Ahoy, There!
The Wiggles.
Ahoy-Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Today’s main goal was Cape Hauy (pronounced “”Hoy”). But first we would have to climb 250m up and over Mount Fortesque.
The gradient increases steadily on the climb. The vegetation changes from the open grassland near Retakunna Hut to rainforest on the mountain.
We took regular breaks. Part of the Three Capes “experience” are artistic installations that provide a place for a breather and explain or highlight the local context.
Once over Mount Fortesque there is a long, gentle descent. Views begin opening up towards Cape Pillar to the south.
After 6.8 km of walking we reach the turn-off to Cape Hauy, where we leave our packs. Not unusually, we appear to be the last to reach this point and there are many packs strewn around. By the time we return ours will be the only packs remaining.
Be warned, there are a lot of stairs on this side track. The sun was out, the day was warm, and we worked up a healthy sweat.
It is a little under 2 km to the end of the track at a feature called The Candlestick. The vegetation is scrubby and open and there was no shade. How can you do the Three Capes walk without visiting at least two capes?
We returned to our packs, having stopped for lunch on the way. From there it is a 3.5 km walk to Fortesque Bay.
We arrived with 30 minutes to spare before our mini bus took us back to the Port Arthur visitor centre, and a coach transported us to Hobart.
The Three Capes Track is spectacular. The infrastructure makes it accessible to a range of walkers. It was great to share the experience with my siblings.
