Standing on the Edge of the World

The Roaring 40s come charging over the north west corner of Tas flattening the grass and stunting and warping the trees. They are the reason huge wind farms are established at Woolnorth, west of Smithton. Unfortunately I  missed the tour of this historic property and the wind farms as they only run 4 days of the week. They do helicopter tours as well - I can't begin to contemplate being off the ground in such winds!

Dairy cows are managed efficiently and the largest dairy farm in Tas is also at Woolnorth.

Today I drove the Tarkine Drive loop but added in an additional section from Smithton to Murrawah via Woolnorth road.  This took me on dirt roads to the Northern end of the Tarkine before dropping down into Arthur River. This area, whilst remote, attracts many visitors. The village has one shop (recommend the cheese sandwich) and a National Parks office and many holiday "shacks". Parks said it has been a very dry year. There was quite a lot of roadkill - mainly Wallabies. Wallabies have bred exponentially because conditions are so favourable on farmland although farmers are now erecting fencing to deter them and save crops. There are no real predators here! 

The wind was so strong at this viewpoint - dubbed the Edge of the World - overlooking the Arthur River. The local boat tour up the river was fully booked but judging by the very choppy waters would not have been a serene trip!

The vegetation in this part of the Tarkine is mainly tea-trees and manuka with some stunted eucalypt and buttongrass. Traffic is visible on open stretches but the road twists and turns through tall revegetated forest in parts. It is called the Arthur - Pieman Conservation area and is famous for its wild landscape,  fashioned by wind, water and fire. Huge swells from the ocean  crash on to the rocks colouring and shaping them and depositing remains of trees and branches onto the beaches.

I passed only a handful of cars exploring the loop but the weekend sees heavier traffic.

This road sign reminds motorists of the endangered status of Tasmanian Devils - road speed reduces at dusk to 45k!  

Penguin alert ! Right in the township of Stanley where there's a small colony of penguins still known here as Fairy Penguins.

I had dinner at Hursey's seafood restaurant watching the white caps roll into the bay and  under the shadow of the Nut - Stanley 's most outstanding feature.

It's getting dark so I am off to the beach to see if I can spot a penguin!