Swansea, Tasmania

Our time in Swansea has been very relaxing, just as we wanted it to be.  There is so much to see in Tasmania and after more than four weeks we have a bit of "information overload" so downtime is needed.  The Swansea Caravan Park is another lovely park.  We have been so lucky with our caravan park choices with only a handful that have not lived up to expectations.  It is right on the beach and there are some lovely walks that we have enjoyed each afternoon.  Swansea is a smallish coastal town but in school holidays it becomes a favourite destination. However for our time here we almost have the park to ourselves.  There are some lovely old buildings scattered around the town and they are all within easy walking distance.  

Our second day here we drove a short distance south to Spiky Bridge.  This bridge, built by convicts, is unusual with its spiky rocks along the wall and nobody seems to know the reason why they are there. 

We continued further south to Kleidon Beach where there is a fishing hut called Keliners Shed.  Unfortunately the only way to reach it is via the beach and the tide is too high for us to walk through in our joggers.  There are quite a few surfers enjoying the waves at this beach.

We turned the vehicle around at this point and headed to Kate's Berry Farm.  This has a well deserved reputation for amazing coffee and cakes but I am here for the produce.  We pick up a punnet of freshly picked strawberries and some berry balsamic vinegar and also some grain mustard.  They all intrigue me and I can't wait to use the ingredients in a dish or two.

Sometime ago I had booked us a seat on the Wineglass Bay tour so yesterday we drove to Coles Bay where our tour began.  We had plenty of time to spare for the hour long drive so we stopped at Devils Corner lookout for a short while.  The views here are amazing and on a clear day I'm sure you could see all the way to Port Arthur! 

As we arrive into Coles Bay the souring granite clad Hazards rise majestically in front of us.  They are part of the Freycinet National Park.  This park covers an area of almost 170 sq km and is a much loved tourist destination.  The incredibly beautiful Wineglass Bay lies tucked in behind The Hazards and can only be reached by a long hike or by boat as we are doing.

We are called to board our boat at around 9.30 and make our way upstairs where we will enjoy a sumptuous lunch on our 5 hour journey.  Upstairs is definitely the place to be as we are allowed to wander into the wheelhouse where our captain, Noah, carefully navigates our ship.  The winds have picked up steadily and there is a question mark over whether we will be able to get into Wineglass Bay but thankfully we do.  However, this is usually where the ship anchors for lunch but Noah wants to keep moving before the winds pick up too much for us to make our way back to port.  He, instead, chooses another lovely place to anchor.  This is probably not as scenic a cruise as Tasman Island, but certainly we are more comfortable in our enclosed seating area.

It is very hard to take a photograph of Wineglass Bay from the ship so I have found one on the internet to give you an idea of just how lovely this bay is with its extremely white sand  and its crystal clear blue waters.  It has regularly been voted one of the best beaches in Australia, and little wonder!

We thoroughly enjoyed this leisurely cruise and it was made even more enjoyable by chatting to two ladies who were driving themselves around Tasmania.  One of the ladies was from Perth and the other Adelaide.  They were a laugh a minute!  We drove the 50 plus kilometres from Coles Bay to Swansea after our cruise and the weather had really closed in with intermittent showers.  Last night it really pelted down and there was lots of thunder and lightning.

This morning the rain had cleared to light showers but we decided against the hike to Wineglass Bay that we were keen to do.  It is rather an arduous hike and the last thing you want on a hike like that is rain.  Instead we opted to stay close to home and drive south again to the old Saltworks Historic Site at Lisdillon.  I love reading about the early pioneers who made their way to these remote parts to set up a fledgling business.  James Radcliff used convict labour (of course he did!) to build these saltworks in 1830.  While only running for a short period of time the saltworks were technically advanced and well built.  

Tomorrow we head further north to St. Helens where we will stay for five nights.  We intend to do a lot more driving from St. Helens, heading west to Scottsdale and north to Bay of Fires.  Negotiating the A3 highway from Swansea to St. Helens will have its challenges but as it is the coastal route we don't expect to have any large mountains to climb.  But, as always throughout Tasmania, the roads will be narrow and winding.