13th January, Tasman Island Eco Tour

Getting ready for a 3 hour roller coaster ride leaving Eaglehawk Neck for Port Arthur via Tasman Island.

Just getting in close to the rocks, near the blowhole.

Tasman Arch, a different view you can see people up at the lookout.

Coming out from inside Tasman Arch.

Inside the Devils Kitchen.

Another view of Devils Kitchen.

Devils Kitchen.

Dollarmite Cliffs at Cape Pillar. At this point that is 1000 feet of vertical rock face directly above the boat.

Going into the cave under the cliffs.

Loading dock where the supplies were loaded for supplying the lighthouse keepers on Tasman Island. The boats would pull up under this cable and the light keepers and families would be raised up in a basket and winched back to shore.

The other end of the cable.

Seals on Tasman Island.

Tasman Island lighthouse.

Cathedral Rocks.

One of the many blow holes along the coast.

A closer view of Cathedral Rocks before we went into the channel behind them. The skipper had told us that we were lucky enough to have the highest tide levels in 80 years and he was going places he couldn't normally go.

Inside one of the caves near Cathedral Rock.

This is why you can get into tight places, 30 feet of rock and roll with 3 x 375 HP Mercury outboards outback.

Isle of the dead, in Port Arthur harbour.

12th January, Cockle Ck to Port Arthur

Camp site at Cockle Creek.

Lunch spot on the Huon Penninsula between Egg & Bacon Bay and Vernon Sands.

Tasselated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck.

Entrance to the VC prior to going on the ghost tour of the Port Arthur historic site.

Part of the old ruins damaged by successive bush fires through the area over many years. Thanks to daylight saving the ghost tour started in the daylight at around 8.45pm.

View across Port Arthur Harbour towards the original boat building area. We walked around to the Port Arthur ruins from the camp ground via the walking track which follows the waterfront in the afternoon, but decided against walking back through the ruins by ourselves after the ghost tour.

The guard tower sits above the condemned cell, which housed convicts awaiting transport to Hobart town for hanging.

Inside the old mortuary in the basement of the old hospital building. Note the reinforcement work to preserve the ruins.