3/2/2020: Mole Creek, NW Tasmania

We'd got a lot of miles to cover today getting to our next base in Mole Creek, not where we thought we'd booked but we're blaming the Airbnb location map for that! So it was an early start to pay another quick visit to Port Arthur before heading to the Mount Field National Park and finally crossing the central highland region to drop down towards the northern coast of Tasmania.

We'd headed back to our accommodation yesterday before we'd visited the commandant's house, penitentiary, hospital and barracks at Port Arthur and thought we should make the effort to go this morning just in case we never come to Tasmania again! So we were there as the site opened and largely had it to ourselves. And we're glad we did! The commandant's house set off as a simple 4-room structure back in the 1840s but successive commandants extended it and when the penal colony closed in 1877, becoming the small town of Carnarvon, it became a hotel and then guesthouse, being extended again by successive owners. It was interesting to see the luxury that the civilians lived in, before heading down to the penitentiary (itself originally built as a flour store) where 120 convicts were housed in solitary confinement on the lower two floors, while another 500 were housed in dormitories on the two top floors. The solitary confinement cells were tiny, probably only 6ft x 4ft with only one small window set very high in the wall. Despite the purpose of the site, all the buildings were well built and attractive, at least externally.

And then started the trek north! We wanted to break it up and had read that the small town of Richmond was nice and had a lovely old bridge so we made it our first stop, strolling along the attractive high street lined with antique shops and art galleries, and eating our lunch overlooking the bridge.

Stage two was to take us NW of Hobart to the Mount Field national park,  home to several lovely waterfalls and the tallest trees in Australia. We passed a vineyard with a cellar door just outside Richmond and decided to make an impromptu call to sample some Tasmanian wines. It was a lovely set up but the wines didn't suit our palates at all! As the host said, they are 'more herbaceous' than NZ wines and whether that was the difference or not, we really didn't like them!

Driving on towards the national park we passed through several rain showers and looking at the ominous clouds over the mountains ahead, we didn't hold out much hope for our waterfall walks when we arrived. But we were pleasantly surprised and spent an enjoyable 90 mins walking through the forest in mainly sunshine. Result! The Russell Falls were spectacular, tall, arranged in three tiers and considered the prettiest waterfall in Tasmania. With the sun behind them and illuminating the spray, it was magical.

Climbing up the side of the falls to the Horseshoe Falls above, the views out over the forest were spectacular and no signs of the arid countryside we saw around Hobart was in evidence.

Continuing further into the forest we came to a grove of giant eucalyptus and myrtles towering over the other trees and ferns below. Some of these trees are over 200 years old and stand 75 metres or more tall. We both got a crick in our necks looking at them!

We still had another three hours to drive to reach our accommodation, traversing the central highlands region. Our hire car doesn't like hills, so we slowly climbed ever higher crossing prairie-like plains, surrounded by high escarpments, as we made our way up to Miena and the Great Lake through bleak tundra landscapes. Dramatically beautiful.

Today was forecast to be a cool day and it was at sea level, but by the time we were up on the plateau driving through a sleet storm the temperature dropped to 3 degrees! So much for Tasmanian summers! We didn't venture out of the car ....

Dropping down off the high plateau along the aptly named Meander Valley brought us to the town of Deloraine set in a scenic farming area. A short drive further and we had reached Mole Creek and our studio apartment for the next two nights, the Blue Wren Hideaway. It's fabulous, stylish, spotlessly clean, well equipped and with amazing views. What more could we ask for?! We're just very grateful there was no motorhome a available!!

2/2/2020: Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur

We awoke after a great night's sleep to a cloudless sky as we looked over the garden of agapanthus in front of our cottage down towards Little Norfolk Bay. We'd had a 3 hour wilderness cruise along the spectacular coastline of the Tasman Peninsula, exploring the coast between Eaglehurst Neck and Port Arthur, so we duly signed up, donned our floor length spray coat and newly purchased headbands made from Tassie merino wool, and climbed aboard our vessel, effectively a 12m long rib equipped with three 250hp outboard engines.

And off we went, first stop the Tasman Arch we had admired from land yesterday, this time seen from a very different perspective. A rock ledge surrounds the entrance and as swells wash over it, the water cascades off like a mini-waterfall.

Continuing along the coast we admired the towering cliffs, composed of siltstone in a series of layers. These layers aren't actually horizontal, sloping instead towards the sea which creates the image on entering caves that the water is flow flowing uphill. Very strange.

The pink coloration at the base of the cliffs is algae and apparently pink is the best colour for absorbing light. By contrast the beautiful and clear turquoise seas around the base of the cliffs is all because of the high incidence of plankton at this time of year. Yes we were on a nature cruise!!

As we continued down the coastline with a pod of dolphins frolicking either side of us, we admired the graceful flight of several albatross. These birds with wingspans of up to 3 metres soar on thermal currents, barely flapping their wings. They spend months at sea, pairing for life yet only meeting every year and a half to mate. We spotted Shy and Buller albatross, circling the skies in search of food. Apparently they can smell food from 30 miles away!

