Day 6 on the South Coast Track. After a morning ocean bathing session we packed up our carry bags and smashed out the last couple of hours of walking towards Cockle Creek. I was pretty happy to be leaving the sandflies which had destroyed my body over night, but saddened to leave the simple life we had been living the last 6 days.

School photo

Makeshift picnic bench and South Cape Bay

South Cape Bay from the clifftop

The end of the road at Cockle Creek

The ‘true believers’

 

 

Day 5 on the South Coast Track. After another late departure we took off from our awesome clifftop camp spot at Surprise Bay and started for our last camp on the South Cape Rivulet. Today was hot, muddy, and a reasonably short walk which was a treat for our pins. There was even a rad natural shower on the way!

Alfredo in his recovery position

Surprise Bay campsite

More beach walkz

Shazwa time

Looking South

Alfredo powering on

A moments respite from the heat

Mud

Green stuff

Alfredo again in recovery position

Sporkies

The A-team looking pretty cooked at South Coast Rivulet

Looking into the deep West

 

Jesso at camp sandfly

Camp sandfly

Stargazing and life chats

Day 4 on the South Coast Track. All but one of the posse awoke happy to a scorcher of a day on the coast. Unfortunately classic Alfredo had failed to wash his hands sufficiently somewhere along the journey and had come down with a bout of gastro. So we donated all our hydrolyte, hand sanitiser and corking pills to Gastro Boy before we took off from Deadman’s Bay. Unfortunately for him, today we had decided to make a long day of it and make for Surprise Bay camp. Day 4 was easily the highlight of the trip as we were treated to seals, boats, swimming, side trips, snakes, sunsets, and Surprise Bay itself was alright too.

 

Big balls procrastinating at camp

A little sapling rising like a phoenix

Clouds in the tea

A mirror-like stream at Deadman’s Bay

Gastro Boy preparing to mount the Elephant Seal, near Menzies Bluff

Birdlyfe

Walking the long stretch at Prion Bay

Jesso showing us how she rowed stroke back in highschool – Milford Creek with Precipitous Bluff in the distance

Prion Bay and De Witt Island in the distance

Birdseye view of the crossing

Bush bashing the coastline – “If you really want to do it, you can do it” – Gastro Boy, 2017

We definitely should have waded across this part – Milford Creek

Jesso preparing to boot-up on Milford Creek

Looking back at Prion Bay and De Witt Island

Big balls hanging ten on the conglomerate at Osmiridium Beach

Meandering through the forest in the later arvo as we were nearing camp

Trees

 

Sundown as we were walking into camp at Surprise Bay

Emerging from the forest to an awesome sunset

Highlight – Slowly walking along the beach into day 4 camp as the sun was dropping

Sharp rock formations at Surprise Bay looking out towards Pretty’s Point

Pretty’s Point

Sunset over Surprise Rivulet after having a dip before dinner

Lizzy cooking more complex carbohydrates

Day 3 on the South Coast Track. We awoke to another tip top day in paradise. After a refreshing baptism in Louisa River to get the blood flowing we departed to tackle the Ironbound Range, the biggest climb of the main track. Unfortunately the Mad Hatters had caught up to us again and this led to one or two traffic jams throughout the day. Going up seemed a breeze once we had followed Lizzy’s advice to enter a possessed/meditative state by counting every 8 breaths. The clear weather and open track rewarded us with clear views of the inner South West and coast line. Going down through the dense and moist forest on the South side of the range was a bit of a slog. We encountered many beaten individuals along the way, including one young American guy who had somehow managed to get himself lost for “27 hours” in the bush before coming across the track again. The track eventually opened up into dry coastal forest before we reached a very busy day 3 campsite at Little Deadman’s Bay.

The duckboard highway

Tasmanian Christmas Bells

Nice bonnet Bells

Lizzy and Alfredo on the summit

Views of the South West with Federation Peak in dead centre

A Pandani in the road

The French backpacker

An unknown little cove near Little Deadman’s Bay

Camp day 3

Little Deadman’s Bay at dusk

Alfredo and the French backpacker

Jesso reading her cup of soup sediment