The Spirit of Tasmania ferry crossing was ok - it gets a bit choppy across the Bass Strait. You get your own recliner sleeper though with a pillow and blanket. We had our mammoth salad that we had to eat and then we got to sleep.
Monday morning we all get woken up just before 6am by the captain - not personally but over the tannoy. We are told to get in our vehicles by 6.30 ready to disembark the vessel. Obviously made it to Devonport then. On the way out we drive through Quarantine and had the sniffer dog jump on board - all is ok though.
As we only have 3 days we plan our route. Our first stop is going to be Cradle Mountain. We drive out towards it and get there around 10am. It's noticably colder here than the mainland - thicker clothing is definitely needed! We head into the Visitor Information and buy a National Park Pass that will cover us for the 3 days. Becky also buys some gloves to compliment her jacket and scarf!
We get told about some of the walks and then jump onto one of the Shuttle buses that takes us to Dove Lake. Its a 2 hour circuit so we get going in the sunshine, soon warming up. Once again the views are great - you have the lake in the foreground with Cradle Mountain towering in the background. There is even a little bit of snow left on its peak.
By the time we finish our walk (and spoken to a random bloke who gave us a contact number for some work) we are pretty hungry. We grab the shuttle back to the camper and make up lunch. We leave the National Park by 13:30 and head back along all the windy bendy roads. We had to drive around part of Mount Rodney and then up it so we could head to Deloraine through to Launceston.
On route we came across some horses that had managed to escape their field - with the owner trying to get them back in. We also saw a wombat which neither of us had seen before. Surprised at the amount of roadkill over here though. There is literally something splattered every kilometre or so.
We park up in a lookout spot for the night, overlooking Scottsdale. The toilet that is here is a Composting toilet and absolutely stinks! It's a case of holding your breath and doing what you need to do quickly! We cook dinner and then make up the bed for the night. This camper is heaps better than the last one we had - has a microwave, proper sink and tap, a built in stove....the works! And you can even stand up in it without hitting your head!
Tuesday morning we are up early - we have cereal and crumpets for breakfast and get moving. We drive through Scottsdale, Branxholm, Derby, Weldborough, Pyengena and into St Helens. Another trip to a Visitor Information Centre and we have directions to The Bay Of Fires.
We drive to Binalong Bay first stopping at a beach to look out at the coast and to take some pictures.
We head on to The Bay of Fires. When we get there we climb over some rocks and get some more photos, seeing a seal. It's our first wild seal so quite exciting.
We have lunch in a little spot before setting off for Coles Bay. We stop at a lookout in Scamander and get some brilliant sunny views of the coast. The rest of the morning had been overcast so was a nice surprise when it cleared up! We continue on through Four Mile Creek and Bicheno before getting into the Frecinet National Park.
"The Frecinet Peninsula is effectively two eroded blocks of granite joined by a sand isthmus. The imposing granite peaks, and the many white sandy beaches that dot the peninsula are among the highlights."
We book ourselves into the National Parks camping ground and then head off to explore the area. First stop is Honeymoon bay
Onwards to Wineglass Bay car park where we get ready to do the Wineglass Bay Lookout walk. The gravel track took us up a steady climb, with 343 steps. Half way up and you get a great view of Coles Bay. Keep on going to the top and you get to see Wineglass Bay - a super sandy beach!
We finish the walk around 6.30pm and then drive to Cape Tourville where we do a short 20 minute walk, taking us around a lighthouse and a more distant view of Wineglass Bay and the surrounding area. We drive back down to the campsite and set up camp for the night. A hot chocolate is in order as it's pretty cold!
We have a chilled out start to Wednesday, having breakfast and then packing the camper up ready to return it later. We drive into Coles Bay and have a quick look around and then drive along the coast to Hobart Airport. This is where we have to say goodbye to the camper. We sign it back in, collect our $350 and then grab a taxi into the city. Its $41 but we would have had to wait an hour and a half for the shuttle bus and would have only been $8 cheaper.
We check in at our YHA Hostel - Montgomerys Private Hotel - all seems ok. We are here for 3 nights.
Thursday we go out and explore Hobart - we venture around the Harbour, through the shops (purchasing a few items) and then walk around the route that the Tour bus takes - cheaper that way! We really like Hobart, and even think about coming back here after Christmas to find work.
We get chatting to a couple of guys whilst cooking dinner - one is 69 years old and is travelling Australia for 3 months - this is his 4th time here. He's doing really well! And the other guy has been cycling around Oz and New Zealand with 40kgs of luggage. Mad!
Friday 9th and we have hired a car from Thrify - a LIME GREEN Suzuki Swift. I hang my head in shame.
We head to Port Arthur to visit the Historic Site.
The Port Arthur penal station was established in 1830 as a timber-getting camp, using convict labour to produce sawn logs for government projects.
The vision for Port Arthur penal settlement was a bold experiment and ground breaking attempt at reform and rehabilitation of the convicts of the colony Van Diemens Land. It was a place of punishment for the worst class of convicts. Port Arthur was a key part of the colonial system of convict discipline. Remote, harsh and with no chance of escape - these were the perfect conditions for hardened and repeat offenders.
By 1840 more than 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived at Port Arthur, which by this time was a major industrial settlement. A range of goods and materials were produced here - everything from worked stone and bricks to furniture and clothing, boats and ships - with the free labour of convicts.
We found the whole place really interesting! It's the first historical site that we've come across since we have been here. Everything else has been mountains!
We head back to the hostel, have dinner, shower and then pack everything up, ready for our flight to Melbourne tomorrow morning.
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