Tasmania “Island of Inspiration” (Part 2)
After 2 days of trekking solo, Sandrine and Iveth came to join me for the next leg of the trip! I met them back in Hobart for a night before heading out the next morning for our road trip north along the East Coast.
Along our 3 hour northbound car voyage, we stopped at Kate’s Berry Farms in the small coastal town of Swansea overlooking Great Oyster Bay. Kate produces ice cream, jams, sauces and even wine straight from her own berry orchards.
We enjoyed our raspberry milkshakes and mixed berry waffle overlooking Kate’s farm, and just in the distance, the sea.
Strawberry wine!
After our long trek up the coast, we arrived at Coles Bay on the outskirts of Freycinet National Park. We stayed at a large campground facility, where we rented this cabin for the night.
Our campgrounds were nestled up to this peninsula, just on the left side of the photo. There was a large variety of people staying in the park area, including a group of teenagers who had been scuba diving to catch the lobster below .. they were the hugest lobsters I’ve ever seen.
I kept finding these red jelly-like slugs underneath waterside rocks. I’m still not really sure what they were.
While in Freycinet, we took a boat cruise alongside the mountainous Hazards and made our way to Wineglass Bay – one of the world’s top 10 beaches – truly, a paradise. While cruising along we encountered a multitude of wildlife, including humpback whales, seals, dolphins, albatross and several other species of birds.
Shucking fresh oysters off the side of the boat.
Rufus, the captain’s seafaring dog, was a great wildlife spotter.
Once our boat docked in Wineglass Bay, a swarm of dolphins surrounded us on all sides! We also spotted some humpback whales on our way back to Coles Bay.
On our journey back to Hobart, we stopped at an oyster farm, where we ordered 3 dozen fresh oysters and mussels. We were definitely a little full on seafood when we left, but it was totally worth it.
We were served the best sparkling wine on our cruise that came from a local vineyard. We decided to make yet another stop on the way back to the big city and visit the famous winery where it is produced.
Tasmania really is a place of natural beauty, a place seemingly untouched. I would have liked to stay longer and see more of the national parks, but work called us back to Sydney. Always an excuse to go back, right?!
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