Fri, 16th Jan, 2015 Geeveston RSL Memorial Park (exploring south)

5 months on the road and still loving it. Never wore jumpers for so long though. It is only 17 degrees in the van this morning and cloudy. Decided to drive down to Cockle Cove to check out the camps etc as everyone has said how bad the road is.

Passed Cairns Bay and Cairns Road. Through Surges Bay then Glendevie where we could turn off and head out to the coast again around to Dover. We took the main road up the range past all the forestry plantations and into Dover. Definitely wouldn’t want to be a truck driver in Tassie – the roads are too narrow.

Bigger apple orchards around here.

Lovely bay at Dover.

Stopped at the jetty to read all the great information in the hut.

The anchor is to commemorate the Centenary of the Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse 1891-1991.

Turned off and drove into Southport (love all the Qld names, makes me feel at home). Stopped by the jetty for a cuppa. The water is very tannin-stained and lots of weed. A boat was busy unloading its haul.

Will have to check out the gem fossicking areas.

Across the Lune River then Ida Bay where the historical train rides leave from. Will check all these out later. Into the forestry area and passed the logging tracks called Southport Spur No. and then South Cape Spur No. Saw a logging truck about to pull out of one. The road is quite potholed and wet but we would bring the van down. Back onto the water again at Recherche Bay, the site of historic French landing sites in the late 1700s.  Through Moss Glen - they have big cleared grassy block with lovely views, plenty of room to park the van!!

Stopped at the plaque about Bruni D’Entrecasteaux’s landing sites.

Lovely view over Recherche Bay. We are at the end of D’Entrecasteaux Channel where it meets the Great Southern Ocean. Great view over the Bay to the open water.

This is the Recherche Bay Nature Recreation Area where there are 4 campgrounds. Historical information on a brochure I picked up at the Info Centre.

Across Catamaran River which flows from South Cape Range. Flowing well after the rain we have had but it is very tannin-stained. This area was a settlement with shops, school, coal fields, several mills and population of up to 300. One of the largest coal mines in Tasmania and the last whaling station. Annie McDougall (lumber ship) was built here and it was known as “a poor man’s Venice”.

Around to the Cockle Creek Campground, nice bay and beach here.

But the campground is boggy. Further around the sites are tucked into the sand dunes back from the beach – not so inviting and uneven.

Across Cockle Creek – tannin-stained also – into the National Park. The mussels Steve ate would be called cockles. You can’t collect them in the National Park section.

Reading the info I have apparently the mountains in the distance can be covered in snow. Today they are just covered in clouds. The aborigines first encounter was with the French, which was classed as an amicable meeting. The French expeditions were focused on the scientific study of native flora, fauna, geology and the waterways of Van Diemen’s Land. Late, for the aborigines, contact with British settlers was not as friendly. They were removed from their country here and placed at Bruny Island across the Channel. Recherche Bay itself, sheltered from the wildest weather, provided some safe harbour for the influx of early settlers, sealers and convicts. Early industries based initially on coal-mining and whaling became established. Coal was sent to Hobart and the oil produced from whales helped the emerging colony with lighting, cooking and the manufacture of saps and corsets. The bronze whale sculpture at Adams Point pays homage to this history. With such intense boating industry, and with early access to this area only possible by sea, there was demand for ship-building and local timber-milling was established. One of the features of this somewhat sheltered coastline was that all forest eucalypts grew close to the shore, making for convenient, though still dangerous, harvesting. Timber was not only required for the local collieries and boat building, but for housing and domestic needs. A number of mills were established around the bay over time, with one mill at Cockle Creek run by women during World War 2. Tram tracks spread out into the bush to retrieve logs from the hinterland. Fishing for food was a necessity in such an isolated area and also became a source of income, with Recherche Bay supplying Hobart and even London with oysters in the late 19^th Century. Sharks too were harvest for their liver oil and then became fertilizer for domestic and market gardens which provided fresh vegetables for Hobart. More info on the board in the Info Hut.

Cockle Creek is at 43 degrees south and marks the southernmost point of Australia. Did the pose shots before the rain starts again.

There is a 4-5 hour walk across to South Cape Bay which is the beginning of the 6/7 day trek along the South Coast of Tasmania – think we will skip the long one. Will do the South Cape Bay one as we don’t think we will bother with the 34km return at Wilson’s Prom to the bottom of mainland Australia.

Drove down to the walk to the Whale Sculpture (15 min) which then goes on to Fishers Point (2hr return) but as the rain is now falling steadily we will come back another day. The camp area in the National Park is small though if no one else around we could park the van and you are well back from the beach.

There are a few permanent houses here, some with good views, others tucked back into the scrub.

Stopped in the Catamaran River campground – good sized open area with access to good boat ramp.

Would be ok for us except nothing looks inviting when it is wet and muddy!! We like our lovely grassy spot by the creek where we are. Might just do another day trip down here when the sun is out again. Gilhams Beach and Finns Beach are nice beaches but again they are only smallish campgrounds.

As it is now 12.30 and there is no nice spot for lunch we just drove back to our van. Took about hour & half. Nice warm lunch as it is getting quite cool.

The water catcher has topped up the tanks and Steve has got the buckets out to fill them too. Though we have the creek beside us it is quite tannin-stained. Quiet afternoon blogging and Steve watched TV – good to have some down time so I can catch up. 22 degrees top temp it said on the news, we have 17.6 degrees in the van at 7pm. Steve took the temperature outside and it was 11.6 degrees at 8pm. Erica and Terry rang for a chat and to see if we had web feet. Glad they are both doing well.

Mum and Dad are at Queenstown.