Wet and Windy in Freycinet

The day started full of promise and enthusiasm, and then we looked out the windows... The overcast and drizzle interspersed with showers had returned. Our cabin in Coles Bay has a great outlook over the roofs of the campervans and tents to the tree lined water beyond. Unfortunately most of it was yet again obscured by the inclement weather. As it turns out we have just happened to be in Tassie for the wettest week in 50 years. That’s one in 2600 weeks. We are so lucky.....
Unperturbed we wandered down to the bakery to empty them of pastries (breakfast in our abode) and then headed off to the National Park to explore the wilderness and take in the sights. At least the resulting photos are not the same old boring postcard ones that everyone else takes.

We drove through the hilly, narrow, tree lined winding roads towards Cape Tourville lighthouse hoping that the weather would break so we could do the hour long walk to view Wineglass bay. The Lighthouse and walk around the top of the cliffs was exhilarating, mostly because of the exposure to the extreme elements, partially due to the glimpses of majestic coastline occasionally revealed through the waves of showers drifting in from the Tasman sea.

Our stroll through the dripping forest to Sleepy Bay would be fascinating in any weather. When we got the bottom of the gully the gravel beach with the creek trickling its way into the sea all surrounded by wind carved rocks made the trek worthwhile. A brief stay inside a cave whilst another shower past provided a brief insight into what the (unfortunately now removed) indigenous inhabitants of the area would have experienced for thousands of years- except we had gortex raincoats.
Giving the area a final chance to prove its majesty we went to the Freycinet Lodge for a cuppa and taste of how the rich people live whilst giving rain a chance to ease. The facilities are amazing, the beverages the same as everywhere else and the weather not changing. Refreshed but somewhat disappointed that we missed on the chance to see Wineglass Bay we left to drive north.
Typically, the weather cleared to occasional showers as we drove through Bicheno (where the blow hole was blowing really well in the offshore gales) and along an amazing coastal road to St. Helens. All of the rivers in the area are overflowing and there are many signs of roads being blocked in the last dew days. Luckily we got through with no hiccups.
Our cabin on top of the hill has a great outlook over the bay and is quite spacious and well appointed. Happy with our cheapest accommodation to date, we spent the afternoon deciding on where to have dinner.
A part of this exploration was a trip up to Binalong bay which has the whitest sand and reddest painted rocks (lichen) ever seen (by us). This combination creates a photogenic opportunity of which we took full advantage. As one of the aims of the trip was to experience Cray we eventually went back to the locale for dinner. At the Cafe here we watched the day fade away over the Bay of Fires as we munched on a feast of seafood, local wines and other delights.
Curiously (!) we ended up back in our cabin by 7:30 and thinking about yet another early night. Knowing full well that the morrow will be delivering a day full of high wire antics....