Port Arthur - Day 2
Saturday 8 March 2014
08.03.2014
Mainly sunny again with a temperature range of 12 to 20 degrees. It is interesting to note that the temperature at Port Arthur is consistently 4 to 5 degrees less than in Hobart.
There was not much breeze today (less than 10 knots) so we decided to take the dinghy out for a trial run to see how easy it is to get it off the roof rack and back on again. We checked out the Garden Point launching ramp, but it was much too busy with 40 to 50 boat trailers parked all over the place. Second port of call was Stewarts Bay beach but it not so easy to get from the car park to the beach to launch the Zodiac. We then headed around to the first beach on Carnarvon Bay where you are able to drive onto the sand for launching and retrieval.
Zodiac inflated and ready to go
Retractable trundle wheels on the Zodiac
After launching the Zodiac we went for a tour around Carnarvon Bay out to Point Puer and the Isle of the Dead, then back across the bay to the Port Arthur Historic Site. With our 2.2 HP Suzuki outboard we are a bit underpowered, but it will do for fishing until we can get something a little larger. When we got back we found that we had forgotten to retract the trundle wheels so we had been towing a bit of sea grass and seaweed around the bay - perhaps we are not as underpowered as first thought.
The Beach where we launched our rubber duck
Bay Retreat accommodation
Isle of the Dead at Port Arthur
Port Arthur Penitentiary ruins
More Port Arthur ruins
Port Arthur Commandant's Residence
Port Arthur Hospital ruins