We stop at a little bakery in St Helens and score some toasted sandwiches and something to drink for breakfast and then we are off for a drive through the town and to Binalong Bay - more commonly known as The Bay of Fires. It's a wild and wooly seas that greet us. The water is rough and throwing up massive waves on the boulders. I suppose if you don't have beaches or a river where you live it might be something awe inspiring but Chris and I were like.. Is this it? Perhaps if the day had been sunny and calm, it might have given us another perspective on it. Actually, I'm sure of it.
We have a little trouble figuring out how to get out of St Helens. We go one way - nope - this is the way back to the caravan park... so we do an about face and drive some more - but now we are heading back out to the cheese factory, the way we came in. Hmm. We need to keep a close eye out for signs to Scamander. I really like St Helens... feel quite at home here actually. Beautiful green pastures as you come into the town, then a (bare, at least for now) tree lined street, zip around the corner of Tully Street, and voila! The town is before you. There's no shortage of accomodation here either - a couple of caravan parks, plenty of hotel/motels and B&B's. The water (a sweet little harbour) is on your left.
Another thing I've noticed about Tassie is the great signage. You'd be hard pressed to get lost if you already have a destination in mind. That said, for the first time we are a bit stumped. St Helens is a little tricker as the signs are far and few between but it could be we are not looking hard enough either. We eventually find our way out - Scamander 13kms. Whew.
We hit Beaumaris on the way to Scamander, and find a little town full of seaside cottages in lots of different colours. There's your blues and yellows, creams and greens, too. No shops that we can see though. I think we might have missed the town centre. We are hugging the coast - just a straight run through. Coming over the hill 10 minutes after leaving St Helens we see Scamander.
A big lake on our right, norfolks mixed with scrubby bush and as you drive through the town, the mountains again loom in the backround. It's a beautiful coastline for sure. Scamander is a lovely little town. Falmouth is next - blink and you miss it. The bush just out of Falmouth seems to be recoving from a bush fire. The bush and trees are still showing signs of black and it's a little bare. It seems strange seeing it after the scenery we've just passed by. Brilliant green to scrubby and blackened. A bit sad for all the creatures that probably died.
Four Mile Creek and Ironhouse pass by and we end up in Bicheno. There's a place around Bicheno - Natureworld - that I really would like to go to.
We stop in at Natureworld - pay $18.50 each and wander through looking at the animals there. It's not bad, though pretty much like any other nature place you might visit. There are snakes, birds, wombats (hiding in his burrow - too cold for even them!) and kangaroos, but the bit I like most is seeing the Tassie Devils. This is an animal I've never seen before... they are very cute and there are a couple of babies, too. They are about the same size as the little stuffed toys you see everywhere here for sale. Just adorable!!
The cute little Tasmanian Devil
Still heading down the coast we are going for a look at Coles Bay. Here we find Freycinet or Wineglass Bay. For about a half a km or more on both sides of the road there is a sea of yellow (I think they are Arcacia bushes.. but don't quote me on that.) Its a bit hard to take a good picture of them hurtling down the highway at 100kms an hour.
We find the turnoff to Coles Bay - 28kms - excellent. We will be there in no time. I'm hoping this isn't going to be the same as Binalong - seen one, you've seen them all. It's a great sealed road we travel... in better condition than most other turn-off's we've ventured down. We go around the usual twists and turns and suddenly up ahead are some incredible rocky mountains. Almost devoid of vegetation, they rise up behind the bay like craggy outcrops of splendour. We check the information bay placed at the beginning of a road that sport a bunch of homes and decide to see what's ahead of us.
There's probably an entry fee to the National Park so Chris goes in to see what's the score with that - how much and how long do we have to trek to get to see anything. Though it's not raining, it sure is cool overhead... jacket time again. Chris and I were discussing this, this very morning. You come to Tasmania during summer and you'll get perfect weather but you'd have to fight the crowds every way. Come in Spring (booking before a certain date in September and before the high season) and you take your chances with the ever changing weather. Suns out, then it goes as quickly as it comes. Then the wind picks up and boy, its an icy wind.
Well, information tells us its a 22 dollar entry fee to the National Park. No biggie. But what is now holding us up is time. It's a forty minute walk up to the lookout and then another 40 back and we have to be in Triabunna by at least 5 or 6pm to find a spot to stay the night and we still have an hour or two of driving to get there. We decide instead to try and get a closer look at the Bay by driving back the way we came in. We remember seeing a few picture opportunities on the drive here to the info centre.
We find a little side street that gives us a great view of the water and mountains. We stop for a drink and Chris buys me this pretty little silver and blue braclet in a shop nearby (it has butterflies on it.. too cute!) I'm so busy talking to him and concentrating on getting the clasp done on it, that I miss a step and stack it, landing on my knees and ripping my jeans. Oops! I have a lovely graze now. There's a memory for you.
Next stop - Swanswea. We have changed our mind. Triabunna is maybe too ambitious with the time left so we decide to stay there instead. It's pretty much the half-way point between St Helens and Hobart.
We find a lovely little caravan park on the beach - the suns been shining weakly through the clouds so we book in and get our spot then drive off into town to go to the jetty and grab some rays. We take a walk - its just a lovely sea view and I like the here. The jetty has several places to walk down - one espcially good for kids to jump into the water from. Not too high at all.
We then go in search of dinner. We find a little seafood place on the corner but I'm put off by the strong fishy smell and cramped dining. I instead persuade Chris to try the pub down the road. I'm happy now and he's not. He doesnt much like pubs to eat in and I think he was looking forward to some nice seafood. He eventually warms to the idea though. Theres a nice spacious dining room with an open fire and the warmth is heaven. The meals are really nice.. especially with a nice merlot for me and a beer for him.
Back by 7pm to settle in for the night. It's gone cold again and is blowing a gale. Thank God for the little heater that comes with the van.
The surf is so loud just beyond the fence it sounds like thunder every time it crashes on the rocks. This is the sound we fall asleep to.
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