Tasman Island Cruise, Port Arthur

On Monday morning we were up and out of the van by 6 for today's full day tour to Tasman Island.  We had to drive to Hobart and from there we boarded a bus that drove us to Port Arthur, and from there, after a light breakfast, we boarded our boat to head to Tasman Island and surrounds.  We woke to a very foggy day, but oh so pretty, but by the time we reached Hobart the sun was out and the only cloud that could be seen was on top of Mt. Wellington.  It was an easy walk from where we parked the car, around the lovely harbour to the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys office.

Our tour guide was informative and regaled us with stories all the way to Port Arthur.  Of course no yarn is complete without one about the Tasman Bridge that was rammed by a ship back in 1975.  The ship sunk, taking without it seven people, and two others lost their lives when they drove off the bridge.  It will go down in history as one of the worst disasters in Australian history.

We arrived into Port Arthur around 9am and were taken straight to a nearby coffee shop for a hot beverage and muffin.  From the coffee shop it was a 700m walk down to the waiting boats.  Before we boarded the boat we were all handed red raincoats that we were assured we would need for at least part of the journey as we would be heading out into the open sea and there would be sea spray.

The first part of the three hour boat journey is through the calm waters at Port Arthur and we see the Port Arthur Convict settlement as we, and our twin boat, pass by.  We have chosen not to visit the  Port Arthur Convict Centre this trip.  Last time we were there I found it quite emotional just thinking about the massacre that took place there in 1996.  We did however stop there for a brief time to pick up people later on in the day and it was pleasing to see a new information centre had been built that housed a new cafe.

Anyway, back to our cruise.  The purpose made rubber boats are equipped with three massive engines and can be manoeuvred in and out of tight spaces and can be turned on a pin head!  We did all of that on this trip.  I can't begin to tell you who awesome the rocky cliff faces are.  They soar hundreds of metres above us and the tall columns within the cliff face, I imagine, would keep breaking away and tumbling into the ocean.  The ocean is the most beautiful blue and extremely cold, as you can imagine.  We come to one section that is home to a colony of seals that are very content to sit in the warm sun, and out in the open waters the dolphins play with our boats, riding the wave at the stern.  It is quite beautiful to watch them.

By the time we reached Tasman Island I am feeling a little worse for wear even though we were all handed ginger tablets for seasickness. This is new for me and it has only started over the past couple of years.  I have to be very aware of it.  I didn't get a lot of photos around Tasman Island but I did get one of the landing where the ships pulled up at to offload the lighthouse keeper and stores back in the early 1900's.  My goodness.  How on earth they reached the top of the island where the lighthouse is situated is beyond my imagination. This is one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia and was de-manned in 1977.  Solar conversion started in 1991.

The trip back to Port Arthur was very cold as we were heading straight into the wind, but the raincoats that we were given to us did help to some degree.  We were also warned to wear warm clothing for this trip and I am pleased that they told us that.  Back on dry land our bus was waiting for us.  The tour group was split into two groups, one to visit Port Arthur and the rest of us to have lunch at a nearby restaurant and take a tour of the area.  There were only three of us that elected to do this.  Lunch was at the lavender farm where we all enjoyed fish and chips followed by lavender cheesecake that was delicious.  

Our bus driver picked us up after lunch for a scenic drive around Port Arthur.  Our first stop was at the chocolate factory where we indulged ourselves and purchased some Rocky Road and then we headed to Remarkable Cave that is around 5 km outside Port Arthur.  This cave was incredible.  It was like a giant sinkhole but it has in fact been carved out by the wind and ocean.  There is a long tunnel that links the ocean to the cave and our tour guide says that he has seen surfers go in and out of that cave to reach the surf beyond.  We have to go down a very long staircase to reach the cave but it was so worth the walk...

Back above Remarkable Cave is a very good lookout.  We can see from this viewing point where our boat travelled.

After our tour we head back to the Port Arthur information centre to pick up the remainder of our tour group and we have a quick look inside the new building.  It is lovely and from what I could see the cafe could easily seat 150 people at any one time.

Once we were all back on board the bus it was time to head back to Hobart.  I think the majority of us dozed.  We arrived back to Hobart by 6pm and by the time we drove back to Huonville it was well after 7pm.  It was a very long day but also one of the best days of our lives.