Bicheno to Richmond

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Up and out for another walk on the beach. Still windy but all shiny and blue today. There are lots of jellyfish washed up on the beach and the sun is sparkling through them to the sand underneath them. We see a tiny dead penguin on the beach - strange and sad sight. We walk all the way along the beach round to the impressive breakwater. The harbour is choppy and a little dinghy anchored out there is half full of water and looks fascinatingly close to sinking. I love walking out on it and enjoying the waves breaking against it, but at the same time I keep getting images of it being pounded and submerged in a wild storm and that freaks me out a bit and makes my feet hurt. We come across the magificent sight of a tree almost completely covered with scarlet bottlebrush type flowers - and completely covered in bees! All good though, they seem totally preoccupied and blissed out.

We pack up and check out of our little retro hideaway. That now makes two snug happy nights we have had here. I want to stay here again, many more times. We head down to revisit the Blowhole. The last time we were here, the sea was wild and the whole area around the Blowhole was wild, weird, turbulent and disturbing. Today is all serenity and sunshine and things are much more sedate. We linger for a while, trying to capture the irregular blowhole plume on camera. Then we head for another of my favourite Bicheno places, "The Gulch". This is a little "alley" between the mainland and a tiny island about 50 feet offshore, often full of cute anchored little wooden fishing boats. The water here is intensely blue, clear and crystal and the island is inhabited by thousands of swooping crying birds.

Our final stop in Bicheno is a butchery we have read about from afar - "Sir Loinbreier" (why is it called that? What does it mean? I don't know.) It is full of golden smoked bits of various creatures and many pretty proteins, and is quite expensive. We buy a piece of smoked fish and head for Richmond.

Enroute we stop in to have a look at Coles Bay - pretty and immensely windy, huge swell and white caps (and still people swimming!). We take a walk along a seaside trail which has the longest name of any walking trail in the world ever, and mess round in the sunshine. Then on to Kate's Berry Farm where we admired all manner of lovely things in the very elegant shop, particularly the intricately detailed chocolate fish.

Driving back into Richmond has a splendid familiarity. We have a great affection for this town and most particularly, for its bakery! We stop at the supermarket and buy a nice fat little free range chook and some veg, and head for the Richmond caravan park. I love this simple, tidy, budget priced little caravan park, with the little timber clad cabins under the gum trees. We make a splendid dinner of pot roast whole chicken, browned in a saucepan on the hotplate and then simmered with the veg - yay! Off to sleep at the end of a most scenic day.

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