25 FEBRUARY
JULIUS RIVER TO ARTHUR
RIVER
While we were having
breakfast a couple of pademelons appeared obscurely in the dense foliage.
Hey! Where did our
grey water waste bucket go … I found it in the bush partially chewed away by
probably a Tasmanian Devil.
We left our camp and
drove a short distance to the JULIUS RIVER WALKING TRACKS.
There were two tracks
the rainforest walk and the sinkhole walk.
We walked the
RAINFOREST RIVER WALK first. It started on a wide track and turned right up
steep small steps. At the top we followed a boardwalk then a ground track. The
rainforest was very pretty with various shades of green on the open ground
floor. The top canopy was thick, allowing filtered light and the odd ray of
sunshine to past through. The track turned to narrow steep steps that lead to
the Julius River. We followed the track and boardwalk along the river back to
the carpark.
The next hike was the
SINKHOLE WALK. It was once again through rainforest. The track was harder to
follow winding its way around dry sinkholes and around large myrtle and
sassafras trees. We chose a spot to sit and enjoy the silence.
The next stop was
SUMAC LOOKOUT. It was only a short walk with a great view of the river below.
We sat on the bench and enjoy the sunshine with no wind.
We continued onwards
to ARTHUR RIVER. Along the way, there were three Tasmanian Devils on the road
sunning themselves. Our first sighting! It didn’t last long as they soon moved
into the bush.
We stopped at END OF
THE WORLD for the view and taste of the wild Southern Ocean. The wind was
howling and the view was wild and panoramic.
We decided to stay at
PEPPERMINT CAMP. We picked a great spot under some trees in a more natural
location. We had lunch and enjoyed the visits of the various local birds
After our food
settled, we walked down to the river and along its shore to the beach. The wind
was still howling. The sand was speeding across the wide beach like a scene
from a desert storm. The wildness of this place is very attractive. The people
living here must be very hardy.
We tried to book the
Arthur River cruise but it was booked out for a week. We’ll try again tomorrow
morning in case of a cancellation.
26 FEBRUARY
ARTHUR RIVER TO SMITHTON
After breakfast, we
decided to explore the coast and either stay at Marrawah or Smithton.
We drove to TEMMA
Harbour and wandered along the shoreline. There were a number of large boats
and a rambling of houses from shacks to homely.
Next, STINKING BEACH.
A short walk through the sand dunes and onto a sandy beach scattered with kelp.
Yep, it stank haha.
Further along to
REBECCA LAGOON, where we followed a gravel path to a viewing area of the
lagoon. The lagoon was surrounded by sand dunes on beach side. There were a
number of birds on the lagoon and surrounding trees.
COUTTA ROCKS was next.
Once again there were a variety of houses. The coastline a rocky bay with lots
of rock outcrops.
Much further on, we
stopped at GREEN POINT BEACH, MARRAWAH. The surf was small and not much quality
but it was pretty. A little disappointed as I was looking forward to a surf.
We drove next to WEST
POINT STATE RESERVE. At the end of the corrugated gravel road there were a
number of surfers out. The largest sets looked good but they were breaking
twice as far out from where the group was sitting. We watched for about ½ hour
but I never saw anyone catch a decent wave just closeouts. Disappointing again!
We decided to opt for
Smithton. We brought some food, petrol and settled in at the River Breeze Camp.
The camp was okay as it was beside the river. Kayaking wasn’t possible due to
low tide and the soft mud. I tried and my first step took me knee deep in
sucking ooze.
After cleaning off the
mud, we had a short walk along a river track.
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