Leaving Port Arthur we spent time viewing the diversity and abundance of wildlife and plant-life of the Tasman Peninsula. Vicki admired the rugged bush and spent time in the car imaging what it must have been like for convicts trying to escape complete with leg-irons attached!!. The Tasman Peninsula is well known for its rugged eastern coastline, and much of it is now a national park. At Eaglehawk Neck, the thin isthmus connecting the peninsula to the main island, there are many strange rock formations where the erosional effects of waves are very obvious and which Vicki found fascinating.

Tasman Arch is basically what is left of the roof of a large sea cave, or tunnel, that was created by wave action over many thousands of years. The pressure of water and compressed air, sand and stones acted on vertical cracks (joints) in the cliff, dislodging slabs and boulders.

The Blowhole was once a sea cave and tunnel. The roof at the rear of the tunnel collapsed to create a broad arch with a blowhole behind it. The Blowhole point was originally an unbroken line of cliffs of siltstone. This flat lying rock was formed like a giant layer-cake when mud and silt were deposited into the sea about 270 million years ago. Earth movement cracked the rock, creating vertical joints which enabled the sea to erode caves and tunnels into the sea cliffs. The Blowhole only lives up to its name when the seas are rough and in the right direction. Swells enter the tunnel, and sea-spray and air are blasted through the funnel, creating an explosive effect in the small joints at the back of the 'inlet'. Despite the weather which did not allow the clearest view of the coastline we managed to get some wonderful shots of the rock formations.

Then for a bit of fun I took Vicki to "Doo Town".The town dates back to the 1930s when in 1935, Hobart architect Eric Round began a custom that continues today. He placed the name plate 'Doo I' at his Pirate’s Bay weekender shack. Charles Gibson (Doo-Me) and Bill Eldridge (Doo-Us) followed. The tradition caught on and today most of the town’s cottages have ‘Doo’ names.Doo Town's picture perfect location at the southern end of Pirates Bay has attracted new residents in recent years - all committed to maintaining the Doo Town tradition. We had great fun taking photos of many of the cottages and their quirky names!!

Bye for now. xx