One of several reports in a series covering the Subaru 4WD Club's Tasmania excursion from 17 September to 17 October 1999
Tasmania
5 - 6 October 1999
Days 16 - 17
Main Group
Hobart - Richmond - Bicheno
Exploring Freycinet NP
Tuesday 5th October- Hobart to Bicheno
It’s Tuesday morning and we are blessed with sunshine after two days of Hobart’s famous wind and rain. It is the last time Marilyn & I will be using our faithful ridge tent, it has seen lots of really great times but the floor has started to leak and now the zippers have broken so it is time for a replacement which we have managed to buy in Hobart. I carefully roll up our old friend and place it in the roof rack, not having the heart to dump it in the rubbish bin.
Everyone was packed up early looking forward to exploring some more of this wonderful State. Leaving Hobart via the Tasman Bridge and on through Risdon Vale and over the Meedin Range with its beautiful valley views we entered Tasmania’s oldest and famous historic area of Richmond. Morning tea saw us entertained by the antics of the geese scrounging for a feed and a local, on seeing all the Subarus, came for a chat and to inquire about the nature of our tour.
Historic Richmond boasts having the first gaol in Tassie and also the oldest bridge in Australia which was built by convict labour between 1823-25, as were several other buildings on note in the area, namely Prospect House built in 1830.
Richmond Bridge
The night before our arrival a car ran into the side of the bridge demolishing an area of it. The repair crews were in the process of repairing when we asked if this was an unusual occurrence. We were told – no, this is quite the norm, must be the legendary ghost of the overseer that was murdered by the convicts whilst the bridge was being built. This is one town that is on most tourists’ itineraries and it is well worth the stopover.
From Richmond we headed to Sorell along the A9 to Bream creek and into the Wielangta Forest Drive. It was at Sandpit Forest Reserve while having lunch we were once again entertained by the antics of Tassie wildlife, a red crested Robin flew just over our heads along the car roof racks on the rear-view mirrors of each car and was a very entertaining little fellow. Our next stop along this beautiful forest drive was Thumbs Picnic area where we had the most wonderful views of Maria Island, just off the East Coast. Maria Island is a National Park serviced by a regular ferry service to the historic Darlington Settlement.
Turning onto the Tasman highway at
Orford we head toward Triabunna and the road wanders along the east coast to Swansea giving us views of Great Oyster Bay
with Mt Freycinet in the background. Along this road we came to the Spiky Bridge built in the 1850’s. This bridge has
now had a by-pass built around it to preserve it for future generations.
Spiky Bridge
We all sat around during happy hour discussing this bridge for some time but could not come up with the a worthwhile reason for its design. Graham found a book on this subject when he got home and it leads us to believe there were several of this design built in England around the same time. One thing that was noticeable in Tassie was that the bridges were generally wide and with speed limits in place they still handle the large transport trucks, not like the ones built on the mainland – narrow.
The day was drawing to a close and Bicheno was the planned stopping point. A small seaside town with splendid fishing and a mild climate make this town one of the most visited holiday destinations.
After tea Marilyn and I wandered down to the foreshore to watch the Penguin arrival. Arnold and Pat soon joined us and as we wandered along the tracks to the waterfront we were lucky enough to have a little penguin wander between our legs in his search for his burrow.
It was at Bicheno that our new Geometric Tent saw the light of day and as with most new tents they look simple when viewed in the camping shop, but with the help!!!! assistance!!! of our fellow travellers our new home was soon standing proud and tall and of course I had to carry Marilyn over the threshold of our new home.
Wednesday 6th October - Exploring Freycinet NP & the Bicheno Region
We are off to tackle Freycinet National Park so we head to Coles Bay, a pretty spot on Great Oyster Bay looking out into the Tasman Sea. Freycinet National Park is a 70,000 hectare park with pleasant beaches, crystal clear waters and colourful heathlands to make it ideal for swimming, fishing and bushwalking, the wildlife and wildflowers make it one of the most visited national parks in Tassie. The 45 minute walk up between Mt Amos and Mt Mayson to the lookout set among granite rocks is well worth the effort expended as the views overlooking Wineglass Bay and the southern parts of the park are astounding. There is a good side too … the walk back down only takes 20 minutes …..
After lunch we head to Sleepy Bay to look back toward where we have spent the morning, the rocky coast being very spectacular. Our next stop was Cape Torville to take in even more views both to the north and the south. A working lighthouse is situated at this point.
Freycinet NP and Wineglass Bay
Freycinet Granite
Early afternoon see us heading
back to Bicheno and Marilyn and I took advantage of the time to go for a drive through the Douglas Apsley National Park.
A short walk took us to Apsley waterhole with its clear water, a large enchanting waterhole in the middle of all the
forest. By the time we returned to the car dusk was falling so it was time to head back to camp.
That night we all sat around for happy hour talking about this wonderful area with the national parks, the penguins, the lookout where you could spot whales waiting for prey and the blow-holes where we all spent some time studying the ebb and flow of the waters.
We went to bed that night wondering "can this trip get better and what has Tassie got to offer us in the morning".
Ralph Condon SC372
Previous Report - 4 October - Hobart Gourmet Day
Danny & Beth's Solo North Report - Hobart to Bicheno and beyond
Jump back to First Report - Brisbane to Tasmania
