MARIA ISLAND

5^th February, 2014

We have enjoyed our stay at Dunalley but it is time to hit the road again.  We aren’t travelling very far – about 100 kilometres.  We stop off in Sorell for a few hours so that Wayne can get his chipped tooth attended to.  Those good old ‘Minties’ have done it again!  We do some supermarket shopping, fill up with fuel and gas and we are on our way.  We pull off the highway and into the small village of Triabunna where the lady at the Information Centre says we can camp for free in the paddock across the road and there are toilets and showers attached to the information centre.  Now this is no ordinary paddock - as the Information Centre is located at the wharf area we are handy for the ferry ride to Maria Island and opposite the Spring Bay Hotel which was built in 1836 with convict labour.

Our campsite at Triabunna - Spring Bay Hotel in background

Beside the hotel are the convict built barracks

The barracks at Triabunna

and further along the street are more early 1800 buildings – some occupied, some not.  Right beside us is the butcher shop and Wayne has volunteered his services to cook us ‘lamb shanks in red wine with rosemary and vegetables’ for dinner.  We were a little worried when he was having trouble remembering how much wine had to go into the pot.  When he finally came over to our van and said that he had put a whole bottle of red wine in with the shanks and veggies we figured that it might be a good thing that we weren’t planning on going anywhere after dinner.  Let us just say for the record that the meal was cooked to perfection.  The meat just fell off the bone, the potatoes were grand and the pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato were thought provoking.  Now we aren’t ones to poke fun at anyone else’s cooking but the colour of the meal was perhaps a wee bit different.  Wayne insisted that since we were in Tasmania he had tried to add a little bit of Tasmania to his meal – hence the lavender colour.  The jury is still out on that one!

Lavender coloured Lamb Shanks and veggies

Weather forecasts for the next day were favourable so the following morning we packed a picnic lunch, strapped on our backpacks and walked down to catch the ferry.

Wayne and Wok waiting for the ferry

Forty minutes later we were stepping onto the jetty at Maria Island.

 

The island was declared a National Park in 1972 – too late to save the convict built buildings from being plundered for their wood, fittings and bricks.  Even the army used the settlement as a place to blow up and burn things.  We checked out the Information Centre in the Commissariat Store which overlooks Darlington Bay.

Darlington Bay at Maria Island

There are many walking tracks on the island – some are long treks which take a few days.  We are definitely not in any condition to go on those hikes and opt for the Fossil Cliffs Circuit which should have us arriving at the convict settlement at Darlington in the early afternoon.  From there it is a short walk back to the jetty to catch the ferry at 4.30 pm.  A footnote here is if you miss the ferry there isn’t any more until the following day.  As there are no shops on the island all food, drinking water etc. must be carried in and waste carried out – hence the backpacks.

Now for your history lesson :  In 1825 fifty convicts, military escorts and other officials settled on Maria Island.  The settlement was named Darlington and was a depot for prisoners returned to authorities after having worked for settlers or convicts guilty of light offences.  It was a convenient location that dispersed convicts from Hobart – the worst being sent to Macquarie Harbour on the west coast.  The island was to become notorious for convicts escaping by rafts or bark canoes.  A number perished or gave themselves up while a few ended life on the gallows. The settlement was wound up in 1832 and other than the grazing of sheep and whaling the island was not settled again until 1842 when convict tradesmen were sent to the island to prepare barracks for 400 men.  By 1844 convict numbers had grown from 387 to 627 with prisoners mainly involved in agricultural activities.  By the end of 1955 the convict occupation of Maria Island was over.  In the 1880’s the Bernacchi family planted thousands of vines and operated a vineyard.  A bustling township of over 250 people occupied the settlement and a school, butcher, baker, blacksmith, shoemaker, post office and shops were operational.  By 1896 the island was once again deserted except for a few farming families and holiday makers.  The island was again a hive of activity in the early 1920’s when a cement making company was established.  However the limestone cliffs proved unsuitable for making cement owing to the many sea-lilies embedded in it and by 1930 the ill fated venture was over.  Sheep and cattle continued to graze on the island until the government finally acquired all the privately owned properties and proclaimed it a National Park in 1972.  OK – history lesson over!

We set off up the hill – past the stable and cemetery and arrive at the Miller's Cottage.

The Miller's Cottage

The views from the cottage are spectacular and as we walk along the track we continually stop to look at the scenery.  The open grassland on the island attracts a variety of animals and we pass groups and pairs of foraging Cape Barren Geese.

Cape Barren Geese on Maria Island

As we top a rise we can see the Fossil Cliffs in the distance

The Fossil Cliffs - quarry in the foreground

and take a side track down to the quarry.  We take one look at the steep hill we have to climb and know that it will be a challenge.  Wayne is the ‘hare’ again and gets to the summit while us ‘tortoises’ plod slowly and steadily up the hill.

Yep - that's us tortoises slowly working our way up the hill

The view along the sea cliffs is truly stunning.

Wayne and Wok take in the ocean views

We continued along the track and came to the Engine House.

Wok checks out the Engine House

Behind the Engine House were the remains of the brick and lime kilns.  Not much left to see there.  By early afternoon we finally arrived at Darlington where the Penitentiary was now being used as a dormitory for overnight stays.

The Penitentiary at Darlington - Cape Barren Geese in the foreground

There was a shaded area with tables and chairs near the campground so we made our way there and had our picnic lunch.  Boy were we glad to sit down and rest our weary legs.  While munching away on our sandwiches a movement on top of a brick wall beside us caught our eye.  At first we thought it was a rat but when the ‘rat’ climbed down from the wall and hopped across the ground with a baby in its mouth we could see that it was a marsupial.  We checked the island information sheet on what animals were on the island and we found our ‘rat’.  It was a ‘bettong’

Bettong on Maria Island

and apparently it was moving its babies to a new location – away from the black snake that was intent on having a snack of bettong. 

We rested in the picnic area for quite some time before making our way back to the jetty along the avenue of trees that led up to the settlement.

Wayne and Wok walk down the avenue of trees

By the time the ferry arrived at 4.30pm we were more than ready to hop on board and brave the large swells coming from the ocean into the bay behind the island.  We were starting to get aches and pains in places we never knew we had.  The vote for having a rest day the following day was unanimous – and maybe we could even manage a sleep-in.   Ahh it’s a tough life but we are doing it well!