Freycinet National Park, the East Coast and Goodbye Elizabeth!

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Fuelled by all that wonderful food, we were off to Freycinet National Park. Full of energy and the excitement of people who have no idea what to expect we decided to take on Mount Amos upon arrival (recommended by my lovely sister - I'll deal with you later Lisa). Not so much of a walk but a semi-vertical rock scramble, we made it to the top in under the recommended time. It was all worth it as the views were absolutely spectacular. Surprisingly enough (?) we had it all to ourselves which made it even more special. The walk down was nowhere near as terrifying as we thought it would be and every step we were rewarded with amazing views of the peninsula and the Hazards as the sun set. Some stiff gin and tonics and a lovely dinner in the Iluka Tavern revived our aching muscles and the next day were were ready to take on Wineglass Bay and the Hazards Circuit. A little more crowded but still wonderful views. We even spent a few moments on Wineglass Bay beach before the wind and the mosquitoes descended... The rest of the walk was amazing - a lot had changed since I'd been there in Grade 10 although some of the memories came flooding back, particularly walking from Hazards Beach in the rain. Fortunately, the day was lovely and sunny and we had a wonderful time!
After an aborted kayakinig trip due to high winds, we finished off our time in Coles Bay, relaxing and enjoying as much seafood as we could possibly eat, including some amazing oysters at the Oyster Catcher, fantastic!
We then made our way up the east coast to St Helens and Scamander, and Elizabeth got the full tour that included Humbug Point, St Helens Point at sunset, The Blue Tier, The Goblin Walk, Poimena, Pyngana, a lot of waterfalls, the Stampers and even the opportunity to feed a pig a bottle of beer. We got so carried away with such a jam packed day, we barely had the energy to grab some crayfish and make our way back to Launceston. Fortunately, everyone was okay with us eating late and we celebrated Elizabeth's last night in Tasmania with a "gala dinner" that also welcomed Jayne and Steve to Tasmania.
The next day we barely had time to ensure to burn a CD before it was time to take Elizabeth to the airport. I quite enjoyed my first visit to Launceston Airport that did not involve having to get on a plane but it was so sad saying goodbye to Elizabeth after being in each others' pockets for the last two months!!\
Fortunately, all the Antarctic reunions will keep the holiday spirit alive long after we've all gone back to work!

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