Tasmania cont.

January 27^th cont.

When we arrived back at camp today, there was a new camper set up near us.  Adam from Manitoba in Canada is touring Australia solo. He had intended coming with his mate, but alas for him his mate fell in love, so he had to make the journey on his own. He has family living near Brisbane and his parents joined him for a short while in Hobart before heading home to Winnipeg. We shared our campfire with him tonight and a few drinks and enjoyed an entertaining conversation about life in Canada and Australia. We enjoyed his company very much.

January 28^th

The sun is shining brightly again today, it is warm and after yet another restful night we a happy to start a new day. Greg took Adam for a drive on the beach in the cruiser this morning. Something he has never experienced before, he really loved it and was grateful for the opportunity. When they were driving down the steep sand track that leads down to the beach, his jaw dropped to his knee. He was not only amazed at the view but also the fact you can actually drive on the beach. He was snap happy with camera, so should have a lot of great photos to boast about at home. He headed off around 10.30 am, but we have exchanged details and will become FB friends. Nice meeting you Adam. What we have since found out is that the beach drive we took from Bellingham to Bridport is rate ‘hard’ against all 4WD tracks in Tasmania, so we are very pleased with how the cruiser handled it, and how we handled it.

Greg and I went for a walk in the river bed today at low tide. The tide, when low, allows you to walk all the way across to the other side of the river. It is a very tidal river and low tide and high tide are very extreme.  We waded through the shallows for a couple of kilometres to an island which is only accessible by foot at low tide. We interrupted an army of soldier crabs; it is fascinating to watch them burrow under the sand when they hear our approaching footsteps.

January 29^th to 31^st

We have been very happy the past couple of days just to chill, have a walk along the beach, a swim and a spot of fishing. No luck with the fishing, but we are very relaxed. The weather for this leg of the journey has been warm and sunny, which has been a great start to our Tasmanian adventure. We are both sporting healthy tans and are feeling fantastic.

Today, Monday 31^st January, we packed up camp and headed east to the seaside town of St Helens. The driving was delightful with many beautiful spots along the way. It is hard not to marvel at this beautiful state and what it has to offer. We passed through a little town called Derby, which is a delightful small old mining town. The shops, the pub and some of the houses are all right on the street, with no gutters. If you have ever been to Central Tilba on the south east coast of NSW, this little town is very similar. The drive was very steep up through Bass forest, passing some beautiful rivers, including the Cascade River and the Ringarooma River.

 St Helens is a picturesque fishing port on the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania. From here we have access to the Mt William National Park, some beautiful waterfalls, and the some of the best beaches in the world, including Binalong Bay, which is rated the 2^nd most beautiful beach in the world. I will let you know if that is true, because these are all the areas we will be exploring the in the few days or so. I’m sure it will all live up to our expectations. We are staying in a caravan park this time around near the St Helens point Conservation area on Georges Bay. It is a delightful spot with views across the bay and still with a lot of holiday makers around. Of course we have already made a few friends, and are happy to steal their local knowledge. We can hardly wait to start exploring tomorrow. Cheers until next time.