An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia-A is for: A BIG, FAT FINALE!! Link to new Africa TR (4/5)

[pkondz]

the loud bird screeching in the trees above us who was finding inexplicable joy in greeting the day.

Gotta find joy in the simple things...

Beautiful sunrise.

To take off the chill, I took another hot shower and went back to bed until 8:00!

Why not? Anara isn't going to be getting up anytime soon!

this is the route for our day: So.... Scamander Tourist Park, back north to Bay of Fires area, south again to Bicheno Blow Hole, then all the way down to the Freycinet National Park

Lots of backtracking, but... sure looked like it was worth it.

We each got a couple of nice, flaky handpies (I did tell you this is a thing!)

You did!

scallop and prawn in wine sauce pie

mmm... boy that sounds good.

for breakfast

umm... well... I guess if there's nothing else available. When in Tassie...

Anara chose to get a chicken burger for her breakfast (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree)

Satiated, we started one of the most scenic coastal drives I have ever encountered. That’s high praise coming from someone who spent many years near the Oregon Coast.

That is high praise! I know you're quite well traveled.

The name of the Bay of Fires is often mistaken for the fire-y orange lichen growing on the rocks but that is not the history as I understand it. Instead, the Bay of Fires got its name from the fires of Aboriginal Peoples who had fires burning on the land’s edges and beaches that were seen from sailing ships out it the bay.

Huh. Interesting. Having looked at the red rocks later in this chapter, I can see how you'd think the former.

At this beach we watched a few surfers enjoying the water

Meanwhile, just below, the great whites are picking out who gets which tasty morsel.

Oh dear Lord... please tell me you found that...

This is what happens when you give the girl a phone to get some photos:

But I took this one and think it's kinda of fun.

It is!
But... what on earth? Is she enticing a seaweed sprite to land on her hand???

Wow, what a terrific shot.

Another beach that we took a walk at had quite a bit more of the lichen making for some striking scenery!

Very striking! Beautiful!

I love the foreground and leading the eye to the wave in the background. Super photo.

Another great shot!

Those rocks are so cool!

Q: Feeling crabby?

A: Yes. Yes he is.

Stunning colours!

Some of these photos were truly some of my very favorites from the entire trip.

And I can see why!

 

[Paulaparm]

I am a beach girl…those pictures speak to me!

 

[zanzibar138]

I was unamused until I got dressed and looked for myself. It was indeed something to sing about.

Indeed. You got some lovely sunrise shots!

@zanzibar138 … you guessed it! We backtracked north so we could see what it in easily the Top 5 sights to see on Tassie- The Bay of Fires Area.

Called it

Over the many trips to Tassie I've had, this is actually one area I haven't explored yet. I'm much more into mountains than beach I did consider trying to get there on our last trip but thought it would probably be too much driving for Grandma.

My choices were a scallop and prawn in wine sauce pie for breakfast (yes, I KNOW I am weird with my liking lunch for breakfast choices!)

Anyone who is even remotely into seafood should definitely try the scallop pies in Tassie. They are pretty famous (and it doesn't seem to matter where you get them from either!). Personally I'm not at all into seafood so haven't tried them. Do love a good potato pie though!

I love your photos of this beach!

You may not have gotten the iconic Cradle Mountain photo, but you certainly got some iconic Bay of Fires photos to make up for it

Now off to check out your new PTR

 

[Wood Nymph]

We each got a couple of nice, flaky handpies (I did tell you this is a thing!) and sat down amongst the tourists and locals alike. My choices were a scallop and prawn in wine sauce pie for breakfast (yes, I KNOW I am weird with my liking lunch for breakfast choices!)

I've come to the conclusion that maybe the US diet has the strange breakfast food, rather than the rest of the world.

Your handpies look delicious.

we started one of the most scenic coastal drives I have ever encountered.

The coast is gorgeous!

The name of the Bay of Fires is often mistaken for the fire-y orange lichen growing on the rocks but that is not the history as I understand it. Instead, the Bay of Fires got its name from the fires of Aboriginal Peoples who had fires burning on the land’s edges and beaches that were seen from sailing ships out it the bay.

I wonder if the red lichen is a more relatively recent development, due to environmental factors that might not have existed thousands of years ago.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Each picture more lovely than the next! Those are some beautiful beaches!

 

[irene_dsc]

Those are some absolutely gorgeous rocky ocean shots!!! I can see why they are some of your favorites!

And yes, while those scallop hand pies sound yummy, I'm not sure I'd be able to do them for breakfast.

 

[Steppesister]

Gotta find joy in the simple things...

I try to.

Every day.

Why not? Anara isn't going to be getting up anytime soon!

LOL! True enough.

