Wine Glass Bay and St. Helens Point

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The Beautiful Tasmanian Beaches and Cliffs

Since we were staying in a Bed & Breakfast, we woke up early for the second of the key parts of the formula: breakfast. There wasn’t much of a window for breakfast so we had to get up early. Dot, the proprietor of the Ross Bakery B&B, had told us the day before that breakfast was between 8 and 8:30 so we got up at 7:15 to get dressed and ready for breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of yogurt and granola along with a huge platter of freshly baked breads and pastries. The platter was so big that they give it to you along with a plastic bag for you to take the rest with you when you leave. This excess of great bread gave us a free lunch which we ate later in the day.

After breakfast was devoured, we jumped into our trusty Hyundai and set out for a long day of driving and adventure. Our first stop was on the east coast to see the Freycinet Peninsula National Park. The drive to the east coast took about an hour and a half of driving through the central plains and foothills of the island.

Tasmania has an incredibly varied landscape despite the island’s relatively small size. The south, where we started our trip, is lush and green and has a few small hills. The greenery is to die for and the leaves are all changing colors due to autumn’s quick approach. The center of Tasmaina, where we are staying in Ross, is mostly cleared for sheep and contains few trees which appear sparse and near death most of the time. The East Coast contains red granite mountains and cliffs with gorgeous beaches of blue, blue clear water. It’s amazing that in less than 100 miles you can experience so much variation in landscape.

Freycinet and Wine Glass Bay

After a quick stop for gas and a few necessities for lunch later in the day we showed up at the National Park on Freycinet Peninsula. You immediately can see the difference in scenery when you approach the park and see the four huge red granite mountains, called the Hazards, which are dead in the middle of the peninsula.

We bought our park pass and set out to find the trail to Wine Glass Bay lookout. We had been warned that the trail contained many steps up to the lookout but we weren’t really prepared for the fact that the trail was nothing but steps. I had figured it would be flat for a while and then would have a bunch of stairs up to a tower type lookout. Instead the trail was a series of 600 stairs that lead from the parking lot up a mountain where you could get a clear view of the bay.

Despite the fact that 600 steps are a real tiring experience, we enjoyed the walk and took a few breaks to enjoy the scenery of red granite mountains and giant rain-rounded boulders. The lookout gave a gorgeous view of the bay which had a huge white sand beach and blue-green water which makes you want to run down and jump in to the beauty. We didn’t run down to the beach because that doubles the hike and we were pretty tired after an hour of up hill but we did take some time at the lookout to admire Tasmania’s beauty.

Once we had completed the hike down the mountain we drove over to do another short hike around a light house in the park in hopes of finding a spot for lunch. The lighthouse itself wasn’t that impressive but the view of the cliffs and the endless stretch of blue water was breathtaking.

After a quick perusal of the area we found a rock outcropping off the trail that gave us a beautiful view of the peninsula and stopped for lunch. The bread and pastries plus the cheese we bought on the way made for a filling lunch while the view made for an amazing lunch room. Sometimes we find ourselves amazed at the beauty of the world and this was one such occasion. I doubt there are many places in the world that can truly match the experience and beauty of Tasmania. The view and food really satisfied our hunger and our souls as we sat in silence admiring the world around us.

More Driving and a Quick Stop in St. Helens

It was too early in the afternoon to end the day so we decided to head north towards the small hamlet of St. Helens. Despite the fact that it was less than 100 miles between Freycinet and St Helens, the amount of driving to get from point A to point B was rather lengthy.

During the hour and a half drive we saw much of the north eastern coast which consists of miles upon miles of beautiful beaches and clear water. As you drive through places like this and pass the myriad of camp grounds it’s easy to see why Australians are renowned for being outdoorsy people. If I lived in this part of the world I would definitely own a camper which would allow me to spend as much time with Mother Nature as possible. The beaches are just glorious.

When we arrived at St. Helens, a small port town that used to be a favorite stop of whalers back in the day, it was already quarter after four. After calculating how much time it would take us to drive the 140km back to Ross, we decided to stick around for a short hop up to the lookout and see the Peron Dunes.

15 minutes later we were standing on top of twenty five foot sand dunes overlooking the coast near St Helens. I have never actually seen something that I would consider a coastal dune before this but completely understand the fascination with these huge wind blown piles of sand. The beauty of the sand dunes and blank stretches of sand is very New England but with exceptionally clear blue water ringing them in.

I decided to attempt to climb one of the larger dunes just for fun. Kel got some funny pictures as I clamored for a foot hold on the constantly sinking sand. Going down the dune was really the fun part as you can run like you are on the moon just sinking your heals into the sand. After having so much fun I talked Kel into giving it a try. She was successful in the climb (if not quite as graceful) but enjoyed the trip down just as much as I did.

Driving into the Sun and Ross

The trip home was a bit of a drag as the sun was shining directly in my face for most of the journey. We spent an hour and a half driving through the countryside wishing that we could invent a teleporting machine like the ones used in Star Trek. Instead we quickly drove the East/West route hoping to get home to Ross before the sun completely set while at the same time cursing the sun that was shining directly into the windshield blinding us.

In large parts of Australia it is important to get your driving done during the day if possible. Once the sun sets the wildlife (kangaroos, wallabies, etc) is out in force and can get in the way of your night time drive. The evidence of this problem is strewn all over the roads in Tasmania in the form of road-kill. While sad to see some of the cooler wildlife dead on the side on the road it is completely understandable due to the huge quantity of wildlife about.

Thankfully we made it back to Ross with some time to spare before the sun set. Ross is an incredibly small town of the size that you can only find in remote parts of the world. On Sunday night we had eaten dinner in the Inn’s bakery which is open for dinner on Sunday only to pick up the slack from the other restaurant in town which is closed. That’s right, you heard me correctly the “other” restaurant.

After getting settled we walked down to the Man O’ Ross Inn in hopes of getting some dinner. Since it was Monday, the bakery was closed giving us little choice but to eat at the pub in the Man O’ Ross. Sadly we were mistaken, the Man O’ Ross was closed meaning that none of the restaurants in town were open. No luck for us!

We walked back to the B&B, jumped in the car and shot off to the closest town: Campbell Town. Thankfully a small Italian Bistro was open in Campbell Town which gave us an opportunity to eat without having to drive too far. The food was surprisingly good and when we finished we were back on the road for Ross and some TV before bed time.

Hope you are all well back home!

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Photos

Lunch at Freycinet
This is where we ate lunch. A pretty view for a quick meal, no?

Peron Dunes
Running down the dunes is so much fun!

Comments

[TeamTurner]

Leslie
I love the pictures!!!! And the ones with you guys running down the dunes is so cool . . . I feel like I'm right there with you. =)