Delayed posting due to no signal in the Tasman National Park….

After a little persuasion from Caroline, we decided that we would wake the girls last night to tick of the last remaining items we needed to see on Bruny Island. I wasn’t initially sold on the idea of waking the girls to potentially see Fairy Penguins, Albino Wallabies and Sea Sparkle, as the girls were already extremely tired and were being a little ‘challenging’. I listened to better judgement, Caroline followed by mirrored advice of my mother and assisted with getting the family out just after 9pm. I had an outer body moment while we we’re getting the girls ready, seeing Caroline struggling with a rigour mortised Audrey – wrestling dreaming limbs to put on thermals. After the tug of war was completed, we set off once again to ‘The Neck’.

One thing we have noticed during our travels of Tasmania, is how late the suns sets and when complete darkness sets in! Arriving at the car park of the nature reserve there was enough light to still see the timber slats of the walkway that led to the beach. Along the way we saw hundred (possibly thousands of burrows), suspecting they may be Fairy Penguin burrows. We continued our zig-zagged journey along the path and arrived at a viewing platform overlooking the beach where we waited with other onlookers hoping to get a glimpse of the penguins. I thought I saw a few objects moving on the beach, however after the ranger shone their red torch beam on said objects, it was confirmed – the seaweed was not moving. We waited another 30 minutes before spotting a small pack of penguins surf a wave to the shoreline and start their long march towards us.

The penguins zig-zagged up the beach in a similar fashion to what we had done on the walkway, travelling in a tightly formed scrum formation. The ranger kept her red torch beam focused on the pack as they moved up the beach allowing the onlookers to have a bird eye view. While the penguins crossed almost underfoot, under the hour walkway, we had thousands of short-tail shearwaters, aka mutton birds, flying overhead. Mission accomplished on seeing the Fairy Penguins – tick!

We started our trip back to the caravan park. Not another car on the road. The night sky was pitch black – all except for the full moon. The trip from ‘The Neck’ to Adventure Bay was extremely windy, making it tricky to see what was around one corner to the next. We spotted many wallabies, all except the elusive Albino Wallaby and an enormous possum who thought the road was the best place to be on a dark night – it changed it’s mind pretty quickly after a few toots of the horn! Around another bend, Caroline and I saw a wallaby bounding for the car. A pop sound came from the rear left tyre – the wallaby learnt a harsher lesson than the possum. RIP wallaby.

With eyes even more focused on the wildlife on the road, we made it within 3kms of the caravan park before spotting the second item on our wish list – the Albino Wallaby. Over the next few hundred metres we actually saw three and tried our best to capture video and photo footage of this unique animal. After many happy snaps we still couldn’t capture a photo without making the wallaby seem like it had devil eyes – even with red eye reduction.

Back to the caravan park, we put the girls in bed and Caroline was keen for the trifecta – she set off to the beach to see the Sea Sparkle. After braving the cold for twenty minutes, Caroline returned to the van ‘empty sighted’. No Sea Sparkle, but a photo of the full moon and with that we were off to bed.

It is the co-ordination in our marriage that makes me realise time and time again that Caroline and I make a fantastic team. While we don’t have a solution to every situation thrown our way, we work extremely well together. Once again, a well oiled machine for breakfast and packing the van away. We synchronise extremely well together, know most of the time what the other is doing – and when we plan something, it is extremely pleasing when it pays off! The plan was to leave the park at 9am, via the Oyster Shack and a Smoked Salmon Hut before catching the ferry. We decided to bypass the food stops and try and make the 9.30am ferry. Noticing the cars that had disembarked at Bruny Island about 5kms before the ferry stop – we knew it would be hit or miss as to whether we would be able to get on board. We arrived at the ferry terminal  to at precisely 9.30am and crossed everything we could cross in hope that we would get waved on. Caroline flashed a polite smile and a wink and we were the last person onto the ferry! Unbelievable luck!

We headed back to the Snug IGA and butcher to restock for our few days off grid before continuing our journey to Fortescue Bay – deep in the Tasman Nationalu Park. Before heading to Fortescue Bay we had a quick stop off at Bangor Shed Vineyard to replenish the liquid supplies. Caroline as designated driver gave me the opportunity to taste the wines. A beautiful slightly woody chardonnay, Rose and a few Pinot Noir varieties. We bought half a case to help lubricate our travels. Another Zig and a zag down down some bumpy unsealed roads and we arrived at our beautiful campsite with water views.

A white serene beach eclipsed by two headlands and extremely cold water – the locals say it is 18 degrees but I think not. We came back to the campsite and Caroline made pizzas on the BBQ before we had a few beverages to lead us into the evening. Moving into the holiday period, it is clear that the crowds are changing. A gaggle of travellers have their red neck / country music blaring out, Germans struggling to set up their ‘Wicked rooftop tent set’ and localsp to the right that have caught Rock lobsters, currently boiling in the pot. Hope the music dies at a reasonable time, otherwise I will send the girls that way early in the morning to play dolls.