Up and on the road early again we headed to waterfall bay for another short hike. The view from the hike was absolutely beautiful. Huge sheer cliffs being perpetually pounded by very powerful waves and surges.
Continuing on we reached the bay itself. Again sheer cliffs, pounding waves, and beautiful vegetation scaling the walls of the cliffs. The sun wasn’t shining too bright this day, but it certainly added a nice mist to the scenery.
We walked back to the car and headed for the long drive to Hobart to stay at Jo’s friend Richard and Juliann’s house.
Once we were close to the house we called to see if they needed anything and stopped to get food and drinks for a barbeque. Upon arrival Richard greeted us with a very warm and welcoming manner and happily gave us a tour of his magnificent house. Sitting on top of a hill with not even one other house in sight and over a 180 degree view of the cities in the distance and a bay just below. After the lengthy tour we began to cook dinner. I made some bruschetta while Theresa prepared some delicious chicken. Once we had had our fill of bread, tomatoes, homemade local olive oil, garlic, and fresh picked basil Richard lit the barbeque. Juliann told Jo she was in charge of making sure Richard didn’t screw up the main course as the two of them headed outside. I walked out to see how things were going and noticed that as the sun was going down the bay below the house was just absolutely stunning.
The tide here recedes about an entire kilometer, and with the calm water and the light reflecting in the shallows, I ran in to grab my camera to try and capture the beauty I was witnessing. After snapping a few pictures Jo, Richard, and I began talking. Talking for ten or so minutes Richard suddenly ran over to the barbeque in a rush, realizing he had forgotten the food and charred most of it. Normally this would be disaster, but given the wonderful company and the fantastic view we sat and enjoyed our dinner almost not even noticing how badly overcooked it was. After dinner our generous hosts pulled out “something very special”. Literally, a log of chocolate fill caramel and nougat. Richard placed the chocolate log on a cutting board next to a bowl of strawberries we had bought at a berry farm earlier that day, while Juliann brought out bowls with ice and baileys. Couple of strawberries and a few chunks of chocolate placed in the bowls with the Bailey’s. Perfection. After sitting and talking over this marvelous dessert for an hour we had eaten over half of the over foot long log. From there it was into the outdoor spa. Perched atop the hill overlooking the entire bay Richard had an eight person Jacuzzi. The power had gone out due to a storm that was moving through, so there we were, in the pitch black, with on and off showers enjoying the spa. Some might say we enjoyed the spa a little too much. Around one in the morning Theresa decided to head off to bed since we had to get up at four to make the four hour drive back to the ferry. Thankful that she did so because Richard, Jo, and I stayed in the spa till four and neither of us were in any condition to drive. Quickly getting ready we rushed out to the car, loaded our bags, jumped in and then all looked at each other. Next came the question that you never want to hear when sitting in a car and running late for a non-refundable ferry ride in Tasmania… you guessed it, “Who has the keys?” Out of the car even faster than we had got into it we all scrambled through the house in search of the keys. Thirty minutes later we found them sitting on a post just outside the door and were back in the car and on our way. Not more than five minutes into the drive it started raining horizontally. I honestly, never in my life, have seen raindrops this big. Theresa really stepped up to the plate determined to get us to the ferry on time as I navigated. About an hour into the drive the rain cleared and we had what we thought would be smooth sailing. At six thirty Jo called the ferry to see what would happen if we did in fact miss our boat. The lady on the other end of the phone asked where we were at that moment and politely told us there was no way we were going to make it, and to give her a call back when we wanted to book the next ferry that was available. That ferry departed the following night. Still determined that we could make it we charged forward. We were told the last car was allowed at 8:15am. We pulled into the ferry yard and 8:30 and were the last car loaded. We erupted with smiles, laughter, and stories from the night before after having not said but a few words during the 3 and a half hour drive. On the ship for the long eight hour journey, we settled in for some sleep. The rest of the journey back to Melbourne went to plan. Disembarked, ate some fantastic noodles for dinner, got to Jo’s, unpacked, had a drink on the deck, and went to bed. Following day was the day of domestics. Jo had to go to work, Theresa and I both had laundry to do, and I had a ton of things to take care of on the computer. Booking flights, busses, email, skype, etc… After all of that was done, Theresa and I walked into town to grab a drink and an appetizer while we waited for Jo to finish work. Once Jo joined us we headed to the market to get things for dinner. Arriving back at the house, we sat around drinking wine and making a meal. I prepared steak with roasted tomatoes, and roasted potatoes, and Theresa made a delicious salad with cucumber, bell peppers, and feta. After dinner we all sat on the deck to chat and watch shooting stars. Well, actually, everyone but Jo officially saw shooting stars, but no one was keeping score.
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