Flinders Island Monday 18th October 2021
Waking up on my birthday to views over the ocean is a definite highlight! The weather was a bit grey but I still enjoyed my morning cuppa looking out over the very calm water. A bit like caravan pack up mornings, pack up from a holiday is not the best feeling. First of all we enjoyed a bacon and eggs breakfast as we tried to finish some of the contents of our fridge, as the crayfish was going to take up most of the room in the esky! Although the intention had been to eat it last night, we were still too full from our lunch out, so we thought we'd save it for my actual birthday.
Breakfasted, packed, the house cleaned up - I took a last walk along the beach and dipped my hands in the water, given this was going to be the only way I entered the water on this trip! Reluctantly, we headed back up the goat track which seemed to really symbolise that our holiday was over.
In Whitemark, we headed to the bakery for elevenses, and to watch the high school graduation online of my best friend's son. Sad that he couldn't have the full formal ceremony at school but being in Victoria, this isn't possible at the moment. The school did the zoom presentation well though. After another shop visit, we headed south to Lady Barron. Although still early for our flight (and let's face it, there isn't any check in or baggage drop required!), we did have to fill the car with fuel and drop our rubbish at the tip (no roadside collection here!). We took the coast road to Lady Barron for different views, did all our necessary stops, took a little snack to Yellow Beach to kill some time and then headed to the airfield. It turns out the 2:30pm flight was oversubscribed so they put on 3 planes! I got to sit in the co-pilots seat which I thought was a good birthday present. The pilot warned me not to touch the pedals or yoke despite my offering that I did take 3 flying lessons 25 years ago - apparently that wasn't going to be helpful! We took off a lot more smoothly than our flights on Thursday and a mere 35 minutes later, touched down in Bridport.
As I drove out of the Bridport airfield, I kept trying to wave at my fellow drivers. Apparently the wave that is "de rigeur" on Flinders Island (and to caravanners!) is not required on the highways and byways of regular car drivers on mainland Tasmania.
Back home to happy fur kids. We cracked another bottle of Jansz, and the crayfish and agreed that the trip and the ending had been the perfect birthday celebration.
Flinders Island Sunday 17th October 2021
When I awoke this morning, the sun was shining across the
water in the most glorious way. How I enjoyed that view while sipping my morning
cuppa!
Another relaxing morning, during which we enjoyed another
delicious breakfast, elevenses, some lazy reading and eventually we got ready
for our lunch at the best restaurant on the island - the Flinders Wharf. I had
planned we would dine here for the celebratory dinner for my birthday but upon
arriving here a) I became less keen on driving back to our accommodation in the
dark with all the potholes and wildlife and b) it turns out the Wharf isn't open
on a Sunday night! So, lunch it was. And what a delicious but very filling meal
it was. We shared arancini balls for entree then Greg had korean chicken for
mains while I had slow cooked wallaby. So delicious but unfortunately I
couldn't fit dessert in afterwards! We did enjoy our first real coffee since we
had been here (I brought our caravan's stove top espresso machine for our
accommodation) before checking out the small gift shop they had. And then as we
paid, I asked for our real treat, which had been left in the chef’s fridge last
night. The story goes like this : our accommodation is owned by a lady who lives
off island so she has two local people as contacts in case anything goes wrong.
Mick rang me on Wednesday evening to check that everything was on track and we
got chatting. He asked if we were coming over for the show to which I replied
no, because when we booked, we didn't even know the show was on. I said we were
actually coming to celebrate my birthday but looking forward to the Show as
well. “Your birthday, hey” he ruminated....”do you like crayfish?” To which I
replied a most emphatic yes so he said he would drop one off. He rang yesterday
to see if we could tee up a time to do so and I told him we were going to the Wharf for
lunch to which he replied he was going there for dinner last night so he would
leave it with the chef. Although I really hoped the chef didn't try and create a
crayfish dish for the lunch menu today!
So we packed our crayfish gift into the esky and headed
off exploring. First stop was the beautiful Trousers Point beneath the imposing
granite outcrops of Mount Strzlecki, the tallest mountain on the Island at 756m.
Unfortunately, the sun wasn't shining so the sea didn't look as beautifully blue as
it could have. Then around the corner to Fotheringate Bay, which I personally thought was more beautiful than Trousers Point.
The scenery on the Island is so diverse and just beautiful - everything from rocky peaks to grassy flats, from white sandy beaches to orange rocky beaches. You really do get something of everything with no people to crowd your photos!When we planned this trip, I really wanted to climb Mt Strzlecki. They say to allow 4.5 hours and to do it early in the morning when the chances of cloud obscuring the views are not as great. However, the weather wasn't great on some of our mornings, and the time required was a big impost on our time together so we decided that we will just have to come back another time. As an alternative, we decided to drive up Mount Walker which is the next highest mountain. The views were certainly spectacular and you can see both sides of the island in the 360 degree views.
We then headed back to our little beach shack and enjoyed our last night there.
