13th January 2011 to 22nd January 2011

13th January 2011

We packed up the Annex, etc in uncomfortably wet conditions and drove up to Bicheno in them hope that the road wasn’t cut, as we had heard radio report that St Helens had received flash floods and the road on the north side was cut. That is close to 80kms north of Bicheno but we could see many stretches of water near the road as we successfully drove through to our destination. We didn’t put up the annex yet as the weather is still unpleasant but did drive into the very small town for some shopping and then drove to the beach to see just how rough the ocean was. We were glad we weren’t doing any boat trips today. We had put the awning out half way to have a dry doorway, but due to strengthening wind in the night Barry put it away at about 3.00am. Tasmania in general is now feeling some of the left over wet weather from the mainland with excessively high rainfall in some areas in a day or less, which equals the rainfall they would normally receive in a month. Railton, Sheffield, Latrobe, Spreyton and St Helens have all experienced flooding to some degree but to the extent of Queensland.

15th January 2011

The weather has changed to summer again to dry out the flooded areas, so we walked out to the coast near the caravan park which doesn’t have a beach, which actually suits us as we are not beach people, but it does have a magnificent rocky coast line complete with a blowhole that was working reasonably well today. 

As a pleasant bonus we also found a Penguin in its burrow.

The rocks have coatings of orange lichen giving an attractive appearance and emphasising the natural beauty of the rocks themselves.

First attempt at a three photo hand held panorama.

The walking track is partly over the rocks and partly through shady tree cover which was appreciated with today’s 28 degrees temperature. We reached the area known as The Gulch, which is a narrow channel between the land and a large rock known as Governor Island (which is a very noisy marine reserve and covered with terns and seagulls). By this time we had walked for nearly two hours so turned into the town centre rather than continue on as it moved away from town around a point, and would have taken another hour or more. From the town, the caravan park is a slightly uphill ten minute walk and slightly further up the road is a motor cycle museum that might get the benefit of our presence. Currently there is a virus problem with the abalone which is, or was, a thriving  multi-million dollar industry in Bicheno which is not good for the area.

16th January 2011

Another fine weather day tempted us to do a waterfall hunt by backtracking towards Swansea and turning off towards Campbelltown. However, before turning off we decided to stay on the main road and turn off to 9 Mile Beach which is the wide sandbar heading out towards the Freycinet Peninsular which almost reaches it. It was possible to look across at Cole Bay with the Hazards mountain range in the background. On the map it is shown purely as a large sand bar but it is actually covered with low bush and both sides of the road have private 5 acre properties. There was only one point giving public access to the beach along its length, and again at the end which allowed boat access to the river mouth and ocean, and was therefore a bit disappointing. We headed back to the Campbelltown turn-off and made towards Leake Lake. Just before reaching Leake Lake (Campbelltown and Ross’s water supply) we headed into the State forest on a dirt road that is supposedly only accessible on weekends, which didn’t pose a problem as this is Sunday. This is probably because of logging trucks during the week. We had the choice at the turn off to go left to Lost Falls, or right to Meetus Falls, which is the way we went as it offered a picnic table and toilets. About twenty kms later we arrived at the falls but had our packed lunch before doing the 20 minute return walk to the falls lookout.

The falls was a vertical drop waterfall of significant height with the bottom only just being visible from the lookout. There was a river circuit which would have taken us down to, and along the River Cygnet, but as it appeared to be in flood mode due to the rain over several days, and supposedly a 50 minute return trip with half of it uphill, we gave that a miss.

When had intended to return to the Campbelltown road and cross it to go to the Lost Falls but as we reached the main dirt road a signpost indicated going the other way to Harding Falls, and as it was only another 48kms we took that option.

From the carpark it was another 20 minute return walk to the lookout, which was an unprotected cliff edge from which you could see practically nothing. This prompted us to continue on with extreme caution down a 40 minute return, steep, stony zigzag track to the base of the falls which on arrival proved to be well worth the effort. The climb back up was pretty arduous but several rests on the way helped, usually at the more difficult spots with large rocks to clamber over that required Foxy being lifted up, or down as required, although she jumped as many as possible.

