Beautiful Bonnie Scotland

In my last post I described Ireland as barren and hard.  Scotland on the other hand, in my opinion, is exactly the opposite (but then I've always been smitten with the place since first seeing it in 1972).

As we were driving from Inverness to Oban and the Isle of Luing - while consistently shouting WOW at every bend in the road - I was trying to think of the best words to describe this stunning land.  Beautiful! Certainly.  Lush! Absolutely.  Awe-inspiring!  Yes, at each turn in the road.  Scotland is without question a very special place. 

Oh, and one other word I'd use to describe Scotland, WET!   It rains a lot.  I guess that explains why it's so green and lush everywhere.  Everyday there's some rain .. drizzle blows across everything even if the sun is shining!  But no amount of rain can dampen my love of this magnificent and ancient land.

Our first week here has been filled with enjoying family and excursions in our rental car.  First, let me say something about our car.  When we were all in Ireland at Angela's birthday Sheena, George's sister who lives in Inverness, said she'd arrange for our car and pick us up at the airport when we got to Inverness.  She asked us what type of car we wanted.  I said, "just make it an automatic please!".  We had a manual in Ireland and I didn't like driving it much around the narrow stop and start roads.  George said, without hesitation, "I want a Jag".  It was a joke soon forgotten.  But, when Sheena picked us up at the airport on Sunday there it was, a bright red Jaguar car!  So we have the joy of touring around Scotland in our own Jag!  Smart.

The Jag.  All George needs now are the tweeds, plus-four, and jodhpurs and he will be the spitting image of the country gentleman.

 Our travels in pictures.........

On the road to Cromarty we saw a sign to a 'Clootie Well' with a path leading deep into the woods.  We pulled over and walked for a bit into the woods and didn't find the well ... plus we had no idea what we were looking for.  We never did find the well which is a shame because it would have been cool to see one.  'Clootie' is a Scottish word for a rag or strip of cloth and a clootie well is a place of magic and healing from the old days.  The belief was that if you dipped a piece of cloth ripped from the area of your body that was unwell and hung it in the trees above the well then you would be healed.

At Rosemarkie wild dolphins, seals and very occasionally otters come in close to shore for people to see and sometimes interact with.  We diverted our drive to see them.  When we arrived there were lots of people with telescope lenses on cameras.  We waited for over half an hour but they decided not come that day.

In Cromarty Bay we saw lots of oil platforms that were either waiting to be taken out into the North Sea or were there to be repaired or dismantled.  Lovely little bay but the oil platforms were huge and really took away from the beauty of the place.

We walked around Inverness and toured the locks of the Caledonian Canal .. from Inverness you can travel all the way to Loch Ness and through other Lochs to the ocean.

Just one spectacular view on the way to Oban and then the Isle of Luing to visit Robert's parents.  Every turn in the road offers something like this ... WOW just WOW!

The Bridge Over the Atlantic Ocean!  This is the Clachan Bridge built in 1791 and links the Scottish mainland to the Isle of  Seil.  Because the Clachan Sound links both to the Atlantic Ocean it became known as the Bridge Over the Atlantic.  We crossed it on the way to the ferry to Luing.  It is single lane and very very steep at the top!  The scenery around it is breathtaking.

This old inn just over the bridge on the island side was used by the islanders after the Jacobite Rebellion to change into pants when travelling to the mainland when the kilt was outlawed.  When they returned to the island they put back on their kilts.

After visiting on Luing we returned to Oban and had some trouble at first finding a bed & breakfast for the night.  But we happened on this one right on the harbour and they had just had a cancellation for their #1 room right on the harbour!  So, along with the Jag, we enjoyed living like royalty for another night! 

And then we left for the Isle of Skye and more scenic splendour!!  Plus more family and friends.  More tomorrow ... I hope (we're so busy it's hard to find the time to blog!!!  We're having the best time ... wish you all could be here! (Now I'm going to post this without proofreading so please excuse the mistakes)

Ireland week 2 AND a terrific birthday celebration for ME

Standing outside one of the ancient churches on Inis Mo'r (Inishmore) the largest island of the Aran Islands.  The island is a one hour ferry ride from Rossaveel - just down the road from Angela's house.  The church is on a site called the Seven Churches (but there are only 2 there actually) and the site dates back to the 8th century.

To my eye and experience so far Ireland is at once intriguing, charming, ironic, barren and hard.