Lots of backtracking, but... sure looked like it was worth it.

It really only ended up being about 30 minutes each way. So totally worth it!

mmm... boy that sounds good.

It was amazing!

umm... well... I guess if there's nothing else available. When in Tassie...

Oh there was, but didn't want a breakfast sammie like you can get pretty much anywhere here.

That is high praise! I know you're quite well traveled.

Just absolutely stunning.

Huh. Interesting. Having looked at the red rocks later in this chapter, I can see how you'd think the former.

Exactly! Aptly names either way.

Meanwhile, just below, the great whites are picking out who gets which tasty morsel.

LOL! Honestly, I have no idea how often sharks attack there.

Oh dear Lord... please tell me you found that...

It is!
But... what on earth? Is she enticing a seaweed sprite to land on her hand???

LOL! No, she thought it was fun to toss the sand in the air and watch it fly away.

Wow, what a terrific shot.

This area REALLY lent itself to some fun photography!

I love the foreground and leading the eye to the wave in the background. Super photo.

Why thank you!

Stunning colours!

It's definitely got the jewel tones going on!

 

[Steppesister]

I am a beach girl…those pictures speak to me! View attachment 906787

I'm sooo glad you enjoyed those! It's really such a lovely place!

 

[Steppesister]

Indeed. You got some lovely sunrise shots!

I hadn't really wanted to get up early, but since I did I'm glad it was at least a pretty morning.

Called it

Over the many trips to Tassie I've had, this is actually one area I haven't explored yet. I'm much more into mountains than beach I did consider trying to get there on our last trip but thought it would probably be too much driving for Grandma.

This was actually the one time that driving wasn't horrible. At least from where we had stayed it was all paved and good road.

Anyone who is even remotely into seafood should definitely try the scallop pies in Tassie. They are pretty famous (and it doesn't seem to matter where you get them from either!). Personally I'm not at all into seafood so haven't tried them. Do love a good potato pie though!

See?! I didn't even know that! It just sounded delicious and like it'd be a "local" dish, so went with that. It was a bit more $$$, but so good and worth it!

I love your photos of this beach!

Thanks! It was so soooo pretty there.

You may not have gotten the iconic Cradle Mountain photo, but you certainly got some iconic Bay of Fires photos to make up for it

Now off to check out your new PTR

I took what I could get given the limited time we had.

 

[Steppesister]

I've come to the conclusion that maybe the US diet has the strange breakfast food, rather than the rest of the world.

Your handpies look delicious.

I know that when I'm in Asia, it's hard to find an American breakfast and I usually end up with congee or rice or noodles of some sort. In other places I've been, it's tea and bread and jam. Europe... some sort of pastry and coffee.

The coast is gorgeous!

It truly is!

I wonder if the red lichen is a more relatively recent development, due to environmental factors that might not have existed thousands of years ago.

Good question. I wonder if some of the journals that early explorers kept might say? Lichens are some of the oldest forms of life, and can live in a lot of ecosystems, but this particular one... no idea.

 

[Steppesister]

Each picture more lovely than the next! Those are some beautiful beaches!

Just stunning for sure!

 

[zanzibar138]

This was actually the one time that driving wasn't horrible. At least from where we had stayed it was all paved and good road.

The east coast is more of the 'on the beaten track' part of Tassie, so as you found, once you're there, it's mostly pretty easy going. Plus, not so hilly which helps with driving too! Inland and the west coast are pretty wild

 

[pkondz]

I try to.

Every day.

It really only ended up being about 30 minutes each way. So totally worth it!

Not bad at all.

LOL! Honestly, I have no idea how often sharks attack there.

2-3 a day. It's so commonplace that it doesn't even make the news.

LOL! No, she thought it was fun to toss the sand in the air and watch it fly away.

Ohhhh.

This area REALLY lent itself to some fun photography!

It sure seems so!

 

[cheryllarsen]

What a great trip report! Thanks for posting!

 

[cheryllarsen]

I hope to do a trip like this one day! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Steppesister]

M is for: MORE of Tasmania; Freycinet Nat'l Park and Wineglass Bay​

With a short back-track behind us, it was time to direct our route southward. Here is a map to remind you of the day’s journey.

​

Our next stop was Bicheno Blowhole, which was admittedly a bit anti-climactic but a nice stop to stretch our legs and get some fresh seaside air. I took a short video since that is the medium to best showcase this little slice of nature’s entertainment.

​

A side note: (Should you be in the market for a bit of blowhole action, the north Oregon coast at Depoe Bay has a much more spectacular one.)

The other thing you might want to do in Bicheno is penguin watch. Again, time was short and we'd had to back-track a LOT from Swansea to do this. Plus, it really wasn't the right season while we were there and sightings aren't guaranteed even in good conditions.

