Day 1: 2020-Feb-18

The idea to visit Flinders island has been a captivating one considering the isolation of the area and challenges to get here. The island also boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Tasmania, great wildlife, birdwatching and history. Flinders is the largest and the main island of the Furneaux islands group. 12000 years ago it was part of the Bassian Plain which served as a land bridge between mainland Australia and Tasmania. With the end of the ice age the water levels raised and flooded parts of the Plain which now constitutes the Bass Strait. With no land connection between neither Tasmania nor mainland Australia, Flinders is cut-off from both and the only way to get to the island is by air, serviced by Sharp Airlines, and a more off-the-beaten path cargo barge serviced by the Furneaux group ferry. For economical and logistical reasons we decided to take a barge to the island and fly out. The barge in itself has been an interesting experience and perhaps worth avoiding the next time¹.
The forecast was favorable at the time of booking the trip to Flinders with sunny weather and mostly clear skies. However, two days before our departure it changed drastically. For the two days of our stay on the island we now expected between 40 to 80 mm of heavy rain. This is more than the average rainfall for the month of February, the driest month on the island. For reference the average annual precipitation is 839 mm. Tasmania once again proved that its weather is unpredictable and any forecast more than two days in advance is not to be trusted. To make things worse, Flinders and Tasmania in general are located 40° south, a zone known as the Roaring Forties. It’s right in the wind corridor, a perfect place for wind turbines but less hospitable for picky tourists.

Getting to Flinders. We planned to drop out our rental car in Launceston airport and catch a 1-hr bus ride to the ferry terminal located in Bridgeport. In the morning I received an email asking whether we still planned to travel by barge and if so to call the office and make the payment. The ferry office closes at 4:30 pm and the barge departs at low tide with no guaranteed departure time due to unreliable weather conditions. Old-fashioned and somewhat antiquated ticketing system reminiscent of my childhood days put a smile on my face. It’s not often that one can receive such a personalized treatment buying tickets. We had to be at the dock by 6 pm. Launceston airport has been recently renovated with modern facilities and luggage storage. Uber pick-up zone is clearly marked at the airport. We took Uber to the bus stop.
A single bus ride per day is scheduled between Launceston and Bridgeport, perhaps due to the lack of the demand. We confirmed the schedule and the bus number and set to patiently wait for its arrival. The bus stop was in front of a high school and shortly after we came it was inundated with school kids waiting for a bus. Multiple school buses were pulling in and out. An empty bus with no number pulled in. It looked different than the rest of the school buses but was quite ahead of schedule for our bus and we continued to wait. The empty bus and school buses left and we waited. After 10 minutes passed since our scheduled departure we called the transit system. The lady on the phone told us that the bus had already departed and was well on its way to the destination (?!) As it turned out the empty bus without a number was our bus, the only scheduled bus to Bridgeport that day. We only had 2.5 hr left before the ferry departure. After 20 minutes of futile hitchhiking we decided to call uber. Within a few minutes someone was on the way to pick us up and drive to Bridgeport. There was not a single car on the road all the way to Bridgeport.
We made it to the ferry terminal 20 minutes ahead of time, ordered a take-away dinner at the low-key cafe right by the terminal and still had a few minutes to spare. At 6:30 pm we were on our way to the barge. Even though we expected a cargo barge, we were surprised how much it lived up to its purpose. The barge can take up to 12 passengers and the only passenger seating is in the bottom section of the boat with no windows or access to fresh air. The hope to see a whale or an albatross quickly vanished. No one asked for our tickets, identification or provided a safety briefing before the departure. There were 5 passengers including us apart from the regular crew on the boat: an older man whose truck would not start and the crew member was trying to help him fix it and a couple traveling for two weeks to Flinders in the camper-van with their dog. Otherwise, there were cars, boats, cement making machines, sacks with fertilizer, animal crates, live animals and a farm spirit. Seating area had a broken TV, a row of working rain-boots, dirty uniforms, a musty smell and us. After some time pondering why it takes 8 hours for the barge to travel 120 km (it’s a 25 min flight from Launceston) and how to make it through the night I fell asleep on one of the benches. I woke up when we arrived at the port of Lady Barron sensing the changes in the boat movement or, perhaps, eagerly anticipating the arrival. It was 4:09 am and luckily we had a rental car dropped off at the port waiting for us. It is vital to have the drop-off arranged ahead of time if traveling by the barge as there is nothing within the walking distance to the port. I doubt anyone on the boat had noticed that we left.

