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!
No comments:
Post a Comment