Maria Island

  Orford, Tasmania, Australia
Sunday, March 1, 2009

Into unknown territory for us. We left Hobart to head east for the holiday coast despite the lure of the trout fishing still pulling David in the opposite direction. This part of Tasmania is very popular in school summer holidays so we deliberately waited till after mid-February to visit. Still good weather but quieter.

Our first stop was between the small towns of Orford and Triabunna and the reason for that was to visit Maria Island. This is in the Spring Bay area which is known for its seaood (as is most of the east coast of Tasmania) so, true to our policy of supporting local business, we had a wood-fired  pizza covered in local seafood for dinner. The next day we booked for the ferry to Maria Island which is a National Park.

Maria Island Painted Cliffs

Maria Island has a fascinating history of convict settlement and later industrialisation; in the 1870s, an Italian entrepreneur obtained a lease to try wine-making and a silk industry; a bustling town grew but the ventures failed. We heard a tale, locally, that he invited politicians to  see his vineyards as he required more government funding and brought them over in the evening so that they could see the vines. The reason he arranged the visit at dusk was so that no one could see that the healthy grape bunches were not growing but tied on. Further ventures, including a cement factory, were no more successful and the population dwindled. The government recognised the potential of the island , both as a historic site and a flora and fauna reserve, and so it is now a National Park.

We had been looking forward to this trip since reading about its history and wild beauty. The visit involved a 45 minute trip in a small boat which dropped us off  (with about 10 other passengers) and then picked us up about 7 hours later. There is no food or water available so we both had our backpacks loaded with picnic food and snacks for the day. We were not in a group so could just wander where we wished; everyone went off in different directions. Felt a bit like Robinson Crusoe and man Friday. No traffic, no shops, so peaceful.

Maria Island Quarry remains at Fossil cliffs

The 3 main things on our agenda were the painted cliffs, the fossil cliffs and the ruins of the township so we set off walking. The painted cliffs are beautifully coloured and patterned sandstone cliffs bounded by rock pools teeming with marine life.

Maria Island Marine Life

If the water had been warmer we would have been tempted to take our snorkelling gear  but Tasmanian waters are definitely wetsuit territory and not for us.

Maria Is;land Fossils

The fossil cliffs on the opposite side of the island  are amazing being full of fossilised shellfish hundreds of millions of years old. The limestone in this area was quarried for a cement-making business but that  failed because of the expense and difficulties of transportation.

Maria Island Old Fossil

Maria Island Wombat

All day, as we walked around, we saw abundant wildlife including wombats wombling and Cape Barren geese waddling around; no snakes today, thankfully. Lots of interesting birdlife too. We then headed back towards the jetty and the old township to explore while waiting for our ferry back to civilization.

Maria Island Grain store and cement silos

Maria Island Cape Barren Goose

It was a long, tiring but amazing day and exceeded our expectations. A Maria Island brochure from the 1890s sums it up well;
" 'The Riviera of Australia':  Here may the invalid laze the hours away and, book in hand, become intoxicated with the splendour of the scenery and the sounds of the unceasing sea... Here may the sportsman roam and fill his bag, here may the angler bait his hooks with great results, here may the tourist contemplate the history of the centuries."
More eloquent than the tourist brochures of today.

If you look at the photo of the 'old fossil' you may gather from the attire that the weather on the day we visited was not 'Riviera-like'

From here we headed north to a natural beauty spot which certainly features in many tourist brochures all over the world; Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park.