Tasmania :: Day 05 Craggy Peaks :: Wineglass Bay

Wineglass Bay took 2 hours via Fingal and Mangana. At Mangana was a 1910 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart cathedral. It reminded me very much of the churches in Fjordland in Norway. 

There were cyclists dotted like ants on the hot and long road as we approached Wineglass Bay. The shoulder next to the road was quite set back and there was not much shade.  The national park office was bustling like a fish market. They verified that the pass we bought earlier was valid. A well-loved full body mounted wombat had to withstand the constant cuddles and cameras of paparazzis.  The car park was bursting at the seams with cars, buses and motorbikes.  We had to walk in the blazing sun to get to the start of our walk. There was a ranger at the start of the walk who brushed the soles of our shoes as well as sprayed them. The spray was to prevent the spread of diseases. He also provided sunscreen and bug spray. The mosquitoes here were plentiful and aggressive.

Thomas, Ella Mae and I covered ourselves with a large cloth each to create our own shade. We must have looked like pilgrims in the Saharan Desert. There were so many tourists that they made the paths one way! I was impressed with those who carried their young children and 80 year olds. The landscape was burnt sienna orange rocky with sparse vegetation. The boulders were like sun-burnt bald old men huddled together.

We rested a few times and finally were rewarded with an amazing view of Wineglass Bay. There were irresponsible people scaling the fence to take a better selfie and photograph. The ranger who was there turned a blind eye as he handed out lollies. As we sat in the shade and enjoyed the view, we cooled down and were reluctant to leave.

We, with Thomas grudgingly, walked down to the bay itself. On the way we saw some pink hyacinth orchid as well as sheoaks. Skinks scuttled away as we walked by. The air was hot and the children grumbled incessantly. Their faces were flushed. We were relieved as soon as we smelt the sea. There were not many people. Some people were sun-baking and some were soaking their feet. 

As we put on our shoes away from the beach, we were being feasted on by giant mosquitoes. Ella Mae even was bitten on top of her head. We slowly climbed back up the steps. At the toilet blocks by the carpark, there was a long line for a tap to fill up the water bottle.

We drove to and swam at Honeymoon Bay. There were not much shade but it was quite protected from the elements. The beach surface hurt our feet as we walked. It consisted of broken shells. It was quite protected so we were relaxed.  Nevertheless, the children were happy now. They paddled back and forth. Thomas wanted to swim out but we were not confident to do so as there were no life guards.

We washed their feet at the taps behind the smelly toilets. Their swimmers and their flip flops were really dirty. We threw everything into our bucket to take back to wash. 

Freycinet Marine Farm  that we drove past earlier and wanted to return to was closed by time we arrived. We had to satisfy ourselves with ice-cream overlooking Coles Bay.

That evening, it was quite windy at our accommodation. Our clothes were relatively dry by the time we were about to go to bed. It was blessing that we had tensile balusters for our clothes to be pegged onto.