Our next stop was at Cape Hauy where two dolorite rock formations, the Candlestick and Totem Pole, shoot over 100 metres up from the sea. Notoriously difficult to climb (apparently it takes experts over 6 hours .... we didn't try!) these rock formations have been carved by the elements. Originally covered by layers of siltstone, this has all been eroded away leaving only the hard granite-like cores remaining.

Not far south of here we came to Cape Pillar and Tasman Island, the tip of the Tasman Peninsula and home to colonies of Australian fur seals and sea birds. By now a bank of ominous looking cloud was forming out over the Southern Ocean, and the already cool conditions at sea dipped dramatically.  We admired the (very smelly) fur seals, remarkably similar to the sea lions we saw in their hundreds in the Galapagos other than the fur seals here have two layers fur with air in between for better insulation. They stank and watched us with interest from their rock perches. Interestingly the males 'hang out' together much of the time, often basking for up to a week before feeds.

And then the heavens opened as we turned around to head back north to Pirates Bay, our start point. The skipper opened up the throttle and we shot back at over 30 knots, lashed by rain and spray as we bounced over the swell. We got drenched .... but fortunately the full length spray gear we'd been provided for kept our clothes dry, but boy was it chilly and we rather gratefully disembarked. Sitting in the sun-warmed car was heaven!

Typically by now the squall had passed over and the sun was shining once again so we continued to Port Arthur. Founded in 1830 by the British as a penal station using convict labour to produce sawn logs for government projects. Three years later it became a punishment station for repeat offenders from all British colonies, built on a philosophy of 'discipline and punishment, religious and moral instruction, classification and separation, training and education'. Many men were broken by the harsh system but others left rehabilitated, educated and skilled. Offending boys were housed on an island in the bay, called Puer Point, the first juvenile incarceration centre, the forerunner of the Borstal system.

Port Arthur's community of military and civilian people lived their lives in stark contrast to the convict population. The then Commondant of the station authorised the building of a village, complete with church, post office, gardens and even an oak and willow tree! Civilian staff enjoyed parties, regatta and literary evenings in their lovely homes set in beautiful grounds.

By 1840 more than 2000 convicts, soldiers and staff were living at Port Arthur and it became a major industrial settlement producing a range of goods for export to mainland Australia and the rest of the world but with convict transportation ceasing in 1853, it became an institution for aging and ill, both physically and mentally, convicts. It finally closed in 1877 and many of the buildings were sold and a small town called Carnarvon was founded.

Since then the historic merit of the site was recognised and a major conservation project, rebuying and restoring the buildings, in the 1980s. It is now on the World Heritage List.

A fabulous but tiring day exploring this remote corner of Tasmania ....

1/2/2020: New month, new lifestyle

We finally walked away from Tumi yesterday afternoon, happy to be embarking on new adventures in the weeks to come. She has served us very well, safely carrying us approaching 30,000 nautical miles taking in the Atlantic, east coast of the US, Bahamas and the Caribbbean, and finally our amazing Pacific odyssey last year. But we're ready for a change and after a night in a Sydney airport hotel we took off this morning for Tasmania.

Sydney was 34 degrees and full sunshine at 9am this morning. By contrast Hobart was 19 degrees and cloudy bright at lunchtime, and remained that way for the rest of the day. A pleasant respite from the heat of the last few weeks. Tasmania was far more arid than we had expected and a lot quieter than the Sydney suburbs and city.

We've planned an 11 day tour of Tasmania kicking off on the Tasman Peninsula at a place called Eagleshawk Neck, close to historic Port Arthur. After checking into our accommodation for the next two nights, a spa cottage in Taranna, we headed off to explore some of the local natural highlights all in close proximity.

First impressions are of a very dramatic coastline, towering cliffs being eroded and undercut by the relentless restless ocean. Blowholes, arches and chasms are all features of the area. The Tasman arch has to be the biggest and tallest arch we've seen.

Just along the coast is a tessalated pavement, a tidal rock platform made of silt stone. Pressures in the earth's crust caused cracks to form in the siltstone and over the millennia the erosion of the cracks by the tide and salt crystals has exaggerated them to create a tiled appearance.

And then back to the spa cottage where Paul made full use of the spa facilities, a relaxing end to the day!

30/1/2020: Penultimate day afloat

The survey, rig check and test sail last week went very well with only a few niggles identified.  We met Tumi's new owners, a couple from Melbourne, and enjoyed a few G&Ts in the cockpit in late afternoon sunshine. We'll miss the water and boat views it affords! So it's full steam ahead towards completion on 31st January and then the start of a new travel lifestyle for us.

Thursday was incredibly hot and humid reaching the low forties and the breeze was hot, rather like sitting in front of a fan heater ... even the locals were complaining. We laid low on board most of the day before joining the broker and his wife/baby for a drink at the Newport Arms, a rather famous waterside pub on Pittwater. It was still hot but the misting machines helped keep us cool and we passed a very pleasant couple of hours.

