Thanks to all of you who have left comments. I’m finding it too hard to reply but will get back to you in a couple of days when I can relax and do it. It’s an absolutely beautiful day here so I’m going to upload some Geocaches and then set off on some searches. 🙂
The sun came up and we got up, very quietly since all the other campers were sleeping. We managed to be all packed up before the Baker’s was even open so then we had a walk along the beach. There are oyster and abalone shells all along the beach and the ducks were out dabbling in the seawater again. Breakfast was at the Baker’s Shop.
Not far north of Cole Bay is a wetlands and sanctuary called, “The Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve” and having walked into it I can only say the name is apt, there were heaps of feathers all about. An Egret was standing at the water’s edge when we arrived but immediately took off and all the black swans moved away from the shoreline. There wasn’t much for us to see but I’m sure it would be very different during the breeding season when flocks of other birds arrive.
We still haven’t seen a Tasmanian Devil but we did see a Peacock today, I think she was an escapee. Why are they always called Peacocks? No-one ever says Peahen but it wasn’t a male.
St Helen’s was an interesting place with a busy wharf. We walked along the jetty and noticed various people working on their boats, many of which had stacks of cray pots on deck. Two men were working on a boat engine, one was operating a winch and the other had his head below deck in the workings. We walked to the end of the jetty then came back and when we were level with the boat with the faulty engine there was a bellow of, “You useless f…… piece of s……..”. The winch man caught my eye so I said, “It’s not going well then?” He grinned and said, “No, it’s not going well.” The Geriatric Geezer thinks I’m lucky the man below didn’t hear me or I would have scored a double dose of expletives. (Later in the day we walked along the Bridport wharf but decided it was probably wise not to go to the end where workers from the loaded sheep carrier were talking with other boatmen.)
I realized today that I only had my hikers’ boots accessible, all my other shoes are stashed under the bed in the camper which we weren’t going to open again until we got home. I didn’t think I’d be abIe to relax in the Golf Club dining room wearing hikers’ boots so I decided to look for some shoes in Scottsdale. There was a great shoe shop with a very friendly owner and the Geriatric Geezer excelled as a sales assistant. I bought some shoes and am relieved we don’t have to reopen the camper.
I think the Geriatric Geezer is in Golfers’ Nirvana, he’s booked in for a round on Barnbougle Golf Course starting at 7:20 but will be out pottering long before that. I’m going to enjoy the comfort of our cabin then go in to Bridport. There are walking tracks and a wildflower sanctuary so I’ll enjoy those. I might go back to Scottsdale to the Library which has WiFi, I’m having no luck connecting here even though it’s available and the Library in Bridport is closed on Thursdays! Before we go away again I’m going to get a tablet so I don’t have to cope with text that leaps inexplicably from place to place and an Internet dongle so I don’t have to rely on anyone for Internet access…….. or I could give up blogging and just veg out!
The Geriatric Geezer thought it would be a lovely idea to walk over the pass in The Hazards to Wineglass Bay. I had serious reservations because I could see where it must go and that was UP a very rocky range. I’m not good at climbing up and had visions of collapsing somewhere that required rescue services to get me out. Against my better judgement I went and I did survive though my legs are still in shock.
When we arrived at the carpark, ready to start our walk, a Wallaby with joey came right up to us and was looking for food, there was no hint of nerves at all. Others came to join her including a joey that fed from its mother while she stood and waited for some tasty titbit. They posed beautifully but got no reward .
The way the tracks have been made is great with local rocks and boulders being used to make culverts and seats as well as steps. In some places signature pieces of large gears have been set in amongst the stones. The tracks were made by John (Snapper) Hughes who apparently also worked on Larapinta Walks in Alice Springs.
We started out wearing jackets because the wind was cold but it wasn’t long before first the jacket came off then the jumper. We climbed up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout then began the trek down to the beach. We ate lunch sitting on rocks overlooking the bay and out to the hills beyond then the trek back began. I set myself little targets eg 50 steps then a stop and after each stop extended my target until finally we reached the track to the Lookout. What a relief from then on I knew we’d be going down, now it was time for the Geriatric Geezer to suffer since his knees hurt when he’s walking downhill. Back at the campsite we enjoyed a lovely cold cider.
These campsites are so popular that over the Christmas and Easter holidays you have to put in an application then in August a lottery is drawn, if you’re lucky to win a place you can stay for up to 10 days. I think it’s just this section which has 19 powered sites & an amenities block with 2 hot showers, 4 mins for $2. There are other little enclaves for people not towing anything. There are heaps of motorhomes and campervans about mostly driven by French and Germans. There are even more Japanese, often in groups using people movers and staying in accommodation.
A gentle walk along the beach put us in the mood for dinner.
2macstracks 
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