NSW – Tasmania trip 2021: 18-21 February

Thursday – Sunday – Southport
Left Adventure Bay and stopped at the Neck lookout on our way to the ferry back to the mainland.  The lookout is around 200 steps high, with sensational views. The weather was warm!  The young Argentinian couple we kept bumping into took a picture of us, and we of them to capture some of the beauty with us as well!

The weather was warm, and it kept getting warmer as we got back to the Tasmanian mainland.  The drive to Southport was beautiful as we were alongside the Huon river for quite a way. We stopped in some cute towns, one of them being Cygnet, which had some truly lovely heritage listed buildings.  We topped up the groceries in Huonville, then continued south through Franklin and Dover to the last little town in southern Tasmania where the temperature reached 32°C.

Kendy was also driving down today from Hobart with (4 year old) daughter Equaya. . Brad is following tomorrow after (8year old) Quinlan’s gymnastics.

It was fabulous to see Kendy again, after our last trip 18 months ago, and little Equaya is the spitting image of her mother, and a giggling little ray of sunshine!

The shack was everything it should be.  Right smack in a huge bay on one of the white sand empty beaches with blue water. The views are of Bruny Island; the watercraft activity – a few crayfish and abalone fishing boats; and a bit of pleasure craft.

We took a drive to the end of the road  Cockle Creek and you can’t drive any further. We had arrived at the most southern part of Australia, where you are closer to Antarctica than to Cairns!!. You could walk for another few days – we didn’t do that….

In the early days, a lot of whaling happened in this part of Tasmania and there is a gorgeous statue of a whale, Equaya was happy to pose for Arno under the whale.

We watched some of Kendy’s neighbours bring in their crayfish catch after having spent 5 days out where the weather had been magnificent so not too hard to take! They had caught 605 crays, and they were being counted by the deckhand (and skipper) and crated; then the local fishmonger weighed each crate (to be around 20.8kg worth of crays) and stacked them in his refrigerated truck.  It was a great big boat with space for 100 craypots, and plenty of mod cons, It was quite spectacular to watch all the action.  Quinlan especially thought it was just super interesting.

We had a feast of crayfish that afternoon (Jen didn’t need dinner after the amount she demolished)..

We took the bikes out and explored some other beaches where the huge ‘Bull Kelp’ lay around on the beach. The kelp (a type of seaweed) is found in various thicknesses, but Tasmania is especially a big source of the large variety. The kelp feels like a cross between leather and rubber, and is an almost translucent mustard colour when it’s fresh. It turns darker as it dries and ages, and loses its flexibility, and become hard.  Kelp grows in cool, shallow water and is an algae seaweed. It is an important part of the ecosystem as it supports fish life and marine mammal species as a food and shelter.  It has many commercial uses, in foods, toothpaste and some pharmaceuticals. It is very high in nutrients. 

The Aboriginals in Tasmania used to use the Bull Kelp to carry water and food.

We saw tonnes of mussels from super tiny (like 3mm)  to full size just growing on the volcanic rock on this Roaring Bay beach and plenty other fun things to keep the kids busy and entertained.

Arno showed Quinlan how to drive the drone, and he is so keen; unfortunately, a decent drone is still a bit out of an 8-year-old’s price range!

Sunday-Monday – Orford
Spent the morning together with bacon on the barbecue and eggs for breakfast another beautiful day, so we went on a bike ride, this time Jen took Quinlan on the back of her electric bike so he didn’t have to ride the hills, and he thought it was so cool.

We said our goodbyes after lunch and set off to see with Marg and Andrew again, this time at their (considerably smaller property of only 5 acres) in Orford.

Stopped along the way to buy a car laptop charger so Jen can better keep on top of the blog by adding notes while driving.  Arrived in time for our pre-dinner drinks…. and to the most magnificent piece of paradise.  Our reunion was great, and Marg and Andrew (being campers themselves) picked the best level spot for our van with view, access to their house, electricity and anything else we could possibly need!

The house is round with large window panes and decking, set on 5 acres of rolling hills down to beach access. Views of course to die for.

Lovely meal, with lots of laughs and updates since last Monday. We were given lots of tips on where to go next for our remaining 2 weeks. Slept to the sound of waves yet again!