We drove back to Richmond and spent a lovely morning exploring this historic village, which reportedly has the oldest Goal (jail), Bridge and the oldest remaining Catholic church in Australia, all were gorgeous. Based in the heart of Coal River Valley wine region, it was ablaze with autumn colour, with so many wonderful old buildings.
We had a wonderful breakfast at Czeg’s Cafe, a quaint and quirky little cafe, quite famous in Richmond.
We then made our way towards the Tasman Peninsula, our first stop was the Tessellated Pavement, an obscure rock formation, you can read about it below or here. We were very fortunate in finding a photographer with a model already there, so we grabbed a few shots for the scale and great reflections.
After exploring this area for quite awhile, we then checked out the nearby Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen, The Blow Hole, Fossil Bay and the Jetty at Eagle Hawk Neck (strange name). It was, however, a low tide so not so much water activity. I did grab the Nikon and Macro lens and grabbed some shots of the Native Banksia growing everywhere. The local birds adore this spikey plant for its sweet nectar.
We continued down the Tasman Peninsula to Fortescue Bay and its stunning beaches and crystal clear water. Especially Bivouac Bay Beach – gorgeous and people were swimming, it was such a lovely warm afternoon, but I bet that water was cold!
We continued on to Port Arthur and stayed in a hotel, right next door to the historic site, once we unpacked, we headed out to see some more sights before it got too dark. We found the most amazing spot, Remarkable Cave, just as the sun was getting low. Lots of steps but so worth it. The water has formed a hold right through the rock, making a cave you can see through at the bottom.
Unknown to us the Southern Aurora lights were in full swing that evening, but we had no idea and missed what was probably a truly remarkable sight. 😦 Oh well, I have learnt you cannot be everywhere and see everything.
~ Julz
Julie Powell - Photographer & Graphic Artist 