19 FEBRUARY
PENGUIN
We left Cradle
Mountain and drove a series of windy and sometimes steep roads to reach the
north coast and eventually, Penguin.
We settled into our camp
and after lunch had a walk down to JOHNSONS BEACH. We sat in the warm sunshine
and I managed two ocean dips in the relatively warm water.
Later, we had a late
afternoon stroll along the waterfront.
20 FEBRUARY
PENGUIN
We woke to cloudy
weather.
After breakfast, we rode our bikes along the Penguin waterfront and along the coastal road. It was very pretty.
Later, a strong west
wind developed and the ocean was whipped into a frenzy of white caps. The wind
continued throughout the rest of the day. My timing was good for the kayak.
We had an easy afternoon and had a few drinks with a couple from Wagga Wagga in NSW.
21 FEBRUARY
PENGUIN TO STANLEY
A bright sunny day …
so far. The sunrise at PENGUIN was brilliant on the Bass Strait with the water
reflecting its intensity.
We followed the rocky
and sometimes beachy coastline to BURNIE. Jacinta had an appointment for her
covid booster. While there we stocked up on food, alcohol, petrol and had
breakfast while checking out the local beach.
We drove to FERNY
GLADE just outside BURNIE. It was very pretty with a creek and lots of huge
ferns. We saw our first Tasmanian Pademelon and a number of birds.
Next stop was a camp
site as we followed the north coast road west. The scenery was mainly rocky
with some sandy beach areas.
We stopped at BOAT
HARBOUR. The beach was stunning and we decided to stay there despite the strong
wind. We couldn’t contact or find the camp caretaker so we changed plans for
Stanley.
Our first impression
of STANLEY was how amazing it looked – a massive sheer rock with a small
fishing/tourist town below it. The wind was still howling and we were lucky
that the camp reception moved sites around and we were able to get a powered
site for three nights.
Late in the afternoon,
I had a walk along the waterfront to the fishing boat harbour – strong winds
huge fishing boats and some superb sailing boats.
Back at camp and we
chatted with a nice elderly Dutch couple.
22 FEBRUARY
STANLEY
Sunshine in the
morning and later increasing wind.
Cleaning day today –
washing and van inside clean.
I had a bike ride
early in the afternoon – tallows loop track, along the harbour waterfront,
through town and Grahams Beach. A great and interesting ride.
We had dinner at the
Stanley Hotel … so good and we are so full.
23 FEBRUARY
STANLEY
A bit of a late start
as we had to change camp site.
We walked from the
camp area to the chairlift to take us to the top of The Nut. The Nut is the
remains of a volcanic plug. The chairlift was fun looking at the rocks below
and unsuccessfully devising an escape plan if the chair fell for some reason.
At the top, we walked clockwise. The track was easy to follow and there were a number
of lookouts for outstanding views over Stanley and beyond. The interior of the
top was interesting with rare species of a plant and snail. At one point we
came across a snake. It looked like a yellow-bellied black snake. At the end of
the path, we walked down the path to the base of The Nut rather than the
chairlift. It was very steep but fun.
We stopped in at one
of the cafes in town for coffee and muffin. The main town was a few streets lined
with beautiful and classically historic houses. Very nice.
At camp, we rested.
After a while, we had a cycle along the Tatlow Beach loop, through the harbour
and along the main street.
The rest of the
afternoon was relaxing and planning the next adventure.
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment