MOT Tour Day 51 - Mt Wellington

At the apex of Mt Wellington

There was a slight delay leaving Triabunna this morning while I redeemed the voucher that East Coast Cruises generously gave me when I was unable to participate in the cruise to Maria Island yesterday.

With only 70 kilometres to travel this morning, we were in no hurry and arrived at our digs, beside Hobart Airport around noon and spent an hour or so setting up the van in its full capacity. This will be our longest stay of the tour - seven nights - so we may as well deploy all the gear.

In a very rare event, I had a sleep after lunch. I don't like sleeping during the day as I usually wake feeling worse for wear. Must have needed it.

About four o'clock, with groceries to connect from Woolworths, we drove up to the top of Mt Wellington. It was a steep, twisting and turning drive but we've had a bit of practice on these sort of roads. More than some of the other drivers judging by our experience this afternoon. I was aghast when a hired motorhome pulled out of one of the lower lookouts, headed for the top and causing me to evade them by firm braking. You can imagine how I felt when soon after, on a particularly narrow stretch, one was coming the other way. Neither was keen to hug the side of the road and after a staring contest, they pushed past each other, bumping mirrors, despite both have a good half meter on their left sides. No place for these vehicles or the novices who drive them on dangerous roads such as these.

The top of Mt Wellington is pure alpine territory. Low, knee-high scrub, virtually no trees and those that are there are stunted and gnarled and lots of the brown dolerite rock we have seen in all of Tasmania's mountains. Its cold. 5C this afternoon, with a wind chill factor of minus 10, so it felt like -5. It was freezing. As an indication, I had jeans on and they may as well have been shorts. A thick, fleecy-lined jacket, covered by a below zero rated parker, two hoods and a beanie ... and I was freezing! Of course wind gusts from the west above 50kph didn't help.

The view or views, are stunning. You can't see anything of the west because the rise there which is the real summit of Mt Wellington prevents it but in every other direction it was glorious. Sue found shelter in a purpose built, glassed in building which juts out into the view toward the east and the heart of Hobart and offers excellent views to the north and south as well. Not content with that and with hands going blue because I couldn't find my gloves, I was out in the conditions taking photos and oddly enjoying bracing myself against them. 

By the time Sue was back in the car, I had made my way to a pile of rocks called the Pinnacle and stood there as though I was Sir Edmund Hillary. 

Click here for today's photo.

After our mountaineering, we drove out to the east and picked up our groceries and then back to our happy little home.

Exploring tomorrow, starting with the Big Red Bus tour of the city of Hobart.

There are more photos of the view but that camera is in the car, where its cold. I'm inside the van, where its warm. I post them tomorrow.