​

Next on the agenda was one of the most visited tourist destinations on the island- the Wineglass Bay Overlook Trail. We did not make it to the most visited- Port Arthur Historical Site; on a trip this big, you just have to make a long list of possibilities and then pick and choose as time allows. Time did not allow. Our first stop was at the Visitors Center where we paid, what I thought, was a very reasonable park entrance fee. By the time we got there, it was already after 2:00 and our day was evaporating into the lovely Tasmanian air. Worried we wouldn’t have time to see anything at all in this exceptionally lovely area of the Freycinet Penninsula, the park ambassador put my mind at ease on two accounts: 1) We had plenty of time to do the hike I (kind of) wanted to do, and 2) I could probably do the hike without blowing out a lung. He was super friendly and encouraging and gave me a rah-rah session saying the hike was absolutely worth it and could easily be done in under an hour.

Here is a bit of information about the history of the area. FYI, it is NOT named Wineglass Bay for it's shape. It's got a much darker history...

​

There were some nice reminders to only take photos and leave only footprints:

​

Ok then, off to the trailhead… and up we started.

​

It was basically an excruciatingly long, uphill slog made only slightly easier by including more stairs than the bell tower at the Florence Cathedral (by more than twice... that I failed to complete). The difference, however, was that instead of being rushed and pushed from behind on a single wide, narrow staircase with no chance to take rest breaks, this one provided plenty of places to let the fire in my lungs simmer down now and then on the stone benches provided for out-of-shape, lazy Americans who need to exercise more.

​

More than once, I commiserated with my similarly air-sucking humans who took pleasure in blaming age for our lack of speed. Anara left me in her dust fairly early on, which was fine, I couldn’t talk to her anyway.

​

Half way there!

​

A stalling sort of photo stop:

​

Making progress:

​

Eventually, I actually did make it up to the top and, while the actual hiking part (did I mention it was sort of like going straight up?) sucked, the view did, in fact, make up for it. The turquoise and azure waters of the bay glistened under the sun and even though the air was a bit hazy/misty, the overlook provided a perfect place to rest and enjoy the scene below. The tourists were all offering to take photos for each other, and I only had to wait once for some Instagrammers who thought they were the only people on the planet who wanted some photos. (There is little that enrages me more than these folks who linger forever in the perfect spot for photos, spend ridiculous amounts of time primping their hair and lipstick (for literally minutes at a time) between each photo, hogging up the place for 5,000 poses with zero regard for the long line that has backed up behind them. Do they not feel the palpable air of derision and anger aside them? Sorry, so gross. Ok, I’ll step off my soapbox now.)

The less-than-two-minute photo session:

​

The trip back down was considerably easier, and the entire round trip did in fact take about 1 hour and 10 minutes. It felt longer.

At the split to take a different trail. I passed.

​

From the Overlook Hike we continued on for a very brief stop at Cape Tourville Lighthouse. By then it was 3:45 and we still had a way to go to get to our AirBnb for the night. While we intended this stop to be very short, as I said, our visit was extended when we pulled into the parking lot. This little one stole our attention. It appeared to have a slightly injured leg and wasn’t moving anywhere very quickly, so we paused to watch it from up close for a while. I can say with absolutely certainty that it quite possibly was the most adorable little creature I’ve ever encountered in the wild.

​

I didn’t dare touch it for fear it would bite my face off as I heard wildlife is prone to do in Australia, but it wasn’t shy as we took a roll’s worth of film of it. If you remember film in cameras, your back might hurt getting out of bed.

​

Anara didn’t want to take the short walk to the lighthouse (this was like the 1,034, 672nd lighthouse I made us stop at) but I did. I took a couple of quick snaps and off we went so we could get to our room before dark.

(Somewhere along the way)​

I’m going to leave off here as the AirBnb deserves its own post; it was truly magical, and I want to give it the attention it deserves.

Stay tuned for more as I pick it up next time with an Australian version of “Kevin” and Wagner’s Cottages…

 

[zanzibar138]

Ooh glad to see you back! I was starting to feel like I must have accidentally unsubscribed again lol!

Our next stop was Bicheno Blowhole, which was admittedly a bit anti-climactic but a nice stop to stretch our legs and get some fresh seaside air.

I visited the blowhole a few years ago. Yes, I was underwhelmed too. For your next trip, the coastal area around Port Arthur has some very impressive formations, including the Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen and a much more impressive blow hole.

Next on the agenda was one of the most visited tourist destinations on the island- the Wineglass Bay Overlook Trail.