We decided to park and sleep for a few hours in the nearest Yellow Beach campground. When we arrived there was only one camper-van parked. Yellow Beach is a beautiful spot for camping with clean facilities, rain shelter, BBQ and a nice scenic beach. The sky was clear and due to low light pollution we were treated to a beautiful night sky. When we woke up the camper-van had already left and we were the only ones in the campground. The morning was sunny and warm, however windy. We could see clouds starting to form. After a morning stroll on the beach and greetings from a wallaby jumping by we headed to the visitor center.
We were the only ones in the visitor center and got quite a personalized attention. The lady in the visitor center confirmed the unfavorable weather forecast and suggested the Patriarch wildlife sanctuary campground with shelter from the rain as well as things to do on the island during the wet weather. There was not much going on. The main sightseeings on the island are the famed Strzelecki National Park, museum and beaches.
Taking advantage of a few hours of warm weather and clear skies we decided to hike the Trousers point circuit in Strzelecki national park. It’s a beautiful 1.9 km walking track showcasing the coastal shrubs, granite rock formations covered in red lichen, two white sand beaches, vast views on Strzelecki Peak peak which we hope to climb the next day. On our walk we had multiple sightings of green rosella, tiny and curious blue wren, gorgeous Australian pelicans, shy wallaby, and indifferent echidna.

At the end of the short walk we found ourselves on the picturesque beach overlooking Fotheringate Bay in solitude, a perfect spot to have a lunch picnic. It doesn’t get better than that and we would have stayed much longer enjoying the clear turquoise waters of the bay and chirping of the wrens occasionally interrupted by gurgles and whistles of a currawong, however the dark clouds moving towards us signaled that it was time to look for a shelter.

We heard good things about the local Furneaux Tavern and decided to head there. It started to rain by the time we arrived at the tavern. It was still early and there were only a few people when we got in. We ordered Tasmanian cider and seated ourselves by the windows. The Tavern has gorgeous views over Franklin Sound. It is also a local gathering point as we realized a few hours into sipping our cider.

By dinner time the bar filled up with locals chatting and playing pool. The rain continued to pound on the windows with ever increasing strength. To everyone’s amusement the electricity went down. Inventive waitress pulled out candles and added some romance to the atmosphere. In addition to the bar, the tavern has a beautiful restaurant and offers rustic accommodations with beautiful views. It was a perfect evening to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We moved to the restaurant where except for us was only one other person. In high season, dinner reservations are recommended. It is not surprising as it is the place to have dinner on the island. While enjoying our delicious dinner, we noticed the rain was making its way inside the restaurant through the roof. Tavern staff seemed to be delighted and amused by the leak that will surely add to the conversation tomorrow. They brought buckets and spent a few minutes removing the water from the floor. Being the last customers we sensed that it was time to go. The rain was as heavy as before with no sign of stopping. It was pitch dark outside when we got into the car. I was concerned that we could kill local wildlife driving in low light. The campground was at least 40 min to 1 hr drive away on the other side of the island. During the day dead wallabies seemed to be on every turn. We proceeded slowly watching for careless marsupials. Shouldn’t they learn not to jump on the road in front of cars by now?! Luckily, with no death on our hands we made it to the Patriarch sanctuary. The road was progressively worse closer to the sanctuary indicating that it’s not the most visited site. We parked the car by a little hut and decided to look for a campground with a shelter. A lonely wallaby greeted us by the hut. We went inside and to our surprise discovered that this was our rain shelter! The little hut served both as a shelter and as a little sanctuary visitor center. There were couches, a table, a fully equipped kitchen, library, beds on the second floor, and everything else we had not expected to find. Just outside the shelter were well-maintained and stuffed bathroom facilities and hot showers. While we explored the shelter, wallaby was patiently waiting outside as if he was expecting something from us. The puzzle got finally solved once we pulled a rules book for the sanctuary. The book provided clear instructions on how to feed local wallabies! That’s it. This perseverant Wallaby was just hungry and was waiting for us to feed him. Nico opened the barrel filled with wallaby feed, scooped enough for one animal and gave it to the wallaby outside. Our new friend dug into the food and for a while we could hear him chewing on the feed. The rest of our evening was busy with browsing through the album with records and pictures telling the story about founding the sanctuary. The shelter was built and is run entirely by a volunteer team.

