We stayed two nights at Cradle Mountain, in the beautiful Currawong cabin right on the edge of the national park. I had a great photo of the front of the cabin that ordinarily I’d have put here; but unfortunatly I deleted it from the camera thinking that I had downloaded it (clearly, I hadn’t). So, here’s a postcard perfect photo of me instead.

The reason “Cradle Mountain” is named as such is because the middle part (kind-of the valley between the peaks) looks like a baby lying on its back, with it’s arms folded across it’s chest. The peaks either side then represent the cradle. Or so it goes.

If you’re not convinced, just remember the guy that named it had apparently had a drink or two at the time…

Anyway, we turned up early and did the “Dove Lake” walk, which was essentially a two-hour walk around the lake below the mountain. Truth be told I didn’t enjoy this walk as much as some of the others that we did; but regardless, it was still beautiful scenery, and it was wonderful to be outside!

The short walk down to St Colomba Falls was definitely the best bang for buck in terms of the walks we did in Tassie. Almost the whole way down was through a spectacular forest of ferns!

The close-up view of the waterfall was a good reward at the end of the hike, but to be honest, the view from about half-way along the walk was even better.

When we got to Binalong Bay, Ben must have been sick of hearing me say, “Oh man, that water looks so good, I wish I could just go for a swim!”, as he dared me $50 to do exactly that. This all sounds well and good, but keep in mind, the water temperature was around minus-a-million degrees. Maybe a tad warmer, but honestly, not much.

Not having my togs on, having a strong fear of the cold, and also armed with a whole host of other perfectly valid reasons to avoid the water, I flatly refused. But, once Mel heard of the bet, she smiled and exclaimed, “Yeah lets do it!”. I didn’t believe she was serious but then she started ripping my shirt off. Oh yes, the bet was on!

Thankfully my Bonds were almost passable as “European swimwear” as we both had to run to the beach in our dacks. There was much screaming when we hit the water – mainly from me that is; Mel pretty much just laughed the whole time.

The bet was to keep our shoulders under the water for at least 1 minute, and we made it to 2 minutes 10 before being called out. To be honest, the water was actually quite refreshing once our bodies got used to it! True to his word, Ben forked out for dinner that night for the two of us. I have to say, it’s a tough way to earn a meal.

Wineglass bay in Frecinet National park is probably one of the most iconic places in all of Tasmania.

It’s a rewarding 30 minute hike up to the lookout, and then about 40 more minutes to get down to the beach. By the time we got there we were all pretty hot, but the water was a bit chilly to duck in for a swim!

A friendly wallaby was making the rounds on the beach, obviously hoping for an easy feed. We named him “Stinky” for his pleasant aroma.

It’s a long hike back to the car from the beach, and by the time we got there we were quite exhausted. Not being a seasoned walker I felt that I was done for the day, however Mel convinced us to do another “20 minute walk” around a lighthouse. Thank goodness she did; it was probably the most spectacular scenery that I’ve ever seen in my life!

Our journey continued north to the little town of Bicheno (BISH-en-oh), where we stayed two nights at Bicheno by the Bay.

Bicheno has a lot going for it, but my favourite part would have to have been the walk along the rocks on the waterfront, towards the blowhole. We were hoping the blowhole would blow, and blow it did – heaps of times! I’m not sure why watching water spurt up from between two rocks is so mesmorizing, but it totally is. We must have watched it for at least 20 minutes, though more than likely that’s maily because I made everyone wait until I had some nice photos.

We also ate very well in Bicheno. Our unit had a decent kitchen so on the first night we made chicken fajitas. The second night we dined in at the Gaolhouse Cafe, where our waitress was a lovely old bird who had a whistle when she pronounced words with an “s” in them. I’ve always wondered if that’s something that people are born with, or if they have to practice it. I had the reef and beef, and it was perfectly cooked – highly recommended!

I could have easily stayed in Bicheno for another two or three nights but our schedule was tight – we had to continue north!

As if Wes and Stacey’s wedding wasn’t reason enough to venture to Tassie, Stacey’s parents put on an amazing lunch feast the day after the wedding, at their motel in Orford.

Goodness me do they know how to throw a party – there was barbequed steak, chicken, seafood skewers, salads, and my absolute favourite – oysters! I must confess that I probably ate more than my share of those babies, but to be fair – Kristy didn’t have any, and half of the guests turned up so late that we didn’t think they were coming – and I certainly wasn’t going to let fresh oysters go to waste!

Phil and Jean have been running the motel for six years, and I can only imagine that the view from their backyard is still an absolute joy to see every day.

Mel and Ben woke up early the next morning to catch the sun rising. At first I was glad to have my sleep in, but when I saw Mel’s photos I immediately knew I’d made the wrong decision!

We stayed in Port Arthur for a couple of nights, either side of WeStace’s wedding. On our first night, we jumped on board the ghost tour of the ruins site. Though some of the information passed on was interesting, the tour itself was a terrible waste of $20 (each!); mainly because our guide was just so uninspiring. We suspect he must have been new at the job as all of his information was practically read from a script – including his poorly timed jokes. I’ve never fallen asleep standing up before, but during the tour, I managed to do so – twice!

On the morning after the wedding, we took a wander through the woods around the lake, and found ourselves emerging in the historic site. We were a little paranoid about being “busted” for entering without paying but it was early enough that there wasn’t too much security around.

We also walked past the remains of the Broad Arrow Cafe where the Port Arthur massacre occurred in 1996. It has now been gutted and turned into a memorial site. In the early morning light, and with no-one else around, it was indeed very somber.

The main event of our Tasmanian trip was to wish Stacey and Wes all the very best for their new life together.

Things didn’t look too promising at first, with overcast skies and drizzly rain threatening to force the wedding indoors. But luckily, the old man upstairs pulled out all stops to clear things up about half an hour before the ceremony on the beach. Racey looked lovely in her wedding dress (though I already knew that, having been there when she first tried it on in the shops!) and Wes looked almost as good as I did in a suit!

The ceremony was just lovely – it was the first beach wedding I’ve been to, and I must say I was rather impressed! The reception was held just up the hill at Stewart’s Bay Lodge, where the delicious meals were only surpassed by the absolutely awesome wedding cake – lemon butter, yummo!

Stacey and Wes – now, officially “Team Bramley” – retired to their castle around 5 PM. I was pretty worn out by the day’s festivities too, so Ben and Michelle, Mel and Benjamin, Tim and Justine and Team Thomas headed back to our room for some gourmet pizzas. I was fast asleep on the couch by 9 PM!

A few photos of the day (from the reception onwards) can be viewed here.