Kerry and Peter's Blog

Our last morning in Hobart, it was glorious, the sun was shining & looking over the water was lovely, there was a large cruise liner docked.

We drove out to Lime Bay a 1300 hectare secluded reserve consisting of sheltered beaches & eucalypt plantations, the campground is approx. 12klm SW of the small fishing town of Dunalley. WOW! It is a great spot but for the first 2 days & nights it the wind blew madly, we were cold & sand blasted BUT it improved. 2 very good friends arrived the day after us, so we had lotz of fun playing cards in their caravan until the weather improved. Wendy & Jack (Queenslanders – no wonder they were so nice), worked at the Pondering Frog with us. Peter & Jack put the boat in late 1 afternoon, caught lotz of flathead but no keepers. The next day Wendy went out with the boys & yes – we had fish for dinner that night.

It is a very beautiful camping spot & there is a couple of walks to do, you just don’t want to be there is ‘gale force winds’.

We started our journey back to the mainland, we stayed at a mates at St Marys, Sonja & Barry, they have just purchased a B&B there, the bed we slept in was enormous, drove to Devonport, spent the nite there & boarded the boat early on the 30^th March, 2019.

So many ducks – they are cute.

Leaving Hobart.

Mt Wellington – WOW!

Our camp at Lime Bay State Reserve.

The boys going out to catch dinner.

Tide was out next morning & there was lotz of weed washed up.

Sun shining this morning – gorgeous.

Peter, Wendy & Jack setting out for their fishing expedition.

We are definitely having fish 2nite – Wendy is our lucky star.

These guys were feasting as well.

Looking back towards our camp from up the beach, well hidden although we not far from the water at high tide.

Dinner 2nite.

More dinner 2nite, I collected these fellows while the others were out in the boat.

So many of these critters, one even tried nibbling on my toe.

Another of the locals.

Peter & our gorgeous Ma (Wendy).

Ma & me.

Driving north, a farmer was obviously burning off stubble.

Stayed at Sonja & Barry’s place at St Marys – what a bed, it was massive.

Boarding the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ 0800hrs 30^th March, 2019.

Bruny Island for us has been interesting, no boat in the water but we did some walks instead. It’s a beautiful island & definitely got our heart rate beating lotz at times. The weather was reasonably kind to us

Of course, we went left via Mars Bluff, but came back via the beach.

It was definitely a walk to get the heart pumping…..

You can’t see his face but he is ‘smiling’.

Penguin burrows – there was heaps of them.

More fungi!

He’s on the way.

Cape Queen Elizabeth.

Yea – we made it.

Views over the ‘neck’ with lotz of misty rain happening.

We walkied back along the beach for some of the track.

He really enjoyed the ‘beach’ walk….haha

Here comes the ferry to take us back to the mainland at Kettering.

Newbies get off…..

We climb on board.

WOW! What an amazing market at Salamanca, Hobart, Tasmania.

So many people, produce & products.

& one ‘happy’ little vegemite enjoying the markets…..LOL!

Walked past this beautiful American Trumpet Vine In someones front garden.

We took the ferry from Kettering(mainland Tassie) to Bruny Island, quite a nice place & has some great walks. We parked up on a National Park camp located on ‘the neck’, it is a narrow isthmus separating north & south Bruny Island – a great camping spot with awesome toilets.

We took a few drives which enabled us to venture into the ‘wilderness’, our first little jaunt – Mt Mangana, 1 ½ hour trek, 60 mins up hill then 30 mins downhill. Saw some cute fungi & amazing tree stumps, the view okay but not easily accessed.

Had to visit the Bruny Island Hotel for lunch – very yum, obviously that’s why people recommend it. We drove out to Cape Bruny Lighthouse, a very popular tourist spot then drove out to the Jetty Rd campground & went on a short circuit walk for couple hours – very enjoyable.

On the ferry just about to disembark onto Bruny Island.

Our camp setup on the ‘neck’.

Went for a walk to the beach just before dark & saw a black bunny.

The beach was a 5 minute walk from our camp, lovely but not warm enough for me to get wet.

Very cute fungi.

This tree base was enormous.

You can actually see some salmon farms in the background, there are so many of them around Tassie.

The “Neck” has a well know penguin rookery which is a BIG tourist attraction, we drove down one night & saw a few of these critters.

On route to the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, quite specki.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse

On our little trek – Luggaboine Circuit to Jetty Rd beach.

Called into the Bruny Island Cheese Comp – fantastic cheese tasting spot – so yumm

Cockle Creek is a tiny settlement, the farthest point south one can drive in Australia, approx. 148klms from Hobart via the Huon Hwy. It is located on the Recherche Bay on the edge of the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Apparently it rains 212 days of the year here at Cockle Ck, we were so lucky because we only got a small sprinkle which didn’t even require a cover.

It was a beautiful place to camp & quite popular, we decided not to put the boat in & fish instead did a few walks. We were here from the 15th – 18th March, 2019.

The day we arrived, the sun going down.

Morning after, it was beautiful.

I went for an early morning walk with my cup of tea..

Woo Ho! 7.7klms one way should be lotz of fun.

Yep – we looking keen.

We nearly there…….. only a few more steps to go.

One of these pictures is the most southern point of Australia – no one else has breathed this air we are sucking into our lungs, I thought that was pretty amazing.

There were people over there in the waves surfing……..haha, crazy.

Tried to find name but didn’t happen, but they were lovely.

This was a monster ant, they grow them big in Tassie, we have seen a few in different places down here.

He just loves steps….

It was an intersesting track with lotz of different vegetation.

Tunnels through the forests

He made it..

Lotz of wildlife roam around the camp grounds at Fortescue Bay, we saw wallaby’s, paddy melons & possums, no doubt there are wombats & maybe a few devils around but they did not come into sight.

Tasmania has a large amount of road kill happening especially in the possum family, the only wombats & devils I have seen so far have been leg up also. But Tasmania does have lotz of public toilets & they are well maintained – its really quite surprising but in a good way.

So many critters.

This fellow was a constant visitor & liked to check out the majority of the camp sites.

This paddy melon liked to munch on banana skins.

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We dined here for late lunch/early dinner – lightly bread crumbed atlantic salmon, chips & salad – delicious.

The view was easy on the eye while we enjoyed our food.

Saw these steel cutouts during our drive.

Flowering T-Tree

It was a beautiful view.

The legs are feeling these steps, luckily there wasn’t as many as yesterday.

WOW!

It is quite ‘remarkable’.

Yep, he loves the steps.

Toilets everywhere.

Awesome colours these berries.

Passed this bay on the way back from Remarkable Caves.

Don’t see many of these swings around anymore.