It was a lovely 3 days at the Bay of Fires but with the clock steadily ticking on our time here & no time to waste set off again. Our next destination was another free camp at Chain of Lagoons, 70kms south along the Tasman Highway. Once again we stocked up on food & water at St Helens & I wisely spent another $2 on a hot shower. The road between Diana's Beach & Scamander hugs the coast & in terms of coastal views, is not far behind the Great Ocean Road in our opinion. As we rounded a bend I spotted a group of surfers getting into their wetties & pulled over for further inspection. Half a dozen or so blokes were tackling a left hand point. It looked a promising clean 3 foot but after spending some time watching, noted it was inconsistent with most rides only lasting 1 or 2 turns. I decided to look for greener pastures (of which there is no shortage of here). On arrival at the camp ground we found it deserted and easily secured a prime spot, a flat site near the track to the beach. I ventured out for my first surf in Tassie, a 2 foot peaky beach break. The new wettie passed with flying colours though I hadn't surfed since before Easter & my fitness was letting me down again. I'll need a couple more sessions if I'm to tackle Shipsterns in the coming days.
I heard from the lads in George Town that the jetty at The Gulch in Bicheno is the bees knees for catching squid so late in the afternoon we drove in to give it a shot. There were 8 or so people already trying their luck in the dwindling light. The jetty was covered in ink splotches, another tell tale sign this was the place to be. Initially, it was pretty quiet for the most part except for a Chinese guy who was into them one after the other. I had to smile as I watched the other fishermen eyeing him off enviously. When he left I took his spot & ended up with two keepers (actually no legal size so they’re all keepers). Tomoko's happiness for the fresh seafood though was offset by her concern for Shaka, who had an 'up and under' on his walk & was looking a bit off colour.
The next day we decided to have a break from all sightseeing adventures. Our Tasmanian schedule had been pretty relentless till now & Shaka's ill health, giving us a sign he needs the day off. Coupled with that, a strong cold front with gale force winds was predicted for the afternoon & this place seemed as good as any to batten down the hatches. I spent the morning hitching the van for an early start the following day & about 4pm, right on cue, the wind blew up. It blew up big time, stripping the trees of bark, which showered the roof of the van. I raced outside and lowered the roof of the pop top and we bunkered down for the night. The gusts were magnificent in their violence. They begin as a gentle whisper, before rapidly picking up momentum & descending on us like a wailing banshee, rocking the van in the process & depositing a deluge of debris over us. Shaka was stressing, gulping down litres of water in panic. He kept insisting on going outside and I didn't know how to tell him it would be far worse out there. Eventually we relented and took him outside into the tempest. It was wild out there, every powerful gust threatening to send a fallen tree branch in our direction. We made our way to the beach & immediately felt safer away from the tree line. The wind was coming from the west & under the full moon watched the waves march towards shore. The strong offshore refused to allow them to break and it was only when they reached bare sand would they be begrudgingly allowed to dispel their energy. It was a very unusual sight. Sure, I had seen an strong offshore hold up many a wave but never to this extent. We arrived safely back in the van, Shaka instantly settling on the bed. There would be no further requests from him to go outside on this night.
Thankfully, the wind had abated by morning & we left in the pre dawn darkness. Our final destination for the day was Coles Bay but I wanted to give the squid another go. Not a noted early riser, the lure of more fresh squid was too tempting for Tomoko to resist & we arrived at the jetty as first light appeared. On this occasion there were no other fishermen & I questioned if the move was the correct one. I retrieved the jig unsuccessfully for a while before feeling the now familiar weight on my line. I landed a medium sized squid and soon added another one before giving it away. It was a bitterly cold morning and Tomoko reluctantly made her way out of the relative warmth of the car to inspect the bounty.
The Bicheno Blowhole was only a short drive away so we continued there. There was very little swell & a quick glance told me there wasn't much to see today. Shaka needed his morning walk though so I took him for a look, helping his tired, age-weary legs by carrying him over the gaps between the granite rocks. Surprisingly, now and then a wave big enough to produce some action came and I ended up capturing a nice shot on the iPhone.
Before departing for Coles Bay we stopped at the Bicheno shopping precinct. The bakery was first point of call & we warmed up with some hot pies, the cornish pastie getting a satisfied thumbs up from Tomoko. The locals were talking about the ferocity of last nights storm, the resident chemist describing how his neighbour lost his roof in the reportedly 100km wind gusts.
It was just 35km to our next free camp at Moulting Bay Lagoon, a short distance from Coles Bay. Again, not a soul was camped here & we found a flat spot away from any trees (last night had made us nervous). Despite still being very windy, the sun was shining so I decided to do the walk to the lookout overlooking iconic Wineglass Bay. It's located in Freycinet National Park & first stop was the visitor information centre to pick up at Parks Pass. I opted for a $60 holiday pass which allows the Navara & it's occupants (except Shaka of course) to visit any Tasmanian national park within 2 months. It seemed an expensive outlay with the dog and all, but with national parks covering most of the west coast, figured it would prove to be a worthy investment.
Tomoko dropped me off at the walking track with the promise of meeting in 1.5 hours time. We synchronised watches (well...iPhones) & bid each other goodbye. One thing you soon learn about Tasmania is that the weather is partial to sudden change. The start of the walk began with blue skies and sunshine only to cloud over with rain 30 minutes later by the time I reached the lookout. There was a group of 20 fellow sightseers already here, mostly Chinese. They were a happy enough bunch, clambering over rocks for photos but I couldn't help but wish for more peaceful company in order to appreciate the view. I took a few photos myself but they don't do the place justice & have little resemblance to the ones on the tourist brochures. In the meantime, while I toiled for a good view climbing up a mountain, Tomoko had parked herself on the banks of Coles Bay, capturing some lovely scenery.
