14th Light - Port Arthur to Hobart
We woke for our last day on tour with fewer cobwebs than expected after last nights contribution to Tasmania’s recycling program. Breakfast, and the first stage of Anthony’s exit strategy were had on the shores of Stewart Bay as the rising sun indicated today would be a cracker.
Yesterday we intentionally pushed through to Port Arthur with the view of visiting the tourist sites of the peninsular on our return journey today. The first would be the Tasman Arch, located south of Eaglehawk Neck on Pirates Bay.
A very impressive carpark has been built at the site, but more conveniently, it is literally right next to the arch. No need for a long walk thankfully.
Cape Hauy, Tasman Peninsular
Tasman Arch is a tall natural bridge carved into the cliffs by the Tasman Sea. Only the roof remains of a large sea cave, or tunnel, created by wave action over approximately 6,000 years. The pressure of water and compressed air, sand, and stones acting on vertical cracks in the cliff ultimately dislodged rock slabs and boulders to create the arch. The view is impressive and unique in that one can get so close to the edge, seeing all the way to the cliff base and ocean.
There is a very lovely 900 metre walking track leading to the next attraction, however we were more blown away by a little sidetrack jutting out over the cliff face. Here the views down the south coast were spectacular, the amber coloured jagged cliffs bouncing the morning light, the blue of the Tasman Sea showing off as compensation for the rain in the Bay of Fires. We were even lucky enough to watch some lobster fishermen setting their pots precariously close to the shoreline.
We followed said path a little further south finding Devils Kitchen, a deep rock trench protruding into the land mass from the sea. This geological feature started as a sea cave, then a tunnel, and developed into its modern form after the collapse of the cave roof. It is one of several such coastal landforms in the Tasman National Park that have developed in the Permian-age siltstone. Transitioning from cliff to sea cave to tunnel to chasm, Devils Kitchen continues to develop with many cracks and smaller sea caves evident in the walls.
We continued north crossing the ismuth of Eaglehawk Neck, which as the name suggests is a narrow bar between Pirates Bay to the east and Norfolk Bay to the west. It is made of sand carried by currents and waves from the floors of each bay and joins the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas. During the convict penal settlement days, savage attack dogs were chained from one side of the neck to the other to deter prisoners from attempting an escape by land.
On the northern shore of Pirates Bay, we next moved onto The Tessellated Pavement. Found in only a few places on Earth, this natural feature is one of the best examples of the impressive geological wonder. Looking at this rock formation, it's hard to believe it was created by nature and the elements and not man made.
The tiled rocks are composed mostly of siltstone and formed about 300 million years ago. Essentially, the rocks were fractured by the movement of the Earth and resulted in what is called jointing. Jointing itself is not incredibly uncommon, but the presence of salt crystals and consistent erosion by the Tasman Sea’s waves and sediment deepened the pattern to give it its startling appearance.
The Tesselated Pavement consists of two types of formations, pan and loaf. The pan formations are a series of concave depressions which form beyond the waterline, while the loaf formations occur closer to the seashore which are immersed in water for longer periods of time. We walked over this amazing platform for quite a while, inspecting each type of formation, searching the waterline and finding numerous shells and rocks littered across the pavement. The sun wasn’t perhaps in the right position for us today, but we can imagine how spectacular this would look at sunrise.
We reboarded and headed north for the hour journey to Richmond, but not before initiating the second stage of Anthony’s exit strategy - demolishing the ice cream and chocolate. The drive up the peninsular was uneventful with the two of us strongly debating our favourite location, then changing it even quicker recalling something from days ago. Richmond is located about 25 km north-east of Hobart and developed as a police district with Governor Arthur appointing a number of magistrates to oversee penal discipline in 1827. Renowned for its heritage listed sandstone arch bridge built in 1823, this marvel to pioneer engineering is the oldest bridge in Australia still in use. Present day Richmond is best known as being preserved as it was during that time, and is now a vibrant tourist town.
Sadly this was our last stop but we fortunately parked right on the banks of the Coal River within full view of the beautifully crafted and maintained sandstone bridge. Commencing the final stage of our exit strategy, we lunched, cleared out Anthony thanking him for everything, and packed our bags. After returning the van we grabbed a cab, arrived at the airport, checked our luggage and, you guessed it, went straight to the bar!
We weren’t off chocks before Fatpap was snoring like a buzz saw, and 90 minutes later we arrived home in Sydney to complete another fantastic camper tour in what is arguably Australia most picturesque state.
Richmond Bridge, Tasmania