Stanley

We managed to survive the wind on the west coast, but that was nothing compared to the wind on top of The Nut at Stanley! The walk to the top was hard work, and then we had a sprinkle of rain (we read everything there was to read in the reading room...). As we did the circuit at the top the wind would pick up and then subside, but I think that was more to do with how the wind travelled up the side and across the top than the wind speed actually changing. When we saw the fence we could hear the roar of the wind but it didn't feel too bad, but with each step towards the edge became harder - it was definitely the strongest wind we've ever experienced (yes, even stronger than Green Point at Marrawah).

A few days later we went back to Stanley and it was a beautiful sunny day. It was still quite hazy, though, so we decided not to bother going back up to the top.








We've just arrived in Wynyard and the tulips are beginning to flower. Even though it was overcast the colours were still spectacular.

The Wild, Wet & Windy West!

We'd heard it was windy on the west coast, and our first night was about as windy as we've ever experienced. We were camped just behind a hillock, but that was all there was to protect us from gusts up to 100kph (according to the NextG weather). In spite of the fact that the caravan was buffeted we didn't sleep too badly. We did decide, though, that we wouldn't spend another night at Green Point, but would head down to the caravan park at Arthur River.

The sea was just as rough down there, but there is some kind of wild appeal that has kept us going back to The Edge of the World lookout in spite of the wind and rain. (This photo was from inside the car.) We are more sheltered in the van park, but there have been rain squalls and strong gusts of wind almost every day. The weather moves across so quickly that one minute can be beautiful and sunny and the next it feels like the van might blow away!

One afternoon we did manage a glimpse of the sun setting over the ocean - a novelty for east coasters like us.

Even the changeable weather is spectacular

On Saturday we went for a drive to Alum Cliffs and Devils Gullet. We took a back road to Sheffield and across the Gog Range. We love Mount Roland, and Dazz couldn’t resist stopping on the side of the road for a photo.

It was lovely and sunny at Mole Creek, but mist hung over some of the mountains to the south. We decided to go to Devils Gullet anyway, and the views were spectacular. Looking a few hundred metres straight down still made our knees wobbly even though there’s a platform and fence. We stood at the lookout as a light shower passed over and watched the patches of rain and sunlight on the snow covered mountains in the distance and the valley below. Cradle Mountain is on the far right in the panorama. This is definitely on our list of places to go back to on a sunny day.

On the way home the breeze kept the clouds moving which let through some brilliant shafts of light. There’s just something about this area this that continues to fascinate us and draw us back…

Another hard day at the office

Another day, another steep, rocky mountain to climb, another cliff edge not to get too close to, another picnic lunch...

...And the boots need polishing, again.

We really enjoyed our days walking around Cape Huay, Fortescue Bay and Mount Brown. Our favourite walk on the Peninsula remains Cape Raoul.

With the walks done and more marking looming it was time to head north to a cheaper van park and prepare for the next part of our adventure in the north-west. We spent a couple of nights along the Midland Highway and really liked the historical buildings in Oatlands. The weather wasn’t great for photos, so we’ll have to go back. We stopped briefly in Ross to see the bridge – it was a real wintery day.

Now we’re happily set up at Turners Beach with laptops and cables everywhere. We even entertained visitors in the middle of everything the other afternoon (Leanne’s sister’s in-laws). We did tidy everything up for them the previous day for a scheduled afternoon tea, but they stopped in the next day and saw how things usually look!

We’re looking forward to going back to church at Burnie on the weekend to catch up with friends we made there while house-sitting, and if it’s a nice day we’ll probably go and see the rhododendron gardens.