11/29/06: Tasman Peninsula from the Sea

This morning I took a quick walk down to the beach below my hotel to see the Tesselated Pavement. The term tessellated means “interior or exterior floor covering composed of stone tesserae (Latin: “dice”), cubes, or other regular shapes closely fitted together in simple or complex designs with a durable and waterproof cement, mortar, clay, or grout.”

In this case, what appears to be a flat stretch of cobblestone or flagstone pavement is a purely natural phenomenon. The flat surface of what is now the beach is siltstone, laid down when the area was at the bottom of a sea. The siltstone cracked due to stresses in the earth’s crust, with the cracks occurring in three different alignments. The cracking was followed by erosion. Areas farther from the ocean tend to erode at the surface more quickly than the joints, so they look more like flat tiles. Areas closer to the water get more erosion at the joints due to the salt crystals and sand, and tend to form more pan shaped or brick shaped forms.

After checking out of my hotel, next up was a “Sealife Experience Tasmania” cruise in a former whale-watching boat, which would go from Eaglehawk Neck down the east coast and around Tasman Island at the tip of the peninsula, about 30 kilometers each way. Finding the jetty from which the cruise departed took a bit of doing, and when I thought I was in the right place I walked down to check it out before I gathered up my jacket and camera. Turns out I was indeed in the right spot. Two young men owned the boat and took turns piloting and providing commentary. After they confirmed that I had the right place, one of them asked me if I was going to “rug up a bit before the trip.” (I.e., dress more warmly. And yes, most assuredly I was.)

The cruise was a chance to see the wild and rugged cliffs and coastline from the sea. We were able to maneuver quite close to features such as rock arches and caves, and right up to seals sunning (well, clouding, I guess) on the rocks and splashing into the water. The seas were fairly rough (at least from my inland lake perspective), and I was glad that I had fortified myself with some Dramamine before we left. One of the participants was looking a bit glassy eyed towards the end of the trip.

This area of Tasmania has a hugely varied geology. Sedimentary siltstone, sandstone, igneous dolorite and granite rocks. A lot of the siltstone has been (and continues to be) eroded out by the surf and waves, creating arches, caves, and blowholes. The water is incredibly clear, and there’s great scuba diving. I was kicking myself for not getting some scuba diving in, despite the cold water, but then I realized that with the tail end of my cold still hanging on, it would not have been pleasant to try to equalize the pressure in my ears.

In addition to seals, amazing rock formations and cliffs, we saw albatrosses and other sea birds and jellyfish and kelp forests and sea eagles' nests. Towards the end of the trip we stopped in a sheltered bay for wine (I had orange juice since I would be driving soon) and smoked salmon and cheese and squid and tuna. Quite tasty, although I passed on the squid.

At the end of the cruise I headed for Hobart, my last destination before returning home. On the way I stopped at a berry farm and had a Devonshire tea. As I was paying for my tea, I spotted a box of cherries that had been picked that morning and couldn't resist purchasing them. When I got to my bed and breakfast place in Hobart, I started nibbling on them. They were fabulous, and I quickly scarfed down the entire box. I’m not sure if it was simply that they were picked at the peak of freshness or whether Tasmanian fruit really is better or whether the exhilaration of the tour along the coast had whetted my appetite, but they were delicious.

My bed and breakfast is in the Battery Point area of Hobart. Battery Point is made up of lots of colonial houses built in the 1800s, now serving as bed and breakfasts, private homes, restaurants, and the like. Very nice place to walk around. I had dinner at a curry restaurant where the Indian cricket team is rumored to eat when it vists town, and spotted lots of other candidate restaurants for the next couple days.

My original plan had been to go kayaking on Friday (tomorrow) and spend Saturday puttering around Hobart and visiting the big open air market. Unfortunately, the kayaking has been called off due to high winds. So I’m pondering options for tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Pictures from yesterday and today are here.