Back in the carpark we had a refreshing cuppa and then set off along the continuation of the track which is now classified 4WD only in the expectation of rejoining the main bitumen highway, but first meant crossing the river about 100 metres upstream of the waterfall which was enjoying the rain a few days ago. We had seen 2 other vehicles come from that direction so assumed they had crossed, and it turned out not to be a problem but Merry cautiously waded the first of 2 water passages which was less than knee high and the second water way was faster flowing but shallower with a paved base, so Barry bravely drove through. The rest of the road was stony but any vehicle could manage it, and eventually joined the main highway, and returned to Bicheno. I have since checked out Lost Falls on the Internet and it didn’t look like we missed much other than a panoramic view, as it is claimed you can’t see much of the falls from the cliff top with no way down.

17th January 2011

This was declared a day of rest after two reasonably energetic days, however, despite this we still crossed the road from the caravan park and climbed the granite outcrop known as Rock lookout but the views of the ocean and town were a bit restricted by trees, and you can’t climb the last dome shaped peak unless you are related to Spiderman. There is another lookout on the other side of town that should provide good views of the town which we will tackle in the future. We came back down a different way which took us to the coast road and the blowhole again, which was still producing a good exhibition but the penguin wasn’t home today.

In the afternoon Barry walked up the road to the local motorcycle museum which has a good collection of predominantly British bikes among the many, the most notable being a one-off Ariel Square Four engine fitted into a Norton Featherbed frame with a Norton Manx fuel tank and called a Noriel 4.

There was also a 1941Vincent 1000cc HRD Rapide and is claimed to have been the fasted bike on the road at 110 mph which in that year would have been exception, especially on the roads of that era. The rest of the British collection included Vincent, BSA, AJS, Triumph, Villiers and Royal Enfield, all with varying engine sizes, whilst the foreign bikes were mainly Honda, Ducati and Kawasaki. A couple of the Triumphs had three cylinder engines with elaborate exhaust pipe configurations (presumably three 250cc cylinders to create a 750cc bike to out-perform the standard 650cc bikes). Several specimens were for sale with the cheapest at $9200 being a 650cc BSA, but Barry resisted the temptation on the basis that he prefers AJS/Matchless bikes, and also that the clutch cable was slightly frayed.

18th January 2011

Another fine day so we drove north to St Mary which is off the coast up a typical Tasmanian mountain with the purpose of checking out our move to St Helens. There are two alternate routes with one being via St Mary and the other remaining close to the coast and we wanted to ascertain the best way to go when we make our move. We suspected the coastal route would be the better deal which proved correct as the trip to St Mary meant a gruelling drive up Elephant Pass which just happened to be home to the Elephant Pass Pancake Parlour that claims to produce the best in Tasmania. As we were selected by us to be the judges of this we succumbed to the temptation, and Merry’s verdict was a yes whilst Barry has the need to do a side-by-side test against the Pancakes by the Pond in New Norfolk product but agreed that they were excellent. The continuation of the trip via the township of St Mary took us down the St Mary Pass which was just as narrow and twisty with the usual hair-raising drop of the edge if you get it wrong. The verdict as to which route to take the caravan was via the coastal road to do it with ease. On the way back to Bicheno we called into Denison beach for a 40 minute walk to burn off the pancakes.

19th January 2011

It rained during the night and remained overcast and threatening in the morning so activities were put on hold until after lunch when we walked into town and climbed up to Whalers Lookout which was a steady climb to the viewing platform that offered good views over the town and along the northern beach.

