Despite some rain and heavy gusts of wind overnight, the day bloomed bright. Had it been raining we would have not proceeded with the day's plans: walking to South Cape Bay. This is the most southerly accessible point in Australia - well, accessible by a long walk only. It is the first part of the overland walk which takes several days, ends at Lake Pedder and is only for the completely insane. Matthew would like it…

The return trip was supposed to be 4 hours but us elderly folk took 2:45 there and 2:20 back. Well, the outward journey involves lots of photos and stopping to examine the fungi and the flowers.

It was not an easy track for the first third and it was hard to look up and admire the surroundings - the track was rocky, criss-crossed with tree roots and had many mud patches to be negotiated. The middle section was easier with narrow boardwalks weaving through bogs. And in the last, when you can finally hear the sea, the way becomes rocky and muddy again.

At the end of the journey are cliffs with layers of grey friable shale on which grows absolutely nothing. Then around the corner of the cliff, there is Sandy Cape Bay with its long golden-sand beach. The wave roll in from the Southern Ocean and are quite wild, but no doubt get a lot wilder in less clement weather. Look south and Antarctica is the next stop; look west and the next landfall is South America - the long way round.

Nearly 3 hours to get there - we did not relish the prospect of the long way back… After a bite to eat in a sheltered spot with an ocean view, we trudged back. It didn't take as long, but we were pretty tired when we got back to the camper, so we vegged out with a good book and a glass of wine (or two).