Boxing day was a bit of a write off for us, we visited Salamanca Market but were disappointed with what was on offer and we were both feeling rather tired after our non-stop travels, despite drawing breath in the Hobart hotel. So, we headed straight for our campsite at White Beach, about 11 km from Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. It seemed that the wind was following us.
Our allocated site was sheltered on two sides, neither of which was any good due to the wind blasting straight into it at around 38 km/hr. Local knowledge advised us that it is a windy part of the country and that the NE wind is not so bad as it is warm. When it swings to a SW it can be very cold. From this, I gathered that wind was a permanent feature, except it would be either warm or cold! Undaunted we pitched the tent and, after settling in, we went for a walk along the beach. As it was getting close to sunset it was clear that there would be a bit of colour in the sky. After a quick dash back to the car for my camera, I managed to catch few shots, including the header shot.
It was far too windy to set up the gas stove, so we used the camp kitchen throughout our stay. This was a such a god send on our second evening. The forecast was for rain starting at about 17:00 and lasting until about midnight. This was the result of a front passing over and the rain came down and the wind swung round from the SW with renewed vigour. We spent a couple of hours sitting in the car, having been soaked moving between the camp kitchen and the tent. We decided to have an early night and woke to a clear blue morning and a tent that thankfully had almost dried out.
During our full day on the Tasman Peninsula, we completed two walks, 15 km in total. The first of these was to Crescent Bay – just over two hours return and finishing at the Remarkable Cave where Kerena took the most amazing shot of a surfer which I will share in the next post. Having visited the renowned Wineglass Bay last year, I must say that Crescent Bay is, for me, the better of the two. The second walk was around the Coal Mines Historical Site – an interesting insight into how the convicts were used and abused in the early years of settlement. Both walks were very windy with the rain occasionally attempting to dampen our spirits.
Tonight, we are staying in the Spring Bay Hotel, a typical regional hotel with the bar downstairs, shared toilets etc, but have the place to ourselves. We chose this as it is adjacent to the Maria Island Ferry terminal – we are booked on the 08:30 tomorrow morning to spend about six hours on the island before heading further north.
