Tasmania Day 3 - Wineglass Bay to Hobart

Maybe the place we had been told to check out "whilst" in Tasmania (Australians use whilst a lot) was Wineglass Bay in the Freycinet National Park. About 45 minutes south of Bicheno, near Coles Bay, Freycinet is another mecca for hikers of all ages and abilities. That was good for us - because though we were all keen, the wheels could come off for any one of us at any given moment. We were getting into the hiking as a family, but one always needs to gauge the route selection with time of day, food in the belly, food in the pack, and just what you could deliver along the way in terms of highlights. Fortunately, we got some very useful ranger help at the visitors centre, (along with a fetching bucket hat for Col) and decided to do a 3km hike up to a lookout. Depending on how that went, we would then decide to hike down to the beach at Wine glass Bay. All things were dependent upon the boys, but both were in good form and keen for the adventure - in the parking lot, anyway.

The path itself was smooth, but the grade was steep enough and very quickly we realized that we would be climbing up and over a significant hill/mountain. After about 20 minutes of walking/climbing we rested and looked back over the parking lot and Coles Bay. The view was already amazing and it would have been okay to turn around right there. But there was the lookout above us and the boys were psyched - so up we went. Ten more minutes of significant work and we were at the lookout which offered an incredible view of the bay on the other side of the ridge. The lookout was quite busy and it was hard to commune with the vista while having to sidestep a dozen or so other people there for their own photo op. However, we were also hungry so we tucked into part of our lunch away from the madding crowd.

Again, we had the chance to call it a day right then and there but the beach was beckoning and the fact that at least for awhile we would be working with gravity was a serious selling point. Though there wasn't much selling. Soon all four us were scrambling our way down a steep but well worn rocky track while I entertained nightmares of having to do it in reverse with Allie on my back. The less than enthusiastic hello grunts of the sweaty people we passed on their way up didn't help in that regard.

25 minutes later and we were digging our toes into another of this country's most spectacular beaches. The great thing about this one was the fact that we had, in effect, worked to get here. It was pristine and gorgeous without a parking lot or a row of tacky surf shops to be seen and I loved the fact that the boys were now at an age to make this kind of discovery possible. We spent most of an hour lunching and playing in the sand with an extra little excursion to explore the rocky shoreline. Then, just as we were turning for home, someone on the beach noticed a gaggle, pack, or school of dolphins swimming off shore. They surfaced a few times as we madly tried to take a photo but then they were gone and we left resigned to this memory being stored simply, as a memory.

The trek back up was in fact, pure joy. Once the hill began to get a little steeper, I engaged Allie in a running series of non-sensical knock knock jokes that propelled us back up and over the offending ridge in record time, with nary a piggy back or a shoulder ride to be seen. Both boys were heroic and I think genuinely proud that they had knocked this "bad boy" off. Only one minor wipe out marred the rest of our return to the car and as I signed out of the day walk book, I noticed we were only 20 minutes beyond the return time I had guessed at on the way up. Given all of the potential for an abridged or longer hike, the fact that we were all safely back at the car within a reasonable timeframe made me feel like we almost knew what we were doing. Such satisfaction immediately bred thoughts of future hikes and canoe trips as a family. I truly hope so. And with that we tumbled into the car and headed for Hobart, two twisty but spectacular hours of driving away. This place, this Tasmania, continues to offer us the new and the spectacular, day after amazing day!

PS - While we were in Tasmania, there was a minor earthquake (4.6) 200 kms outside of Melbourne that rattled windows a bit. We were in Taz and didn't feel it. Then yesterday while we were sitting at home, Linton and Colin said they thought they had felt the house shaking a bit and sure enough we heard on the news that there had been another tremor (4.5) or what they are calling an aftershock. Given the fact that they have not had one, let alone two, tremors of this size in more than thirty years and combined with the record heat, bushfires and the record amount of rain last August, we are starting to feel like we've jinxed the place! Never a dull weather moment in the land of Oz!