Just driving around Angela's home, on almost impossibly narrow roads, the car travels through mile after mile of sterile peat bogs dotted with huge boulders and the occasional sheep or donkey or lonely looking cattle.  Then, after rounding a tight corner, the vista opens up to a lough (lake) fed by rapid running rivulets on the side with swans and their cygnets floating effortlessly on the surface.   Then another corner and another peat bog ... this time with purple patches of heather and yellow gorse bushes lying close to the ground. 

Amid all this there are little hamlets with the obligatory monuments to the Virgin Mary on the roadside not far from the Catholic Church and just down the road is, of course, the pub.  And in each place - Pub that is, we don't/haven't visited the people in the churches yet - ... in each place the people we've met are so friendly and funny and smiling.  What a Place!!!

This past week has been full of activities with George's sisters and brothers.  It's been so good to be here with all of them and to see George so happy.

Last Saturday was Angela's birthday and the day started with present opening.  Then the boys all went out fishing in Robert's boat and caught a mess of mackerel which were cleaned and readied for the smoker later on.  Then we all went for a drive to one of the nearest towns - Oughterard - for a pint or two in the pub and some grocery shopping.  That night we had a HUGE  meal of crab from one of the local fishermen, and fresh smoked mackerel.  Robert had built a fire pit/smoker on the back veranda which did the smoking perfectly. 

Robert and John getting the coals ready in the fire pit.

The next day was overcast with a drizzling rain coming every half hour or so.  We decided to go in to Galway to have a look around and grab some lunch so Angela and George's brother Allan came with us.  The rain pretty much kept up all day so we didn't walk around too much and started back home well before we had seen much of the town.  Dinner that night was another noisy and enjoyable family affair!

On Monday me, George and Allan took the ferry over to Inishmore - the largest island of the Aran Islands.  The islanders are ready for the visitors as soon as the ferry lands!  There are vans there to take your around or you can ride in a horse drawn carriage or you can rent a bicycle and cycle the island yourself.  We took a van with a driver giving us some tourist information.  Talk about barren! These islands are nothing but rock.  We couldn't help but wonder what made people stay here over the century's.  There isn't much peat .. if any at all .. no trees, nothing to use to heat your home and even less top soil to try and grow food.  But people have managed to eke out a living for many many centuries.

On Inishmore there is a circular hill fort on the western side ... clinging to the top of impossibly high cliffs. We walked up to the fort from the road - about a 10 minute walk - and we surprised to see some cattle trying to graze right up to the edge of the cliff.  The fort was probably built in the Bronze Age (1100 BC) and is similar to round forts around Ireland and Scotland.  It is described as one of the finest pre-historic forts in Western Europe.

The view from the other side of the fort .. you can see how formidable the cliffs are!

George and Allan in front of the souvenir shop near the fort.  Aran knits are the bit attraction here! 

The next day the boys went sailing on Robert's boat.  They left reasonably early and sailed for about 4 hours around to another little hamlet towards the west.  Angela and I drove around in the car and me them at a pub for lunch and then they had a great sail back around.  Good thing too.  George was getting itchy to get out on the sea .. it was just what he needed.

The boys off for the 4 hour sail back around to Robert's mooring after lunch.  Notice the rocks!  The tide drop is 5 metres here and many of the sea walls have boats - and yachts - just sitting on the bottom at low tide.  You have to make sure you can balance against the wall if leaving the boat! 

On Thursday we drove to Cong.  Nice little historic city but their main claim to fame - and you see it all over - is the making of the John Wayne classic film "The Quiet Man".  They even have a very prominent statue of Wayne and Maureen O'Harra in town and all the souvenir shops sell "The Quiet Man" stuff.  Maybe they should move on .. the film was made in the 1950's! 

MY BIRTHDAY

I turned 65 on Friday.  My goodness I never thought I'd get to be this old ... and still feel this good!!!

We had a wonderful day.  Presents in the morning - lovely ear rings from George and Angela, cards and phone calls and lots of Facebook well wishes.  Then we went out to lunch in the little town of Bearna at O'Gradys on the Pier.

O'Gradys on the Pier.  Fantastic seafood lunch.  I had crab claws and fish with salad.  Perfect.

The diners - Robert and Angela and Me and George.

My favourite photo from the trip so far!  Angela, George and me ... after a big lunch and lovely wine.  Excellent birthday! 

Today is Saturday our last day in Ireland and with Angela and Robert.  We decided to drive further into the Connemara area for one last look.  It was more of the same but a pretty and enjoyable drive.  We had lunch in Roundstone - a good sized tourist town.

