Day 6 (20 Dec 2017) : Port Arthur – Bicheno
Eaglehawk Neck
This morning we checked out after breakfast. On the way out of Port Arthur, we went by Eaglehawk Neck and stopped by Dog Line for a photostop. Eaglehawk Neck is a narrow strip on the Tasman Peninsula. This narrow strip is the only way out of Port Arthur and so when Port Arthur was still a convict settlement, a line of ferocious dogs were lined along this narrow strip to prevent escapes. Today, a statue of a dog marks this place.
After this we went to check out the Tesselated Pavement, another must see sight on the Tasman Peninsula. Unfortunately, the tide has come in and the tessellated pavement was not as clearly visible as when it would have been at low tide. Nonetheless, we could still see through the water the wonderful work of Mother Nature in creating the tessellation on this beach.
Our last stop before we finally bid farewell to this area was a pit stop at the Tasman National Park Lookout for a view of Pirate’s Bay. Somehow, I did not think the view was great. It definitely did not take my breadth away. Disappointed.
Lunch @ Colonial Tea House & Gift Shop
It was a long drive to Bicheno. We had planned a few stops along the way. Our lunch stop was Colonial Tea House & Gift Shop in Triabunna which was about 1 1/2 hours from Port Arthur Villas and 1 hour from our next stop, Freycinet Marine Farm. It has good reviews on the internet so we decided to have our lunch there.
The cafe was really pretty with lots of colonial times ornaments decorating the shop. There was even an organ and the elderly lady serving us decided to play some music for us. It was lovely! We arrived around 12 noon and they were able to accommodate us at a room with a huge table for 10.
DS2 needed to use the toilet and when he opened the toilet door, he gave an exclamation! We all went over to see what happened, and were all dumbfounded to find a beautiful bathroom complete with a bathtub!
DH and DS2 both decided to have a small lasagna each (A$14.95) They liked it. But I thought the portion was too small for them, but they said it was ok. DD and I had a Shepherd’s Pie (A$18.95) each and it was delicious! The lamb was so tender and was not gamey at all! DS1 decided to have the special of the day which was curried scallops and rice (A$25). He said it was lovely too. Good for someone who miss rice!
For drinks, we had a flat white (A$4.80), 2 soft drinks (A$4), an earl grey (A$4) and an ice coffee (A$6.50).
Overall, we had a good meal in a pleasant environment. I definitely do recommend stopping by here for a meal if you are traveling this way.
Photo-stop @ Spiky Bridge
After lunch, on the way to Freycinet Marine Farm, we made a slight detour to the Spiky Bridge in Swansea.
This bridge was built by convicts in 1843 from field stones laid without mortar or cement and the parapet features field stones laid vertically, giving the bridge a spiky appearance. Up till today, no one knows the reason why it has been built this way. It was an interesting bridge that pops out of the landscape and was worth a brief 5 min photo stop if you are heading this way. Never seen anything like it.
Freycinet Marine Farm
Our purpose of visiting this farm was for the oysters. Freycinet Marine Farm is an oyster farm which also operates a restaurant selling its own produce and fresh local seafood from local suppliers and farms. We had booked a oyster farm tour which comes with free tasting of half a dozen oysters and half a dozen of mussels per pax. The tour cost A$55 per person. The GPS took us to the restaurant. We had paid a deposit so we just made the balance payment at the restaurant and they then directed us to the farm.
It was a further 5mins drive to the farm where we were greeted warmly on arrival. We were given an introduction to the farm and explained how oyster farming is done. We were pretty disappointed with the tour. It was basically just one guy giving a 10 min speech and showing some samples.
After the 10min “show and tell” we had our oyster and mussels tasting. There were definitely more than half a dozen of oysters and mussels for each of us. We had requested for some cooked oysters before hand , so they actually made some oysters poached in ginger and soy for us. Normally they only served raw oysters. The mussels were steamed in lemon. The oysters and mussels were delicious!
We were still not satisfied after this tasting, so we went back to the restaurant for more. The restaurant kitchen closes at 4.30pm. We were there around 4pm and some of the stuff were already sold out. We had wanted a whole baked lobster (A$88), but the guy in front of us bargained with the counter to sell him half at A$44. So in the end when it came to our turn, there was only half left. We added A$10 for a sea urchin and butter sauce for our lobster and it was delicious. We also had a serving of sea urchin (A$15) and a serving of scallops (A$15).
Other items on the menu were :
- Dozen/Half Dozen raw oyster A$22/12
- Dozen/Half Dozen Oyster Klipatrick A$25/15
- Dozen/Half Dozen oysters Poached in ginger and soy $24/14
- Smoked salmon & Brie A$25
- Smoked Salmon A$15
- Mussels steamed in lemon A$20 per bowl
- Mussels In tomato chili sauce A$24 per bowl
Looking at the menu, the farm tour may not be necessary, and we may have better off just eating at the restaurant. For A$55 per pax, we could each have eaten a dozen each of oysters and mussels which would have been much more satisfying.
