Sailing out of the River Derwent and around the Iron Pot, we make a left turn and head across Storm Bay past Betsy Island and on to Wedge Island before we round Cape Raoul. We then head up past Black Rock and Crescent Bay before making our way toward the convict settlement of Port Arthur. Here we cruise by Point Puer where Britain’s first prison for boys once stood and then on past
the Isle of the Dead before heading into Stewart’s Bay for our first night.
Today it’s on to Cape Pillar, the Tasman Peninsula and Tasman Island viewing the breathtaking 300-metre-high cliffs. Heading up the East Coast we pass Eaglehawk Neck and Bream Creek and head for Maria Island. Originally a convict settlement Maria still features many old buildings. The water between Maria and the mainland is called Mercury Passage and accommodates fishing of rock lobsters, scallops, and abalone as well as mussel farming.
A National Park it includes a marine area of 19 square kilometres and offers great diving experiences.
Now we motor on to the Freycinet Peninsula and after passing Schouten Island arrive at Coles Bay. The town is on the northern end of Great Oyster Bay with stunning views of the red and pink granite peaks known as The Hazards.
Apart from it’s stunning scenery Coles Bay is famous for being Australia’s first plastic bag free town in 2003.
Today we say farewell to Great Oyster Bay and head south past Swansea as we head for the Schouten Passage and escape to the open sea before we take in the sheer beauty of Wineglass Bay from the waterside as this shimmering crescent of white sand spills into crystal sapphire blue waters. Tonight, we anchor in Wineglass Bay for a night off a shore listed in the ten best beaches in the world. Wineglass regularly attracts visitors from around the world.
Today, unfortunately we must leave Wineglass Bay and start heading home. Our skipper steers us back past Maria Island and then onto Fortescue Bay where towering forests meet the sea and wildlife abounds. The dredge William Pitt was scuttled at Fortescue Bay to act as a breakwater. Before being towed here the dredge was used in the construction of the Hobart Bridge the predecessor of the Tasman Bridge of today. Tonight, we spend our last night in this picturesque bay.
Back to the capital of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 Hobart nestles on the Derwent River featuring colourful waterfront restaurants offering freshly caught seafood, and the world-famous Mona art museum along with Constitution Dock where the Sydney-Hobart Yacht race competitors tie up.