Lake St Clair

Sunrise over Lake St Clair

After packing a lot of stuff back into the van from our time at Seven Mile Beach, we grabbed Paul from Hobart airport, packed more stuff and headed off!  We were heading off to the middle of Tassie on our trip back up North but our first stop was further South.  The Shot Tower at Taroona.

This was a blast from the past!  I  remember it from when I visited Tassie as a child.  It was the first time I was aware of a feeling of being scared of all that space underneath me! Acrophobia had not been explained to me at that stage!  I think I had been too scared to make it all the way up at that stage.  This time I was also very scared and very determined.  I "looked after Dom" and held his hand very carefully and did NOT count the steps, which the the level headed and excited amongst our party were doing.  Mum and I did not enjoy this climb but were proud of our achievements.  All that old wood was quite disturbing!  I was actually much happier at the very top standing in the doorway to the outside with all that lovely strong stone under my feet!!

The lunch which stretched into afternoon tea, was delicious and memorable.

Many windy kilometers later we arrived at Lake St Claire.  It was pretty standard, drizzly, cold weather at dusk when we arrived.  We were suitable cheesed off that someone had taken our van site and left us with the difficult to get into one.  Once Paul managed it, with the greatest of ease, we all felt a lot better.  Thank goodness for our lovely air conditioner, and a powered site, which kept us toasty all night, despite the outside being around 3 degrees.  On waking and going to visit Mum and Dad in their cabin, I actually saw the lake!  It was so lovely.  Dad and Paul enjoyed some early morning photography while I organised breaky and dressing etc.  After a quick pack up we headed off for a walk.  It was bracing but beautiful.  It was the first time I have ever had a yearning to do the Overland Track.  Our walk took us over the first part of it and Paul and I started our plans for doing the track with the boys at some stage 5 or 10 years in the future!

Just after getting on the road, mid morning we stopped to visit The Wall in the Wilderness.  A spectacular 100m wooden sculpture of Tasmania's history.  It is a work in progress by Greg Duncan and is just wonderful.  I think it will be great when it is finished but I am glad we saw it as it was being done.  The boys loved seeing the wood shavings on the floor.  Some parts not even started and other's fully done. it is expected to be complete in 2015, having taken 10 years to make.  We had a van "picnic" in the car park prior to heading out to drive to Cradle Mountain.  It was Mum and Dad's first with us and I think they were suitably impressed with the results and ease with which it all happened!

Isaac and Dom were resting on a big rock while waiting for their lunch.  Some American tourists appreciated the view very much, telling them "You look like a postcard!" in an appropriately loud voice!