On Sunday 8th May, our group of 60 instagrammers met at 8.15 am at Brooke Street Pier, Hobart for an action packed instameet. We headed out on the water from Hobart to Port Arthur Historic Site on a big Navigators Catamaran, for a bumpy ride down the Derwent, out and around the Tasman Peninsula and past some of the biggest cliffs in Tasmania, we were also lucky to get the chance to see a pod of Dolphins playfully following our boat.
Iron Pot Lighthouse
The 'Iron Pot' is Australia's oldest lighthouse. The origins of this lighthouse are steeped in tragedy, with frequent shipwrecks resulting in an outcry from the settlement. The unique square spire is a testament to convict construction, still standing over 150 years later.
Ship Stern Bluff
Ship Stern Bluff is a globally-renowned big wave surfing location on the south eastern coast of Tasmania, on the Tasman Peninsula.
Cape Raoul
Cape Raoul is situated at the southernmost part of the Tasman Peninsula, in south eastern Tasmania. It forms the coastline of Raoul Bay, and is part of the Dolerite Landscape of the Tasman National Park.
Sea Cave
2 1/2 hours after leaving Hobart, we arrived at Port Arthur Historic Site, where we enjoyed one hour around the beautiful grounds to explore and take photos.
Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most important heritage sites and tourist destination. Located on the scenic Tasman Peninsula in the south east of Tasmania, it offers a unique and essential experience for all visitors to the area. The Historic site has over 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes set in 40 hectares of landscaping grounds. It is Australia's most intact and evocative convict site.
Floral tributes at the memorial pool near the remains of the Broad Arrow cafe site where 20 people lost their lives in Australia's worst mass shooting 20 years ago. 35 people were killed and 23 wounded.
We then hopped on the bus for the short drive to Port Arthur Lavender for an amazing lunch of various delicious seafood, cheeses, salad, dips and fruit all washed down with a glass of wine or two!.
Once we had all devoured the feast we wandered around the grounds and gift shop where they sell an abundance of fresh Tasmanian produce and lavender chocolates, fudge, shortbread and ice cream as well as lavender soaps, talc, and various other body products.
Nestled within 7 hectares of lavender, rain forest and lakes overlooking the ocean at Long Bay, Port Arthur Lavender's visitor centre and cafe showcase millennia-old uses of this fragrant flower alongside modern cuisine and fully functioning essential oil distillery.
We then hopped back on board the bus to the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, which is the world's first intentional Unzoo-a revolutionary project to create a model wildlife and nature experience of the future. We got to feed Kangaroos, cape barren geese and pademelons, we also wandered around the Tasmanian Native Botanic Garden, taking in all the rare and beautiful Tasmanian plants.
This is Fran the Tawny Frogmouth who has been hand raised at The Tasmanian Devil Unzoo
Then it was time to head to the Tesselleted Pavement, even although the weather was dull and wet it didn't stop the enthusiastic instagrammers risking getting soaked in their quest to capture the beauty of this amazing natural geological wonder.
Tessellated Pavement is so called because the rocks here are fractured into polygonal blocks that appear tessellated or tiled. The flatness of the pavement is due to initial erosion by waves carrying sand and gravel. The rocks which absorb sea water during high tide dry out during low tide causing salt crystals to grow and disintegrate the rocks-a process which produces shallow basins.
As if we had not consumed enough at lunch time we enjoyed afternoon tea at Lufra Hotel, which is situated just across from the Tessellated Pavement, there we were offered a delicious selection of cakes, scones, biscuits, tea and coffee, then a glass of bubbly to end a fantastic day before jumping on the bus to head back to Hobart.
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