26 February - Saturday
Wandering around the area of Launceston we discovered Cataract Gorge. WOW! The walk is right along the river near the bottom of the gorge.

the gorge

Launceston at the mouth of the gorge

met him at the beginning of the gorge walk

The river is high or low depending on the tide and we started our walk during low tide. Two nights here we spent in Evandale - a very cute quaint town. Day before yesterday we headed north and spent that night in a little city park along a river. We met a man, Ralph, traveling Australia via bicycle. He is from NZ and has been here for 6 months or so. He joined us for morning coffee and we spent a nice few hours getting to know him. From there we continued on north to Low Head at the mouth of Port Dalrymple. Explored around the light house and along the beaches.

Low Head lighthouse

Trox has been finding us magnificent campsites and that night was no exception. We parked in a car park set back from the highway and right on the water where we watched the sun set while fixing dinner. No one told us to leave by the time we were done so we settled in for the night.

The battle with the generator continues and we still don't know if they will replace it but we are hoping. Here on TAS we really haven't missed it but when we return to the mainland that WILL change.

1 March - Tuesday
MARCH! Finds us in Mount William National Park. First night after Low Head we stayed at Waterhouse Point. We were just a few meters from the beach but didn't really have a view and the beach was yucky - covered with drying seaweed and no nice sandy areas. So, we spent the night and then headed further east to where we are now. We are about as east as we can go in TAS. This is a beautiful area with huge spans of white squeaky beaches and essentially NO people. We have spent two nights here and unfortunately due to poor planning on my part we must head back to civilization today unless we plan on eating only beans and rice for the rest of the time we are here. So, as soon as Trox returns from his ride we will head towards Scottsdale (TAS not AZ).

Yesterday we actually walked further than we drove. We did a nice hike out along a fire road to a gorgeous white beach with huge granite boulders and the mouth of a river. We saw roo tracks near the river but no roo. We did have a visitor at our campsite who stuck around for quite awhile.

visitor

Trox met this Wombat on a ride

and this lizard on another ride

We also had a pair of green rosellas who made themselves at home just outside our door. It was fun to watch them eat the nuts out of the cones from the She Oaks. I'm not sure why they are called Oaks - they look like pines to me.

Green Rosella

6 March - Sunday
4 weeks in TAS! Yikes - this state is little and it has taken us 4 weeks to less than HALF!

lots more to go!

walking the beach

chatting up a local fisherman

We didn't make it to Scottsdale but instead headed more south to St. Helens. The past 4 nights we have been along the east coast where the beaches are unbelievable - not only because the water color is amazing and the sand is white (and squeaky) but the many miles of long stretches are empty! The Bay of Fires is as beautiful as all the brochures say and we had an amazing campsite (Trox at work again).

cartwheels on the beach at Bay of Fires

We knew there were other people but couldn't see them and we had views of the water and beaches from 3 sides of Bunyip.

our lanai

the view from our lanai

have I mentioned the sunsets?

they are gorgeous!

The water is cold but Trox has braved it a number of times. The past few nights we have been north of the Bay of Fires back in Mount William National Park but on the south end of the park this time. Yesterday we hiked from the light house to a little secluded beach where the water was calm and crystal clear.

the lighthouse at Eddystone

our own private beach
the orange is lichen

Our campsite is next to Deep Creek a couple hundred meters up from where it dumps into the Tasman Sea. It is really fascinating to watch the creek level change as the tide comes and goes.

high tide

low tide

Today the plan is to move inland for a little while. We have WON the battle over the generator and they are replacing it! We will be able to pick up the new one the end of this week (they have to ship it from the mainland).

7 March - Monday
Last night Trox had a great single track ride along a water race that wandered in and out and around beech trees. This morning he is making muffins with the black berries he picked yesterday. Once the muffins are done we will head out but haven't decided if we are heading east towards St. Helens again or west towards Scottsdale.

Trox' ride