We returned to the caravan and had breakfast before packing up the van. We were retracing our steps somewhat today to return to Triabunna as we had managed to book in for the Maria Island Cruise on Thursday. We arrived in Triabunna just before lunch and checked out the Spring Bay Hotel camping area. It was quite full so we decided to use the other free camping area across the street from the hotel. We made a donation at the takeaway shop down the street which owns the land, who donate the proceeds to the Royal Flying Doctors. As before no facilities other than a garbage bin but it is right across the road to a couple of amenity blocks at the marina and visitor centre.
We enjoyed a quiet ANZAC day in the caravan but we did enjoy a good walk along the river and marina during the afternoon. I think I neglected to mention in our original post but the Fish Van near the hotel offers nice gluten free hot chips at a very reasonable price. We enjoyed some for lunch.
Thursday was predicted to be partly sunny but with increasing winds but the cruise company assured us the cruise was going ahead as the winds were coming from the West. We had our breakfast and walked across to the Marina about 9AM. A small group of 17 of us set sail aboard the Spirt of Maria at 9:30. There was a mostly enclosed main deck with an open upper deck for viewing. We were free to move around the boat as we liked although there was a limit of 8 people on the upper deck while we were moving.
We headed out of the harbour and Spring Bay towards Darlington. The wind was at our backs when we hit the open water so the ride was quite smooth. We did a quick pass by the Darlington settlement before rounding the northern tip of the island at Cape Boullanger. Once around the tip we were sheltered from the winds by the island.
The first highlight of the trip was the fossil cliffs in Fossil Bay. The geology in this area was sedimentary rock cliffs formed some 150 million years ago. It is regarded as one of the best examples of fossils in the world with whole shells existing in the fossil layers. We pulled into a couple of cave areas to observe the fossil beds and stalactites that hung from the roofs and even cliff walls. The peaks of Bishop and Clark towered over the cliffs.
One cave was particularly impressive as the boat went completely inside for a considerable distance. The fossils, stalactites, and colours were amazing; as was looking back out the opening to the ocean. One of the best parts of our day!
A bit further up the cliff face changed to vertical Dolerite rock beneath the sedimentary layers. This is significant from a geology perspective as the Jurassic Dolerite rock is a 100 million years older than the sedimentary layer directly above it. Very unique to have such clear layers displayed according to our guide Michael.
Still further south after Mistaken Cape the cliffs changed to granite rock which is even older than the Jurassic Dolerite rock. Obviously we aren't geologists but it is quite interesting to see so many different rock formations in a small physical area. I believe geologists get quite excited when they tour here!
From our perspective we enjoyed all the different rock structures and the changing colours. Interesting caves and rock formations were plentiful. We eventually arrived at Riedel Bay which is on the isthmus of Maria Island. Beautiful sandy secluded beach much like Wineglass Bay except for the lack of all the crowds! Only one small group of locals enjoying the Southern tip of the beach.
Just before we rounded the southern end of the Island we stopped at Haunted Bay where there were some lovely rock formations. Once around Barren Head the water got considerably rougher as we were more exposed to the Westerly winds. Sandra dodged a bullet as she sat down only a few seconds before a rogue wave sent a massive splash of water to where she had just stood. Our guide Jess was not so lucky and was thoroughly drenched. No harm done and quite funny for the rest of us! The roll up side panels were zipped closed before we continued. The upper deck was also cleared for the next portion of our journey as was considerably rougher and wetter!
Once we rounded Cape Perron and turned North again we weren't heading directly into the swell and the conditions improved somewhat. We made our way to Shoal Bay which is the opposite side of the isthmus from our previous stop at Riedel Bay. The bay is quite protected so even in rough seas there is a quiet place to drop anchor for lunch. We were located on the Northern end of the beach at Encampment Cove which was surprisingly calm given the still strong Westerly winds. A bit of a hiccup with lunch as they discovered that the smoked salmon hadn't been packed by the caterers. While a bit disappointing we were suitably satisfied with the substitution of free wine and beer! The rest of the lunch was beautiful with lots of gluten free options for Sandra. Delicious!
The Western side of the island is completely different to the Eastern as consists of more rolling hills sloping down to the waters edge, as opposed to the sheer cliffs. While not as interesting from a landscape perspective it was still beautiful and had the added benefit of lots of wildlife. Maria Island is used as sort of a Noah's Ark for Tasmanian fauna. Because of it's isolation a number of threatened species have been brought to the island to protect and grow population numbers. Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Cape Barren Geese, and Kangaroos are some of the species prolific on the island. We spotted several of all but the Tassie Devils which are primarily nocturnal during our cruise down the West coast to Darlington.
The main geological highlight of the Western side of the Island is the Painted Cliffs which offer beautiful colours. We were lucky that the sun came out fully while we were taking our photos.
At Darlington we got off the boat for a couple of hours to spend on the island touring the settlement and enjoying the wildlife. Lots of wildlife viewing opportunities with wombats in particular everywhere you turned. The buildings are in amazing condition with many still intact from the 1800s. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the island although the winds were cold.
We boarded the boat again as the sunset over a smoky Triabunna. We got a few awesome photos of the sunset on our return trip. All in all a wonderful day with beautiful sites, informative guides, and wonderful food. Highly recommend to future travellers!
We enjoyed a quick takeout meal of scallops and chips from the Fish Van to end the day.
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