Majestic mountains, spectacular sunrise and wonderful wallabies!!

At around 4.30am this morning I thought the loud whirring noise was the ocean - we stayed the night in a suite right on the edge of the bay (hence the name of the resort!), and before nodding off I could hear the waves gently lapping the shoreline however, the loud whirring sound that woke me was not a tsunami(!) but the air con kicking in!! Once awake I noticed that it was just starting to get light outside (it’s lighter earlier in the morning and later in the evenings here compared with the mainland), so I took a peek and could see that the sun was just starting to rise - I got dressed and headed out camera in hand - there had been a heavy dew and the air was full of eucalypt and pine fragrance - I was delighted to discover a lovely little cove just a few steps from our accommodation and it was here that I was overwhelmed with the natural beauty of this magical place.

The sun rose slowly turning the early morning sky from a deep red, to pale pink and then the sky was a clear blue with the full sun making its appearance at the dawning of yet another new day. I was reminded of Della’s favourite hymn “Morning has broken”.

The 3 peaks of the mountains known as the Hazards provided a spectacular backdrop for the rising sun and the heat from the early morning sunshine in the sheltered cove provided not only a physical warmth but warmed my soul - it was a truly spiritual moment for me.

Della and I have been incredibly lucky to experience a number of awesome sights since our arrival here in Australia, all of them very special in their own unique way - it is difficult to find the words to describe not only what we are seeing and doing but the impact each experience is having on us as human beings. Our travels have taken on a whole new dimension influenced by the people we are meeting, the natural beauty of the places we are visiting and everything we are learning during our trip, not only about the new cities and cultures but also about ourselves. Our horizons are truly being broadened!!

If that wasn’t enough joy for one morning (and it wasn’t even 9am yet!) when we were having breakfast we were joined by several Bennett’s wallabies, a female with a joey and a couple of smaller lads, all of them very interested in our raisin toast!!!!

After brekkie we had a very pleasant stroll along the foreshore passing yet more pale granite boulders daubed with orange lichen and wandering along sand unmarked by footprints, marvelling at the coloured pebbles and iridescent mareener shells that Aboriginal women still string into necklaces.

We (reluctantly!) left the beautiful Freycinet Peninsula behind to make our way further north as the last night of our week off from house and pet sitting was to be spent at Binalong Bay. The journey was pleasant and easy, we saw lots of black swans en route and arrived in St Helens (the largest town on the east coast), around lunchtime. We had a wander and popped in to the local Visitors Information Centre (as has become our habit!) and having armed ourselves with a myriad of leaflets and info regarding the local area made our way to our digs for the night - (http://www.bedinthetreetops.com.au/), a fabulous log cabin, one of only two, set high in the hills overlooking Moulting Bay, an upmarket B & B with every comfort we could imagine and apero and nibbles included!! We are living the high life, figuratively and literally!!

Unfortunately, the weather changed for the worst and winds and rain descended on Binalong Bay making any decent photos impossible still, a lovely hot coffee and some very friendly staff at the local restaurant/cafe (http://www.angasi.com.au/) proved to be just what we needed. After making a reservation for our evening meal we went back to our accommodation to freshen up and enjoy those pre-dinner snacks!

Despite the foul weather nothing could spoil our enjoyment our evening at Angasi was splendid and we enjoyed one of the best vegetarian meals yet!

The east coast: the Tasman Highway

After collecting our hire car, we left Hobart headed for the glorious Freycinet National Park.

For most of the way the highway passed through grazing land and bush-covered hills. The only blight on the landscape is the huge and controversial export woodchip mill near Triabunna. We made a coffee stop at Triabunna and saw Maria Island from the ferry point where you can cross to Maria Island if you wish. We continued on with our farily uneventful journey stopping for lunch at the oldest town on the east coast; Swansea.

Swansea, lies sheltered in Great Oyster Bay, facing the Freycinet Peninsula. One of Tasmania's oldest settlements, Swansea is an administrative centre, fishing port and seaside resort with well preserved architecture dating from the 1830s to the 1880s. After our picnic lunch overlooking the bay we strolled around town, stopping at the main focal point of Morris's General Store which has been run by generations of the family since 1868.

Take only photos, leave only footprints.....

The Freycinet National Park lies beneath spectacular pink granite peaks beside the sheltered waters of Great Oyster Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula. Jutting out from the sea on Tasmania's mild east coastis the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Peninsula. The National Park reserved in 1916, consists of knuckles of granite mountains, surrounded by azure bays and white sandy beaches.

Our overnight accommodation was at Freycinet Lodge, environmentally friendly cabins which are sensitively sited in coastal bush land on the shores of Great Oyster Bay. (http://www.puretasmania.com.au/). Timber boardwalks link each cabin to the main lodge with two restaurants, a lounge and bar, cosy log fire and expansive deck overlooking the water.

It was in this idyllic setting that we heard the historic news that Barack Obama had won the Presidential Election and would be the 44th and first black president of the United States - it was a very emotional moment.

We ventured out of the lodge and strolled along the nearby Richardson’s beach where in the late afternoon sunshine we had a great view of the Hazards Range and where we saw lots of “middens” - basically shells and remnants of shells that were used by Aborigines and are of significant archaeological significance and which are now protected meaning that they should not be removed from the beaches.

The scenic grandeur of Freycinet has long been admired, with the size and barren composition of the granite peaks of the Hazards rising from the low lying coastal vegetation. We spent our first full day here bush walking and climbing to Wineglass Bay lookout. On arrival at the start of the walk we parked the car and we were delighted to see not one but three(!) Bennet’s Wallabies! One adult male and an adult female with her joey in her pouch! Magic!

The climb up to the lookout was reasonably strenuous up a gravel path - however, the surrounding flora and fauna, views out over Great Oyster Bay, Coles Bay and of The Hazards (3 peaks), were almost spiritual. At the end of the climb we were rewarded with the exquisite view of Wineglass Bay, with its perfect curve of white beach.

We retraced our steps and then drove to Cape Tourville where there is an easy boardwalk for stunning cliff-top coastal views of the Tasman Sea, a glimpse of WGB and Mt Freycinet. Apparently, whales are often spotted from this vantage point - we didn’t see any but we did see some small penguins resting on a small rock out to sea.

After our excursion to Cape Tourville we made our way to another bay known as Sleepy Bay - a gentle descent through ferns, eucalypts and heathers and we arrived at a secluded shingle beach with huge boulders that had to be seen to be believed!

Our final destination in the Park was the lovely and secluded bay known as Honeymoon Bay - it was a great spot to enjoy the views out across the bay - we soaked up the late afternoon sunshine and watched the Black-browed Albatross on the smaller rocks out in the bay. The beach was littered with middens and the most colourful, pretty shells, seaweed and small pieces of coral - a perfect finish to a perfect day in the best place yet!!