On Friday we went on our last trip on Tumi around into Cowan Creek, another waterway off the Hawkesbury River. As usual the wind was against us so we had to motor sail, an aspect of sailing we won't miss! But it was nice to be out and heading off somewhere different, admiring the woodhead headlands and coves of the Ku-ring-gai national park. Despite all the fires throughout NSW the park has escaped burning, so far. That said we did see one small area smoking on our outbound trip on Friday which we were pleased to note had been extinguished on our return on Saturday afternoon.

Our destination was Cottage Point, a small and remote hamlet of several houses and a famed restuarant,  the Cottage Point Inn. Renowned for its multi-course degustation menu, we decided to treat ourselves. Sadly, for us, it didn't live up to the hype: they had lost our reservation for a start, despite confirming it by email, and so we were shown to the only available table in the back corner of the terrace and felt rather out of the way next to the service station. Despite  our position service was then slow and the menu itself didn't really hit the spot for either of us ... generally nicely presented but the flavours didn't appeal .... what a shame as it was expensive! Hey ho, it was still nice to be out and we used their mooring for the night so not all was lost!

Sunday was Australia Day and we had been invited for dinner/overnight stay by Nikitoo, the Oyster 625 from the WARC rally, who were in the marina in downtown Sydney at Darling Harbour. We decided to make a day of it and arrived into the city late morning. Down in The Rocks and at Circular Quay it was a hive of activity with crowds lining the waterfront and Sydney Harbour Bridge to watch the procession of boats and aircraft fly pasts,  and enjoying the myriad market stalls lining the narrow streets of The Rocks ... I couldn't help myself but buy some silver jewellery that used coral as a mould! A fun and friendly atmosphere in the sunshine. We decided to have lunch at Graze, a restaurant owned by Paul's daughter-in-law's aunt and uncle. It's on the lower level of the Sydney museum of contemporary arts overlooking the water. We spent a very happy couple of hours dining and people watching.

Later that afternoon we wandered over to Darling Harbour and joined Hugh and Marianna on board their lovely yacht, the only boat we know with it's own rum tank on board with a bar pump handle to help yourself! Darling Harbour was buzzing with people, music, fireworks and we all enjoyed dinner out at a harborside restaurant before returning to Nikitoo for a nightcap.

We picked up a hire car at the airport on Monday morning to drive back to Pittwater and start the packing process, together with finally starting booking flights and accommodation for Tasmania and New Zealand. It's all beginning to feel very real now .....

20/1/2020: Back on board, Pittwater

We arrived back a week ago after what felt like a neverending journey,  not helped by a 9 hour layover in Bangkok and the fact we had return flights to Brisbane but the boat was in Sydney. Forty four hours door to door! Thank God we were at least flying business class and got some sleep.

After a surprisingly good first night's sleep we unpacked, washed down the decks (so much ash and dust in the air because of the terrible fires) and then welcomed Peter and Nicky from Chanto (another WARC rally boat) who brought lunch and we provided the wine! Off to a great start!!

Sadly Tuesday didn't dawn too well as after a poor night we both woke to the onset of a flu bug, presumably caught on the plane. As the week progressed we deteriorated getting to the point where we were running temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees, feeling nauseous, aching all over and with blocked sinuses. Yuk. Throw in the jetlag, then we were really feeling sorry for ourselves and Tumi became a quarantine ship!

We were zero company for Chanto and Nikitoo, another rally boat who arrived on Wednesday. All this gathering was building towards a WARC mini-reunion on Saturday night, something we hoped we would be better for.

Saturday arrived and while Paul had turned the corner I was dragging my heels and by 4pm, still feeling pretty rough, I asked him to reiki my head. And it worked! By 5pm we were enjoying pre-reunion drinks and banter on Resolute 2 who had the owners of two other rally boats on board, and by 7pm the eight of us made our way over to Nikitoo.

What a fun night! Lots of laughter, hugs and anecdotes, all washed down with whatever we wanted! And our latest night yet, well morning really by the time we were back on board Tumi and going to bed for a few hours before we all met at a local waterside restaurant for a loud and lively breakfast. It was the first proper meal we'd eaten for a few days and so we tucked in with gusto!

There was other dimension to our first week back on board: the negotiation and sale (subject to survey) of Tumi. We'd taken the hard decision last September to list her for sale and she went on the market as we left to fly home in early November. Despite a very quiet market for yachts of our size, we were lucky enough to have an acceptable offer made. It was a bit touch and go for a few days whether the buyer would go ahead with Tumi or another Jeanneau 469, but it all worked out in the end, although it didn't help on the sleepless night side of things! So on Wednesday this week the survey will be conducted and assuming all is well, then by the end of the month Tumi will no longer be ours.

We don't want to tempt fate and arrange any land-based travel until the sale is all done and dusted (just call us superstitious sailors!) but we plan on flying to and touring both Tasmania and New Zealand before we head home, and more of Australia too. So while the mode of transport will change, the adventures continue!