This also meant a view of Diamond Island, a small rocky island just off shore but can be walked to across the sand bar at low tide. The track from the viewing platform allowed us to walk around to the eastern side which had another viewing platform overlooking Governor Island and therefore facing the ocean which is more likely to actually be Whalers Lookout. This is the wrong time of year for whale watching so we retreated to the town, disturbing a roo on the way, and called into the Visitor Centre to check the low tide time. We then returned to the caravan park to collect the car and drove round to the beach access that allowed us to walk along the beach to the Diamond Island sand bar as just happened be right on low tide.  

Barry and Foxy settled down on a rocky outcrop just before the sand bar as the Island is out of bounds for dogs as it is a wild life sanctuary, but Merry continued to the Island. The Island had a track around it which let Merry see all four points of the diamond shape for about 30 minutes before beating the incoming tide to get back to Barry and Foxy, although she did get her feet wet.

20th January 2011

We drove out to the Douglas Apsley National Park to explore the Gorge which means crossing the river below the waterhole 10 minutes from the carpark. This is a balancing act across precarious rocks or simply wading though below the rocks, which is the option we took, although Merry removed her boots and socks first. From there we climbed for at least 20 minutes before the track levelled out to a slight uphill gradient for quite a while then levelled for a short spell before descending to the river slightly upstream of the waterfalls. The final part of the descent was very steep down rock steps of uncomfortable heights that ended at the water’s edge with water above waist height.

We scrambled over rocks and through bushes to get close to the top of the waterfall which turned out to be only about a metre deep at best whereas the photo on the information board in the carpark implied a significant height. There was no way of get a photo of it front on so the trip was a waste of time except for the view along the gorge The return trip up the first steep incline was agonising and slow and wasn’t much better after that, and the long downhill part of the journey didn’t help at all. We acquired some sturdy sticks to assist us though the river crossing as it enabled us to walk across the top of the rocks without so much water in our boots. From the rock pool we attempted to walk to the gorge lookout but it was blocked off just before you get to it, and you could see it had partial collapsed so we missed out there as well, and headed for the carpark and home. The whole trip took about 3 hours and on arrival back at the caravan succumbed to buying fish and chips from the takeaway attached to the park. Foxy gave us a good telling off for leaving her at home but being a national park we had no option.

21st January 2011

Classified as another rest but we did manage a walk to the blowhole again which was performing really well, and took a rock hopping walk it the opposite direction to the marked coast walk. This brought us to a small sandy beach and a track leading back to the road by the blowhole carpark.

22nd January 2011

We left Foxy at home again to visit the Freycinet National Park and the much publicised Wineglass Bay.

On the way there we called into the town centre (such as it is) of Coles Bay where the only grocery shop and fuel supply burnt down recently and then entered the National Park.

 From the carpark there is a choice between a 3 hour climb on Mt Amos up large steep slabs of granite which is recommended for very fit experienced climbers, or a 45 minute walk is up a reasonably steep well made path and 330 steps to the Wineglass Bay lookout which is on the saddle between  Mt Amos and Mt Mayson.

The provides a similar view as the Mt Amos climb but from a lower angle which means the very front northern end of the beach is obstructed by trees so you don’t see the complete length. It was also a slightly hazy day which didn’t help the long range photos. On the way are interesting gum trees and rocks.  From the lookout you have the option to retreat to the carpark or continue for another 30 minutes down to the beach via a much steeper path comprised of rock steps of unequal heights.

We took the second option and descended to the beach which seemed to be the general lunch stop for most people which must the usual practise as several of the local Bennets wallabies came to see what food was on offer, despite the pointless request not to feed them.

The sand is claimed to be white but we felt that whoever made the claim has never been to Esperance to see what white sand really looks like, however, it was white enough to create the clear blue water effect in conjunction with a clear blue sky.

The climb back to the lookout was gruelling and took longer than the downhill run but that included a few rest stops and photo stops. The path down from the lookout to the carpark splits at the bottom of the steps to take you down a different way and therefore offering different views. That trip took 4 hours including the time on the beach for photos and lunch plus the time at the lookout.

After a well earned cuppa in the carpark we drove out to Cape Tourville for another 20 minute walk around the lighthouse  and boardwalk for more splendid coastline views.

