Just Call Me Mountain Climber

After a night full of rain, the morning view from our holiday home brought something that has been a rare sight since arriving in Tassie, limited cloud and some blue breaks of sky. With an optimistic attitude we prepared for the day of hiking ahead. Who was I kidding? There was going to be no ‘day of’ but a few hours of. Feeling well prepared after my delicious cheese platter dinner last night and the discovery of an amazing dessert (creamiest pannacotta ever), we rugged up to drag ourselves away from the log fire.

Heading off to Freycinet National Park, telling myself I can climb a mountain, I was nearly pleased to see that in the ten minute drive the rain had commenced again. My scaling a mountain might just have been prevented and the prospect of being choppered off with a heart attack might not pan out. Putting on my best ‘oh what a shame’ face, I suggested that perhaps a drive back through wine country and out to the pub we missed yesterday might be a better option.

My suggestion was short lived as we passed the turn off to Cape Tourville. Instead of taking the alcoholic plan B option, we decided to take the short walk to the lighthouse. Enjoying the easy, no need for emergency evacuation walk, we were blessed with a break in the rain again and the most blue sky we had seen all week. Who would have even thought it had been dark grey half an hour earlier?

Back in the car and a short drive away was a turn off for ‘Sleepy Bay’. With no idea what this might entail and no anxiety of not being prepared (who am I kidding?), we headed off with umbrellas in tow. This seemed like a very intelligent move when once again the rain returned. That very intelligent move was very short lived once we realised that the wind off the ocean might just make me look like a very plump Mary Poppins taking flight. Deciding I didn’t want to be a movie star, we just had to suck it up and get wet. The walk descended the rock face down to a gorgeous little bay below.

With it being wet, it was just begging me to take a fall. Now I am capable of falling over on a flat surface, bare feet and safety non-slip tape for good measure. I have managed to fall over in the most ridiculous and unlikely places. Add a lot of steps and slippery rocks and I had no chance of staying upright. Ten minutes into the walk and I was over, flat on my bum with hubby looking back at me. Getting myself up from the ground and pondering the thought of what goes down has to go back up, I continued my descent.

Was the walk (and fall) worth it? Yes indeed. It was absolutely beautiful down there and the rock formations and shoreline were so picturesque. Taking a big breath we headed back on the upward trek. To make sure it was an eventful experience, I decided to fall down a second time (this time landing on my knees) as we walked back up. Who said I do things by halves?

As fate would have it, the decision to do these easier walks first turned out to be the decision that meant the weather had fined up to some glorious blue skies. Off to the Wineglass Bay Lookout hike we went.

The walk commenced with some relatively easy track with the slightest incline. Perhaps my thought of a massive mountain in front of me was incorrect. Who am I to doubt the people who had told me to be prepared for a few steps? It wasn’t until halfway up the mountain that the steps started. Anyone might have thought I was watching a horror movie as the look on my face changed. Was it too late to do a rain dance or take a dramatic tumble rendering myself incapable of walking? Deciding neither would result in reprieve I decided I needed to suck it up.

Hubby patiently waited while I took little stops to complain about my thighs, calves and exploding heart. Note to self: one should have stuck to the plan three months ago to go to gym daily and not go for one week and say I’d been. The round trip walk took us about 1.5 hours and I managed not to add a trifecta to the falls. The view from the top was amazing (returning rain clouds and all) and well worth the effort. The walk down was spectacular and so very enjoyable!

According to my watch I had burnt 500 calories scaling the mountain (sounds so much more athletic) and was actually starving. Returning back to the small town centre of Coles Bay, we stopped and had a yummy lunch. In one foul sweep, any improvement to my body I had made climbing a mountain was negated.

With the afternoon free and my ability to hike any further well and truly over, we decided to drive to see Spiky Bridge. We had missed this yesterday due to the road closure, so headed off on the hour drive. If driving an hour to see this again, I’d perhaps reconsider my plans. I’d say the stop is definitely worth a visit if you are passing, but going out of our way for the 5 minutes it took to see the bridge (including reading the history) was probably not the best plan considering we then had an hour drive back. I managed to scale a mountain in less time than it took to drive there and back!

Heading back to Coles Bay we found that Kate’s Berry Farm was open. Lured in by the ‘hand crafted chocolates’ and ‘cafe open’, we pulled in for some hot scones and home made jam. And before you ask, yes I did walk out with some chocolate. Everyone needs chocolate for a road trip. Tomorrow we head off to Binalong Bay.

