DAY 15 - December 24, 2022 - Corinna

DAY 15 – December 24, 2022 – Corinna

First day in Corinna! A bit cloudy, chilly, but not too bad – yet… as it would get worse later on. Today is our outing on the Pieman River. A while back, we had booked a cruise for all of us on the Arcadia II (see below photo). Departure time was 10:00am toward Pieman Heads and return time to Corinna was 2:30pm.

The Arcadia II is a boat that was originally built of Huon Pine in 1939 and was listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels in 2009. In 2006, the boat was refurbished, refitted, and returned to its original pristine condition. Today, the Arcadia II is the only Huon Pine river cruiser still operating anywhere in the world.

The boat is run by an older couple, the captain and the skipper. The captain provided the commentary on the history and the unique features of the area. The skipper took care of everything else on the boat – from docking/undocking to serving snacks and drinks, all parts of the cruise. The snacks were very fresh and generous (fruit, cheese, crackers, tea, coffee). The cruise also included a brown bag lunch (a wrap, muffin, fruit drink), which was just enough food on the go.

On the way down to the Pieman Heads, it started to drizzle a bit more and some people found it too cold and went inside the covered part of the boat. Our group – not deterred by a little wind and rain – remained, for the most part, outside under the canopy of the boat. Being Christmas Eve, there were not many people on the boat, which was just fine for all of us.

Above are some photos I took from the stern of the boat as we were going down the Pieman River toward the ocean. This spider web at the bottom of the mast was quite interesting. You can even see the rain on the river (last photo of the above photo gallery).

Below is a photo gallery of the Pieman river and the Tarkine Forest

On the way down to the ocean, the captain pointed out several points of interest including some birds like a white eagle. We also passed a few kayakers (planning to do that the day after Christmas!). The vegetation is incredible in the Tarkine rain forest: thick, green, tall, wild. No wonder most of it is still unexplored.

By the time we arrived to our final destination, the rain had stopped and there were even some sun rays… but, of course, they didn’t last very long. However, in spite of the clouds and some wind, it was not too cold and quite pleasant to walk on the sand. We docked about one mile from White Beach.

There are only a couple of ways to get to Pieman Piers: by boat or by 4×4 via a barge that crosses the Pieman River. The area is habited only during the warmer months of the year with fishermen or people who want solitude.

We walked past the fishing shacks (temporary residences in the summer) called Pieman Heads to arrive at a wide-open beach of white sands for miles… so vast and no one!

Just Plain Fun… Talking, Walking, Taking Photos!

Photo gallery of playing with driftwood washed onto the shore by winds, tides, and waves

We took our time, walking around, taking photographs, eating lunch, and talking. Such a nice day, so far away from everything!

Below is another photo gallery of the vast beach and the ocean. Jim, with his telephoto, was able to capture the far-away rock formations… it would be nice to go all the way to the end in a 4×4 and camp, away from everyone and everything!

Time to Walk Back to the Boat

On our way back to the boat, we took some photos of an interesting tree… lost boots??!

Photo gallery of the going back up the Pieman River

Wonder what they were looking at… another white eagle?

Yep… you guessed it… the Paparazi parents again (don’t worry, Jess, I didn’t use the “other” photo you didn’t like !)

In Corinna, the weather was warmer than before, and even a bit sunny! The weather can change so fast in Tasmania!

Back at our cabins, Narelle prepared hot tea and cookies, which was really nice. And then, everyone was on their own – napping, reading, chilling, or hiking in the area. So many activities to choose from in Corinna: hiking, kayaking, boating, four-wheeling, fishing, etc.

Hike on the Whyte River Track

I joined Jess and Alex on a 90-minute hike on the Whyte River Trail, a path through the Tarkine flora.

We even saw an echidna (see below photo) and since the echidna was right in front of him, Alex was able to take a very good video. I also took a couple of photos but I was behind the echidna, so I didn’t get a very good shot.

On the path, we could hear noises but unfortunately we didn’t see other animals.

The Whyte River Track is a great representation of the Tarkine Forest with tall trees (e.g., giant Swamp Gum aka Eucalyptus regna) and Manferns (oversize ferns). Rupert and Alex can name all the vegetation… but I didn’t take notes ☹…

We finished our hike around 5:30pm, and it was time for a highly needed hot shower and a well-deserved break after a full day of fun activities.

As Narelle and Alex were fixing Christmas Eve dinner, I took some photos from the cabin’s window and was able to see a pademelon, a member of the macropod family like kangaroos and wallabies – except tiny. I could see that there were other pademelons hiding in the bushes but this one was more brave.

Time to open the gifts! Surprise… a bug-killer gun!

We had a very nice meal for Christmas Eve served with a Taylors Shiraz wine, which was quite good. Others opted for beer.

Although we had opened some gifts at Rupert and Narelle’s house, we still had some left. Rupert got a bug-killer gun… it works quite well! Alex has one at home and he successfully demonstrated how to get rid of flies!

After dinner, we went for a short walk in the area and saw many pademelons, but it was a bit too dark for good photos. We could feel that the weather was getting somewhat warmer and tomorrow promised to be a very sunny day.

It was just before midnight when we all went to bed. Tomorrow, Christmas Day, is a free day to do anything or nothing!