TASMANIA - Pt. Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck. - 18.2.14

From Bruny Island we drove back through Hobart, then to Dunalley, where we crossed the onto Forestier Peninsula. We stayed in the free camp beside the pub with another forty or so vehicles. As we drove south, we stopped just before Eaglehawk Neck which is the second isthmus which separates the Tasman Peninsula from mainland Tasmania. The views into Pirates Bay and beyond are impressive.

We walked down onto the Tesselated pavement at the northern end of Pirates Bay and then looked at the blowhole which was far less impressive than the one at Kiama on the NSW south coast.

We wandered through the excellent Officers Quarters (1832), the oldest wooden military building in Australia. It is a museum now.

We stayed in the lovely caravan park at Port Arthur and enjoyed hot showers, washing machines and bush-screened sites. The possums and green rosellas were very friendly too.

During our stay we were approached by two men, very interested in our Cooper tyres. They were from Australian Caravan And Motor Home Magazine and wanted to know if Glenn was happy with the tyres. We have done about 40,000 kms, a lot of that on dirt roads, including the Kimberley, Gibb River, Mitchell Falls, Oodnadatta to Dalhousie Springs, Kakadu, the Pilbara and more. We have Cooper tyres on car and van and have not had a single problem with them over that distance.

Glenn agreed to do a segment for their magazine so the next day they came back and proceeded to set up cameras etc. They were very affable and organised video taping of an interview between Fred Wright, Editor at Large of the magazine and Glenn. He was wired for sound and the ad was recorded and will be in the June edition of the magazine which always has an accompanying DVD.... a movie star at last!

Our after dinner friend at our campsite.

Port Arthur.

At the end of the Arthur Hwy is the infamous penal settlement of the 19th. century where prisoners from London's jails were sent to 'a new life'. It's impossible to walk around the site without sensing the horror of the place where human beings were treated brutally in the name of rehabilitation. The location of the settlement on a point with ocean on three sides and the 'dog-line' guarding the narrow isthmus, (100mtrs wide at high tide), made escape almost impossible, though a few did manage it.

Despite the tragedy of the place, it is very scenic with a beautiful harbour and magnificent convict ruins. Most of the buildings are constructed from handmade bricks or sandstone blocks of warm ochres and the reconstruction underway is utilising the same local materials.

These cells were just big enough foe a man to lie flat in.

Many of the gardens still have original flowers and trees that were planted by the wives of officials there

A number of the cells have been restored and the interiors demonstrate the 'hand-work' done by prisoners, such as shoe-making and broom-making.

We spent two full days exploring Port Arthur and were impressed with the way each visitor was linked to a particular convict, told of his crime and led through a display of his daily routine and his eventual death or release. The were talks at various buildings, explaining such things as medical treatment, punishment, chapel, and the lives of officers and problems of isolation for families. The solitary confinement punishment. cells where prisoners were kept in sound-proof and pitch dark conditions, sometimes for months, were monstrous. No wonder so many lost their reason. There is a lot to see and well worth the time.

After leaving Pt. Arthur we drove to Tarrana, to The Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park which functions as a quarantined breeding centre for devils to help protect against the spread of Devil Facial Disease. Although we thought the entry fee a bit steep at first, it was well worth it. During the day there were feeding times for devils, quolls, birds of prey and some very informative talks on conservation. As well, we got up close and on first name terms with two Tawny Frogmouth Owls.. Kermit and Flora.. who even enjoyed a pat!

I have to say, the table manners of these two sisters were VERY poor. They fought a five minute tug-of-war over their hairy piece of wallaby and growled and snapped at each other the whole time. When one got the upper hand and ran away with the prize, the other chased and attacked. Eventually the chunk of meat tore apart and they each chewed happily on their own piece. Better entertainment than the last Neil Diamond concert we saw!

 

Bruny Island Tasmania. 11.2. 2014.

Interestingly, Bruny Island has the same sized land mass as Singapore, but only about 650 permanent residents compared with Singapore's six million.

Our first stop was lunch at 'Get Shucked' ... the oyster place where we had a dozen natural oysters each...fresh and beautiful with lemon juice. They had an interesting veggie garden made from pallets and corrugated iron. There were different levels in the garden for smaller herbs.

We stayed overnight in a free camp on The Neck which is a narrow strip of sand which joins north and south Bruny. There was water on both sides of us and we went to bed with the sound of the ocean, just like home.

Next day we took the boat trip with the island's multi award winning Bruny Island Cruises, which left from Adventure Bay. It took three hours exploring the rugged coastline right down to Friar's Rocks where we saw hundreds of Australian fur seals. At different places the captain took us speeding through narrow inlets and into caves where we could see the giant kelp at the base of towering cliffs. It was a great experience and we were thankful for the full length waterproof macs we had to wear as they kept us dry and warm. The very relaxed commentary was informative and very funny and kept everyone amused.

Breathing rock which works like a blowhole.

Adventure Bay is small community with a caravan park, pub and a number of houses with magic views of the ocean. The boat trip brings in a lot of tourists as you can imagine, even from Hobart on day trips. We free camped on beach just north of Adventure Bay with five other vans and interesting people. We went squidding from the wharf with two Queensland couples who gave us some tips and contributed to our catch so we ended up with 12 squid in the freezer. They are a bit tricky to skin we discovered. We also collected lots of lush, ripe blackberries which were growing beside the van.

At the Berry Farm the next day, we ate pepper berry and strawberry ice creams. Loved the pepper berry but neither of us can really describe the taste, and the strawberry was creamy and delicious.

Adventure Bay from the berry farm.

We drove to Cape Lookout and wandered through one of the cottages which housed the lighthouse keeper and his family of 11 children, and read details of their lives. The isolation must have been difficult, especially rearing such a large family on a cliff edge!! The views were stunning and panoramic.

From there retreated to the shelter of a NP campsite by the water, cleaned the squid and chilled out for the afternoon, reading and preparing the fire for dinner. Around the campfire we had drinks with a couple from Armidale and a Japanese woman travelling alone. A cheeky possum had a chew on my finger .. They are not a bit shy of people it seems on Bruny Is. And are much darker in colour and bushier in tails than our local residents.

Damper Glenn cooked in the camp oven with butter and leather honey. Delicious! ..sorry it's sideways!

After we left our campsite we parked and walked down to Cloudy Bay to get oysters. The Queenslanders from the night before told us about the particular spot and huge oysters were there for the taking. We opened some for dinner tonight and kept some in a hessian bag for later. A couple of Dutch tourists were there with a guide so we shared some opened ones with them.

We had a delicious lunch at the Smokehouse in front of the fire. It was cosy as the day had turned chilly and damp. The platter we shared had smoked chicken, halibut and Atlantic salmon, smoked sausage, three dips and pickles and a very tasty Moroccan peach chutney. We washed it down with excellent Bruney Island Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay.

Almost everything I've written about Bruny Island is related to food it seems. That's because there is food everywhere you look.. Fruit on trees, berries by the roadside, oysters on the rocks, fish in the ocean and lakes, and wallabies in the campgrounds..(we had Wallaby and pomegranate pâté today at the Smokehouse for lunch) and farm animals and cheeses as well! It's all about fresh produce. The island is beautiful as well as serene, with a lot of wildlife to be seen.

Then the 15 minute trip back on the ferry to pretty Kettering which has a lovely marina.