Going north
After Strahan we were going northward. Though we could easily reach Arthur river before the day was over we decided to stop midway and stay a night at Corinna too. Both Corinna and Arthur River seemed too beautiful to just pass through.
Northward from Strahan
Corinna
The distance from Strahan to Corinna was 92km and the drive required about 1.5 hr and then we would reach our final destination for the day. Starting from Strahan at 10am in the morning there was just plentiful of time to spare so we picked four attractions to stop and visit along the way: a sand dune, a firefly tunnel/cave, a waterfall and a lookout.
Route from Strahan to Corinna
The first attraction was a sand dune which we visited the day before. Last evening we could not find a route to drive up to the sand dune so I climbed/crawled up the dune. A lady in Strahan told us that there was a route to drive to the top of the dune so this morning we tried locating this road/path/track which was suppose to be suitable for a non 4-wheel-drive car. We could not find it so we had to move on.
The second attraction was a firefly tunnel which we could not find too. It was not in the location as marked on google map. As for the waterfall, it was the Montezuma Falls. To visit the waterfall would need a slight detour from our main route to Corinna and then a 1.5 hours (one way) of trekking to the waterfall. Taking all these into consideration we decided to skip the waterfall even if it was the highest waterfall in Tasmania! We totally forgot all about the fourth attraction the, WhaleBack Lookout as we were speeding toward Corinna.
Corinna
Corinna was located just by the bank of Pieman River and our road came to an end on the opposite bank of the river. We needed a water vessel to carry our car and us to the opposite bank! No worries all the instructions were laid out on both side of the road.
End of the road just before Corinna
It costed AUD$28 to get two of us and the car across the river. Price was pretty steep but it was fun and memorable and we were only too glad that we would not be crossing back the next day.
Crossing Pieman River on a Barge
Immediately on the opposite side of the river was a huge restaurant with a signboad “Accommodation Corinna Wilderness Cottages”. We had booked a night stay in one of these cottages so we went into the restaurant where the reception was located to checkin. The staff gave us many details like which taps delivered unfiltered rainwater and which delivered filtered rainwater, reservation for dinner at the restaurant, booking a Pieman River Cruise, walking map etc etc. Me being a city girl all my life asked a very naive question. “What is the significant of filtered and unfiltered water?” and the answer was “Do not drink unfiltered water!”
Restaurant at Corinna Wilderness
From the restaurant we drove about 100 metres to our cabin. It looked rustic and had a car parking pouch just beside it.
Our cabin at Corinna Wilderness Village
We had arrived early at Corinna as we had skipped the four attractions before Corinna. It was only 1 pm, so after a short rest we stepped out of our cabin to explore some of the walking trails stated on the information sheet given by the staff of the village.
Half the trails were sort of “on the spot turning in circle trails” which were done in no time. A longer one was a trail that turned to the left near the river after passing a camper park. It was the “Whyte River Track” the trail which started “ok” to walk soon became too dense with vegetation and difficult to pass. We wondered how could such a “famous” track be so “wild” it looked like nobody passed through for years!
It was a pleasant relaxing walk with none of its “famous” highlights spotted. We did not come across any reflective river water surface or wildlifes such as wallabies, platypus, pademelon or birds that come to feed on the ribbon grass by the river bank.
Whyte River Track
After the Whyte River Track we were back at where we started and decided to explore the right side of the “Corinna”. On the way to “Huon Pine Walk” we passed a small boat which was used for the Pieman River Cruise. The cruise started at 10am and finished at 2.30 pm, it brought visitors up the Pieman River all the way to where the river meet the sea. We planned to go on the cruise the next day only if the weather “behaved”! The ticket fee per person was AUD$80.
Pieman River Cruise
The Huon Pine walk was a pretty short walk about 1km return. There was a proper boardwalk to one end and after that we had to backtrack to the start.
Huon Pine Walk
During the walk, we learnt more about Huon Pine and its significant from the information board that was erected along the boardwalk. But looking around we could not identify which of the many trees around us were Huon Pine and which were not!