Day 2: 2020-Feb-19

When we woke up in the morning, we found a dozen wallabies gathered in front of the door waiting for breakfast. The rain subsided and we could even see a slim glitter of sunshine in the clouds. We fed the hungry bunch, packed our stuff in the car and spent a few minutes saying goodbye to the friendly and curious wallabies. Patriarch Sanctuary will always have a special place in our hearts for its kindness and hospitality.

Today we planned to explore the rest of the island and attempt Strzelecki Peak in the afternoon. Our guide book referenced a little cafe in Killiecrankie and we decided to get our breakfast there and explore the bay. The name was appropriate for the weather that day! Killiecrankie bay was stunning and empty. The cafe we were looking for did not exist anymore. However, the day use area with well-equipped bbq facilities and beautiful views of the bay was a perfect spot for a picnic. After a short walk on the beach looking for topaz in vain we prepared breakfast out the leftovers of our camping food. After a slow breakfast we headed to Emita home to the famous Castle Rock beach, local museum and Wybalenna, the site of an aboriginal settlement. It is also a good spot for snorkeling… on a sunny day. Furneaux museum is housed in a beautifully designed modern building and is packed with history. It is a lovely place to visit and learn about the local history and culture.

If there are few places on the island not to be missed, Castle rock beach is one of them. A short coastal track through the beautiful beach with rocks covered in lichen took us to a massive monolithic boulder.

It was getting late in the day and unfortunately, we had no time left to visit the Wybalenna site. Two days on the island is not enough. The weather looked promising and we decided to hike up the Strzelecki Peak as planned. 5-6 hr return track is one of the “60 Great Short Walks” in Tasmania. It starts at an elevation of 20 m and climbs to 756 m on the top Mount Strzelecki. It is recommended to bring water on a hot sunny day when climbing the peak. This time, however, water was everywhere. As soon as we entered the trail we could hear the recent 60+ mm of rain overflowing the creek. The trail continued through the rainforest. The waterfall along the trail was violently running down the hill and rain drops radiantly glimmered on the tree leaves, ferns and grasses. The steep climb up over the Devonian granite dating back some 370 million years awarded us with stunning views of the island and the Bassian straight.

The fog started to roll in and the wind picked up. Several meters shy from the top of Mount Strzelecki, the fog and wind became overbearing and we could hardly see anything around us. Along with the deteriorating weather conditions at the top, slippery granite and impounding twilight turned us back. By the time we made our way to the trailhead, it started to rain again. Our original plan was to camp and catch the sunset at the Trousers point. However, we resorted to camping at the Yellow Beach campground as it had a rain shelter with the views on the bay.
The following morning we dropped off our car at the laidback Flinders airport and boarded a tiny plane. We were leaving the island filled with sunshine and gentle warmth. The weather always has its way and all we can do is go along with it. Luckily, it was easy to do so at Flinders.

Useful links:

60 Great Short Walks: Flinders Island: a very detailed description of the great walks of Flinders island from the National Parks of Tasmania.
Things to-do on Flinders: a great resource on planning the trip to Flinders. Sharp Airlines, Flinders Island: 20-minutes flight over 78 or so Furneaux group islands is an easiest way to get to Flinders.
Furneaux Group Ferry: an alternative way to reach Flinders for the more adventurous or those with a vehicle and at least one week to spend on the island. As of today the ferry with passengers departs once a week.
Wybalenna Aboriginal Site: one of the most significant Aboriginal historical places in Tasmania. It touches some of the darker sides of Tasmanian history.
Flinders Island Running Club: a great local resource to Flinders.

Passpartout

Oksana and Nico - we are a couple and tech workers who embarked on a travel adventure to learn more about the world around us and bring the knowledge into our lives back home.