The Tasmania North East Coast

We were now seriously into, what I call, island hopping. With plenty of time up our sleeves, we had the luxury of 60-80klm destinations, which is fortunate, since this part of Tassie is far and away the most popular destination. With a plethora of spots to choose from, I left it to Ken to put together his wish list and I was happy to ride shotgun.

We pulled out of Swan River Campground the next morning, but not without some drama. I had used an empty van site as a sort of drive way to back into my spot. Unfortunately, when I went to leave, it was occupied (again, never assume….). My escape route had been sabotaged!! Luckily the occupants, one of whom was ex-army were very helpful and with his experience, after many incremental back and forths, the rig finally had the angle it needed to successfully attempt an escape.

The euphoria of level, open roads had still not worn off as we headed into Bicheno. Now remember, Ken’s the foody, so no surprise our first port of call was The Lobster Shack. Right on the ocean and with an international reputation for….wait for it…..lobster, he was beaming as he tucked into the famous lobster roll with a side of chips. ‘Effusive’ was his endorsement as he munched away.

I’d pinched a head start on our run to Lagoon Beach Campground, our home for a couple of nights. Ken was not long behind and I’d secured a nice spot for both of us. The fishing had been, let’s say underwhelming so far, and he had high hopes of salvaging something from here. I was so convinced by his optimism, that I joined him later that afternoon and we attempted to right this terrible ‘injustice’. The weather was sublime, but the fish remained submerged. So we contented ourselves with a long walk along the beach, enjoying what would turn out to be, the last days of a late summer.

Ken was very much in the ‘let’s see, let’s do’ mode, and I smiled to myself that I too, had gone through this phase when Tamika and I first hit the road over four years ago. Our mini road trip started with a climb through Elephant Pass that was, well, nothing we hadn’t already experienced – windy and narrow. A loop through Campbelltown and then the road back to the coast found us in St Helens – just in time for coffee and a look around. We knew we’d be somewhere here the next day, so took the opportunity to get the lay of the land. I thought it would be a quick trip back along the coast road, but Ken had one more surprise – St Columba Falls.

Well, given our previous encounters with waterfalls in Tasmania, I was more than a little skeptical that this two hour diversion would be worth the trouble. Skepticism turned briefly to despair when on arrival, the entrance to the walk down was blocked off with a sign saying Falls Closed Landslips. Poor Kenny was cursing.

But, dear readers, you already know what happens next. With a stoop and a wriggle I was under and away. It was all down hill and nothing to onerous. I’m sure I heard Ken sigh with (here we go again)resignation as he too, followed me and caught up as we neared the falls. Well, as they say, fortune favours the brave. THIS was what I’d been looking for.

Ken was happy with his bucket list pics from the viewing platform but, as I waved him off with a “I won’t be long”, I was already eyeing a boulder in the middle of the stream below as my platform for some serious photography. Picking my way around boulders and fallen trees, I made my way down to the target. A couple of ‘leaps of faith’, and I was there, in the heart of nature’s cathedral.

Photo’s were taken, but mesmerized by the roar of the falls and the tumbling water over rocks, time kinda got away from me.”Won’t be long” became almost an hour. Meanwhile, poor Ken was being pursued around the carpark by overly friendly European wasps, too hot to take refuge in the car. You can guess I wasn’t exactly feted as the epic adventurer when I finally made it back. Aaah, a small price to pay for a treasured experience, and Kenny understood (eventually).

And that turned out to be the last I’d see of summer in Tasmania. Within 24 hours a very different side of the north east coast would be upon us – dark and wild.