Off the Beaten Track

Our brief time in Port Arthur has come to an end. We’ve enjoyed losing our glamping virginity and now head to the familiar comfort of bricks and mortar. In all honesty, last night was much easier to sleep in the coolness of the tent. It may have had something to do with me suddenly becoming a rule breaker (yes sporadic use of the electric blanket throughout the night) or it could be my choice to self medicate…a.k.a. sleeping tablet coma. It is amazing how a drug induced sleep can make you forget that icicles just might be forming on the extremities protruding from the blanket. A sound sleep may have also been attributed to the therapeutic sounds of the rain on the tent roof throughout the night. At least if my sporadic rule breaking use of the electric blanket did set the tent on fire, the pouring rain would promptly put it out.

Waking this morning all excited for our anal retentive planned out day ahead. Our plan was simple, so one thought. Note to self: one should not always think. First stop Marion Bay Viewing Platform, onto 3 Thumbs Lookout, next to Spiky Bridge, lunch at the Swansea Bark Mill Tavern and Bakery then arrive at our holiday house in Coles Bay. How simple it seemed looking back at the plan now. How non simple it panned out in reality.

The pouring rain should have been the first sign of an omen (I’m still wondering if the Westaway Curse has permanently been inflicted on us). Our drive to the viewing platform ended up taking us off on an unsealed road. Not really what you want to be doing in a hire car. At one point it was spot the road between the potholes. I did my best holding it together as hubby drove. Let’s just say, if I am Driving Miss Daisy, he is Lightening McQueen.

Arriving at the viewing platform, white knuckles and all, we were a little underwhelmed. This may have had something to do with the obscured views from the rain. A five minute stop and we were back in the car for the 45 minute drive to the next lookout. That was until more of the pothole ridden road came to a big sign that said ‘4 Wheel Drive Access Only’. Time to promptly abort mission and come up with a plan B.

Developing plan B should have been easy, given we knew the next stop would be Spiky Bridge and we just had to find an alternative route. Shoulda, woulda, coulda been easy if there had been any phone service at all, in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, with Lightening McQueen at the wheel. Okay so I might be slightly exaggerating hubby’s driving (he was actually very safe and sensible) but the inability to get Google Maps and Siri to share the directions meant that we had to go old school, read the map (thank goodness Google Maps still lets you look at the map with no service) and plot our own course.

What going old school didn’t account for was arriving at a road closure (vaguely remember reading about this) that after a further 45-60 minutes of driving (yes still on pothole central) brought us to. It was at this point that phone service was back and Google Maps and Siri decided to tell us the best way to Spiky Bridge. Let’s just say Google Maps and Siri ain’t so smart at times. Her suggestion was to backtrack exactly where we had come from (yes pothole central), back along the ‘4 Wheel Drive Access Only’ road (still in a mini truck and not a 4 wheel drive), in the original direction on my itinerary.

With bursting bladders, internal WTF thoughts, we conceded defeat and pulled in to the Buckland petrol station. The run of bad luck continued with them not having a public toilet but they did give us directions for sealed roads that would only take another 2 hours.

New itinerary planned (thank you Buckland ladies), public toilet located and used, sealed road back in sight and we were on our way again. The drive may have ended up taking longer than planned, but the views along the way were well worth it. We ended up driving up the midlands, and stopped in the town of Ross for lunch. All of the misadventures of the morning brought us to this gorgeous little town that we would have missed if not for road closures and no phone service. The rain had also decided to stop so it looked like our curse was lifting.

We ended up taking a break to stroll the town admiring the old buildings. I lost hubby in one of the bric-a-brac shops, which is quite amusing giving he normally avoids tat shops completely. We had been advised to stop at the Village Bakery for lunch but it had closed for the winter so instead we stopped at Bakery 31 Tearooms where I tried the ‘infamous’ scallop pie. Now I actually tried my first scallop pie last night in Port Arthur. Given that there was barely anywhere open to eat our in Port Arthur in winter, we had gone to the cafe which really was like a truck stop. I was somewhat taken back when the scallop pie came out and resembled a curry soup with a few floating scallops and a bready pastry lid on top (photo with chips and salad included for proof). I seriously wondered what all of the fuss was that I’d read about as it wasn’t that enjoyable.

Now having tried a real scallop pie at Bakery 31, I am sad to say that I lost my scallop pie virginity to a poor excuse of a pie. Today’s pie was delicious and I guarantee it wont be the last. I might just have to go in search of the best scallop pie in Tassie.

Back in the car, rain curse reinstated, and we headed off to Spiky Bridge. With the rain getting heavier and the daylight hours dwindling, we decided to head straight to the holiday home we had booked in Coles Bay. So we have now arrived, six hours of driving done (got to love detours), the log fire burning, the rain obscuring some of the most beautiful views and we are settling in for the night with some locally purchased cheeses, meats and spreads. Tomorrow’s plan is hiking through Freycinet National Park to Wineglass Bay Lookout. Let’s just wait and see what tomorrow brings. Who knows what plan A, B or C we might need!