Sleeping water birds at a mini island in Tuggerah Lake, near The Entrance.
Our destination for the day was Mount Annan, near Liverpool, south of Sydney. Tollways with 80kph speed limits now bypass Sydney. You don’t see a single traffic light until after turning off the Hume Highway at Campbelltown. With a mid afternoon ETA we had time to spare, so stayed east of the Newcastle bypass highway, travelling down the Old Pacific Highway until we turned further east to join the real coast road at Budgewoi.
Most of our drive was familiar, but not all. We had intended to do a run into Caves Beach, just south of Swansea, but missed the turn in the new (to me) road arrangements south of the bridge over the entrance to Lake Macquarie. But we did take a run into Catherine Hill Bay. I wanted to see the old coal loading jetty, last viewed during an inshore tack when sailing a newly acquired yacht from Sydney to Brisbane, many years ago.
The historic Catherine Hill Bay coal jetty is under threat after damage from the bush fires in the area last year.Catherine Hill Bay Surf Lifesaving Club overlooks the beach.
This was a coal mining area, of course. As you approach the beach and jetty, you pass through streets lined by old miner’s cottages, many under renovation, probably reaching seven figure valuations as a result. We parked above the beach so that I could walk down a sandy ramp to the ocean’s edge to take some photos.
The entrance to Tuggerah Lake at The Entrance.In past times Pelican feeding was a feature activity in Marine Parade at The Entrance. Pelicans still wait on a small adjacent island. They must have long memories.
We re-joined the highway via the southern access to the town, passing new houses, including large homes with ocean views and a new subdivision, down in a valley, with no views at all. At Doyalson we turned in again to the coast, driving through Budgewoi, over the bridge that spans the narrow waterway that joins Lake Munmorah and Lake Budgewoi. We then travelled through Toukley and Noraville to The Entrance which we made our morning coffee and photo stop.
Residential accommodation on Marine Parade at The Entrance.
As we had approached The Entrance we both noticed water birds in Tuggerah Lake. With morning coffee done, we returned the couple of kilometres to where we had seen the birds. I fitted my long lens and took a number of photos, including some with which I was reasonably happy.
The road bridge over the entrance to the lakes at The Entrance.An Intermediate Egret showing some breeding plumage.A Pied Cormorant out for a swim.
Retracing our steps, we drove through The Entrance to Long Jetty, on the eastern shore of Tuggerah Lake. Long Jetty is both a suburb and a long jetty. I had heard of it in both forms and driven through the suburb a number of times. Today we called to visit.
Water birds perched on the end of the long jetty at Long Jetty NSW.
The jetty is intended for foot traffic, with a hand rail on one side. The timber deck is about a metre above the water. On the outer end of the jetty I could see a group of water birds, sitting on the rail. My bird lens was not attached to the camera but the smaller one would do. But on the spur of the moment I forgot to change the camera settings from general sightseeing to bird photography. The result was photos of less quality than they could have been. We live and, hopefully, learn and remember in the future.
A closer view of the perched birds on Long Jetty. Australian Darter and Pied Cormorants.Long Jetty suburb at the shore end of the long jetty.An example of what you get when you do not have correct settings on your camera.
We continued south, keeping as near to the ocean as possible, turning east for a better view of the coast whenever the opportunity presented. Then we came to Terrigal and I realised that I had never been there. I was impressed. We drove through town to the bay where the launching ramp is located and where views are to be had over the bay, back to the residential and commercial development of the town centre. This location provided views of magnificent sea cliff top houses, the kind that dreams are made of.
Part of Terrigal across the bay.
After a viewing and photo stop we drove around point Kurrawyba with its two headlands and then via the Scenic Highway to eventually reach Woy Woy. There we did some necessary shopping and returned to the Pacific Motorway near Gosford to continue south. So after crossing the Hawkesbury River and reaching Hornsby we were taken underground for a long sweep to the west on the M7 until we swung back east to the Hume Motorway at Casula. It was then a quick and easy drive to Mount Annan, our destination.
The Skillion is the southern most of the two headlands on the point at Terrigal.
There we caught up with Ruth’s youngest sister Dorothy (Dot) and her family, including newly minted grandson Max. We also caught up with Max’s mum Deahna, our niece Madison, Madison’s fiancé Josh and Dot’s other half, Peter. Max’s dad had work commitments.
Luxury homes overlook the Pacific Ocean at Terrigal Beach.
After much talking and taking of refreshments, Peter took to the barbeque to produce the protein to accompany the other portions of the meal, previously prepared. With a libation or two we all enjoyed a very pleasant evening, called to an earlier close than might otherwise have been the case by our hosts need to make early departures for work the following morning.
A final view of Woy Woy before we re-joined the Pacific Motorway near Gosford.
Please Note: Videos covering the material in this blog post can be found at the bottom of this post.
There was no sign of Tom or Jane when we departed Windsong next morning but we now know that Jane exists. We heard her voice through the wall. The only sign of life was a group of small marsupials, one of which was peeping through our bedroom window.
We made our way back along the dirt track, through two closed gates, back to the highway and turned north towards Swansea. We passed the small roadside community hall that appeared to be Little Swanport as we headed for the turn off to Coles Bay and the Freycinet National Park.
