Port Arthur and surrounds

Our long weekend started with getting away a little too late to go to Salamanca markets in Hobart like it was planned. So we headed straight to Port Arthur. On the way we stopped at the Tessalated Pavements - which is a inter-tidal rock platform a common enough sight on the coast, but here an unusual set of geological circumstances has resulted in a rare land form. The story of the Tessalatated Pavement began in an ancient, cold sea. A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature formed in flat sedimentary rock formations lying on some ocean shores (most of the Tasman peninsular. The pavement bears this name because the rock has fractured into polygonal blocks that resemble tiles or tessellations. the cracks (or joints) were formed when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth's crust and subsequently were modified by sand and wave action.

It all started on 3/4th January 2013, a heat wave which became known as the Angry Summer and covered most of the southern and eastern portion of the Australian continent, caused a number of fires to spread across the country, the most devastating was travelling through communities in south-east Tasmania and on the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas were forced to flee as fires came down from the north, cutting the only road out and destroying much of Dunalley. A seaborne rescue operation described as "huge" was launched for the thousands of people sheltering on beaches, in boats and at the Port Arthur historic site. More than two thousand people were ferried to safety by police and private volunteers, and another two thousand people took refuge at a community centre. More than 20,000 hectares of bushland were burnt out. While driving into Boomer Bay through blackened trees, new buildings being built - levelled ground, For Sale signs as people leave before another fire could do the same thing. While standing where the jetty stood, we stood in silence just looking at trees which had their regrowth collar around the bottom, the houses which had been spared from the wildfire just reflect how pretty a small fishing town could be, time heals all. We noticed a building over on an island - with a driveway to it looked like a castle. Some research done and I found it belonged to reclusive German businessman Gunter Jaeger who built the castle on an isthmus for his retirement. Below.
View Larger Map We pulled in to see the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park on the way into Port Arthur. They have a great breeding program so the devils will not become extinct. The park also took care of Quolls (cute), wild birds which includes owls, eagles, parrots. We happened to be there when the smaller birds needed feeding and some of their tricks. Our journey took us to Safety Cove where our overnight stay was. As we were driving on the road into the Cove all of us were saying how we hope that the view will be the same from the house which we booked into - around the corner and there was our cottage ...... hmmmmm and the view. Cape Raoul on the right & Cape Pillar on the left. The first scene is from the back yard of the cottage. The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula, to which it connects via an isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck. This in turn is joined to the rest of Tasmania by an isthmus called East Bay Neck, near the town of Dunalley (about 60 kilometres or 37 miles by road from Hobart). Population around 2317, which rises to around 8000 in summer months, mainly due to Port Arthur. The area is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. The first European settlement of the Peninsula was Port Arthur in the early 1830s. It was selected as a penal settlement because it was geographically isolated from the rest of the colony but more easily reachable by sea than the other place of secondary banishment. It also had excellent supplies of timber for shipbuilding and general construction work, and a deep sheltered harbour where visiting British warships could be repaired. Its inaccessibility was enhanced by having Eaglehawk Neck lined with guards and guard dogs, to prevent the escape of any convicts. The penal settlement of Port Arthur is now a tourist attraction. As in most of the rest of the state, tourism is a major industry. We (Drew & I) were up to see the beautiful sunrise from the viewing deck in the back yard of the cottage.

The high cliffs of dolomite. A short walk and very very steep steps down into the Remarkable Caves, well that was our exercise for the day. The day ended with a cooked meal at the local pub, a bottle of wine and bed ready for the next day. Day 2 saw the viewing of Port Arthur ruins. A trip around the island where they the boys prisioner/convicts were held. Our days here were filled with excitement of the scenery, the depressing scenes of where bushfires blackened acres & acres of land. To the somber silence of the ruins of days gone past, where our first white man to this land - convicts where treated badly It is now time to go home. Totally enjoyable couple of days.