On the way back from the lighthouse we stopped for the 10 minute walk to the Sleepy Bay lookout but we didn’t find a lookout so assume the cliff top was it, with a glimpse of a beach.

Back at the Visitors Centre we walked down to Great Oyster Bay and Richardson Beach which offers views of the Hazards Range and is an ideal beach for young kids as it was very sheltered.  it is so popular that the campsites have to be alocated by ballot each August.

On the way home along the peninsula we turned off for a look at Friendly Beach which offered beach for a long way in each direction. We then returned home to take another telling off from Foxy.

30th December 2010 to 9th January 2011

30th December 2010

The caravan park was almost constantly full over the Christmas period and is remaining so for the New Year, and unfortunately they have let squealing kids in also, so the noise level has risen. Despite being the middle of summer the weather is still more like winter with night time temperatures below 10 degrees and day time temperatures struggling to hit 20 degrees by late afternoon just in time to drop off dramatically for night time.

31st December 2010

We took a chance on the weather living up to predicted expectations and heading for Port Arthur region again to check out the other highlights in that area that allow dogs. We turned off down Pirate Bay Drive at Eaglehawk Neck for the view over Pirate Bay and then continued down to the car park at the Tessellated Pavement, but as there was no toilet available we drove on to the Blowhole where this facility was available.

The blow hole was not actually doing very well in the blowing department as the tide was low, but was an interesting feature. On the way back we detoured to the Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen. The Arch is an impressive sight but the Devils Kitchen doesn’t offer a view of anything special, only the ocean in the small but deep inlet.

We returned to the Tessellated Pavement but stopped at the ‘Dog Line’ for a photo of the statue and find out the history. The narrow neck was guarded by line of 19 savage dogs, all anchored by chains that just stopped them getting to each other but close enough to stop escaping convicts from getting past.

At the Tessellated Pavement we went down the steps for a close-up of the way the salt crystals have eaten into the rock to cause lines in three very specific directions, producing the tile like appearance. We had lunch in the car park and then drove on past Port Arthur to Remarkable Cave which is actually a tunnel from the ocean to a deep depression in the ground which has about 100 or so steps down to a viewing platform which allowed a view through the tunnel to the ocean.

The weather had been good up to this point but waited for us to get to the bottom of the steps and then decided to rain, but fortunately only a very brief shower. We actually did this spot on the 2000 trip and were just as impressed now as we were then. We backtracked to the loop road from Port Arthur and headed through Nubeena and turned off to Saltwater River and the historic coal mine and convict settlement.

We didn’t have time to see all of it as it is spread out with walks of over an hour to visit various different parts but we spent a good half hour going through the ruins in the closest area. We rejoined the loop road which joins the main road alongside the Tasmanian Devil Centre. We visited there on the 2000 trip so gave it a miss this time but is worth a look if you are the area. As we travelled back towards the Eaglehawk Neck we stopped at the Federation Chocolate Factory, for obvious reasons, which produce some interesting varieties, including sugar free options. We then continued our homeward journey but again deviated into Marion Bay which is currently hosting a head banging music festival for the New Year, but our intension was a visit to Bream Creek Vineyards to but a bottle of their excellent Pinot Noir, but they were closed or do not have cellar facilities. Either way the gate was well and truly locked off. So we again continued the journey home but as we passed through Dunally we deviated to see the unimpressive monument to Able Tasman who first discovered this island for the Dutch whilst looking for Australia, which apparently was too small to see on the way past. The curvature of the Earth gets you every time. We then continued once more with only one more stop at Eastlands shopping centre followed by a quick trip up to Rosny lookout for the views from that side of the river. We did eventually get home despite the deviations.

