After catching up on emails at Maccas just outside Hobart we continued on our journey. Across on the car ferry we went to Bruny Island. It was getting late in the day as we pulled into the booking centre for Bruny Island cruises. As we'd been on the go constantly since we left Sydney I decided to book into an afternoon cruise and spend a second night on the island. After settling into Captain Cook caravan park we crossed the road and went for a walk along the beach at Adventure Bay.
White sand, crystal clear aqua waters and an abundance of bird life made for a very relaxed afternoon. Looking terribly inviting the waters lured us in (shrinkage factor of at least 8). Needless to say we didn't last long and headed back across to Frankie for dinner.
13th March 2011
Chilling out on the beach was the order of the day this morning. After test running his skim scooter which involves me running up and down the beach dragging Jay in my wake, not exactly my idea of a restful morning, he found some kids to play with on his Wahoo board then got busy building sandcastles on the beach. Once he was preoccupied with the other children, I settled into my book and a beach chair.
After lunch we rode our bikes down to the jetty in readiness for the cruise. You know you're in for a rough ride when all the passengers are offered ginger travel calm tablets and dressed in ankle length water jackets.
A 12.5 metre Naiad with three 300 horse power engines (the 4WDs of the sea) whizzed us along the rugged coastline of Bruny Island edging over the demarcation line between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean. We stopped to peer into sea caves and drift up close to the breathing rock which is a type of horizontal blowhole. As the ocean pounds against the cliff wall it sucks in air only to expel it moments later in a blast of air and water. Speeding through the gap between the cliffs and The Monument certainly gets the heart racing.
The towering cliff walls of dolomite loom over you as you float around at the base of the Cathedral in a part of the world usually only seen by a few fisherman and abalone divers. Once in the Southern Ocean we came upon the rocky islands which are home to a large colony of male Australian fur seals. We got close enough to smell them. Jayden was delighted by their antics and giggled as they played and scuffled with one another. The females and younger pups live in colonies in other places further up the Tasmanian, Victorian and South Australian coastlines.
During the return trip a southerly change blew in making the journey quite exciting as we bounced over the rough swell in chase of the Albatross soarinng overhead. I was very grateful we were out there on a quiet day. Apparently swells of 4 metres aren't uncommon and the boats go out in all but a cyclone. Jay got very wet and cold and we reluctantly had to move into the more protected rear of the boat and add a few layers of warm dry clothing. This cruise has by far been the highlight of our tourist activities in Tassie.
14th March 2011
Heading off on an early start so we could catch the 8:30am ferry back to the main island began our long drive to Port Arthur. We could see the peninsula from Adventure Bay and as the crow flies Port Arthur isn't that far away but by land it was a deceptively long drive. Arriving about 11:30am we ate a quick lunch in Frankie and then spent the rest of the day exploring the many interesting haunts around the settlement.
Having opted for the audio guide we were able to move at our own pace with a running commentary. The ferry took us across to The Isle of the Dead where we joined a guided tour about the cemetery that has become the resting place for possibly a thousand convicts, soldiers and nobility. Leaving late in the day after many of the tourists had left gave us a chance to see the settlement in a different light. It was easy to imagine we had travelled back in time as the shadows grew long and a golden glow spread across the grounds. I would have loved to hang around for the ghost tour but had to decline lest I scar Jayden for life.
Grateful we'd booked into the nearby Port Arthur caravan park it was only a short drive to our campsite. Since there appeared to be an abundance of wildlife roaming the park we expectantly grabbed our torches and ventured into the dark. We were well rewarded spotting Bennett's wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, southern brown bandicoots, brush tailed possums a scorpion and something with glowing green eyes in the spotlight which may have been a possum or possibly a quoll.
15th March 2011
Returning up the peninsula at a more leisurely pace we stopped off at the Tasmanian Devil Park where we got a great up-close look at the ellusive Tasmanian Devils, although we'd seen plenty in the roadside butchery. Jay enjoyed being an active participant at the Free Flight Bird Show which showcased a number of Australian birds. Visits to Tasman's Arch, the Devil's Kitchen, the Blowhole, Tessellated Pavement and the Dog Line. The Dog Line was set up in the narrowest part of the Peninsula to stop any convicts who contemplated escaping from getting too far.
Mean, angry dogs were set in a line across the land chained to a barrel which doubled as a shelter. They even had dogs out on barges in the water should any of the convicts attempt swimming around. If the dogs themselves didn't get you the barking would arouse the soldiers who would shoot you. Ironically Friendly Beach in Freycinet National Park was our overnight destination. Here we camped in the coastal heath overlooking the white sandy beaches of the East Coast. Dozing off as the waves crash onto the beach, looking out the window at a zillion stars and awaking to the sun rising over the ocean is one of the magical moments of free camping.
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