The mountains of Connemara in the distance.

Looking out the window of the pub for lunch in Roundstone.

Roundstone harbour - George just had to take the photo!

And then, on the way back to Angela's we saw this monument.  It had an historical marker calling it the Connemara Giant.  We pulled in to see it.  It turned out it was a monument to the Irish sense of humour!

There were two plaques. Both gave the date erected and said they were, "Erected for no particular reason".
I love Ireland.

We're off to Scotland tomorrow.

Ireland week one (well it was when I started .. but this took a while to post)

There is a light breeze blowing outside and the sun is shining beautifully ... Not the Ireland weather we expected.  We're at my sister and brother in-law's house way outside of the town/city of Galway.  We had seen pictures of their fabulous garden and now, seeing it for ourselves, we can say without reservation it is truly resplendent with  lovely waving trees, flowering bushes and a pond full of water lilies.  With the sun shining it's so lovely.  Unfortunately when we first arrived we experienced more traditional Irish weather with wind and driving/pouring rain.

The first week in Ireland has been full of discovery and lots of fun.  Plus, I love the Irish people!  The people here are so friendly and happy.  Just going into a shop is like meeting a long lost friend .. they have a sense of humour embedded into just about everything they do as well as a self deprecating irony when you hold a conversation.  I guess all that is a result of the struggle of just living in a cold hard place.

The week in pictures (way too much to talk about now!) ....



On the morning of our first day in Dublin we walked to Trinity College to do a walking tour around the historic grounds and  see the Book of Kells.  On the way we could hear the sound of pipe bands echoing around the streets.  We found a big pipe band playing in the college ground complete with Irish Wolfhounds.

The streets all through Dublin have hanging flower displays and there are lots of people walking around everywhere .. and, of course, there's a pub or cathedral on every corner. 

We went through the Guinness Brewery ... Which is almost like a Disney Experience! .. It's complete with floor after floor of "experiences" .. leading up to the tasting experience.  Look at this website to get an idea of how they've turned the drinking of Guinness into an art form   Guinness Storehouse

Of course we had to follow up beer with whiskey and a tasting at the Jameson's Distillery.  George was appalled that they kept insulting Scottish Whiskey so we didn't enjoy their product as much as the Guinness.

After 3 days walking around Dublin we rented a car and headed for Waterford to visit with George's brother John.  We took the coast road through little hamlets and along winding narrow roads stopping every now and then for coffee in a little village or an ice cream.  Great drive and interesting scenery.  Before we arrived in Waterford - which is only a 2/3 hour drive max from Dublin if you take the direct motorway route - late in the afternoon, we travelled through an area who's claim to fame is it the ancestral place of the USA Kennedys.  Many Irish immigrants departed from these surrounding shores to America to escape the famine and John Kennedy's family was one of them.

To commemorate the departure of Kennedy's family as well as all the faceless emigrants who left  Ireland for hope and a better life long ago (very timely in the world today) they brought a flame from the JFK memorial in the US to this little spot in Ireland and erected a monument around it called The Emigrant Flame.

We spent a couple of days with John in Waterford catching up, laughing and telling stories.  One day George and I drove up to the town of Kilkenny where we did another walking tour of that fascinating historic town.  

The largest cathedral in Kilkenny was spectacular - as usual.  There are sooooo many Catholic churches here .. big ones, small ones, very very old ones ... they are everywhere!  So much age old opulence amid the Irish people's history of hardship and struggle.

We had to keep moving to reach Galway by Friday, Sept 11.  Leaving Waterford we kept to the coast headed for the wild west coast.  At the seaside town of Cobh (pronounced Cove) we saw the local museum created in memory of those who lost their lives on the ships that departed Cobh for America or Australia .. emigrant ships and convict ships.  The last land departure point for the Titanic was Cobh and the bodies and few survivors of the Lusitania were brought here. 

We stopped along the way to visit the Drombeg stone circle and hut site circa 1000-800 BC.  Fascinating .. I HAD to hug a stone!  Feel the vibes! 

Our next night we spent in Bantry on the west coast - nice little town and a welcoming B & B.  Then on up through the mountain passes on the Iveragh Peninsula to a very small town north of Tralee called Ballybunion for our final night before reaching Angela's house.  Our first days in Ireland were blessed with clear skies and no rain - very lucky.  But the Friday morning we woke up in Ballybunion the rain started and it came down in sheets!  And it rained and rained and rained on us all the way to Galway.