3rd January 2011

We had promised ourselves that we would drive into Hobart to get photos of a few things that we had seen on occasions as we passed through, and as the weather was fine headed into town. On the way there we noticed that the top of Mt Wellington was looking very clear, so we passed through Hobart and up the mountain first for a final look at the magnificent views and fresh flora. Unlike our previous visit it was not close to freezing point with only a gentle breeze, and the downward views were nowhere near as hazy as last time. We spent longer up there than last time and took a short walk towards the organ pipe area. When we came down we turned right rather than left taking us further from Hobart and found the Fern Tree Tavern and stopped and bought lunch, after which we crossed the road and walked for about 15 minutes each way to Silver Falls.

These were quite small but pleasant falls that and were, and possibly still are, part of the Hobart water supply. We then drove down the road beside the Tavern which soon changed into a dirt road and finally emerged near the roundabout on the Huon Highway near Kingston. From here we drove back into Hobart calling in to the Harbour and booked a cruise/adventure ride around the bottom of Bruny Island and then parked by the University Rose Garden on the Domain.

We walked through the gardens and around the University building to photo some artwork we saw a few weeks ago but it had been removed and turned into a construction site. We crossed back to the Domain and walked up to the Cenotaph for the views out over the river. We then headed home.

4th January 2011

We drove down to Harbour for the cruise which took us to the North Bruny Island landing area where the Ferry docks and then went by bus to Adventure Bay where we had stayed a while ago, and boarded the smaller boat for the trip around the bottom tip of the Island and into the Southern Ocean.

We followed the coast for stops at some of the more remarkable pieces of coastline, including the Breathing Cliff (rather like a blowhole where the compressed air as the water enters the hole in the cliff face blows the water back out as the ocean level drops after each wave) and the Totem Pole rock formation and then visited some islands that were littered with male fur seals.

Apparently the females and young all live and bred north of Tasmania.

On the way back we were joined by the largest pod of Dolphins that the boat crew have ever seen in many years of doing this trip. There were literally hundreds of them with many jumping out of the water simultaneously, but getting photos whilst travelling reasonably fast with a 1.5 metre swell was not easy, especially as you don’t know where they will appear next.

There were also albatross and shearwaters in flocks like they had never seen before, so we had picked the right day for our trip. We had lunch on the South Island, which included wine with some local cheese and fudge tasting. The wine was not good, so IconWines is off our favourites list. We drove back to the landing area and rejoined the Cruise boat back to Hobart and then drove round to say our goodbyes to Stu and Be as we leave for the journey up the East coast in two days time. On our return to the caravan park we found our neighbour Doug fast asleep in his director chair with Foxy happily lying on his lap. Over the weeks that we have been in New Norfolk he has become a great friend of Foxy to the point that he gets a visit from Foxy at every opportunity. It has been good for us as well, as each time we have left her at home we know she will have someone keeping an eye on her.

6th January 2011

Finally, we left New Norfolk and the Hobart area and started our journey up the east coast with the first stopping point being Triabunna. The journey there was hilly in places and with the extra load of the caravan the squeal noise we thought we were rid of reappeared, but at different RPM and volume (not so loud). After setting up the annex, etc we took a walk to the marina, visitor centre and small shopping strip and discovered that yet another boat trip to Maria Island is ridiculously expensive and when you get there you have to walk everywhere. That is okay but one point of interest requires a seven hour walk there and back, and unless you run some of that trip, and don’t stop to look at anything, you will miss the ferry back. The other point of interest that did interest us is the Painted Cliffs that are sandstone strata, coloured by the effects of rain soaking through the cliffs that have to be seen from the beach which therefore has to be when the tide is out. This means finding out the low tide time that coincides with the afternoon sun on the cliff face, apparently the best viewing time, and being able to book the ferry for an appropriate day to do this trip. It is obviously better to camp on the Island to have the time to do all this but we can’t as they don’t allow dogs, and it costs way too much for a few photos. The township is on the estuary of a small creek running into the Prosser Bay, but is not a particularly attractive outlook with only a narrow channel through stony outcrops. It may look better with a high tide.

