A Crackerjack Day

Turned out to be one of the cracker days of the journey today.

The coin came down in favour of the mill tour, so we needed to be out early to book it. Somehow $10 a head, which seemed rather steep, turned into $25 for all of us which was rather more palatable. The maths was going my way, so I didn’t question it. Since I was originally going to go by myself, and I didn’t think they had any other takers, I didn’t have high hopes for the tour at that price, but for $25 for the family, we didn’t need much.

Having 90 minutes to kill, we whipped down to the Gloucester Tree for a look. I’d made up my mind that one tree was enough to climb. When we were there we met some locals who go up most days, only taking a few minutes. Being a smaller climb, I almost succumbed, but resisted. We opted instead for the scenic walks in the area through the forest, with birds, trees, and fallen logs to climb over.

Heading back into town, we met our guide at the cafe. A little alarmingly, our guide apologised, saying the tours were the only break he gets from being the chef, but then I guess it is a small town, and multi-skilling increases your viability. It turns out we should not have worried. Our $25 was probably one of the best investments of the journey so far.

Our chef guide had an interesting story to tell (see other post) and had worked in the mill for eight years himself. He had operated all of the machines himself, but by his own admission, some rather better than others. After some background story in the landing yard (where incoming logs are stockpiled to tide the mill over logging shutdowns when the forests are wet) it was into the mill proper. From an elevated walkway we could see incoming logs going through several stages of being cut before the final product disappears out the back end of the mill. The walkway ended in a room quiet enough to remove earplugs for a conversation, but with large windows so we could still watch the mill floor in operation.

Our hour-long tour grew into lunchtime, so by the time it ended, it was off to the “i” to find out where the local smokehouse was that we had read about. Up the street we found a brilliantly decked out boutique lunch bar which made its own extensive range of smoked goods, including trout, chicken, duck, salamis and dips. Supplementing this was a range of other gourmet products. However the best was yet to come. The comedy duo staffing the shop insisted we try everything, bringing out tray after tray of delectable goodies in between serving other customers and answering the phones. By the time we had been through the fridge we had consumed a quite acceptable lunch, but our appetite for more meant our host was well rewarded for his investment.

Next stop was to head back toward the coast to Point D’Entrecasteaux and Windy Harbour. On the way we looked for a sculpture garden in Northcliffe, but the $30 entry tag was a little too high after the lunch bill, and we didn’t have the time to do justice to that amount of admission. We did however pass by a granite outcrop called Mt Chudalup. The 1.5km return to the top initially turned us off, but Elliot was a fully wound up Energizer Bunny and charged off, so up we went. Third great choice for the day. Return for effort here was outstanding. About a 20 minute climb gave extensive 360 degree views all the way to the coast, with quite different habitats giving new plants and flowers on the way up.

Windy Harbour lived up to expectation. It sure was windy, but how you could ever launch from the boat ramp into rock-infested waters with that swell rolling was beyond me. The lateness of the hour and the cold wind kept us on the move, up to the point and the lookouts in the surrounding areas to the west.

The limestone range provides for some majestic coastal cliffs and other formations, with the wind and sea constantly eroding the limestone to change the coast. The views were stunning with the sun falling in the west but the cold wind and the need to cover some territory kept us on the move.

Then came good choice number four. We headed for Shannon National Park, mostly because it was on the way and at the right time. however, when we rolled in about 6pm, the camping registration said there are two cabins available on a first come first serve basis for the same price as camping. There being a marked lack of tourists in these parts (which also explains why all of the shops are so pleased to see us) the first one we looked at was empty, so in we went.

Ok, so the facilities are basic. We have three wooden benches for beds, but we have a pot-belly stove. Heaven in a cold climate. There’s also a wood-fired heater to warm the showers, but we probably won’t partake of that.

You never know what you will find.