Cockle Creek - Hello Antarctica!

Cockle Creek is the Southernmost point that you can reach by car in Australia...the end of the world before Antarctica!

But before the world ends there is a thermal pool in the middle of the rainforest

No pictures from the pool though...I was too busy swimming :)

yes...I can see the end there...at least it looks like it

But before getting there...I HAD to stop in this place!

The crew: flatmate Stina, "swedish" Sofia and Daniel

On a definitely too long gravel road!

And here we are! A whale sculpture marks the spot. Hard to miss.

If it weren't for the abrupt end of the road, the complete silence and absence of people...

I wouldn't call it the end of the world

It could be more my retirement place in a few years (I need that boat!)

And a pot of gold!

Yes...this is Tassie! (and that was the first car I ever drove with automatic gears...better not talk about it)

EASTer break - a road trip on the East Coast of Tasmania

Day 1 - We planned to leave around 10 but ended up  hitting the road at 14!! First stop, Mayfield Bay camping area to check where to camp on the last night; shortly after, head up to Friendly Beaches

A loaded car!

We stopped at Mayfield Bay right before sunset

Although it was getting late, still time to wet our feet before heading North

By the time we finished to put up the tent at Friendly Beaches, this scenary was waiting by the beach 100 metres away

Full moon on one side, a misty light on the other :)

And plenty of HUGE sticking ants on the floor!

Day 2 - I told my worrying family I would contact as soon as I arrived to our first destination (you know, first time driving on the left side, first side camping on the land of all weird and dangerous wild creatures!!), but hey!!! there's no reception of any kind at Friendly Beaches!!! So, let's go to a town, Bicheno, before heading to Freycinet National Park, where Coles' Bay and the famous Wineglass Bay are

Bicheno was a nice and rather small fisher's town

And everytime we stopped the car, it meant one thing for sure!!! Time to eat! Even if we had only driven for half an hour :)

So we sat on the rocks and ate our lunch there, watching the boats and the birds

Eventually we got to Freycinet National Park and started the hike up to Wineglass Bay lookout, and then down to the Bay

With some (many) stops along the way, I admit

Although I preferred the view over Coles' Bay, this is the famous Wineglass Bay

And when you're at a famous place, you take a picture!!!

On the way down to the bay, the landscape changed

Finally at the beach, we found many tourists and two wallabies, waiting for a distraction...

that could give them something to eat

The view down at Wineglass Bay

Where one again we sat and ATE!!!

Although the weather was not for a swim, and the beach was not the most amazing one I have been to, we spent a good time there

But my favorite moment of that day was the sunset over Coles' Bay on our way back to the car!

What were we looking at??

At the reflection of all those colors on the rocks

We stayed there for an eternity...and I could have stayed even longer :)

Day 3 - SAying goodbye to Friendly Beaches in the morning, heading Bay of Fires and having dinner in the civilized world  (St. Helens town)

And this was how Friendly Beaches said good bye in the morning!

We stayed and stayed and stayed...like good friends who must leave but don't want to...

But finally we did!

And arrived a few hours later at Bay of Fires...again, (almost) private beach 100 metres away from the tent :)

And of course!! MEAL time!

The weather was warm and the water not too cold, so we stayed at the beach for the rest of the day

It was cool to see the amount of underwater life in between the rocks

Bay of Fires is named after the red lichens on the rocks  

On the way to St Helens, we stopped to refill with fresh water and the moon was just coming up

We ate at a cosy take-away/eat-in boat restaurant

Where I tried my first (and maybe last) oyster...and of course, fish and chips

Day 4 - We enter the car and the rain starts...what to do today???

We'll be wet anyway, so...why not go to a rainforest? :)

And it was such a good idea!

We all loved this forest and this day

It looked like a home of enchanted creatures :)

And others...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

not so enchanted!!!

We finally got the end of the track, where the waterfalls were

A wonderful feeling to hear nothing but the water and the wind :)

On the way back

So many different types of moss...

That everyone wanted to capture in a photo

And these threes, which seemed to be dancing with the wind, inviting us to enter an evil forest...and so we did!

But it was only a rainforest!! Eventually we found our way back to the car :)

Day 5 - We spent most of the day walking along Bay of Fires, by the beach, then stopped for lunch and one of us even did some snorkeling in the cold water...My camera's battery died on the rainforest, so this day I only enjoyed the walk! In the afternoon we head to our first stop - Mayfield Bay, where we put up the tent in a record time, just before sunset, and spent the night before our adventure in Maria Island the next day

Day 6 - We woke up early and drove to Triabunna, where we took the ferry to Maria Island. There are no roads on this island, and only bikes can circulate...Bikes it is then! We spent all day biking around the island...each at her own rithm, stopping here and there for a snack, here and there for a steep hill, here and there for wildlife watching...wonderful...however, after 5 days without a shower and 5 nights sharing a tent with four others, I must say I was completely exhausted by the time we head home - Hobart!

The Fossil Cliffs at the North of the island

And the view from those cliffs

A grey goose

A blue gumtree - a symbol of Tasmania

The painted cliffs at the South of the island

And one of many wombats that I saw on that day! it is officially my new favorite animal, after the dog of course!