Today we bade a fond farewell to Coles Bay, where the temperature this morning was 6 degrees, feels like -1. The wind was brutal, but no snow to be seen.

There are some nice towns along the way, such as Swansea and Sorrell, but right in the middle of nowhere we came across this coffee shop, where we enjoyed a nice cuppa and a Mars Bar slice. Lunch was cheese and ham on buns, enjoyed in the warmth of the car in a park in Sorrell.

The Salamanca Inn is located right next to the famous markets, but road closures made it hard to find our way in. We pulled over when we could find a parking space and rang the hotel. The receptionist cheerily told us to drive around the Road Closed barrier and into the car park where she would raise the barrier for us.

We found the place and checked in. This is our room…

Very classy!

With an hour to spare before closing time, we wandered down to the markets. It is exhausting just looking at it, let alone walk around the stalls. Apparently this happens every Saturday.

There are numerous transport options available. The Spirit of Tasmania does not normally come to Hobart, but is here to show off the latest incarnation before it returns to Melbourne for fitting out.

Margaret unwittingly demonstrated the changes in telecommunications in our lifetime.

It is Margaret’s birthday today, so feel free to call or text her with appropriate blessings. 😀

Dinner tonight is room service from the swanky hotel restaurant. Should be good!

A beautiful start to the morning at Coles Bay today. Sky and sea are blue, no wind and not too cold.

The forecast was for deteriorating weather during the afternoon, so we decided to check out the Tourville Lighthouse.

The lighthouse is in the Freycinet National Park, just 15 km away.

We came across a group of people at one lookout. They were excitedly looking at a rocky island a little way off the coast.

If you look closely at the top of the rock on the left, you may see a dark spot, which it turns out is a fur seal. Zooming in on my original I actually found half a dozen scattered around the rock. Here is a cropped version that might help you see them.

This is our last night here. Just two more nights in Hobart before we fly home. It has been a very relaxing and refreshing time.

Day 7! That means only 4 days left!

This morning the weather was terrible- very wet in Launceston. We were going to visit the famous Launceston Gorge, but the weather was not inviting. Instead we travelled to our next stop, St Helens.

The East Coast is more like your normal coastal towns on the mainland. The West Coast is far more rugged and towns are isolated from each other and from the main population centres.

Our room wasn’t ready so we had lunch and headed for the Bay of Fires. By now the rain was coming down and the wind was getting close to 100 km/hr. I quickly jumped out of the car, threw my coat on and snapped a few photos before we got blown into the ocean.

We then headed back to the Panorama Hotel, where our room was ready to enter. We have a magnificent view from our upstairs room, and the balcony is on the sheltered side of the building so it isn’t too bad out there.

We only have one night here so tomorrow we move on to Coles Bay, thence on to Hobart.