Magnificent Port Davey, Tasmania



Our boats at anchor in Clayton's Corner.

We're back from the Port Davey World Heritage Marine Park.  It's taken us a couple of days to make the journey around the formidable South West and South East Capes, from there up the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Derwent River and back to our little marina berth.  But it will take the remainder of my life for the magnificence, sheer beauty, and reverence of the experience to leave my mind.  There were so many times that we said to ourselves and out loud, "words cannot describe this .. and photos won't begin to do this justice".  But let me try ...

The trip from Recherche Bay to our first anchorage inside Port Davey's Bathurst Harbour took 10 hours in our boats ... we sailed in company with friends Peter and Debbie on board their yacht 'My Way 2' for the (almost) 2 week adventure.  It was very special having friends along to share the experience ... and some of the difficulties as well.  We were more than delighted they joined us, the place is so vast and the remoteness so confronting at times, it's best shared. 

As we rounded South East Cape first, the scenery opened up into a mystical fairy tale landscape of distant mountains.  Probably the most apt description is it looked like Tolkien's Middle Earth.  We could imagine lands of Elfs and Orcs and Hobbits locked in mystery behind the distant peaks.

Sailing up the  remote South West coast of Tasmania.

The weather wizards were kind to us on the trip around.  We had little to no wind and, instead of the feared wild westerlies and big seas, we had a pleasant sunshine blessed cruise.

Approaching the turn into Port Davey .. you have to navigate around 'The Pyramids' .. large mountainous rocks marking the beginning of the end of the journey. 

Turning to start the run into the large Port Davey area and then the enclosed Bathurst Harbour is deceiving.  The marine chart and the boat's GPS plotter clearly indicate an opening behind the island called 'Breaksea' (named because that's just what it does - it stops some of the potential wild seas from entering the natural harbour).   BUT as you sail towards the turn it's hard to believe the opening is there ... all you can see, or believe, is that you're driving the boat directly at a cliff wall.  Then, just as you think, "hold on, maybe we're in the wrong place", the passage opens up and reveals a wide open sheltered bay at the foot of a mountain called Mt Misery.

Turning into the south passage towards Bramble Cove at the foot of Mt. Misery.
That's Mt Misery straight ahead.

No roads lead to this rugged area.  Access is only by boat, small aircraft or on foot.  Once you've made it there through one of these methods there are many walks up hills/mountains and at the summit of each there are views to die for.  Our guide books gave us an indication of where to find the paths ... none were particularly easy to locate but easy to follow once found.  The paths are narrow tracks - some just described as wombat paths - through the button grass.  Often there was just enough room to put one foot in front of the other hoping to find good footing as we pushed upwards through dense scrub and then break through into the tall button grass again.

Approaching the first summit on Mt Milner .. looking back over Bramble Cove - our first anchorage.
At this point in the climb there were still 2 more summits to walk/climb before the top.
Our two boats are in the top right hand corner of the photo ... you can barely see them in the distance.

At the top!  With a great photo bomb by Debbie!!
Climbers are rewarded with a 360 degree view stretching for miles up & down the coast and across the mountains inland.
In front of us is a little cairn we found at the summit.  It's tradition for visitors to add their own rock to the cairn to mark the achievement.  

Before we left for Port Davey some people told us that the place wasn't as "perfect" as it used to be .. that it was a popular cruising ground with quite a few boats.  Especially this time of year.   Certainly our first week there we didn't find it that way.  There were a few other yachts but not enough to take away our "alone" feeling.  In fact the ruggedness of the area and the sheer size of each natural panorama left me - and each of us - feeling a sense of humbled solitude.  I'm not an expert, but even a general awareness of our world tells me that places like this where the environment retains its untouched majesty and we humans are an insignificant minority are - sadly - getting fewer and fewer.  We started to see more people and boats as we moved to the popular area of Claytons Corner which is, I suppose, most travellers destination for the area but we never felt that the place was at all crowded.  Having said that there is a need, I believe, to remain vigilant to keep the area as pristine and untouched as it is now forever if at all possible.

Anyway, back to the scenery!  Regardless of where we travelled and anchored as we moved down Bathurst Channel there were views of mountains and sea that just made you shout, "Wow!". 

The view from Balmoral Hill and our anchorage at the mouth of Horseshoe Inlet.

Horseshoe inlet in dawn's light.  We took a quiet dingy ride down into the inlet to see the black swans on the water in the early light ... there were hundreds of them quietly sitting on the water.  Once they were aware we were there they kicked up a loud racket and then flocks took to the sky.  The sound of their wings in the quiet of the morning was amazing!