Wineglass Bay done and dusted, we left the next day for Dunalley, a convenient base from which to explore Tasmania's no. 1 tourist attraction, the historic Port Arthur. The 200km drive was highlighted by the coastline-hugging stretch of road from Swansea to Mayfield Bay. We passed a picturesque point with a small hut overlooking sheltered waters. The swell was too small for any surfable waves and I could only imagine how much fun it would be with a couple of feet of clean lines pushing in.
Drinking water has been difficult to find since St Helens. Luckily for us, our route had us passing through the RV friendly town of Sorell. For a town to proclaim itself 'RV Friendly' it needs to provide a few essential services - 24 hour medical service, mechanic, visitor info centre, adequate parking near the town centre, a dump point & potable water. We refreshed our supplies of the latter & late in the day pulled up at the Dunalley Hotel. The hotel has an adjacent paddock where travellers can park their van. It is a donation system but most travellers repay them by patronage of the hotel. It had been a bitterly cold day, the coldest yet, & we thawed ourselves in front of the hotel fireplace with a warm pub meal. Chatting to some locals we weren't surprised to learn it had snowed on nearby Mount Wellington, images of which you can see here.
Having shivered through the previous night, that evening I rugged up for maximum warmth. My wardrobe consisting of thermal long sleeve shirt, T-shirt, fleecy jumper, down vest, down long sleeve jacket, fleecy lined hoody, thermal underwear, fleecy long pants, beanie, gloves & two pairs of socks. I had so much clobber on I looked like the Michelin Man but I was toasty warm. Tomoko was similarly attired but she had the extra comfort of our canine hot water bottle, Shaka. It's times like these I regret kicking him off my bed. The next morning a brace of ducks came over for a visit looking for breakfast. It was good entertainment watching them squabble over some bread though I later read that it's not too good for them so shan't be doing that again.
Mid morning we left for the Tasman Peninsular, specifically Port Arthur. We drove through Eaglehawks Neck, a 30m wide stretch of land separating the peninsular from the main island & the only access to and from. During the penal days it was guarded by a chain of starving dogs to prevent escape. Shaka waited in the car while our Port Arthur experience began with a harbour cruise, taking us past the boys prison at Point Puer & the Isle of the Dead, the final resting place for almost 1700 souls who died here. Next was the Convict Gallery. On arrival each visitor is given a playing card which corresponds to a prisoner who served time here. It's called the Lottery of Life & the purpose is to match the card with the convict and follow his life as you roam around the gallery. My convict was a pick pocket & it seems a very amorous one at that.
The next stop was the introductory tour & for this we were accompanied by a special guest, Shaka. Surprisingly, dogs are allowed into the site and he was let in through a side gate. The tour began with an explanation of the iconic & largest ruin, the Penitentiary. Interestingly, it was originally built as a flour mill. It took 3 years to construct & it was only afterwards they realised the climate was totally unsuitable for growing grain. It remained largely unused until given a reno when Norfolk Island closed down as a prison & they needed the extra rooms. It was riveting stuff but Shaka was more interested in eating kangaroo poo so we bailed half way through & explored the buildings ourselves.
After having our fill of history we explored the local area a bit more. We saw a sign that said 'Remarkable Cave' & it immediately piqued my interest. We pulled up at a lookout to see some massive sets rolling in. It was difficult to tell the size but I reckon somewhere in the 10 to 15 foot range. The surrounding cliffs looked very Shipstern-like & I later learnt the famous surf break was just around the point. The cave itself lived up to it's name and you can read more about it here. You descend down a steep staircase to a viewing platform & watch the large swell push water into the cave below. I took the footage below with my IPhone & was a touch concerned about it getting drenched by the waves.
We continued on the tourist loop, passing through Nubeena (aboriginal for crayfish). I saw a group of young blokes with jet skis & surfboards, obviously having spent the day tackling Shipsterns. I had written in my notepad 'Roaring Beach' after someone had recommended it (I can't recall who) & we drove through a winding dirt road, past atlantic salmon farms to check it out. I climbed the top of a large sand dune but could only see walls of whitewater in the distance & we soon left to make our way back to camp.
The following day we spent an hour driving towards the capital city of Hobart. As we approached, Mt Wellington came into view, a dusting of snow highlighting the summit. We continued through the city centre to the van park, 30km south in the appropriatley named small coastal town of Snug. The remainder of the day was spent exploring the town. A visit to the op shop yielded a pyrex bowl for Tomoko & a 2nd hand Les Norton novel for me.
The next day we celebrated Mothers Day with a Sunday drive. Like the majority of Tassie the countryside around here is very, very pretty. We took the coastal route to Cygnet & Huonville, passing through many quaint townships such as Kettering, Middleton & Gordon. At Woodbridge I came across a public jetty, stained with squid ink & I promised to return. The weather was alternating between sunshine & rain and we saw more rainbows than at a Nimbin festival. They popped up everywhere. We returned to camp at 2pm, just in time to watch Manly take on the Newcastle Knights at Brookie. It was another pleasing performance by our boys coming away with a comfortable win. Feeling good I returned to the jetty, catching 3 nice sized squid (though I gave one to a Chinese fella who was struggling to catch a cold).
And so our second week came to an end. Three weeks left and plenty more to see. Until then ...adios amigos.