The summer wind came blowin' in from across the sea (Freycinet - Wineglass Bay)

Now, dear reader please don't be like that ... a Frank Sinatra song brings a little class to the blog after commencing this trip with Craig McLachlan and besides, one must cater to all ages.

And then the rain came. Well they call it rain down here. It's like a mixture of drizzle and light rain. Aggravation value more than anything. I didn't even have the wipers on properly. The drive from Quamby to Freycinet was what I have come to expect of Tasmanian roads, long and winding with the occasional corner not adequately signposted. They should have a sign following these corners saying "surprise".

We arrived in Freycinet National Park early and stopped at the visitor centre to collect a walking brochure. The only walks we will be doing, weather permitting will be minor ones. The first walk began at the Visitor Centre carpark down to Great Oyster Bay Beach, 10 minutes return - knocked that one over, too easy. 

We drove around to Freycinet Lodge, quite a large complex. We booked in but could not have our room key until 2pm - and they meant it. As it turned out we arrived at our cabin about 2:20 and the cleaning staff were just leaving. Obviously they have a tight timeline. We set up quickly and tested the internet. It was described as patchy inside our cabin. Read non-existent. It works perfectly if I sit outside on the verandah.

By this time the weather had begun to change. The wind has really whipped up and it was threatening rain. We still completed a couple of the shorter walks despite the capriciousness of the weather. I chose not to take my sunglasses or cap and by the time we arrived at the first walk the sun was breaking through the rapidly moving clouds.

The first walk was a loop around the Cape Tourville Lighthouse. It was a nicely graded track or walking platform with spectacular views over Thouin Bay; it would be a great place to whale watch. A pleasant stroll that consumed only 20 minutes.

The clouds suck the colour out of the vista

Sleepy Bay

Next stop was Sleepy Bay, this time ungraded track, still an easy walk, with one steep section. Only 30 minutes return depending on how long you rock hop and look for that perfect photo en route to the bay. Again some gorgeous scenery and very accessible. The only drawback was the mosquitoes. The little buggers were everywhere. Mozzies don't usually worry me and to be honest I didn't notice them here either, not to say they didn't enjoy some O negative, but Jayne felt them bite. And they went through clothing. The track was steep enough to cause one to work up a sweat and this was exacerbated by our attempt to avoid the mozzies. Ultimately this exertion resulted in us having a bottle of wine to assist with our recovery upon our return to our cabin. I am sure I need not point this out dear reader, but since we have arrived in the Apple Isle we have only partaken of local wines - and excellent quality they are too.

Sleepy Bay from the beach

Jayne waiting patiently with her swarm of mosquitoes

And to dinner. With some trepidation, we tackled the seafood platter. I am not, generally, a fan of the platter dear reader because it allows the providore the option of padding out the platter with battered things and fries.While they are filling, they cheapen the value of the platter for everyone - except the providore wins. Cheaper product, premium price. Not so here at Freycinet Lodge. The bottom layer was mussels and clams in a beautiful tomato broth, the next contained oysters kilpatrick, scallops done in a variety of ways, battered Tasmanian salmon, blue eye, calamari and potatoes. The top layer had abalone, octopus, smoked salmon, smoked mussels and salmon sashimi. Very tidy.

By this stage the sun was beginning its descent to other side of the world so we repaired to our cabin to get the camera. Disappointingly, the colours were nothing to get excited about; in fact I've seen better sunsets in Redfern - often.

I've seen better sunsets

Back to the cabin for a cup of tea on our verandah until the mosquitoes caused a change a plans again. Tomorrow's plans are set but we will see what the weather brings.

Random arty shot