We enter our second month in Australia. This country welcomed us in its remote city of Perth, in the western territories. From there we made a 3-week roadtrip to Melbourne, where we had a great week. But it is time to return to the road, although first we would have to fly. This article tells the first stage of our roadtrip by van in Tasmania, starting in Hobart and visiting the historic city of Richmond, the Tasman Peninsula with its incredible cliffs, the penitentiary of Port Arthur where a tragic event occurred remembered by all Australians and the occasional surprise.
These are the main data:
- Point: Hobart
- Final point: Mayfield Bay
- Total km: 255 km
The day started early, at 5 in the morning the alarm rang, half an hour later we were on our way to Melbourne airport. Headphones, music, boarding a plane, nodding, hearing a child cry, landing in Tasmania. At 10 in the morning we already had our van, ready to tour this island in a week.
Our first destination was Richmond, the reason was one: his bridge. It dates from 1825 and, although it may seem like an unimpressive date (there are probably older buildings in your town), it is the oldest stone bridge in all of Australia. Ducklings that live here will receive you with a worked choreography and a few croaking.
Richmond Bridge
South of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, is the Tasman Peninsula, which we visit below. On the road that runs along its slope we stop at Tessellated Pavement, where nature has modeled the rock to your liking leaving it as an immense tile floor, cut geometrically and joined to each other.
Tessellated Pavement
Later we visited in the same area the Tasman Arch, a huge arch carved by the force of the sea in the rock. The Devil Kitchen which is an immense and deep cut on the cliff and where it looks nice and looks Blowhole in which the waves break after passing through some caves and explode to the top (especially when the tide is rough).
Tasman Arch
Devil Kitchen
Blowhole
The town of Port Arthur hides a surprise: the Penitentiary, one of the most important historical heritage of Australia, built in the early nineteenth century and destiny of many convicts from the British Isles. Although the price to enter is too high ($ 39) and we settle for seeing it from the side. More information.
This place is sadly famous also for the slaughter which took place on April 28 and 29, 1996, when Martin John Bryant, a 28-year-old boy from Hobart, killed 35 people and injured 23 others in a shooting. Very heavy, especially because of the "little" significance of the event: like everything that happens on Earth Down Under, it seems that the rest of the "real" world does not matter much. This one of Port Arthur was one of the most tragic events in the recent history of Australia with a considerable number of victims, considering that "only" there was a murderer.
The day was cloudy and it was a terrifying wind, it moved our van from side to side of the road and it was difficult to control it ... but where it really hit the sight was in the Remarkable Cave. Actually where it showed was in the viewpoint next to the parking lot (Maingon Bay Lookout), from where you can see in the distance some natural towers reminiscent of some landscape of The Lord of the Rings. From here, there is a path that goes down some stairs to the cave, through which the ocean water crosses to a secret beach. One last.
Remarkable Cave
Maingon Bay Lookout
The first sensation to drive through Tasmania was not to be in Australia, the landscapes so green, the hills full of meadows and sheep, the humidity, the cool ... all this transported us to its neighboring New Zealand, and more specifically to the Coromandel Peninsula . However, it didn't take long to come back to reality and definitely understand that we were still in Australia. And we explain why.
After this last visit we continue the march towards the north and leave behind the Tasman Peninsula, our destination was a campsite in a bay, so we entered the address in Google Maps and followed his advice. ERROR! Don't always trust what Google Maps says! We got into a dirt and stone road, with mud, puddles and potholes! It is called the Wielangta Rd. But be careful, you can't trust Australians either! A few meters away from starting this road we stopped at a car that came from the front to ask if it continued in this bad state. Answer: "Do not worry guys, later it improves, this is the worst stretch." Lie! It was 20 km that took an hour to travel, without coverage and without a soul that circulated there. The road goes into the Wielangta Forest and no, we do not recommend it.
Although we have to be fair, the guy told us that when we found a detour later, we would take the road to Spring beach and here he succeeded. The route goes through beautiful landscapes next to the coast, dotted with farms, the odd wallabi and beautiful beaches (even in bad weather). In addition we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and the earth suddenly became asphalt, coinciding with very cool urbanizations.
It was time to put the fifth and arrive on time Camping Mayfield Bay Conservation Area to get one of the last sites (free, with recommended donation).