1) We had plenty of time to do the hike I (kind of) wanted to do

I think we got there relatively late in the day too - we had plenty of time to do the lookout walk, but it was a little late to take the extended track down to the beach. I would have liked to do that to get away from the crowds a bit more!

There were some nice reminders to only take photos and leave only footprints:

​

This is one of my pet peeves. I don't know why humans feel the need to make their mark on everything!

It was basically an excruciatingly long uphill slog made only slightly easier by including more stairs than the bell tower at the Florence Cathedral (by more than twice... that I failed to complete). The difference, however, was that instead of being rushed and pushed from behind on a single wide, narrow staircase with no chance to take rest breaks, this one provided plenty of places to let the fire in my lungs to simmer down now and then on the stone benches provided for out-of-shape lazy Americans who need to exercise more.

I don't remember it being that bad, but I'm sure there were some tough sections! I do remember the stone benches.

A stalling sort of photo stop:

​

I have also been known to suddenly become super interested in some sort of photography subject halfway up a hill I do love a good banksia flower though!

(There is little that enrages me more than these folks who take up the perfect spot for photos, spend ridiculous amounts of time primping their hair and lipstick (for literally minutes at a time) between each photo, hogging up the place for 5,000 poses with zero regard for the long line that has backed up behind them. Do they not feel the palpable air of derision and anger aside them? Sorry, so gross. Ok, I’ll step off my soapbox now.)

Yes, another pet peeve. Unfortunately, this is probably my clearest memory from our trip to Wineglass Bay. Super annoying when you're literally going to spend 30-60 seconds getting 1 or 2 photos. The worst I've experienced was at another lookout where there were 2 girls sitting on a rock right in the middle of the best part of the view, looking at each other, deeply involved in a D&M. They weren't going anywhere so I just had to photograph around them.

Despite that, you got some lovely photos

From the Overlook Hike we continued on for a very brief stop at Cape Tourville Lighthouse.

I actually really enjoyed the walk around the lighthouse, possibly even more so than the Wineglass Bay track as it was super quiet!

I can say with absolutely certainty that it quite possibly was the most adorable little creature I’ve ever encountered in the wild.

Wallabies are super cute

Stay tuned for more as I pick it up next time with an Australian version of “Kevin” and Wagner’s Cottages…

Well colour me intrigued.

 

[Steppesister]

Ooh glad to see you back! I was starting to feel like I must have accidentally unsubscribed again lol!

I actually went on a little getaway as a celebration of PASSING MY BOARDS!!!!

I visited the blowhole a few years ago. Yes, I was underwhelmed too. For your next trip, the coastal area around Port Arthur has some very impressive formations, including the Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen and a much more impressive blow hole.

Hmmm...

I think we got there relatively late in the day too - we had plenty of time to do the lookout walk, but it was a little late to take the extended track down to the beach. I would have liked to do that to get away from the crowds a bit more!

I think if we'd have started in the morning and didn't have other stuff on our list to see we'd have done it too. I REALLY wanted to take the cruise on there, but we were too late to get on the last one of the day.

This is one of my pet peeves. I don't know why humans feel the need to make their mark on everything!

Seriously. Just enjoy without wrecking! Gee whiz!

I don't remember it being that bad, but I'm sure there were some tough sections! I do remember the stone benches.

Because you're young and fit.

I have also been known to suddenly become super interested in some sort of photography subject halfway up a hill I do love a good banksia flower though!

And thank you for the flower ID! I was wondering as it was really striking and pretty big too.

Yes, another pet peeve. Unfortunately, this is probably my clearest memory from our trip to Wineglass Bay. Super annoying when you're literally going to spend 30-60 seconds getting 1 or 2 photos. The worst I've experienced was at another lookout where there were 2 girls sitting on a rock right in the middle of the best part of the view, looking at each other, deeply involved in a D&M. They weren't going anywhere so I just had to photograph around them.

Despite that, you got some lovely photos

Just... ugh.

I actually really enjoyed the walk around the lighthouse, possibly even more so than the Wineglass Bay track as it was super quiet!

It was nice. I was just feeling really pressed for time and if memory serves now, I think it started to rain on my walk back to the car so I skedaddled. There was only one other couple on the lighthouse track so very quiet and nice. And the views were phenom!

Wallabies are super cute

YES!!! Especially one that poses so nicely.

 

[Steppesister]

The east coast is more of the 'on the beaten track' part of Tassie, so as you found, once you're there, it's mostly pretty easy going. Plus, not so hilly which helps with driving too! Inland and the west coast are pretty wild

Then it sounds like we chose wisely given the time we had and the driving skilz I was willing to tackle.

 

[Steppesister]

2-3 a day. It's so commonplace that it doesn't even make the news.

I'm...


skeptical.

Ohhhh.

She's a silly goose.