Blowhole Archives - Traversing Tasmania

October 2, 2017November 11, 2017

Tasmans Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and The Blowhole

The Tasman Peninsula is a very unique part of Tasmania. It has played a very significant role in the state due to its tragic history and its natural beauty. Today, I had the privilege of admiring some of the latter: Tasmans Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and The Blowhole. What do they all have in common? They all were once sea caves and they are all very close to one another.

Tasmans Arch

A sea cave that has lost most of its roof, Tasmans Arch is remarkable. Why visit? It’s beautiful! I enjoyed admiring the arch from the viewing platform near the carpark. Little did I know that you can also walk across it! How wonderful! You don’t even realise that you’re walking across it as it feels like any other part of the path! On the other side of the arch is a lookout that gives stunning views of the coastline.

Devil’s Kitchen

Devil’s Kitchen is no longer a cave as it has lost its entire roof. Here you can see stunning rock formations, the surging sea and a shelf of rock that resembles the nearby Tessellated Pavement. Make sure that you have a look from both vantage points as they offer two very different views.

The Blowhole

On the other side of Doo Town, facing onto Pirate’s Bay, is The Blowhole. I haven’t seen a blowhole like it before! Behind the sea cave, the blowhole is exposed. You can walk around the rock pool, viewing the blowhole’s activity from a variety of angles. The seas weren’t high when we were there but it was still impressive.

Lookout at The Blowhole © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

While you’re at The Blowhole, take in the views from the nearby lookout. There is a stunning outlook onto Pirate’s Bay. I also enjoyed watching the waves crash against the cliffs from another vantage point. There are more unusual siltstone formations to admire as well as a nearby jetty for those who would prefer to cast a line.

Getting There

Dolerite Cliffs © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

You’ll find Tasmans Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and The Blowhole at the southern end of the Eaglehawk Neck isthmus. Just turn left, drive for four kilometres and you’ll be in Doo Town. After admiring the many “doo” themed shacks, follow the signs either to The Blowhole or to the other two sites. There is no need to drive your car between Tasmans Arch and Devil’s Kitchen – simply walk the gravel loop track.

Cost

There is no cost to visit Tasmans Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and The Blowhole. If you’re feeling peckish, there is a food van at The Blowhole or a café a short distance from Doo Town. Toilets are located near the jetty. Please respect our environment by taking your rubbish with you, including food scraps. Our wallabies suffer from lumpy jaw if they eat processed food.

Enjoy your trip to a very special and scenic part of Tasmania! For more things to do in southern Tasmania, click here.

June 12, 2017August 6, 2017

Bicheno Blowhole and Rice Pebble Beach

Bicheno has two unique attractions within easy walk of one another: Bicheno Blowhole and Rice Pebble Beach. There are a few blowholes on Tasmania’s East Coast. The thing that makes Bicheno Blowhole exceptional is its surrounds. The rocks on the coastline near the Blowhole are covered with the distinctive, fiery lichen that is unique to the East Coast. This orange back-drop contrasts beautifully with the water spout. The marine environment around the Blow Hole is also fascinating. Take a look at the kelp off the side of the rocks. It’s enormous!

There’s a lot to do at the Blowhole. You can look for sea life, hop on the rocks around the shoreline or even picnic on the table atop a nearby rock, if it’s available. It is a popular destination! Even in winter, there were plenty of people about. Perhaps the thing that you’ll spend most of your time doing though is listening for the whoomp of water rushing through rock as you try to time the perfect photograph. It sounds tedious, but it’s not! It’s an intriguing sound and a spectacular sight! Just be careful that you don’t wander into the splash zone or off the rock while you’re trying to get the perfect shot! And definitely don’t go out onto the rocks if the seas are stormy.

When you’re finished at the Blowhole, there’s still plenty more to do. Around the corner is Bicheno’s secret beach: Rice Pebble Beach. As the name suggests, it is covered in tiny pebbles instead of sand. I remember visiting the beach several times when I was a child. The feeling of the stones under your feet is heavenly yet torture!! You can paddle and swim at Rice Pebble Beach but you do need to take care as there are a lot of rocks under the surface. If swimming isn’t your thing, read a book, admire the scenery or climb the lichen-covered rocks.

Getting There

To get to Bicheno, see this post. Once you’re in Bicheno, you can reach Bicheno Blowhole and Rice Pebble Beach by car or by foot. You could walk along the foreshore track via The Gulch. If you’re driving, you can take a similar route or, from Burgess Street, turn onto Douglas Street. There is ample car parking space at the end of Douglas Street. To reach Rice Pebble Beach, follow a dirt track south from the car park. Once the track ends, continue walking on the grass until you see a track disappearing into the trees.

