And in came the rain and those roaring forties

So we wake his morning to a full-on storm. I mean rain, not showers with the wind behind it. In this weather it is easy to imagine how a ship's captain could not hold his vessel against the raging of mother nature. And with the seas whipped up, we have a better view of some of the rock hazards. Bigger waves are breaking off-shore on hidden dangers. Altogether very bleak. We hear the coach arrive to collect the tour group as we live in bed a few minutes longer to ward off the cold. Slowly the other rooms empty and before long, we are the last room to leave.

We have received an email from the airline saying that due to operational requirements our flight is now departing later. We are now leaving King Island at 17:25 with arrival back in Wynyard at 17:55. From there we have a half hour drive to our accommodation in Penguin. I have managed to get in touch with Bruce Harpley who lives a few miles away in Ulverstone and we are catching up for breakfast tomorrow morning en-route to Launceston. 

Gen again went into the Bakehouse for our breakfast and hooray, has managed to get me a Crayfish Pie (at $15!). It is delicious. In a soft curry sauce, which is what the Taswegians seem to put all their seafood in for pies - think fish, think prawns, think scallops (roe on) and now also think crayfish (lobster)! It had plenty of crayfish - both in big chunks and smaller pieces generously spread amongst the sauce. She bought herself another egg and bacon roll - both had been cooked to order. She enjoys her roll and I made sure I left her some of that scrumptious pie to taste!

Given the unpleasant weather today we decided to drive along the other fully sealed road on the Island. We had wanted to visit the Cultural Centre but as the main 'tourist season' (March) is done, it is now only open by appointment. 

You know, there is a huge opportunity going begging here. The motel, which is for sale, is very tired and the restaurant is under different management. Yet the coastal location is supberb overlooking the rolling sea with private access to a small rock sheltered beach. I have no idea what the sale value is, but even if it were $1M, another investment of $500K+ to revamp the rooms, restaurant and the grounds (including the access road) and you could have a great return with groups - and especially golf groups. But I digress (again) 

Naracoopa is sited on the east coast about halfway up the coast and the mid-point between Grassy and Cape Wickham where we went on our first day. 

Naracoopa reminded us of many of the sleepy coastal townships that can be found right along the East Coast of Australia. In fact, it reminds me very much of Woodgate of a few years ago. There is one street fronting the beach with most of the homes being holidays homes that are deserted at present. There is evidence of some newer building works happening - you know the time - those slip, sultry buildings in the colour of their surroundings so as not to compete with the landscape - filled with timber and glass. Personally, I can't imagine that in a few years they will remain as schmick. The timber will cop a lot of weather, as will the tin rooves like we have seen elsewhere on the island, and although I would love to be sitting in a warm house looking out through large picture windows - but honestly, keeping them clean against all that salty water would be a *itch to clean! (Gotta love our textured Kosciusko glassed windows back home - they require little cleaning!  😉)

Just "a few kilometres north", remembering the mud map as opposed to anything accurate, near Sea Elephant Bay, is supposed to be Blowhole Beach. So off we set. The road is on the map, so we are safe, albeit somewhat sandy. Gen does a great job navigating the potholes (and then we come on some Council workers doing some grading!) and when we get out to Blowhole Beach there is already one car there. Given the soft sand and the rain, it is decided that Gen will go have a look and see whether the walk is Maria-doable. She comes back in less than 10 minutes to say that if there is a blowhole, she can't find it, nor can she find any landform that would even remotely look like it could produce a spout of water of any form. By now, there are another two cars parked here - and we cross paths with another couple of people that we've seen a few times over the last two days. 

We are the second car to leave and we turn left back towards Naracoopa and not continuing on an increasingly challenging road further to Sea Elephant Bay. There is a sign advertising coffee, but like other operators, I guess they have headed for the mainland for winter - closed. So a quick nip down to the long wharf where once there was sealing prevalent, but no longer.

Turning back for Currie we opt to stay on the fully sealed road and this time not take the scenic route. Gen is now sick of gravel roads and sandy tracks - she can now say "been there, done that!" Its getting late for lunch and although we have loved the great pies from the King Island Bakehouse, we are also craving something that is not a pie by now. One of the three golf courses on the Island is next door to the motel where we stayed, so we called in there to see if we could get some lunch.

Yes, we can. It is fairly basic fare but my burger and Gen's battered fish (Gummy = shark) and chips was fresh and crisp. This restaurant is being operated by people of Indian descent - if only I could be sure that the curry on offer was not too spicy, I would have preferred to give it a go, but alas my mouth and stomach take so little heat these days.😪

We continued down to Beach which is just beyond the motel, down the next dune so to speak and found the other big industry here - the King Island Kelp Factory. 

