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| A view of Wineglass Bay from the Lookout point. There are over 600 steps to WineGlass Bay but it is worth the trip. |
| Glenn's Journals 12-17-02 Tasmania This morning we were all up early and out of the cabin by 9:00 am. Our plans today were primarily a hike to Wineglass Bay before heading to Port Arthur where we would share a cabin again with Marcel and Eveline. Marcel and Eveline were a day ahead of us and had done the hike to Wineglass yesterday and said it was well worth it. We packed our lunches (the cooler is coming in very handy while we have a car to carry it in). We arrived at the entrance to Frecyinet Peninsula and the visitors information center where we would purchase our park pass and check on the different hikes available in the park. After leaving the visitor center we arrived at the car park for the hiking trails and checked in around 10:15 am to start our hike to Wineglass Bay. The hike was uphill (603 steps) to the lookout before downhilling it to the Bay itself. The view from the lookout was postcard quality before we found our way down to the bay itself. Once at Wineglass Bay we sat on the rocks and watched the surf crash on shore. We also noticed many jelly fish along the beach and being washed to shore with the currents. These jellyfish were huge and colorful but we did not know if they were dangerous or not so we did not take any chances. After Wineglass Bay (and the fact that it did not take nearly as long as the park suggested to hike there) Erin agreed to continue on to Hazards beach. The walk to Hazards beach was across relatively flat bush and was listed at a half hour (until I ran into a gentleman wearing a Green Bay Packers cap and talked to him for a few minutes about the pro and college football season. We have missed the whole season and I was just curious.) Hazards beach was more stunning than Wineglass due to the fact that the expanse of white beaches and beautiful ocean was longer and there were less people on this beach than Wineglass. The trail takes you along the beach for a short while before heading back into the woods to a trail that follows the contour of the waters edge. Erin and I had lunch on the rocks along the shore of Hazards beach with a couple from Perth whom we met along the trail. They were a very nice couple out on holiday for a few weeks enjoying Tasmania. After lunch we made our way along the trail for another hour before reaching the car park again. The scenery all along the way is spectacular. It was now almost 3:00 pm by the time we left the park and we had a few miles to go to reach Port Arthur tonight. The drive to Port Arthur was uneventful as we arrived around 6:00 pm at the caravan park. Lucky for us as we entered the park we noticed Marcel and Eveline's rental car and stopped in to chat before cheking in at the main office. We spoke about dinner plans and they had bought some vegetables to cook in a wok but not enough for all. We spoke about going out for dinner but wondered if there was a local place to get fresh fish. Erin and I went up to the main office to check in and ask about a local grocery store or fish shop. Port Arthur is near the end of a peninsula and the nearest fish place was back in Dunnelly which was more than 20 kilometers back the way we had come. But!!! The manager would check with a local fisherman that fished everyday and may sell a fish to us for dinner tonight. Sure enough around 6:30 pm the fisherman showed up and we bought a Trevally for $10 Aus. Of course we had to fillet and prepare it ourselves but no worries. Marcel and I took the fish to the beach where we cleaned it, including cutting its head off and gutting it. This was our first experience on the road preparing fish from fresh but we were willing to give it a try. (Sorry we are not fisherman!!) Eveline prepared some rice and vegetables while Marcel and I wrapped the fish in aluminum foil and lemons and cooked it for 20 minutes on high. The fish fell off the bone and dinner overall was really good. We had plenty of fish for everyone. It was also an experience for us and now Marcel says he will try it again some day. Dinner took us a while to prepare so we did not finish dinner until 9:00 pm. After the long day that Erin and I had hiking we were definitely ready to call it an early night. We did not have any trouble sleeping tonight. Tomorrow we would spend the morning in Port Arthur before heading off to Hobart and hopefully meet some more relatives. |
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| A view from the hike along Hazards Beach and looking out at Promise Bay. |