Tasmania was living up to expectations so far and we left Triabunna full of enthusiasm as we headed for one of the places everyone raves about - Wineglass Bay. The travel distances in Tassie continued to take us by surprise. When we go away on the mainland it is not unusual to drive 5 or 6 hours between stops, whereas here we were mainly driving around one hour for each trip. This day was no exception, just 50 kms north to Swansea.
The route was lined with fruit farms, mainly apples and cherries which cannot grow in many parts of Australia so the scenery was quite a change for us. We secured a spot at Swansea Caravan Park, $65 powered but right on the beach front, and then set off for another hour long drive to Freycinet National Park to walk to Wineglass Bay.
Although only a 3km walk, it was demanding because it was all uphill with 400 steps up through amazing rock formations and beautiful trees. It is a very popular Instagrammable sight to see so was pretty busy. Braver souls than us could take a further 500 steps down to the beach (and back up again) once they had puffed and wheezed their way to the viewing platform but we only saw one person take the plunge.
I hate to say it but we were a bit disappointed in Wineglass Bay. We are very spoilt with gorgeous bays where we live and all the people trooping up there made the visit feel like a box ticking exercise. Once back at the start of the trail we saw a lighthouse walk signposted which was wheelchair friendly so we figured it couldn't be too strenuous and it was fabulous! We cheered up enormously when a bend was rounded at the end bringing into view an amazing seascape of rugged cliffs and a splendid little lighthouse. Hardly any people had bothered with this walk, choosing to just stick with the main event, so it was doubly enjoyable.
Back at the caravan park the weather was a bit grim so we cooked our dinner in the excellent camp kitchen where we got chatting to the most fascinating couple. He was German and she American and they made their living travelling the world recording sounds and selling them to mainly film companies. If, for example, a film maker needs the sound of a particular frog only found in the Amazon Rainforest, they get in touch with this pair who would probably have the very recording in their files. What an amazing life they must have! We went back to the van and watched a movie but couldn't stop noticing sounds of waterfalls, bird calls etc. and wondering if they had been purchased from the recording banks of our new friends.
After coffee and a visit to the IGA we topped up again with diesel which was now over $3 a litre (thanks Donald). Our route was going to take us inland for the first time so we would be leaving the dry eastern side of the island behind as we headed away from the coast. Our drive took us through Campbell Town, which was extremely ordinary, although it did have a Big Log in recognition of the local tree felling industry, then on to the Georgian town of Evandale.
Our free camp was a 15 minute walk outside of town at Honeysuckle Banks which was on a riverbank, no toilets and a 48hour pass must be obtained online. Unfortunately campers were only allowed to stay in the car park because of past poor behaviour, such a shame when a town offers a free camp and people abuse it. We wandered up the hill to the town and it was extraordinary. The buildings were all beautifully presented and the whole town was very special. The Prince of Wales pub allowed parking behind for RVs and an annual penny farthing race had only recently taken place. there was plenty of very pleasant looking accommodation including a converted bakery where guests could sleep in the oven! The Clarendon Arms was a very smart pub with an art exhibition upstairs and there were several galleries, interesting shops and a couple of really good cafes.
Wet overnight but the sun came out as we drove into Evandale for a final coffee before setting of for Cradle Mountain. We didn't really have a reason to visit Launceston but we were passing so close it seemed rude not to pop in for a quick look. Cataract Gorge seemed to be the place with the best reviews so that was where we went. What a beautiful spot and an amazing facility to have right in the middle of a city. On the River Esk, the gorge has a large visitor centre with a cafe, fabulous gardens, a swimming pool and the babbling river. It also had a couple of things I was not about to sample but Ian did, a suspension bridge which was decidedly wobbly and overhead chair ride.
After the excellent diversion to Launceston we continued on our way to Cradle Mountain. Our route took us through Sheffield which was a fantastic town with a mural on almost every building and some very nice shops including a brilliantly quirky record store. A shopkeeper asked if we were there for the rowing, we admitted not knowing what she was talking about so she filled us in. The Australian National Rowing Championships were taking place on Lake Barrington, right near where we were planning to stay so we made a mental note to have a look if possible.
We carried on to Gowrie Park Wilderness Camp, $75 for two nights with power. There was a council site just before it but we needed power again and expected there to be a nice area with trees and wildlife to camp at Gowrie Park, it was called a wilderness camp after all. No such luck, the camping was just on a gravel area that was not even terribly flat and, as we discovered the next morning, not very close to Cradle Mountain either. The amenities were ok, if a bit gritty underfoot and it was an extra $1 for a 5 minute shower (cheeky). The place was surrounded by great views of Mount Roland and others with mist hanging over them and we were aware we had entered the other part of Tasmania which is not dry like the east coast. They call the west coast the wet coast for good reason and the mountains we were amongst in the middle were decidedly damp.
Cradle Mountain turned out to be 40kms away along winding roads and freezing. We already had our National Parks Pass so all we had to pay was $15 each for the shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the various walks starting points. We chose to go to the Dove Lake Loop, as did everyone else, which was the furthest and highest walk.
As we set off it started to rain and blow a gale so quickly became clear that it was going to be a truly miserable experience. We admitted defeat and returned, dripping and shivering to the bus stop and caught the shuttle down the mountain a bit to Ronny Creek for the starting point of the Cradle Valley Boardwalk - 2 hours and easy apparently. It was a beautiful walk and we only got wet a few times, because it was lower and through a valley it was not as cold and we were protected a bit from the wind. There were also no people, in the whole two hours I think we encountered four other walkers. The valley was very pretty with mossy trees and tufty grasses but not a single bit of wildlife, not even birds, until we were back on the shuttle bus and a wombat strolled by.
It rained all night but we woke to glorious sunshine the following morning. We had noticed lots of very tall, slim teenagers and young adults staying in large groups at our campsite and guessed they must be rowers so asked them where we should go to watch the championships. They told us the racing had to be stopped the previous day because of high winds (tell us about it) and gave us directions to the competition section of the lake, which was actually very close to where we were staying.
We had a couple of hours to spare at the beginning of our next journey so went for a look. The event was massive! Hundreds and hundreds of racing boats lined the bank of gorgeous Lake Barrington, there were stalls and grandstands and the car park was packed with team coaches, cars and motorhomes. We paid our $84 (bit steep but it looked exciting) and were just about to step through the entry barrier when a voice over the tannoy announced that racing was suspended for at least an hour because of wind. If the announcement had come one minute later we would have been inside the gate and not entitled to a refund, as it was we got our money back because we had not even made it inside. I don't know how, or even if they managed to catch up on all the cancelled races, the competition is usually held in Penrith but they were trying out a new location. Lake Barrington was certainly a spectacular location for the event but with the complications of shipping all the boats, competitors and equipment to Tasmania as well as the weather, I suspect they might be going back to safe old Penrith next year.
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