Bull kelp is harvested from the beaches of King Island by independent contractors. At present there are only 6 licensed harvesters, who must take only from what mother nature has 'donated'. They cannot harvest from the rocks. The kelp is dried on high, hanging S shaped hooks, then racks to air dry, before being fed into wood fired kilns for dehydrating. Most of the Australian supply is shipped to Ireland for processing into Alginate Acid which is used extensively in the food and pharmaceutical industries, just to name two.

One last destination to visit before we leave this interesting destination. Located close to the airport, we visited the award winning King Island Distillery. Owned and operated and Heidi Weitjins, this was a gem of a find. They distil King Island gin, vodka, brandy and  limoncello. Gen is really taken with the Ruby Grapefruit Spirit, and thankfully they can arrange post, so we relieve them of some of their stock (hic). One gin in particular is interesting. Heidi's partner is a cray-fisher and they took a barrel of their gin and aged it at sea! It has a different taste - no doubt influenced by the cask being exposed to the salt-ladden air. The cellar door is actually their distilling plant, and as we taste and discuss each sample with Heidi, her partners are beginning to bottle the last of the Gin from that sea-aged barrel! We drove right past it at first, following google maps which takes you beyond it. The trick is to follow the signs, even if it doesn't look like a cellar door! More evidence of the poor maps.

At the Airport, we leave the car, with keys in the ignition, as per instructions, and head into the terminal. We are early by about 2 hours, but really, there is little else to see given the remaining time. There are only 9 people booked on the plane, so again they have allocated the back row to us. BUT, there are about 40-50 people at the airport terminal. We see two jets - a Sharp Airlines and a REX plane plus a number of smaller planes. Turns out, we watch 4 other planes leave before ours lands, disgourging another tour group, and is ready for departure. Our plan is flying to Launceston via Wynyard.

Gen is very very tense - it is very cloudy and she is apprehensive about possible turbulence. One belted in, she grabs the seatbelt from the seat between us and wraps it tightly around her hand. I tell her that the trick is to try not to get too tensed up and suggest that she hold my hand instead. "But I don't want to hurt you" she says. You won't I tell her. The take-off was a little bumpy, but it was surprisingly smooth thereafter. I keep asking her if she can see land in an effort to keep her mind off her fear and she visibly relaxes. Finally we see land and can identify The Nut at Stanley and Table Cape just a little further east before we touch down.

So, King Island done and dusted. I am glad we went, but it was nothing like what we were expecting. All I can say is that the marketeers have done a fabulous job. For the Island itself, it needs some major investment and renewal.

Back in the car, or as Gen 'lovingly' refers to it, the POS, having paid the ridiculous sum of $12 for 3 days parking, we head back through Burnie and further east to our overnight stop in Penguin. The motel is right on the main road, with a rail line plus freight train behind us. The unit is HUGE and well set-out and supplied for someone with mobility challenges.

I opened my mouth and out strolled my mother!

When we arrived back at our accommodation after dinner last night, we walked into a lovely toasty room (definitely not hot as Gen can't take that). The first thing I said when i stepped into the room was "nicey, nicey" and my mind went instantly to my mum! She would have loved Port Arthur, and just like me, she would have hated the wind. I have upped the B12 tablets, lather my lips almost hourly and still they split and peel. Any advice would be welcome - don't bother with topical stuff - I have literally tried them all.

Gen went over and did our laundry before we went to dinner and without an airer in the cabin we resorted to the ironing board, the shower rail and the towel rails to drape things that could not go into the dryer. In future, we will not pack anything that can't be dried in a dryer!

The cabin was very comfortable and I really appreciated the electric blanket. This morning dawned clear and cool, but thankfully without the wind. We dug into our provisions and brought out croissants bought at the Dunalley Bakery. Even two days old, they were crisp and buttery with sweet, pillowy flaking layers that stood up perfectly to the rich raspberry jam that we bought at the Sorell Fruit Farm. Hot coffees ensured the flakes were washed down.

We left the NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park, complimenting the man on duty on the suitable cabin and a beautifully kept park. Again, his response was that now familiar "You are more than very welcome." We headed what I thought was north towards our next night stop at Allonah on Bruny Island. Turns out that for someone who prides herself on a good sense of direction, I had it all balls up today! We were in fact heading west. Port Arthur is actually east of Hobart, not south! And Bruny Island is south. So I've re-set my compass!!

Our first stop was at the Port Arthur Lavender Farm only 10 minutes up the road from the Holiday Park. Even though it was only 9:30am, and they open at 9am, they were already busy. The visitor centre is beautifully laid out with the building's back to passing traffic, overlooking neat, straight, ordered rows of lavender bordering the adjacent bay. We moved straight outside, hoping to be immersed in their heady scent. However, we are out of season and most of the rows are resting, re-gathering their energy for the next season. All but one plot directly outside the dining area have been harvested and even these rows have had a trim. They have enough blooms still on them to give us a hint of the spring and summer splendour of rich colours evoking thoughts of royalty and rarity, magic and mystery. And alongside this plot are the juvenile plants of newly planted rows. And just like yesterday, the bumble bees are heard before they are seen. Lord knows how - they are HUGE. And busy. Very very busy (little - not) bees!