We noticed that there were a lot of China tourists at the restaurant. They were brought there in coaches. We understand from the guy doing the tour for us that they are very popular with the China tourists and so they are extremely busy during China national holidays. So do take note. We were lucky that when we got to the restaurant, the tour buses were about to leave. Otherwise, we may not have been able to get ourselves a table.
Full and satisfied, we made our way to Bicheno.
Bicheno Blowhole
Just 2 mins before we reach our accommodations at Bicheno by the Bay is the Bicheno Blowhole. We spent awhile here fooling around the rocks and taking photos. Bicheno Blowhole was definitely must better than the Blowhole in Port Arthur. This one was bigger (at least compared to what we saw at the Blowhole in Port Arthur) and sprouts very regularly when we were there.
Four Bedroom Villa @ Bicheno by the Bay
We had booked a 4-bedroom villa which could accommodate all 10 of us at Bicheno by the Bay. Besides the living and dining room and kitchen, there are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom cum toilet on the ground floor. One bedroom had a double bed and the other had a bunk bed for 3, a double on the lower deck and a single on the upper deck. The villa’s sole bathroom is on the ground floor. The shower is together with the toilet, and washing machine.
The upper floor has 2 more bedrooms and a toilet. One bedroom had 3 single beds and the other had a double and a single bed. But the single in this bedroom was not made up as we had only booked for 10pax. Each of the bedroom on the upper floor had a sink and vanity. Thus even though there is only one shower on the ground floor it was not that bad. In the morning, our family of 5 who took the upper floor could wash up in our bedrooms and use the toilet on the upper floor. While my parents and sister’s family used the ground floor bathroom. It was only when we wanted to shower at night that it was a little more inconvenient. But for one night stay, it was ok.
We used the washing machine here. Although they did not provide a dryer, there was a clothes line outside the villa and they provided pegs. So we just hung up our laundry.
The villa was not air-conditioned, but it was ok as weather was cool and really air conditioning was not needed. We paid A$520 for one night stay in this villa.
Just a point to note if you decide to stay here – they do not provide shampoo, only soap. We were ok because I had expected that it may happen with some motels, so I had brought some shampoo and shower foam. As it turns out, all our accommodations provided shower foam, bar soap and shampoo and even conditioner. But of course some were of not very good quality and we were glad we had brought some travel size packs of our own. Bicheno is the only one that only provided bar soap.
Dinner @ Pasini’s
We had made a reservations for dinner at 7pm at Pasini’s as it is right next to the Bicheno Penguin Tour’s office where we were suppose to gather for our penguin tour that night. It is also just 3mins drive from where we were staying. The restaurant is very busy as many people eat here before they go on their Penguin tour. So it is advisable to make prior reservations especially for big groups.
We arrived at 7pm and were seated immediately. This is an Italian restaurant which gets good reviews. My family and my parents decided to share some appetizers and mains as we were all not too hungry after all the seafood that afternoon. For appetizers, we had the cold cut platter (A$25) and calamari (A$18), DD and DS1 shared an additional seafood chowder (A$15).
For mains, we shared a large pizza (A$26) and 2 pasta, a penne carbonara (A$24) and a seafood fettuccini (A$29). For drinks, we had 4 cokes (A$5), a beer (A$10) and an earl grey ($6)
After dinner, DD had a brownie (A$5) and Ddad and I each have a rocky road (A$5). I love my rocky road. It was basically marshmallows and nuts coated with chocolate. So sinful but so good!
Total bill for the 7 of us was A$189. Food was pretty good but service is a little slow as they are very busy. Those attending the Penguin tour are advised to inform them so that they can get you out on time for your tour. Definitely make a reservation if you want to eat here before your tour.
Bicheno Penguin Tour
Doing this tour is the reason why we made a stop at Bicheno. The penguins here are the little blue penguins or fairy penguins. They are the smallest species of penguins in the world and grow to an average height of 33cm only, the length of a ruler.
Online bookings can only be done max 7 days in advance. Any earlier, and you will need to call them on the phone and pay in advance. As there are 10 of us, we decided to play it safe, so I called them much earlier to book the tour. When I called, the first tour of the night at 9pm was already full, so I booked us on the 9.10pm tour. It cost A$35 for adults and A$15 for children.
No photography is allowed on this tour. But they will provide digital copies of photos of the penguins to all participants. So my photos below are courtesy of Bicheno Penguin Tour.
The penguins were really cute and we could see them arriving from the sea and moving towards the beach and coming up to their nests where their partners and young ones were waiting. There were no physical barriers between us and the penguins and a few came right up to us. We all had to stand very still so as not to scare or hurt them.
Seeing the penguins here was very different from seeing them on Philip Island (from what I remember of my visit more than 20 years ago). Although there were fewer penguins here, the experience was much more personal. There were also fewer visitors here and we could go right up to their nest to see them. Comparing all the penguin tours that we have done over the years so far in Australia (Philip Island and this) and NZ (Dunedin), we rate this as the best!
This is definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Thoroughly enjoyed by all young and old. Highly recommended for everyone visiting Tasmania!
Next up: Day 7 – Bicheno – Binalong Bay – Sheffield