Relaxing at Orford

With a four day weekend planned and a 3 year anniversary to celebrate, my partner and I decided on Orford as the ideal location to explore. 

Staying at a holiday house in Orford, we headed off to our destination around lunchtime on Friday. A four hour drive in wet and flooding conditions saw a slow trip down to the South Eastern coast of Tasmania. On the way we came across a boat that had fallen off its trailer and was on the side of the road, with some distraught owners. So many river beds had expanded and there was massive amounts of water bordering the road. This set the tone for the weekend that was. 

After arriving at Orford and settling in to our accommodation, we put up our feet and relaxed listening to the rain fall from the sky. We cooked up some tea and settled in for the night.

Saturday morning we waited for the rain to cease and started our exploration of one of the nearby beaches called Stapleton Beach. This was a quiet location with a few shacks overlooking. There was some lovely rock art stacked up vertically that acted as a feature on this beach.

Walking back up the hill to our car we passed a native plant on the side of the track, which caught our eye with a striking red centre and cream spiky exterior. 

With the main road closed for road works we headed down Wielangta Road which had high traffic utilising the dirt road both ways. We headed to Jack’s Beach which is directly opposite Maria Island. One thing I noticed on this trip was the  massive amount of bird life. There were so many different birds flying freely around the area. 

Jack’s Beach was not the prettiest, but what it lacked in beauty, it made up for in supplying adventure and treasures. I like to collect shells from the beaches I explore, to place in my shell jar at home. This beach delivered the most amazing, giant, fully formed treasures. The shells here were amazing. I could have spent hours exploring all of the treasures hidden along this beach. 

Towards the river mouth there was an unusual rock formation jutting out on the beach with a lot of clay throughout it. After walking the length of this beach we headed back and came across an unusual slug like animal. Although the clouds were low and overcast blocking the view of Maria Island, I enjoyed discovering what this beach had to offer. 

We jumped back in the car and drove back along the treacherous muddy road covering my car in the thick clay. We grabbed some lunch after having a drive around Triabunna. We then spent the next few hours relaxing. I put my feet up and read a book. 

Around mid afternoon we went for a walk along Spring Beach. My partner threw in a lure while we walked along the beach. I imagine this beach would be picturesque during Summer and a popular location. 

We headed to the Blue Waters for tea and enjoyed a seafood share plate for tea. We then headed back to our holiday house and filled in some time playing a board game.

Sunday morning we were greeted with very similar weather from the last two days, overcast and drizzling. We decided to go for a drive to Marion Bay and walk the Marion Bay Point loop. This was a 9km walk. Luckily the drizzle had stopped enough for us to walk the loop. We walked past what we thought was someone’s dumped rubbish, to find it was a yacht that had obviously been ship wrecked and laid in a thousand pieces on the beach.

We hit the half way mark coming to the river mouth. On the return we came across some starfish that we threw back into the water.

On our return back to Orford we stopped in at Three Thumbs Lookout.

After driving along the muddy wet road the car was absolutely covered in thick clay.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the serenity. 

On our day of return we packed up and left Orford around 9:30am. Our first stop on the way home was to check out Spiky Bridge, built by the convicts in the 1800s. 

We then crossed the road and went and explored Spiky Beach. I found gorgeous rock art nestled in a corner of the beach. 

That was the conclusion of our long weekend away. Orford is a lovely destination to get away. There is nothing better than spending quality time with my loved one, exploring this state, making lifetime memories.