Dinner at Corinna Wilderness Village
We had our dinner at the restaurant. We had to make a reservation in the earlier part of the day when we were told by the staff that without reservation we might not have a table in the evening. We thought then that “where were the people” this place and its surrounding looked deserted.
Surprisingly dinner at the restaurant was a crowded affair. Diners kept popping in and soon every table was taken up!
Corinna Wilderness Restaurant
Dinner was lovely, we had soup, salad and seafood pasta. The meal cost AUD$54. We were small eaters so most of the time a one person meal was sufficient for both of us. In many ways being small eaters was advantageous as we needed not worry about dining cost.
Dinner at Corinna Wilderness
Our Accommodation at Corinna Wilderness Village
Our cabin at Corinna Wilderness Village costed AUD$215 a night. Its interior certainly looked so much better than the exterior. Cosy, clean, big and comfortable. It had a heater that could be fired up by a remote control. Cool!
Living room in the Cabin
There were no television and no wifi as we understood there was no mobile signal in this area. Anyway we had our laptops with us for “entertainment”. The bedroom had a big comfy bed and an attached toilet. Hot water was plentiful and the cabin was a lovely place to relax in this outback wilderness.
Our bedroom in the cabin
The next morning was drizzling when we woke up so we did not go down to the reception to register for the Pieman River cruise. The staff had told us the day before that if we wanted to join the 10 am Pieman river cruise we had to inform him at the latest 8am in the morning. It looked like a wet wet day and the cruise would not be enjoyable. We cooked our own breakfast in the cabin and had a lovely meal sitting by the window.
Breakfast by the window
Accommodation in Corinna
Corinna to Arthur River
Corinna to Strahan needed about 2 hours of driving. At Arthur River we stayed a night at one of the most expensive accomodations of this trip. We wanted a stay just at the doorstep of the river so we had to pay the price!
Route from Corinna to Arthur River
When we left Corinna it was drizzling. It was a cool and wet day. The air was misty and we thought our day would be as gloomy as the weather. Surprisingly the misty ambience brought out some the most beautiful sceneries along the way as we cut through the Arthur-Pieman Conservation area.
Arthur Pieman Conservation Area
In the conservation area we could see layers and layers of hills stretching out in front of us. The mist had stratified the mountain ranges in the distance. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful and the air was mysteriously quiet when we stopped our car to come out and take in the beauty of the place.
After two hours we arrived at a carpark near the mouth of Arthur river. This place was named “Edge of the World” and once we walked up the boardwalk that lead us to the “edge” we thought the given name was trully appropriate.
“Edge of the World”
Edge of the World was where Arthur River met the open ocean. The incoming waves were very forcefully crashing into the shore and rocks furiously, the wind was howling louding swerving all round us. The ocean was wide and endless and nature was “showing off” its mightly strength!
Board walk at the Edge of the World
We would love to spend a longer time at the “Edge of the World”, but the constant “slammng walls” of noisy howling wind limited our endurance to stay. We left and went in search of our accommodation for the night.
Our Stay at Arthur River
We had booked our stay from Stayz. It was a single storey house which could easily take in 4 people. We would prefer a smaller house for two but none was available around the near vicinity.
Our accommodation at Arthur river
Our stay was just by the bank of Arthur River and we could even see the river mouth from our window. The house was full of big windows and sitting in the comfort of the house we got to enjoy the river view too.
Arthur River as seen from the house
The house came with a fully equipped kitchen!
Sitting room, dining and kitchen
There were two rooms, one with a queen bed and the other with two single beds. There were two toilets, one had a shower and basin and the other had a WC.
Rooms and toilet
Since we had plentiful of time we slow cooked the pork ribs we bought from the supermarket earlier. It came already seasoned, we just needed to cook them over a slow fire for three hours. Dinner was great and yummy.
Our home cooked dinner
The next morning we ate our breakfast on the patio just outside the house. We wanted to savour the beauty of Arthur River one last time before leaving this place.
Breakfast with a view