Lay day: in Coles Bay...

Friday October 30, 2009

Today I'm having a day off the bike - but not exactly a rest day, as I plan to climb up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, and have a look around Coles Bay.

A fine sunny day is forecast but rain is expected for the next few days.

After a long lay-in I finally dragged myself out of bed for a lingering breakfast of oats and tea. I stripped everything removable from my bike, then rode to the Freycinet Peninsula NP and the start of the walking trails.

Securing the bike near the entrance, I was surprised to see the car park was already filling.
The walk to the lookout is very popular, and a lot of work has been done to improve the trail. After about 30 sweaty minutes I reached the saddle and took the short side track to the lookout, which was already crowded with a noisy family group.

Finding a shady place off to one side I sat and absorbed the view. I could see all of Wineglass Bay, from entrance to pristine curving beach, and the across the isthmus to Hazards Beach. Behind, Mt Graham and Mt Freycinet stood guard, and off in the distance, a sandy beach on Schouten Island was visible.

The crowd finally thinned enough to get some good photos from the lookout platform, and I wandered around some enormous granite boulders in the saddle before returning to the park entrance. On the way back to town I called in at Freycinet Lodge for lunch at the bistro - the Lodge is a stunning resort complex of rustic but luxurious cabins with the main reception building perched right on the waters edge. Lunch was a huge bowl of mussels steamed in a white wine, tomato and chilli broth, with chunks of crusty bread - absolutely delicious!

I took a turn through the township for more photos along the shore, and picked some supplies for dinner, then made my way back to my accommodation to do some bike maintenance. A quick check for loose screws, some air in the tyres and some lube for the chain is all it took to be ready for another day on the road.