After a great breakfast at Storm Bay I took a few pictures along White Sand Beach Rd. and then drove toward Port Arthur where I saw the sign for Remarkable Cave.  That peaked my curiousity so I drove out and was greeted by a beautiful view of the ocean.  The name comes from a partially collapsed sea cave.  The roof at the end is no longer there but it left a keyhole like opening through which you can still see the ocean.  They have built a nice walkway down to the viewing platform.  Several surfers were in the water when I arrived and more came before I left so it must be a good area to catch some waves.

From there I drove on to Port Arthur and saw the signs for the old penal colony that was there.  Port Arthur was used for the repeat offenders.  I thought about going in to have a look but I could see much of the buildings from the parking lot and the fee of $28 was more than I was willing to pay to see them up close.  When I got back to the main road I saw the building for Tasman Island Cruises and stopped to see when their next trip was.  I found out that I could be on the 2:00 boat so I booked it and went across the street to eat a bite.

I parked my car in the parking lot and joined the group getting ready for the boat ride.  Everyone here was very friendly and anxious to make if a fun trip for everyone.  We boarded the boat and once we got underway we were treated to a great lesson on the whole area including the rock formations and animal life.  These people believe in working with the environment and giving back to the area.  The trip was the high point of the Tasmaian part of the trip, I had a blast along with everyone else on the boat.  The captain even let two young boys on the trip drive a little.  With 900 hp he made the trip one to remember and this boat is tough, we zipped around spires of rock and pulled into several sea caves.  Even though the trip lasted just over three hours it seemed to go by much quicker.  If you are in the area I highly recommend this trip.  And you can count on them having a trip if it is posted, they said they have even taken trips with only one person on board rather than turn them away.  I bet that was fantastic trip for the lucky individual.

After the boat ride I wanted to get back in an area with phone service for Vodaphone and internet so I drove toward Hobart and had a burger and beer at Hogs Breath Cafe.  It was a little different than the one I am used to in Key West but similar.  I went back to the airport hotel I had stayed at the first night here.  They were out of regular rooms so he gave me a nice suite for the same price.  There I downloaded the over 1100 pictures I took today (told you it was a beautiful and exciting trip) from the camera and backed them up to the extra hard drive before going to bed.

 On the deck at Storm Bay

 At White Sand Beach

 Near Remarkable Cave

Near Remarkable Cave

 Tasman Island Cruises

 Inside a Sea Cave

 Tasman Island

 Inside Another Sea Cave

 Totem Pole and Candlestick

Waterfall Bay

 Port Arthur Prison Ruins

I did laundry at the hotel (each cycle cost $4 AUD!) so I could get everything clean and repacked before I left.  A girl at the restaurant recommended that I go to the Tasmanian Pennisula and see the Tasmanian Devil Park and possible take one of the boats from Port Arthur to Pirate Cove.  I had checked the night before on the car rental and got that straightened out.  I took the shuttle back to the airport, picked up my car, set the GPS and headed that way.

I saw one of the places that offer the cruises and according to the brouchure they had a 10 am and 2pm trip.  I was hoping to get on the 2pm one and stopped in to book it.  The girl there said they weren't doing an evening cruise at this time but offered one the next morning.  She was quick to say how their cruises were the best and imply the other company doing the cruises were not as competent.  Something just didn't mesh with me so I declined to book anything and thought I would just take my chances on getting to go on one of the trips before I left this area.

Before I got to Port Arthur I saw a sign for the tressimated pavement and went to investigate.  The rock layers here are broken and riddled with lines that make them look like old pavement, almost like someone had built a roadway here.  From here I could see the coastal cliffs and beaches in the distance so I kept going on this new path, not knowing that it would also lead me back to where I was going originally.  Here I saw a blow hole where the roof of a small sea cave has collapsed leaving a hole for the ocean waves to channel through and shoot into the air.  Also near here thay have built a fence along the road to protect the little penguins that burrow here.  Every morning they head out to sea to feed and each evening they return and make their way to the burrows. 

The return just about sunset or shortly after so if you want to see them forget paying anyone to take you on a tour and just ask any local where the best place to view them is.  While here I saw Devils Kitchen, a completely collapsed sea cave, and Tasman Arch, a very large opening to the sea that was once a sea cave that the roof has collapsed.

I drove on and made my way to the Tasmanian Devil Park.  This place was well worth the $26 fee, most of which is used to support a habitat for all their animals.  Here they had kangaroos, wallabys, Tasmanian Devils, many birds and other wildlife.  They do several shows during the day and be sure to see the flight show if you can, the devil feeding is also fun to watch and the personnel are eager to answer any questions you have.  If you have only limited time on the day you go they will gladly let you return the next day to see other shows you may have missed.

I decided to stay in this area so I found a place called Stormy Bay that was beautiful with a great view of the harbour.  Jill, the owner, was very nice and helpful in guiding me to a place to eat.  With your stay a big breakfast is included adding a lot to the value.  This is a great place to relax.  The Vodaphone I had borrowed to use here didn't work in this area and there was no wireless internet so I just enjoyed the evening after a dinner and beer at the local servicemans club.  There I picked up a bottle of local wine to drink but was so relaxed that I didn't even open the bottle before going to sleep.

 Tasman Arch

 Albacor Tuna

 Kangaroo with Joey

 Tasmanian Devils

Koala Bear

 Wallaby

  This must be some route.

 View at Burleigh Hill

 Coolangatta Beach

 Australlian Surfer

 Inside Natural Bridge

 View Trom Top Of Natural Bridge National Park