7th January 2011

Barry attacked the squeal by cleaning the filter in the gas injection unit and also altering its mounting method.

8th January 2011

We took a drive through the town to look at a few areas along the coast but both roads ended with a just a jetty or a locked gate to keep you out so we headed for Orford, a small place that we drove through on the way to Triabunna. Orford was much larger than we thought, residentially, but we only found one shop. The shop is tucked away behind the modern looking hotel on the corner as you come over the bridge across the Prosser River.

We drove on to Buckland to get a photo of the Old Buckland Hotel and then came back to Orford to explore a few of the beaches along the coast line. The last one was quite a way out of town and offered the option of returning via an alternate route, which we took, and then turned off up the small mountain to Three Thumbs Lookout which potentially offered 180 degree views, but much of it was wooded so you only got to see through small windows. On the way back into Triabunna we noticed the tide was in which improved the appearance greatly.

9th January 2011

As the weather was predicted to be sunny we decided to drive up to Swansea despite the sky starting to cloud over but were willing to take our chances. The cloud cleared and it was a pleasant day. There is little on offer in Triabunna but on the way to Swansea there are several gravel roads that take you down to small beaches, some of which had interesting rocky outcrops with a coating of orange lichen. Almost opposite the first beach turn off to Spiky Beach is a remarkable Spiky Bridge, giving the name to the beach. It is a very unusual stone bridge as the stonework is somewhat different, but more amazing is the array of large stones mounted in the mortar capping.

Apparently the reason for this is not known, but it does acts as a barrier to stop people, or cattle, falling over the low bridge wall and also stops idiots kids walking on the walls, although I don’t know if that happened in those days and especially as it is about 10 kilometres from any form of civilisation.

Swansea is smaller than we anticipated but has an inviting entry to the town with a park alongside a small river leading to the beach. 

 Here we found a black breasted Doterall which had a young chick.  When we approached the chick it put on a distraction display making itself look injured, but walks away when you try to check it out and successfully lured us away from the chick.

We followed the river road rather than the main road, along the beach front to the end of the road at the headland.

Here we took the walk along the low cliff top around the headland until it ran out on the town side. When we arrived back at the car we had our packed lunch before driving into town where we did a small amount of shopping. It appears that there are only IGA stores on the east coast and the 2 that we have used so far leave a lot to be desired, especially in the vegie area. It also means that there will not be a Coles or Woolworth sponsored garages to get an 8 cents reduction of fuel. We drove slightly north of the town to the old Bark Mill and museum, which has been restored but not actually working. The museum part nothing special but the Bark Mill is interesting.

Apparently the bark is stripped and ground to a powder to extract the tannin and sent for use in tanneries. There is a cafe using the Bark Mill to entice you in. The beach immediately in front of the town is quite pleasant but a beach slightly north seems to collect some black rubbish so that the beach looks like it is covered in coal dust, and stinks like rotting kippers. On the return trip to Triabunna we called into a couple more beaches, one of which has free camping but not suitable for our size caravan, but great for camper trailers and tents. It has a toilet block but no water or power available anywhere so you have to rely on your own generator, or solar panels, and bring a heap of water if you intend staying long. Three weeks is supposed to be the maximum length stay but some look like they have been there much longer, although there is supposedly a caretaker on site.

We noticed a sign as we pulled into the entrance saying ‘Three Arch Bridge’ which we assumed to be a rock formation, but when we walked to it found it was a bridge under the main road. Like most bridges in Tasmania, it was obviously convict built, and like Spiky bridge was unusual in design, with 3 narrow arches for the water to pass through. They are both on the same road so may have been the same building crew despite the different designs. When we arrived back in Triabunna we drove to the end of the shopping strip to the war memorial for a few photos to finish the day off. Two days of car use including some healthy hills and we are now totally confident that we have cured our noise problem, except for the odd squeak, whimper and panting from the fluffy package on the back seat. She prefers to travel on the passengers lap but we insist that she uses her safety harness which happens to be attached to the back seat.