Flinders Island Saturday 16 October 2021
I woke to the sound of rain and it was pretty grey across
the water as I opened my eyes. And given we didn't have to be anywhere in
particular today, I could have just rolled over and gone back to sleep but
instead I enjoyed the ocean which I find spectacular no matter what the
weather. By the time I had made cuppas and were enjoying them in bed, while
watching the tide go out (which exposed a rock outcrop about 50 metres out from
the beach), we weren't going to let a grey day stop us. We enjoyed our eggs and
bacon for breakfast, followed by elevenses, and then packed a few snacks as we
werre heading north today which means we would be nowhere near shops. Our
closest shop is Whitemark, which is 38km away, and of course, only open until
1pm on a Saturday!! So we had well and truly missed it anyway.
We did head south initially, but only to the Port Davies
road which led to Emita, Wybelenna and Settlement Point. I have learnt a lot
more about Tasmanian Aboriginal history since living in Tassie. In the 1830’s,
George Augustus Robinson was tasked by the Governor with the unenviable task of
“rounding up” all Aboriginal people and taking them to an outer island. He
started out from Hobart, making his way north via the east and west slowly. I
don't think he was a bad man, he had just been given a bad task. To his credit,
he was diligent in recording everything he saw. He learnt a lot of the various
Aboriginal languages and recorded these as best he could. His notes were
fundamental 150 years later in the development of palawa kani, the current
Tasmanian Aboriginal language, which is a hybrid of previous languages. So he
brought his collection of Aboriginal people to Wybelenna (which means Black Mans House) where he had promised these people Wybelenna would be a place where
Aboriginal people could practice their cultural traditions amd ceremonies.
Unfortunately, it became more like a prison as camp conditions deteriorated and
sickness killed so many. At this point, it is considered Robinson abandoned
the Aboriginal people and as such, his place in history is now seen as negative
by the Aboriginal community. Eventually, the Aboriginal community was relocated
to Cape Barren Island, although many were forced back to Oyster Cove near
Hobart. It would take another 140 years before Cape Barren became the
Aboriginal conservation area that Robinson promised.
So we spent a fascinating hour at the Furneaux Museum
which covered a lot of this history, including an excerpt of Greg’s
grandmother's book. We then headed to the restored Wybelenna Chapel - the only
remaining building from “Black Mans Camp”.
Inside, is this photo of the Cape
Barren inhabitants in 1911. You can see we found the teenagers who went
on to become Greg’s great grandparents!
Down the road, was the Wybelenna
cemetery. Unfortunately, most of the marked graves are from recent deaths, but
there has been a good attempt to record the names or family details of most
Aboriginal people buried there. Only about 12 from the 107 who died there are
unnamed.
After this sad trip into the past, we headed out to
Settlement Point where the ships first landed with Robinson's Aboriginal
prisoners. Now it is a mutton bird breeding ground, with beautiful views back across
Marshall Bay. Our next stop was down the little track to Castle Rock, where
the carpark at the end of the track was a huge flat rock itself! A little walk
out to Castle Rock itself, which was quite spectacular.
Turning north again, we continued past our accommodation
turnoff and headed towards Killiecrankie, famous for it’s “diamonds” - a rare
white topaz found only here. There is a small community here, with one of the
largest collection of houses in a small area on the island. The beach is
beautiful, being overlooked by the magnificent Mount Killiecrankie. After a
sticky beak here, we kept heading north, turning east towards North East River.
At the point, overlooking Inner Sister Island and Outer Sister Island, we
watched the entrance of the estuary where the waves tried to crash in but the
wind was trying to blow them back!
Beautiful white sand and gorgeous blue
water. Some great campsites out here too, if you can get your caravan over! On
the way back out, we checked out the farm belonging to our neighbours (whose
island based car we are driving around in) before heading north to Palana
beach. It was after 5pm by this stage so we headed for home. Some biscuits,
cheese and wine while I threw carrot offcuts to the very friendly roos on the
front grass! Dinner and a fire as the wind whistled around the house.