Cost

There is no cost to visit Bicheno Blowhole and Rice Pebble Beach. Save your pennies for fish and chips from The Gulch, a cuppa from one of the cafes or a penguin tour.

Read about more of my adventures on Tasmania’s East Coast here.

June 12, 2017June 16, 2018

Bicheno

Diamond Island © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

Bicheno is a beautiful little town on Tasmania’s East Coast. I spent many a summer holiday in the town as a child. Within the town boundaries, you can shop for Tasmanian goodies, eat fresh seafood, have a decent coffee, swim, surf, dive, fish, climb to several vantage points, see Little Penguins, stand on the edge of a blowhole, or walk over a sandbar to an island. And that’s not an exhaustive list by any means! Bicheno packs a punch!

Waubs Bay © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

My favourite thing to do in Bicheno is to swim. Although I am a true Tasmanian, it is winter and I don’t have a wetsuit, so we did my second favourite thing: walk. There are several tracks around Bicheno, including a lovely, albeit uneven, foreshore track. From the centre of Bicheno, you can walk to many different places.

It is very short walk to Waubs Beach, a small but gorgeous place. In summer, this is where the surf lifesaving club operates. This weekend, we saw people on paddleboards, in kayaks and even going for a swim (in wetsuits, of course!). Bicheno is famous for its annual ocean swim. Australia’s famous Olympic swimmer, Shane Gould, heads up a swimming group and it may have been just this group that we spotted! The day before we arrived, whales were seen swimming nearby too. Whales are regularly seen offshore from July to November.

Wauba Debar's Grave — Wauba Debar’s Grave © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

On the shore, you’ll find a memorial to the Merchant Navy and the grave of the bay’s namesake. This is one of the most important graves in Tasmania as it once held the remains of Wauba Debar, a Tasmanian Aboriginal lady who won the hearts of locals at a time when racism and sexism were at their worst. Shamefully, her remains were removed for scientific study in the late 1800s but she is still remembered here with her original grave site and stone.

Further south along the coast, you’ll find The Gulch. This is a small waterway and wharf protected from the elements by two Islands. On the other side of the islands lies the Governor Island Marine Reserve. This is one of the world’s best temperate dive locations, with over fifteen species inhabiting the small area. Seals can sometimes even be seen on nearby Alligator Rock. For a fantastic view of The Gulch, head to Whaler’s Lookout.

The track to Whaler’s Lookout starts from Foster Street and is well signposted. We found a track winding up from the end of James Street but it is not for the faint hearted! At the top of the hill, you’ll find two lookouts. Whaler’s Lookout looks over the township and is so named because Bicheno was originally a whaling town. You can read about this awful yet fascinating history on the information board at the lookout. From Whaler’s Lookout, keep walking on the loop track and you’ll find another lookout, this time over The Gulch. It’s a lovely view!

A short walk south, either via the streets or the foreshore track, is the Blow Hole and Rice Pebble Beach, which you can read about here. A longer walk North along the foreshore track is the surf beach, Red Bill, and the town’s most famous attraction: Diamond Island. The island is famous for its penguin colony and its accessibility via a sandbar. You can read about my visit to Diamond Island here.

Getting There

Bicheno is on Tasmania’s East Coast. It is about ten minutes’ drive north of Freycinet and one hour’s drive south of St Helens. From Hobart, it will take you approximately two and a half hours via the Tasman Highway. Bicheno is just over two hours’ drive from Launceston via Campbell Town or St Mary’s. You can also take the longer route via St Helens and Bay of Fires. Wherever you’re driving from, add on an extra hour or two for stops. Its the East Coast. You see something you really want to stop for approximately every ten minutes.

Cost

Red Bill Beach © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

Understandably, the cost of accommodation is much less in the off-season (over winter). That said, there truly is something for everyone, ranging from tent sites to caravans to luxury B&Bs. As far as attractions go, you can spend the big bucks on scenic flights and cruises in nearby Freycinet or you can do what we did and just walk around Bicheno. It is such a fascinating and beautiful place!

There is much more that I could write about Bicheno. We bought veggies from a local market, had a delicious piece of gluten and dairy free slice from The Farm Shed – East Coast Wine Centre and hope to return soon so that we can do the many things that we missed out on this time. Next time you head to the East Coast, don’t forget to visit the small but brilliant town of Bicheno.

You can read more about my adventures on Tasmania’s East Coast here.