Maria Island is beautiful. We anchored in Shoal Bay, a very shallow bay on the west coast. Launching the dinghy, we rowed ashore, hoping that we might catch a glimpse of some of the wildlife that was mentioned in our guidebook. Shortly after we headed along the track, a kangaroo hopped across in front of us, followed by another further on in one of the camping sites. Then, we caught a glimpse of a wombat! It was much bigger than we expected and we crept forward, trying to capture a good photo of this super-cute animal, as it snuffled around. We watched it for about 10 minutes, with a brief visit from another one, as well as two geese. We finally left the little wombat to go about its business and set off to look at some of the prison cell ruins. We saw lots more kangaroos and so many wombats, we were actually stepping round them on the track! We also saw a small, fast wallaby in the undergrowth and ‘Googling’ them when we got back, added a new animal to our vocabulary – the pademelon. The wind got up just as we headed back to the boat and we quickly pulled the dinghy up on board, before it again blew hard.
Looking at the forecast, once again, we were facing a significant wind shift. It is very hard here, as the wind shifts so often, you are always looking for an anchorage that provides shelter from opposite winds! To make use of the wind and to get the tides right for going across Blackman Bay and through the Denison Canal, we had a 0445 departure the following morning. All went smoothly, the bridge was opened for us, and we were surprised to see how shallow it was on the Norfolk Bay side of the Canal – 0.2m under the keel at one point!
We then sailed across Norfolk Bay to Little Norfolk Bay, where we picked up a mooring. It was too windy to launch the dinghy, but the wind went to the west and put us in the shelter by the evening. Off again the next day…we crossed to Plunkett Point and went ashore to explore the Coal Mines Historic Site. This was a punishment station for men who had committed a serious offence, and by the1840s, 600 prisoners were working the mines. It is quite poignant walking around the ruins and the underground solitary confinement cells sent shivers up our spines. We saw some wallabies here on our walk to Lime Bay, fearlessly hopping through the empty camping ground and also spent time watching a couple of Echidnas who buried their heads as we approached, but then peeked out, decided we were pretty harmless and carried on. Back at the boat, it was cold enough to light the fire and again, a strong wind shift saw us re-anchoring at sunset to Ironstone Point, quickly followed by two other yachts.
We headed back across the bay and wound our way through the shallows to anchor at Eagle Hawk Neck, a narrow isthmus on the Tasman Peninsula. We went ashore and explored firstly, the Tessellated Pavement – an intertidal rock platform with unique tiled formation, before coming across the memorial to the Dog Line – another relic of the area’s convict past. At the narrow point of the isthmus, guard dogs were placed at regular intervals, each with its own lamp, to warn of, and deter any escapees from the Port Arthur convict settlement to the south. Our travels then took us to a large Blowhole (unfortunately it was low tide and fairly calm conditions, so its blow wasn’t as spectacular as it could be) and to sample fabulous fish and chips and ice-cream from the Doolish-Us Food Van. The local village/ shack settlement is called Doo-Town and the houses are all have names like Dr Doo-little, Gunna-Doo and Xana-Doo. We took a walking trail past the Tasman Arch – a huge natural rock arch and the Devil’s Kitchen to Waterfall Bay, a stunning coastal walk along the cliff tops. We made a round trip by following the dirt road back to town, picking up a takeaway wood fired pizza for dinner. Excellent- chef’s day off!
Again on the move the next morning (this Tasmanian weather is certainly keeping us on our toes!) we had a lovely sail – upwind for the first time in a long time across Norfolk and Storm Bays. We felt really excited to get our first glimpse of the outskirts of Hobart and of Mount Wellington behind. We had intended to sail to Barnes Bay – reputedly one of the most sheltered anchorages in the southern hemisphere. As we got to the top of Bruny Island and had literally just switched the engine on as we lost the wind, a sudden Sou’westerly blast had us on our ear, dropping the main and still doing over 7 knts. Quick change of plans and we headed for the aptly named village of Snug, where it was calm and quiet and we sailed onto the anchor. Time for a quick dunk in the sea and shower and quick it was, as the water was freezing!
We had booked a space at ‘Margate Marine Park’ to leave the boat for a few days, and were delighted at how cheap it was going to be. The staff members were very helpful and friendly, but when we got there, it was a pile of wobbly jetties, that didn’t float and were very exposed. We made some polite noises and quickly phoned Kettering Marina round the corner, who were able to offer us a place for a week. We arrived there yesterday, to find modern floating pontoons and a brand new ablutions block. Perfect! We had a thorough clean of the boat, above deck and in the bilges, before our friend Andy arrived. We have known Andy for 30 odd years since our Lakeside days. He works for the Australian Antarctic Division, but also does some work for the UN and had just arrived from Indonesia, back to his home near Hobart the day before. His neighbour offered us his house for 4 days, so it was arranged that Andy would pick us up at midday today. As I write, we are settled into a modern house, with a bed you can get out of both sides on, a roaring log burner (yes, it is summer, but we are half way up Mt Wellington in thick cloud on a wet afternoon!) There is a large claw foot bath we can use and thick fluffy towels. Bliss! Also, Andy and Marg are very foody, so lunch was like eating through an upmarket delicatessen (think parma ham, six different cheeses, olives, octopus, mussels, pate), washed down with a glass or two of fine Reisling. That was followed be slabs of delicious fruitcake and a mug of tea. Consequently we are feeling a little snoozy now! Just having a little rest before our roast pork dinner that Andy is preparing.
We will be here until 27th December and then back to the boat and into the marina until 30th. We have finally booked to haul out on 5th January (much needed) so anyone who can spare a couple of hours scraping, sanding or painting, would be welcomed with open arms. We would both like to wish all of you who have been good enough to follow our blog, a very Happy Christmas and a good break over the holiday. Thank you for your support and messages. They mean a lot.