Port Arthur — RachiePie

On Tuesday morning, we left Bruny Island for Port Arthur. On the way, we stopped at Coal River Farm, where we picked our own plums and strawberries. In addition to growing fruits, they also make their own cheese and chocolate which we sampled. We enjoyed the pit-stop and even got to pet a couple of goats!

Our first stop in Port Arthur was Eagle Hawk Neck and the Tessellated Pavement. The tessellated pavement occurs on flat rock which has been broken into blocks resembling the Roman mosaic floors. The pavement here takes two forms: depressions known as “pan formations” occurring when saltwater wears away the center portion of the stones into pools. The opposite effect is called “loaf formations” when the edges of the stone are worn away leaving a rounded crown resembling a loaf of bread. We were able to walk down to the tessellated pavement and explore the water’s edge. Since it was low tide, we got a great view of each type of tessellated pavement.

Nearby is Blow Hole, Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen. While here, Alex and I hiked the 2.5 mile trail leading from Devil’s Kitchen to Waterfall Bay. The hiking path trailed along the cliff line and there were several observations decks along the way. There were a few other people on the path, but overall, it was very quiet. I’ve learned summer holiday is officially over in Australia with kids going back to school starting this week.

Wednesday morning, we woke to strong winds, heavy rain, and pea-sized hail. Similar to a saying we heard in Iceland, “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute” and although we had to wait a bit longer than a minute (more like an hour), the rain let up and the sun started coming out! We took the break in the rain as an opportunity to drive to Fortescue Bay where we hiked the Cape Hauy Trail. The hike takes around 4-hours and there are A LOT of stairs. According to our step tracker, by the end of the hike, we had gone up roughly 172 flights of stairs!! In the end, all those stairs were worth it as we were rewarded with beautiful views of the ocean, cliffs, and large columns of rocks jutting out of water – known as Candlesticks and Totem Poles.

Stairs in the distance - onward and upward!  The hike led us to the very end of the rock ledge (way in the distance!) — Stairs in the distance - onward and upward! The hike led us to the very end of the rock ledge (way in the distance!)

Our afternoon ended at the Port Arthur Lavender Farm where we enjoyed a sandwich and a chocolate-lavender milkshake! After lunch, we walked around the lavender fields and gift shop.

Thursday, we drove to Remarkable Cave. The cave gets its name as the opening, when viewed from the observation platform, is similar to the shape of Tasmania! In the same area is Maingon Lookout and on a clear day you can see Cape Raoul in the distance (we hiked the Cape Raoul Trail later in that afternoon).

Before heading to our hike for the day, we stopped at the McHenry Distillery to do a gin tasting. McHenry’s is the world’s southern-most distillery and many of their gins use herbs found in Tasmania. My favorite gin we sampled was their Sloe Gin, made with sloe fruit (a type of plum). It was purple in color and very flavorful.

After our visit to the distillery, we drove to Cape Raoul where we hiked the Cape Raoul trail. The trail takes five hours and leads you to the tip of Cape Raoul. This area has some of the tallest sea cliffs in Australia and the view was amazing. By the time we made it back to our car, I was exhausted!!

On our last day in Port Arthur, we drove to Richmond, a colonial town about an hour from Port Arthur. Richmond is an adorable, quaint village and very much reminded me of a small town in England. We walked around the shops and enjoyed a coffee and brownie at Czegs's Cafe.

The Richmond Bridge is the oldest bridge in Australia dating back to 1825 . The bridge is known to be haunted by George Grover, an old Gaol worker who was employed to flog the prisoners that inhabited the area. The story goes that George fell asleep on the bridge after a few drinks and was pushed over falling to his death. No one was ever convicted of his murder!

We ended our afternoon at Banger Wine Oyster Shed where we shared a plate of oysters, a rose for me, and a beer for Alex. The view from the restaurant was beautiful and one of the few places we have found recently with a solid wifi connection! We settled here for a bit to do some further trip planning and enjoy the scenery! Alex and I will be heading to our next stop, Orford, where we will be for the next few days.