Recherché Bay

South of Hobart about two hours is the southern most point in Australia, Southeast Cape. In our continuing quest to reach all points of land sticking out into the ocean at extremes, we drove to the southern most roads in Australia to Cockle Creek and entered our first national park in Tasmania. There actually isn't a trail to the Cape, so we took a hike to Fishers Point. The coastline is rocky with a few arcing, sandy beaches in the protected areas. The beaches are full of shells, mostly cockle shells oddly enough.... Just off the coast to the south of us is Bruny Island, a long island with a 100 meter wide neck separating the two largest landmasses. Bruny Island is a little over an hour from our apartment including the ferry ride out there!


The bays are usually lined with rock along here, but at the innermost parts where there is most protection, there are wonderful, arcing, sandy beaches with crystal clear, blue water that is very inviting, albeit slightly chilly. Antarctica is the next stop south of here...	Fishers Point is a rocky extension where one of the first shipwrecks occurred in this area. A ship carrying convicts wrecked here in 1835 prompting the establishment of a pilot house at the point. There is now an unmanned lighthouse.

This is the Neck on Bruny Island which separates the north and south portions of the island from each other. Fairy penguins and shearwaters nest here.	This is looking down into Mabel Bay (named after the Mabel which sank here in 1902) which is part of Cloudy bay on the south edge of South Bruny Island. Cloudy Bay edges out of sight around the point in the center of the photo.

At the south end of the island is Cape Bruny in South Bruny National Park. There is an old lighthouse here, but a modern, unmanned light is used today.	The point is columnar dolerite. A lot of the cliff faces in Tasmania are made of this material. The dolerite splits in vertical columns much like our columnar basalt, but the cross section seems to be more squared on this rock.

The beach at Mabel Bay is very difficult to reach and is strewn with football sized rock. It is typical of the crescent shaped beaches, though and is gorgeous.	From the road, the view down to the beach at Mabel Bay is equally stunning. We just look at each other and wonder at our good fortune in being here.

03/27/08