Thursday, still in Tasmania, I drove up the east coast towards Freycinet National Park (pronounced fray-se-nay), with a 2 night stay booked in Swansea, a small town on Great Oyster Bay, just an hour from the park. Unfortunatey, it was cloudy and rainy all day, and Tasmania is not as warm as Sydney (only ~60F with the clouds). So my sightseeing hopes for the first day were somewhat dampened. Even more unfortunate, I have learned too late that Australians are on a rather set early schedule, at least outside of big cities. If you want breakfast, lunch, or dinner at a restaurant, you'd better be there between 7-9am, 12-2pm, or 5-8pm, respectively, or you don't get to eat. Even in a different time zone I like to sleep in and am a slow starter in the morning, so I generally had to wait until noon for my first real meal, and then tried to remember to eat again by 8. But this common schedule also meant that even though there's daylight until 9:30pm, tours end by 5pm. So I arrived in Louisville in Prosser Bay too late to catch a ferry and spend time on Maria Island (reknowned for its striking "Painted Cliffs" and other natural rock formations), and I couldn't see it through the rain and fog, so I can't even say for sure that the island exists! But Australians are honest folks, so I'll take their word for it. ;-) With that plan thwarted, I happened upon great off-road drive through Wielangta park, including a short walk through a rain forest (in the rain -- very appropriate). The park is a mix of bushwalking trails, logging areas, and natural reserves. The Eucalyptus forests are stunning -- even from a distance there is no mistaking them for any forest in north america. It seems most Tasmanians really don't like logging, and it shows -- a whopping 40% of the island state is designated natural reserve. Despite my morning slumber inclinations, I set my alarm for 5:30am just in case there was a clear sunrise. No luck -- fog and clouds Friday morning and most of the day. It cleared up for a couple of hours around lunch time, conveniently just as I was reaching a lookout point in Freycinet Park. I got to enjoy wonderful views as I ate my packed lunch. In the afternoon I took a boat tour around the park (good rest for my knee), and the rain held off until just after we returned. I then drove up to the base of the most famous hike on the east coast -- the lookout over Wineglass Bay. I was very tentative about it after reading the hike listed as "difficult" with over 600 steps each way up the mountainside, but I've seen postcards of this view everywhere, and it is so spectacular. I met a couple just as they were returning and asked them about the hike. They said they were totally beat, and with the cloud cover and rain returning, there was little to see at this point. I told them about my knee, and they looked at me like I was insane, saying that tomorrow *they* were going to have knee problems after doing this hike. So, with Mother Nature and even my own body against me, I relented. But, for a shot of something close to what I *would* have seen -- see the photo I attached to this postcard. Back in my hotel room that night, with the rain pouring down outside and watching Thelma and Louise on the small tv in the room, I was grateful for the good weather I had had for most of the trip, but bummed that I my ending was getting washed out. The next morning I was returning to Sydney. I set my alarm again for 5:30am, but without much hope. When the alarm went off, I almost reset it for 6:30 without even looking out the window. I am so thankful I forced myself out onto the balcony. Mother Nature was about to offer me a brief reward for all my persistence. I hurriedly pulled on some clothes, grabbed my camera, and ran down to the dock (my knee can heal later). And I was treated to a half hour of the most awe-inspiring sunrise I think I have ever seen. Do be sure to look at my photos, because words could never do it justice! With that send-off, I returned to Sydney for my final night in Australia with a big smile on my face.