We depart Launceston
at 8am and our winding road passes though bushland
to stop at the Sidling Lookout to view
the entire valley from the hills to the sea. We marvel at Legerwood’s WWI memorial tree carvings, (my montage is made in commemoration of this amazing
memorial.) We drive through the Myrtle rainforest at Weldborough Pass and
reach St. Helens at lunch time. This small town's Soldiers
Memorial records the area's huge supreme sacrifice to
war.
We pause at a popular holiday spot, Coles Bay near the
entrance to Freycinet National Park.
The Freycinet Peninsula
extends out into the sea and consists of knuckles of granite
mountains surrounded by bays and white sand beaches. As we entered the
park ahead the peaks of the Hazards. Freycinet is effectively two
eroded blocks of granite - the Hazards and the Mt
Graham/Mt Freycinet sections of the peninsula - joined by a sand isthmus
and the peninsula wasas formed over 400 million years. The low
lying isthmus joining these areas was built from gravel that eroded from
the mountains and washed into place by higher sea levels. When the sea
receded the isthmus was exposed.
Weathering and erosion of the granite mountain
areas still continues today. Rock surfaces discolour with a deposit
of iron oxide and other minerals in the water emerges from joints on
large granite rock surfaces(see photo above.) Our Park guide explained the flora and fauna and wild
life in sea, land and air.
Our
overnight stay is at the Bicheno "Beachfront" hotel overlooking Waubs
Beach. This seaside resort area is known for fishing, snorkelling, safe
surf beaches and interesting coastal walks.
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