This area was settled and opened up to fishermen, naturalist and walkers primarily by one family - the King family.  I won't go into it here but you can read about Deny King, the fascinating patriarch of the king family, in the book "King of the Wilderness: The life of Deny King" by Christobel Mattingley.  They settled in a place down one of the Bathurst harbour rivers they called Melaleluca.  The river is too shallow for deep draft boats like ours so visiting yachts stay at the area settled by Deny's sister and her husband called Clayton's Corner.  We anchored there for a few days visiting the Clayton's home, climbing the hills and taking the long dingy trip down the river to Melaleluca.

The anchorage at Clayton's corner.  The river leading to Melaleluca is at the top left.

At "home" in the Clayton's little house.
The site is managed by the Tasmanian Maritime Museum and Parks & Wildlife.  There is a small dock in front of the home's path where shallow draft boats can moor up and there is a hose for taking on fresh water. 

Visiting the King site .. beside the airstrip that Deny King built bare handed still in use today.
We visited a couple of hides to hopefully see the very rare orange breasted parrot .. and we did manage to see one!
There are small plane tours that arrive here several times a day - weather permitting - and it's a good opportunity to experience the area without committing to the boat journey.

Not ones to leave any experience undone ... over the next few days we explored the upper areas of some of the rivers.  These expeditions made me a bit apprehensive because we were absolutely "alone" while there just in our dingys with no phone or radio coverage and away from our big boats.

As far as we could go up "Old River".  We travelled up the river looking for an old stand of Huon Pines .. which we never found in spite of the more intrepid members of our group (read everyone but me) taking off into the bushland without a path looking for them.  I stayed in the dingy which I thought was relatively safe from any snakes but as soon as we moved off down the creek a snake swam across our path! 

One day we travelled out of Bathurst Harbour and up into the northern most reaches of Port Davey to explore the Davey River all the way up to the Davey Gorges.  The trip took most of the day.  We had to take both dingys the 5 miles up the river to reach the gorge and along the way we took several wrong turns and ended up bogged in the shallow water.  But just when we thought we were never going to get there we entered the first gorge.  Spectacular!

To reach the second gorge we had to leave our dingy behind because it's too deep, walk over rapids and drag Deb & Peter's dingy and then paddle through the water into the second gorge.  Our "selfie" of the journey .. not too sure what's up with George in this one?

Following our Davey Gorge adventure on Friday we moved back into the protection of Bathurst Harbour and the usual departure bay of Schooner Cove ... hoping to leave Sunday.  The weather was due to turn nasty the next day so we anchored, had dinner and went to bed.  There were 3 other yachts in the cove as well.  That night the winds and rain came with immense ferocity.  The wind blew with a strength that felt like the boat would be pushed off the anchor and blown away.  I know I've never felt wind that strong before.  The next day we heard on the HF radio that the wind strength was over 61 knots - Force 12 -  or, in normal speak, hurricane strength.  Shit.  And the forecast was not looking good for the next 5 days.  At this point I wanted to be in a marina soooo bad.

Sunday, the weather continued to present wind and rain squalls and the weather forecasts over the radio for Monday sounded bad.  In a measure of camaraderie that you get from other boats in this situation there was a lot of introductions and discussion over the radios with people in the cove .. everyone calling on friends on the mainland via sat phones to gain the best possible weather information to help us all decide on the best time to make a run for it along the wild west coast.  The decision came.  We were leaving early on Monday morning.  When we woke to a gale forecast for the Southwest coast and I was not happy but we had decided and along with Peter and Debbie and another boat we departed for Recherche Bay.  At first the waves were large and rolly because the wind had been up for a few days but unexpectedly it settled down and the weather gods smiled large on us ... we ended up motoring all the way around again in settled conditions!  Thank goodness.

On a final note .. I'm so happy we made the effort to get around to this spectacular part of Tasmania.  It is something George and I will never forget and I expect Debbie and Peter feel much the same.  But it is an area that, while so apparently wild and powerful, is in constant danger.  Visitors bring in disease to the plants in the area through root rot carried on the soles of shoes.  Boats bring in parasites through bilge water or grey water contamination. 

A dead area up the remote Davey river from root rot.  So sad to see.

