One of the things I was really looking forward to in Tasmania was a night-time visit to a little penguins habitat. They are referred to as fairy penguins in Australia because of their size, they are the smallest of the penguins at only 33cm high.
The town of Bicheno, on the east coast of Tasmania, has a little penguins colony that we hoped to visit. Most of the year, the penguins spend the day at sea and come up on the beaches to their burrows just after dusk. Unfortunately, we were there during the breeding season when they spend all their time at sea.
What we did see the next day was a beach that has a claim on being one of the most beautiful on earth, Wineglass Bay. Located in the Feycinet National Park, you have to hike about 3km on a well-groomed but steep trail to get to it. Most people stop at the lookout, about 1km in and about 200 metres above the bay.
As we arrived at the lookout, we were surprised and pleased to be greeted by a couple who had been on the Three Capes Track with us. Francis and Jessica are Montrealers who have taken a sabbatical from their jobs to travel around the world. Due to the stormy weather on the last day of our trek, we had not said a proper good-bye, so we appreciated this unexpected meeting which gave us a chance to exchange contact information and wish each other safe travels.
We continued on to the beach, which we had nearly to ourselves. Wineglass Bay is a beautiful and peaceful place with only the waves for soundtrack. Barefeet, we enjoyed a stroll in the powdery sand. Ken, true to his personal long-standing tradition, took a dip in the cold ocean waters. Brave man! I was content with taking the picture.
Traveling Anecdotes 