LOCATION: Freycinet Peninsula. East coast of Tasmania, Australia
WEATHER: Cold in AM. Nice and sunny in PM. High 70
Our destination today was Freycinet Peninsula, listed in my book "Thousand Places To Go Before You Die". It was a 2-hour drive, with views of beautiful inlets and bays along the way.
LUCK #1: As we arrived, the sun came out, jackets came off.
I had read that campsites here are virtually impossible to get. Like in the USA Keys in Florida, they get booked a year in advance. During peak season, there is even a lottery.
LUCK #2: We got a campsite!
In the visitors' office, I inquired about campsite availability. The clerk looked in amazement at her computer and said in awe, "yes, we have one site". Yippee!
LUCK #3: We got a seat on the boat tour tomorrow!
Iconic Wineglass Bay is the main attraction here. It is listed as one of the world' stop 10 beaches. We will take the cruise to explore it further tomorrow.
LUCK #4: Perfect lunch!
There is a small town here next to the park. It has just a few restaurants. The first one we went to was closed on Mondays. We resigned ourselves to just buy a mediocre sandwich. BUT, I had to use the loo, so we stopped at a nondescript pub. George explored the menu and surprisingly found a cold seafood appetizer in the menu. It was brilliant, as they say here...
Smoked salmon, oysters on the half shell, smoked fish pate, boiled shrimp, and pickled octopus. We sat on a sunny patio with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Heaven! The waitress told us that the Chinese tourists eat this platter individually, then order a main course, too!
We hiked all afternoon. The biggest/hardest hike was way up to a lookout overlooking Wineglass Bay and Coles Bay. The 2-hour steep hike was worth it....
Back at the campsite, George made a friend with this wallaby.
DINNER: We bought some grilled fish at a take-away. I sautéed some potato wedges. We had tomatoes on the side.
Early night, as it cooled off and is pitch black in the park.
After that, how can you enjoy wallaby burgers?
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