On the way Ruth’s sharp eyes spied a tourist spot of which I had read. It was the Spiky Bridge. For some reason the builder finished its parapets with sharp stones on end. It is now bypassed by the main road but we drove across, just for fun. The bridge now leads to a farm gate.
The Spiky Bridge near Swansea, Tasmania
But there is a story. The government official who controlled the purse strings for such expenditure was holding out on providing funds for a bridge to span a troublesome stream. A local land owner took the official for a ride in his horse drawn cart and drove over the road through the creek bed at top speed. He proved his point. Money for the bridge was made available. The Spiky Bridge is the result.
The Spiky Bridge was built in 1843. Not bad for almost 180 years old.
Continuing on, we crossed a
mountain range and came upon Devils Corner. An extensive vineyard has been
established there with vines planted on the lower slopes, reaching down towards
Oyster Bay. A three level viewing tower has been provided as part of a visitor
facility. The vineyard is well known for its Pinot Noir based wines. Views from
the deck are among the best to be had of Oyster Bay and the Freycinet
Peninsula.
Devils Bend Vineyard and WineryThe vineyards slope towards Oyster Bay. The ranges of the Freycinet Peninsula are in the background.
After coffee at Coles Bay we headed on into the park to the parking area for the walks to Wineglass Bay (a long walk) and the lookout (a much shorter walk). I intended to have a go at getting up to the lookout although I was a bit daunted by the 600 steps involved. But there was not a parking spot to be had in any of the three levels of the car park. Vehicles that could not find a parking space were parked nose to tail well back along the road towards Coles Bay. We decided not to add to the number fighting for a parking space. It would have been a long walk back just to get to the starting point.
Cape Tourville LighthouseView south from the Cape Tourville boardwalk. Wineglass Bay is behind the rear headland on the right of the photo.
Instead we did the short but steep and winding drive to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse and lookout. The lookout is in the form of a board walk in a sort of semicircle around the edge of the cliff top, below the base of the lighthouse. The views south along the east coast are magnificent.
Ricky mountains at the northern end of the Freycinet Peninsula.Coles Bay Jetty. The Pennicott Wilderness Journeys boat tour to Wineglass Bay departs from here. Mountains on the Freycinet Peninsula in the background.
We returned from the
lighthouse to Coles Bay for lunch. At the bakery I finally found a scallop pie.
It met expectations. Not bad at all!
There is
only one road in to Coles Bay so we retraced our steps to the highway and
travelled another 12 km to Bicheno. Our accommodation for the next three nights
is a ground floor studio apartment in an older two story house on the southern
edge of town, overlooking the ocean.
The following day, Monday, the
sun had fled. It was cloudy with that persistent Tasmanian cool breeze. The
order of the day was a drive up the coast to St. Helens. But first some medical
needs.
I’d had a sore on the side of my head for all the time we had been in Tasmania.Since I have had skin cancers taken off my head previously, we thought it should be checked. Or what if I was growing a second head? So, I sought medical advice. It was just a persistent boil. The doctor squeezed it out (Ouch!) and prescribed some antibiotic cream to for me to apply.
Ruins of an old port building and The Gulch at Bicheno.
That got rid of most of the morning. We spent the remainder of the morning looking around Bicheno. The main town is a little way back from the water but the small harbour is worth a visit. It is the base for lobster fishermen who ply this rocky area of coast. The small harbour, known as the Gulch, is a narrow and deep channel between a large rook and the mainland, with another rock island of similar size close in and to the north east.
Fishing wharf and the south end of The Gulch
The buildings at the wharf include a very busy fish shop
with dine in tables and a substantial take away business. Above the harbour, at
the road side, a red building houses the Lobster Shack which features, as its
specialty, the local lobster.
Seafood cafe and take away at The Gulch, Bicheno
After lunch (not at the Lobster Shack) we embarked on the activity of the day. St Helens is about an hour further up the coast. The town is located at the furthest point inland of the rather long Georges Bay. The bay runs to north east to south west and is contained on its south eastern side by a long and broad peninsula, largely composed of sand. The town of Akaroa and the small wharf at Burns Bay are at its north eastern end.
The fishing boat wharf at Burns Bay near St Helens, Tasmania
The first 10 km of the drive
was along a decent road lined with houses, some of which enjoyed sweeping views
of ocean and bay. Beyond the end of the road at the jetty the coast continues
around to St Helens Point. The scenery is very attractive with white sand and
large rocks, many of which are partly covered by red lichen.
Rock pool surrounded by lichen coloured rocks.Ocean south of the beach near St Helens with St Helens Island in the distance.
We drove through St Helens
and on the extra 10 km to Binalong Bay, mainly because Binalong Bay marks the
southern end of the long series of indentations into the coast known as the Bay
of Fires. The bay was named by Captain
Tobias Furneaux in 1773, because of the many fires that he observed along that
strip of coast.
View north along Bay of Fires from Binalong Bay
The Bay of Fires runs all the way from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point. That is 61 km by road but probably about 35 km in a strait line. The southern headland is formed by huge boulders with many smaller boulders surrounding them. Their unique feature is patches of rusty coloured lichen, like those that we saw at Burns Bay.