Flinders Island Friday 15 October 2021
It’s Show Day! How awesome was it to awaken slowly to the
sounds of waves, and roll over to look down at the beach and the sea! The sun
was shining so all boded well for the annual Flinders Island Show. We enjoyed a
cuppa in bed before eggs and bacon for breakfast whilst watching the tide go
out. We were on the road by 11am, not seeing many cars we had to wave to but I
guess they were all at the Show. The Show’s COVID plan had crowds capped at 999
or else they would have needed masks so it did make us wonder what happened to
the other 87 people who live on the Island! No sooner had we driven in the gates when I
saw the first person I knew - which really went to highlight thst there were
more non-locals at the Show than locals. Liz (a local, but I know her from the
events scene in Launceston) was a little surprised to see me so we had a great
chat. We eventually parked the car and headed in. As we traversed the
showgrounds, we ran into Nicole who used to work for me, Tas who sold us our
tractor, Naomi and Michael (the parents of our fellow passengers from yestreday
- apparently we are quite obvious with my pink hair and Greg’s cane!!!), then
Jennifer, Des and Gabe from yesterday, Janie (MP), Jeffrey from Elders, Jeremy
from Gallagher, staff from the business Greg’s cousin’s husband runs, Michelle
and Ross (MPs), then one of the guys at the brand new Mens Shed is the brother
of one of our neighbours.....it was hilarious that we knew so many people in a
place I have never been and where it's been more than 20 years since Greg was
here!! All of the food vendors kept selling out of food so we were getting
pretty hungry. We checked out the new Men's Shed as research for the proposed
Lilydale Shed and were very impressed. Eventually after finding something to
eat while watching the beer skulling competition, we decided to head home. In
true Island fashion, I had to give way to an echidna crossing the road halfway
up the dirt. Home in the sunshine, I decided to explore westwards along the
beach today. This required some rock clambering and bush bashing as I told
myself I would just get around the next point, then the next one, then the next
one! It was quite magnificent, with great rocks, another echidna and finally to
look out over North Pasco Island. I just kept taking photos as it was all so
stunning. On my way back, I nearly tripped over a wombat. Both he and I got
equally big frights. He ambled off towards his burrow while my heart rate
slowed to normal. Slow cooked pork belly for dinner tonight as we lit the fire
again for a cozy night in listening to the waves crash.
Off to Flinders Island - Thursday 14 October 2021
We're off to Flinders Island for an "overseas holiday" to celebrate my birthday!
Up early for the short drive to Bridport for our
scheduled flight to Flinders Island at 7:30am. Walking into the hangar, we
dumped our bags to be weighed and were ushered into the lounge to wait for our
fellow passengers . The plane was a 7 seater but also took the mail and other
freight depending on how many people were booked. Three other people arrived -
a lady who had grown up on Flinders Island, her Irish husband and their
autistic non-verbal son. We were shown to the plane and climbed aboard, and
soon afterwards took off in the capable hands of James who although he looked
about 12, assured us he had been a pilot for 6 years!
It was fascinating to fly
over Barnbougle and Lost Farm golf courses, see where Jude, Rhonda and I
enjoyed the spa, and the beautiful dunes. At Waterhouse Point we turned north,
and the rain was pelting the plane’s windscreen. We had already been warned
that due to the wind, we may have to land at Whitemark rather than Lady Barron,
and that they would figure out how to get us back to Lady Barron where our car
was. But no, not long after turning to head north we turned west again and
headed back to Bridport! Abort! Abort! The rain and clouds were too bad for
James to see and given he flew by visuals, he couldn't risk it. So we settled
back into the “lounge”, had a bad pod coffee and got to know our fellow
passengers. By 10:30am, we were told that the weather was clearing to the south
so we should be able to go by 1pm. Greg and I decided to head into Bridport for
elevenses and enjoyed good coffee and a delicious egg and bacon roll at our
favourite cafe. Back to the hangar by 11:45am and a bit more waiting but at
12:30pm, we got the call to Take 2. And we were off!
It was much clearer this
time around and we could easily see the happenings on Waterhouse Island, Cape
Barren Island, Badger Island, Anderson Island, Tin Kettle Island, Little Dog
and Big Dog Islands before we came into land on the grass runway of Lady
Barron. James parked the plane, we clambered out and as he unloaded the bags,
he suggested we go and drive the car onto the runway to save carrying our bags.
Yep, we’re on Flinders Island now!
After loading the car, we settled in for the drive north.
There was still a bit of rain as we passed green paddocks with sheep and
cattle, mountains in the distance, but it all cleared as we came to the crest
into Whitemark. Whitemark is the administrative centre of Flinders Island, with the
most shops and services even though the actual population is only about 150. We
headed to the IGA where there was a box of groceries waiting for us (because
the island based contact of our AirBnB was in home quarantine after visiting
Victoria, and so he couldn't deliver it to the house). We stocked up, as there
are no shops further north (our accommodation was 38km north west), tomorrow is
a public holiday for the Show and the IGA is only open until 12pm on Saturday.
After that, we headed north up the main north-south road where the bitumen
ended after 17km, then we kept going for another 13km before turning off and
heading 6km down West End Road. Now, we had been warned that every driver has
to give every other driver the one fingered “Flinders Island wave” as you pass
them. So there was lots of that while trying to dodge the potholes and
washouts. We found our house number on West End road but then had another
1.4km down to the house, most of which was no more than a goat track. However,
we finally arrived to this gorgeous place right on the beach with no neighbours
to see for miles. After unpacking and assisting Greg with orientation, I headed
down the beach to explore. I went east although the tide was coming in so it was
only a narrow beach which ran out at the rocks so I clambered around, finding a
cave and plenty of lilies and continuing east until I got to the closest
neighbour at which point I turned back. The beach, the rocks, the water, the
nature - all so beautiful. I kept the doors ajar in our house so we could listen
to the waves crashing while we had drinks and nibbles, before I cooked scallops
for dinner. I watched a couple of kangaroos come up to the house at dusk before
I lit a fire to keep us cosy. What a great spot to rest and relax!
