Just a 5 hour drive she said, it's just 500kms she said....

After taking advantage of the local cafe at Strahan for a few days, we packed up and were off again to see the southern most tip of Australia. Apparently, standing in Cockle Creek, you are closer to Antartica then you are to Cairns...

The driving day was yet another long driving day. Kids were pretty good, but the 5pm witching hour was getting close and we were nowhere near our destination. We made a sensible decision (we don't always) to stop at 'The Lea' just south of Hobart, feed the kids and get some sleep. A good sleep was had by all, except for the interruption by a furry intruder who half entered our van via the roof hatch and left a big chunk of hair on his escape.

A slow winding road through the Huon Valley and then a slower bumpier gravel road brought us to a view over a pristine bay lined with white sandy beaches. The weather was again on our side, so we set up camp in the trees behind the dunes at Cockle Creek, another spectacular free camp.

Sunrise over the beach, and a relaxing start saw us head out on a rather challenging (to say the least) hike to the southern most tip of Australia, South Cape Bay. Recommendations were to take warm clothes, food, etc etc.... as conditions can change dramatically. We didn't heed those warnings, as it was a lovely warm blue bird day with not a cloud to be seen. We sorted out our coffee, grabbed a light picnic lunch and headed off in our summer get up. A few up and downs and then out onto endless stretches of duck boards through the valleys. Grey clouds and winds started to pick up as we hit the turn around point on the cliffs overlooking South Cape Bay.

The 4 hour return hike quickly turned into a 6 hour return with strong winds and plummeting temperatures, without a spray jacket or 'gortex' between us. Both of us carrying a child, we were pretty sapped by our return. Having said that, it was an amazing hike with spectacular views over South Cape Bay. We have hopefully learnt a few lessons though....

The next few days we opted for more touristy ventures, including a return trip on the historic Ida Bay Railway, and a relax in the Hastings Caves hot springs. We even found a great spot for lunch by the river in Huonville as we headed north back towards Hobart and Richmond. I have heard that there is a bridge around here somewhere that I might be interested in...