The gift shop is filled with all things Lavender and we may have bought a few little things to share. Better let me know if you hate lavender wink wink. We are finding that the price of souvenirs in Tasmania is very fair, encouraging us to make sure we bring little trinkets with us when we head home. Come to think of it, we are planning to post things home a couple of times - starting with tomorrow!!

Once we had spent enough time here, we hit the road again (heading west) for our next planned stop at the UnZoo. Started by philanthropist David Hamilton in 1979 when it was a more conventional animal park form of zoo. In the intervening years, it has been updated in line with changing views on animals in captivity. Based around the Tasmanian Devil, an extensive breeding program was begun in 1980 that continues to today. The outbreak of a particularly nasty and virulent cancer, now thought to have been a natural mutation passed between the Tasmanian population has made the need for these animals in captivity and in artificail breeding, vital to the species' survival. This park now houses 6 adult Tasmanian Devils in what is endearingly called the bushland views retirement village! All six have been through the breeding program and are now seniors, beyond healthy breeding age. We watched the antics of three today, one male and two females. 

So, here is a Did You Know fact:
Female Tasmanian Devils are pregnant for a total period of 3 weeks. Being a marsupial, they carry their pups in a pouch. A typical litter is 40 pups, BUT, she only has four teats, so the survival of the fittest is guaranteed. The remaining 36 pups are usually cannibalised by their mother - a true carnivore.
Our guide (sorry, we have both forgotten his name) described them as adorable little creatures that are capable of doing so many things - but NONE of them well! They can run, slowly; jump, poorly; climb, about a foot; see, myopicly; and smell (thankfully for them) very well. They also have the strongest bite to size ratio of all living creatures. And we can attest to this as we listen to them crunching and crushing the bones of the wallaby pieces that were fed to them today - its a sickening sound. They yap like a dog, grunt like a pig and growl like, well, a devil!  

But Devils are not the only wildlife on display. After feeding the first male, we saunter over to the Birds of the Bush area where we hand feed a Green Rosella whose younger newer mate is still too hesitant to come down for the free food. Then Poderick, the Little Wattle Bird, a honey-eater, perched on my hand and drank the nectar he so craved from a milk bottle lid held between my fingers. Sharp little claws, but an even sharper beak! We wandered across the site that was originally planted to apple and pear trees (only one avenue remain in recognition of the former land-use - and at about 80 years old, all too old to bear fruit). We saw Pademelons, Kangaroos and Wallabies, regal Cape Barren Geese and bush hens (a.k.a. Road Runners, just waiting for coyote to stand under a rock). By the time we had done all this, my feet were killing me and back to the visitor centre we go for a drink - ooh, hang on they have ice-cream - Valhalla Ice Cream. If you are in Tasmania, you simply MUST try it - its delicious! Gen chose her fave Boysenberry in a choc-top while I opted for a raspberry sorbet. Gen helped me to finish it. So lovely, so filling!

Further west we headed, down to where the last bastion of impediment would greet the would-be escapees from Port Arthur - the line of dogs at Eaglehawk Neck. Unfortunately, there is a massive lot of roadworks happening right around the site and we can't even see it. The Officer's Quarters nearby are the closest we can get, so a little disappointing, but the sight in our mind's eye of a desperate, ragged man, struggling for breath after pushing through scrub and forest just to be greeted by a literal line of straining, barking dogs is vivid enough.

But the day is fast escpaing. We leave Eaglehawk Neck and don't get very far when we see the sign for the Blowhole Lookout. Can't miss that! We turn and drive right to the end of the road. We are at a headland surrounded by tessalated pavements with the water swelling and ebbing, flowing over the rocks and in a breath of the ocean, being sucked back into her lungs. The water came through the tunnel and into the channel carved by an aeon of water's destructive power. But the tide is all wrong. While we can visualise how the Blowhole works, we do not actually see it in action today. It is now after 2pm and while we had planned to have a light lunch in Dunalley where we planned to fuel up on the advice of a local, we realised we might be too late for lunch. So there was a roadside Food Van at the Blowhole. Their fare looked good on the photos on the side of the van. And that was where it stopped. Despite being right in the centre of some of the country's best seafood growing and harvesting grounds, both Gen and I are quite certain that all the pieces of seafood ordered was out of a frozen bag - you know, the sort that can be bought in any discount supermarket. And that generous friendly service was also in poor supply, altogether rather disappointing. Getting to Dunalley about 15 minutes later, we paid $2.06.90 for fuel - by far the cheapest we have seen for a while. In fact, the very next station had the same fuel for $2.24. Go figure.

