Tuesday 29th March 2011

Another day of touring.  This time we headed for Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula.  The round trip was just over 300km (well we did detour a bit as we like to drive different roads).  We travelled along the northern side of the Derwent River this time to see the sights from a different perspective.  There had been a heavy fog this morning and as we drove towards Hobart we could see the sky clearing.  It seems that Hobart does not get the heavy fogs that are common back up in the valley around New Norfolk.  Looking back up the river as we crossed towards Bridgewater you could see the fog still down very low and very thick.  We turned onto the Tasman Highway and then headed out passing the airport and on to Sorell after crossing Pitt Water.  This large expanse of water is crossed by two bridges and the water was calm and there are lots of boats moored in the various bays.  Sorell is a pretty spot and quite a busy commercial hub.  There are fruit farms and vineyards again on show and lots of signs for B&B’s.   At Sorell we leave the Tasman Highway which continues up the east coast, and turn onto the Arthur Highway that takes us out to the Peninsula.  Vineyards, cattle, sheep and orchards along with more timber plantations are everywhere.   You don’t have to wonder why Tasmania is called the ‘Apple Isle’.

Our first cuppa stop is at Dunalley before crossing a bridge to Forestier Peninsula which then joins to the Tasman Peninsula at Eaglehawk Neck.  Dunalley is a small village and but it is the sight of the local area school and there are fishing boats moored at the jetty.  One large boat is up on the slip and having the hull scraped before being repainted.  It looked a long slow process as we watched the man slowly scraping away.

Pirate Bay penquin sanctuary

At Pirate Bay the residents have built fences to keep out dogs and cats and also tunnels for the penquins to use instead of crossing the road to their burrows.  This has helped to reduce the loss of life and as this is one of the last colonies of Little Penquins in Tasmania it is assisting with conservation.

Crossing Forestier Peninsula takes you towards Eaglehawk Neck and the Tessellated Pavement.  This is quite interesting to see and I remember it from our previous trip in 1993.  The rocks in this particular area have been affected by different geological events and cracks form in a criss-cross pattern with the assistance of salt crystals.  As the crystals build up the cracks become more evident.  It is just like looking down on to a tiled floor.  Amazing what can happen.

Eaglehawk Neck was the site for the Dog Line during the time of the penal settlement at Port Arthur.  The line of 18 dogs was in force from 1834 to 1877 and the idea was that the dogs would deter convicts from trying to escape across that narrow neck of land.  The information states that some dogs were even out on rocks in the water in case the convicts tried to swim to freedom.  The fierce looking statue indicates how frightening this dog line must have been.

Just a little further on from here is the Tasman Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen.  All three are examples of the timeless erosion of the sandstone cliffs along the coastline.  The ocean was fairly tame today and so with waves not being rough the blowhole was fairly sedate.   As the photos show the hole is not great and there is still much sandstone above.  There is also a lookout on the coastline and the views both north and south from there were quite spectacular.

looking south

The Tasman Arch however has eroded much more and the arch is quite pronounced. 

The Devils Kitchen is where the sandstone has completely eroded and collapsed.  When you look at the height of the cliff you cannot help but wonder at the time it has taken for all that erosion.

Doo Town is a unique place to visit.  Many of the homes there have names incorporating doo, eg Doo Us, It ll doo, Make Doo, Af 2 Doo and so on.   Some of the homes look quite old so maybe they were fisher folks’ weekenders once upon a time.  There are some newer homes also and some of the names seem to indicate that (not the sort of thing I would write).

We return to the highway and continue on towards Port Arthur, the penal colony site that is so well known.  We had visited here on our previous trip and had spent quite some time walking around the complex.  Since that visit in 1993 there is now a new visitors centre and everything is much more structured (and expensive).  We did walk into the visitors centre and have a look around, however we did not do another tour of the complex. The ruins themselves have not changed and my memory of those is still quite clear (and there are photos from that trip).  Driving out there however I could not help but think of the day Martin Bryant opened fire and shot and injured so many folk.  How far did the medical help have to come from, how much time would that have taken, Sorell was a good hour away.  Port Arthur can make one feel quite helpless and forlorn and not just because you see how the prisoners were so cruelly treated and housed.

Driving on from there we drive towards Nubeena on the western side of the peninsula and what a busy little place that is.  Seems it has become the hub for this area as there is quite a big school, medical facilities, emergency services etc.     We complete the circuit back to Taranna where the Devil Conservation Park is situated.  Again we had visited here in 1993 so this trip was more about exploring the countryside than visiting the attractions.  Driving back to Sorell we decide to take another way home and check out a possible route with Destiny on Thursday when we start heading up the east coast.  We would prefer not to come down the way we had this morning and avoid much of the traffic if possible.  So from Sorell we head north along the highway and then turn off and make our way through some minor roads through Tea Tree to Brighton on the Midland Highway which is just north of Bridgewater.   Yep, seems the go for Thursday.  However as we don’t have the van on at present there is no reason why we can’t do another detour home this afternoon and try some more dirt road.  After all there hasn’t been any rain for a few days so we turn off again at Brighton and head for home via Mt Dromedary.  This takes us up and over a mountain again along dirt road that is quite narrow but for the most part with no other traffic.  We climb quite high and the views back up through the valley are quite spectacular.  Tall timbers again and thick bush with homes tucked away in lots of out of the way places.  Life sure would be quiet up here and yet you are only 35mins from the city.  This little detour brings us out back to the road on the north side of the river and we are only about 15mins from home.  There are single scull rowers out practicing on the river and a speedboat with a water skier as well enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.  Not necessarily in the same stretch of water of course.  The poplar trees along the river bank are changing more in colour and becoming much more yellow.  Maybe we should visit Pulpit Rock lookout again before we leave to take another photo and see if the difference shows.