Lichen covered rocks at the headland at Binalong Bay make for a very pretty picture.A mural on the side of a building in the main street of St HelensThe turn to Binalong Bay turn in the main street of St Helens
St Helens has a substantial
fishing fleet. Oyster beds are located in many of its bays and inlets. It is
the largest town on the east coast of Tasmania.
Houses over look Georges Bay and moored boats at St HelensFishing boats and wharf at St HelensTourist facilities at the St Helens port include eateries
The only other town that we
drove through, both coming and going, was Scamander. It is located where a
stream, which cuts the town in half, also cuts through the sand to reach the
sea. Like every town along this stretch of coast, where hills overlook the sea,
they are covered by houses built by those seeking that magic ocean view.
For the
first time in Tasmania we were seeing green fields that were not the result of
irrigation. It is mostly sheep country but vineyards regularly appear by the
road side, many with cellar doors and restaurants. Tourism is as important to
this part of Tasmania as to any other. The upper east coast is a very
comfortable drive from Hobart and has a superior climate. Grey nomads and not-yet-grey
backpackers are there in considerable numbers.
We used our second day
at Bicheno to travel inland to see the area that we missed by not travelling
directly between Hobart and Launceston. The route took us south, back past the
road into Coles Bay and past Devils Bend. The road that we were seeking is called
the Leake Highway. At its western end, it joins the Midland Highway just south
of Campbell Town. About the midpoint of the morning drive is Lake Leake, from
which the Highway takes its name.
Lake Leake at less than full capacity
The lake has tourist facilities, so we followed the 7 km of dirt
road to the picnic area. It is a smallish dam that appears to hold water for
release into a larger dam. The area seems popular with fisher folk and deer
hunters. There is a sort of lodge/hotel adjacent to the retaining wall of the
dam.
Another Queensland registered vehicle pulled in. We spoke to the
occupants, as you do. They were a Redcliffe couple caravanning around Tasmania.
A view of Ross Bridge from the North. The bridge carries traffic over the Macquarie River.
We drove on to Campbell Town and turned south to the small historic town of Ross. The convict built bridge over the Macquarie River at Ross vies with the bridge at Richmond in claims of design and age. Richmond wins at 1825 but Ross is not far behind, built just eleven years later. The Ross bridge has a greater amount of intricate stone work.
Bridge parapets were engraved with distances. The distance to Hobart is shown on the opposite parapet
Ross has been bypassed by the highway. The town does not appear to have been adversely effected by the change. The streets are wide and lined with British Elms. Every building in the main street is old, many historic. Businesses operate from historic structures and people live in houses getting on towards 200 years old.
The Uniting Church at Ross viewed from the Ross Bridge.The cenotaph at Ross
Ross has a wool centre building that tells the story of wool production in Tasmania and offers a range of woollen clothes for both ladies and men. There are samples of unprocessed wool and information on the development of merino sheep in Tasmania. Wool is still a vital product to this area. We drove past many flocks of sheep grazing on the pastures. The grass was not as lush as we had seen the day before but greener and more plentiful than in the west and highlands.
The Man O’ Ross Hotel (1835)
We found a bakery, one of two in town. Our choice was offering
both scallop pies and “the world’s best vanilla slice”. And coffee! So
the decision about lunch was easy to make. We chose the older establishment. It
was the original bakery and flour mill. The old mill building is now tourist
accommodation.
We sat in the shade of the tree to demolish our pies and vanilla slicesAn old house with bicycle hire next door.Ross Post Office, built in 1889 is a relative newcomer to Ross’ list of historic businesses. Cupid’s Nest B&B in the main street of Ross, Tasmania
We then drove back to Campbell Town, about 10 km north. Yet another historic bridge carries highway traffic over Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Macquarie. This one is known as the Red Bridge and was convict built in 1838. Like the Ross Bridge, the Campbell Town Bridge assisted the flow of traffic between Tasmania’s two major centres and was on the same road until Ross was bypassed.
Campbell Town’s Red Bridge was built in 1838. The Red Bridge at Campbell Town carries the Midland Highway over the Elizabeth River.
Campbell Town is substantially the larger centre and has a
greater amount of more recent construction as well as renovated and modified
buildings. But a great number of historic buildings remain, mostly still in use.
We could have spent more time as there was more to see.
Part of this old hotel is now a book shop.
We returned home via the Heritage Highway that follows the
Fingal Valley and a variety of rivers and creeks through to Conara, where it
meets the Midland Highway. Then through Avoca, Fingal and St Marys. The road
then crosses the coastal range over Elephant Pass on a narrow, steep winding route
until it meets the coast highway about 17 km north of Bicheno.
It was quite a varied and interesting drive. For much of the distance we were running beside and continually crossing a railway line that showed evidence of use. At Fingal we saw a coal washing plant and a bit further on the turn to a colliery. Question answered.
Between Bicheno town and port a rocky hill rises with a lookout on top, which must have great views all around. I am left with this assumption unproved because after a full day, with much walking, I lacked the energy to climb it.