We now NEED to be pushing forward and quickly. We are booked in to the Bruny Hotel Lodge, still two hours away. We need to get to the SeaLink Ferry to get to Bruny Island and to do this, we need to go through Hobart - through the very centre of Hobart's CBD. Once we pass the airport, the traffic increases exponentially, and slows just as dramatically. The traffic drags on and on - you know what it is like when you have somewhere to be, everything in the universe comes together to challenge your every attempt. The roadworks added more time and inconvenience to the trip. Finally we reach the entry to the Ferry Terminal only to find that the VIC, who had booked the passage, had neglected to include the required barcode and with a departure imminent, we are forced to buy another pass - there was no way we could go back, there was a line of traffic longer than the spaces available on the ferry, lined up behind us.

Turns out, we were the fourth last vehicle squeezed onto the boat. Under the had direction of the deckhands Gen managed to squeeze Lizzy (our Mitsuibishi Lancer) into a space tighter than anywhere else she has been!. The crossing is smooth and lasts about 18 minutes. Sitting in the car, we have to strain to see over the side of the boat. When you watch the land horizon, it hardly looks/feels like we are not moving, but strining, when you look at the water and the beaches, we see that indeed we are moving, and at quite some knots at that.

Onto the Island - well this Island - Tasmania is a state of 334 islands - another fact that many of us will not know. Prior to this journey, I was aware of perhaps 6 - and I was always good at Geography!! We made the 4:30pm ferry crossing and are the last vehicle to drive off the ferry just before 5pm. We arrive at the northern point of the north of the two islands known as Bruny Island. Well that is not quite technically correct. North Bruny and South Bruny are one island, but are connected by a very narrow isthmus Truginini or The Neck crossing the waters of Simpsons Bay. We will come back, climb the steps and get some pretty main scenes from here tomorrow or Saturday.

The views of some of those 334 islands, with evening clouds setting in and the sun waning for the day are amazing. But the wind is increasing and as we are still some way from Alonnah where the accommodation is located, we decide now is not the best time to stop for pics. Distances are not long, but the roads are very winding and Gen is pulling hard in one movement and pushing in the next. By the time we reach the Bruny Hotel, there is a soft gale blowing. We can see some cabins on a rise behind the Hotel and just hope that these are the ones we are booked in to. Gen goes into the Hotel to book in and YAY - they are the units. Before we go up to the cabins, we decide to have an early dinner. Its typical Hotel grub and I am a little disappointed that there is not more extensive seafood on the menu. Gen happily chose Braised Shoulder of Lamb - slow roasted in Bruny Island Cider and Bruny Island Honey served with seasonal vegetables and I chose the Seafood Chowder - home made with Tasmanian white fish, smoked local atlantic salmon and calamari squid. It was rich and thick and warming and that calamari just melted (unlike the tough, stringy pieces at lunch). We washed our meals down with Bruny Island Apple Cider, a very nice drop - not too sweet. Dinner done, we out to the cabins. 

We needed to get some milk to have coffees, and (wait for it) the local store is closed (at 4pm)! The closest store is at Adventure Bay, 20 minutes away. Now, there are plenty of people eating at the pub. Some in their cbins, others in self-drive caravans and camper-vans and others rough camping. If the closest goods store was 20 minutes away, and you had a captive audience, I think that the hotel has missed a huge opportunity - just saying. BUT, it was very worth the drive over to Adventure Bay. If we thought the views on this side of the island were something, the views on the other side are even more so. We turned off with bucolic scenes of cattle and sheep grazing on rolling fields. Over the first rise, we see iconic south pacific scenes - water that ranges from sandy aqua to deep water cetacean blues. There are trees higher than I can see from inside the car, huge tree-ferns. There are white sand beaches and small inlets almost touching the paved road. 

There are beach shacks that look like they have been here since the discovery of the island sitting alongside the slick new constructions - some that have been designed to blend into their landscape while others brag of wealth and entitlement. Milk got, and light fading, we turn back for Alonnah.We encounter the roadside Bakery Fridge that we had read about in the Travelling Tasmania Facebook Group. There are only two loaves of Sultana Bread, so we decide to try again tomorrow either on the way to or back from our booked 3 hour boat cruise. The road is steep, so we can't rush, which is just as well as we encounter 2 pademelons and a wallaby en-route to the cabins.

Very new. Glass and timber. HUGE picture windows looking out over the water. High end fittings and fixtures. A beautiful alpaca throw on the bed. 'Thank You' (brand) Botanical Patchouli and Vanilla hand wash and lux thick fluffy white towels. After a somewhat big day, we are looking forward to an earlier night. LOL, its midnight!

More to come tomorrow. Stay safe, keep well.