TasMANIA Day 4

And here I thought we'd been getting up early the other mornings, it was a 5am alarm this morning! The idea was to watch the sunrise over the beach, so definitely worth it. Unfortunately it was still completely overcast and a little rainy so we couldn't actually see the sun, it was more watching the sky slowly getting lighter which was still really beautiful. There's nothing quite as powerful as standing out on the rocks in the ocean with nothing in sight but endless expanses of water and coastline beaches. definitely one of my favourite places. While it managed to pour rain while we were packing up the tents (of course) it did get sunny for a little bit so we could take some photos!

Little tents all tucked away behind the trees

Stunning view from our own private little beach

This is what goes on all the way down the coast - absolutely spectacular

After dropping out camping gear off it was time to head to Bicheno, home of our last hostel. Turns out Bicheno is an incredible little town thrown right on the hillside of the ocean! Stunning views from everywhere you look, including the porch of our hostel that had a view right over the beach the was the towns coast. After a quick stop for lunch and to drop stuff off at the hostel it was off the Fraycinet National Park to see the infamous Wineglass Bay.

Easily the best restaurant view I've ever seen

Wineglass Bay can be split into two different parts: the lookout and the actual beach. Being the adventurers that we are, we decided to do both! Might as well do everything possible when you're somewhere because you'll never know when you'll be back. Getting to the lookout was pretty easy, 40 minutes up and fairly steep but there was steps cut into the ground and it didn't last that long.

One of few shots that actually has me in it! Wearing my AOII letters with pride. But the Bay is clearly the star of the show here.

The hike down to the beach was a whole other story. Ridiculously steep and rocky for the first half, it was an adventure to get down, let alone get back up it afterwards. It was a little over an hour down, and about 2 back (indicator of how though it actually was) but 150% worth it! The beach itself is absolutely stunning, and goes on for ages. It's easy to see why it's rated one of the best beaches in the world. A couple of the guys actually had the guts to go swimming, power to them because the water was freezing cold. And I have a pretty high tolerance for cold water from swimming in Lake Superior. It was nice to just have some time to really enjoy and appreciate where we were and the magnitude of that, everyone went off on their own for a bit and had a little moment. Mine of course was out on the rocks at the point of the beach, have I mentioned I love rocks?

Picture perfect beach, literally. 

By the time we got back to the car park it was almost dark, and we were the last ones there! But a day's good till the last drop of daylight so we always made the most of that. We managed to find a little place in town called the Hungry Pig (or something along those lines) which was awesome pizza's and cheap ice cream, best combination after a long day. Then it was back to the hostel to finish off the beer, quite a challenge considering how much we had left. Needless to say our cards games that night got particularly funny and everyone was in a very good mood. Fun was to spend the last night for sure!