened across another feeding frenzy of dolphins, Albatross, and seals. What a treat to see the water churning as the dolphins surround the bait fish and funnel them up to the surface where they all feed on the trapped fish. Not so great if you are a bait fish, but pretty amazing to watch!

A few more spectacular rock formations along the way before we turned into the relative calm of Safety Cove which led up to our docking point at Stewart's Bay. A short walk took us back to our starting point. After a quick nature break we jumped back in the car and headed North. We stopped at Eaglehawk Neck again for fish and chips before returning to Dunalley in mid afternoon.

Just want to highly recommend this tour as was very good value and very entertaining. Might even be a bit better than the Bruny Island cruise which of course we rated as excellent as well! Make sure you take in one or both of these cruises when you visit this area of Tasmania. Well done Pennicott Wilderness Team!

That night we enjoyed a few drinks and a meal at the Dunalley Pub which was excellent. The girls got lamb shanks which offered two huge shanks each while Rans and I enjoyed Parmesans. Mine would have been the largest I have every seen. Covered my whole plate and was quite thick. To top it off it was delicious and tender! I could only eat half of mine but luckily they had take away boxes. We all had enough for another meal the next day!

The weather was forecast to return to wind and rain so we decided to move on in the morning given the camping area was very exposed to the elements. We headed off Saturday morning in wet conditions travelling the short distance North West to Sorell. We checked into a small Council operated Self Contained RV location. There were no amenities but the sites were well marked and there were a couple of BBQs and a rubbish bin. There was also potable water and a dump point although the latter was out of service. Check in was self service with a low cost of $7.20/night which is a bit of an odd amount.

Once we got setup we decided to go for a short drive to explore the peninsula on the South East side of Hobart. We headed south at the Hobart airport travelling through Seven Mile Beach, Lauderdale, and South Arm before arriving at Opossum Bay. This is directly across the Derwent River from Kingston and leads up into Hobart Harbour. A few stops along the way to explore a beach or lookout but not a lot to see. There were some nicer residential areas though as was probably less than an hour from Hobart.

We returned to the caravan park stopping for some oysters at Barilla Bay along the way. We enjoyed our leftover lunches from dinner the night before at Dunalley Hotel. After lunch we did some shopping at Coles and Woolworths to prepare for the next section of our journey where we set off to explore the East coast of Tasmania. The afternoon was quite miserable again with very high winds so we spent most of our time inside.

The Tasmin Pennisula has been one of our favourite stops so far in Tasmania. Would have been even better with some finer weather although we did get fairly lucky for our two long walks and especially our boat cruise.