The four of us were committed to taking out everything we brought in - even food scraps that may be tossed overboard for fish elsewhere were all bagged and brought back.  We washed our shoes after every walk and stayed vigilant on waste water .. and the people we met seemed to be doing the same.  But is it enough?  At a time when our economy - the world's economy - is so much at the forefront of everything .. our natural wonders get politicised and monetised.  Having seen and experienced such a special protected corner of the world I sincerely hope all of us - sailors and non-sailors alike - speak up for conservation.

End of the Road - BUT not for us!!!

The signpost at the End of the Road.  Bet you didn't know it was signposted!
We are here at the bottom of Tasmania .. at the marker of the end of roads in Australia. 
After this only water, Macquarie Island (if you find it/hit it) and Antarctica... it is remote and stunningly beautiful here.

We are in Recherche Bay at the bottom of Tasmania.  The vistas - everywhere you turn to look - are breathtaking.  Our anchorage is a protected bay within the larger bay called Coalbins and from the boat you can see the opposite shore or the expanse of water stretching out to the North. 

Right now the westerly winds are blowing.  At times they're much lighter than you would expect coming off the southern ocean and then in the next minute the wind gathers strength to whip up the water surface and leave the boat pulling left and then right against her mooring line.  We are waiting for those unpredictable and often fierce westerlies to settle down and for a change to more favourable wind speeds and direction.  Our plan is to move out into the Southern Ocean early in the morning and around the coast to a place called Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour.  Every time I think about it I get that tense, almost sick, feeling in the bottom of my stomach.  That feeling comes to me when I know we're sailing to a new place.  You would think after making it all the way down here I wouldn't get that "stage fright" feeling .. but I do, in spades.

Once we move around to explore Bathurst Harbour we will be out of contact with the world through phone or the internet.  The only contact will be via either limited VHF radio coverage or HF radio coverage.  The area is a true National Park treasure and, supposedly, one of the most beautiful places on our planet.  If you would like to find out more about the area, or see a YouTube video on the national park click here to go to a link .

As I say each time I sit down to blog ... "the past few days/weeks have been soooo busy" .. and since I blogged last it's been no exception.  We've been to some amazing places and seen some grand sights and now, to get in as much as I'd like to and not be too boring, I'm just going to post pictures below ....

This is the outside of a large "shed" in the bush which is the home of THE WALL.
The Wall, when finished, will be a collection of 100 sculpted panels of Huon pine with scenes representing the pioneer spirit of Tasmanians, the clash of cultures with Aboriginal people and the plants and animals that define the bush.
The art is simply amazing, in fact words don't/can't do it justice.  The artist is Greg Duncan and he's been working on this for over 10 years now.  What he can create out of wood is almost too real to be believed.  You can't take photos inside the building but to get a taste of what it looks like and more information click here to go to the website

On the way to The Wall we stopped to have a look at one of the hydro electric plants on the way.  These plants are built differently to hydro plants I had seen previously.  Instead of a major dam driving the turbines this plant - and many more like it - have water coming from canals, rivers, etc in the bush.  The water cascades down steep slopes .. as you can see from the photo .. and hit the turbines at great speed.  Fantastic sight!!

The day before we left Hobart we had to completely restock the boat.  What you can see here is probably 2/3rds alcohol - one can't run out of wine or beer now can one - but there are more food bags behind.  I promise.  Thank goodness we still have our car or we would have needed 10 trips back and forth to the stores!!  All stocked we took off yesterday morning for the southern ocean.

Leaving the Derwent River - Hobart - in the early morning we passed a cruise ship on the way in to Hobart city.

The cliffs on the Storm Bay side of Bruny Island.  They are huge.  You can just see a tour boat at the bottom to get an idea of how massive and high the cliffs are.  We were lucky .. the wind was very calm and we could get in relatively close to see the sights!



More fabulous and ancient rock formations on the way down to Rescherche Bay.  This island was so worn the fast tour boats could just go in behind it and peak out through the tunnels. 

The far beach in Rescherche Bay,

The mountains of the rugged South West coast.  That's where we headed .. to the bay nearest to these mountains.
It looks like Middle Earth doesn't it?

Here in Rescherche Bay they used to practice whaling.  There used to be a population of over 100,000 southern right whales here at one time.  Whaling brought that population down to almost extinction.  Now there are only a couple of 1,000 still coming here in their migration.  This sculpture is life size of a young whale calf.  So sad we drove these wonderful creatures to the edge of extinction. 

So tomorrow we're off into the southern ocean and around to Port Davey.  I won't be able to blog for a week .. maybe more ... but when we're back there will be lots and lots to share!