Eddystone Camping

Four days off and we were wanting to get out in nature and camp somewhere in the Tassie landscape. We checked out the weather forecast and decided on Deep Creek Camping Ground situated just around the corner from Eddystone Point on the North East Coast of Tasmania. We packed the car and headed on our 3.5hr journey to our selected destination. Arriving in the afternoon we set up camp which was tucked up in a corner giving us privacy and serenity. 

The afternoon we were keen to cross Deep Creek River while the tide was out to explore the beach on the other side of the river. Mick decided to go for a quick dive around some rocks while I walked the beach. A good five minutes later the unpredictable Tassie weather came in and let down a bucket of rain. I was totally drenched by the time I arrived back to camp. Upon my journey I came across what I like to call Bum Crack Rock.

Mick arrived back with the goods! Within the first 15 minutes  of spearfishing, Mick had managed to bag two crayfish and see another three or so undersized crayfish. These were demolished for tea, over indulging in crayfish. We had curried crayfish and garlic butter BBQ’d crayfish. 

The next day we awoke early to the sound of an array of bird wildlife. So up at 6:30am and we filled our bellies with bacon, egg and avocado Turkish bread roll. Always our go to for breakfast when camping. Mick suited up and decided to head back to the same location the night before and explore the rocks and sea life in that area. I drove to Eddystone Point and found the carpark under water. I found a safe spot to park and went for a walk to Picnic Corner. Along the way I found a little track that took me to the Gulch. It was very settled in this area and would have been a great spot to dive. I continued on and walked to Larc Beach and then onto Picnic Corner.

After my return to the carpark I decided to head up to the lighthouse and walk down to Buckpitt Gulch keeping my eyes closely on the track on the lookout for any creepy crawlies. I just love the orange tinged rocks lined up bordering the clear blue water. I spent some time watching the little fish swim around. 

After my beautiful morning walk, I headed back to camp to wait for Mick to return from his spearfish. He managed to spear two fish, one was a Banded Morwong and the other was a Yellow Eyed Mullet. 

After lunch we decided to drive to Turtle Rock Lookout which is a location I had not been to before and was eager to go exploring. My WikiCamps app gave me the detail on how to get there which involved a pretty rough 4WD track. We started at Ansons Bay and we made it a fair way along the track but had to stop and park and walk the last couple hundred of metres as the road had washed out.

Turtle Rock was a lovely location. I went searching for Turtle Rock and came up with four possible turtles. See which one you think is Turtle Rock.

Some other pictures of Turtle Rock Lookout shows the amazing landscape. The boulders were massive and the water looked fresh and clear. 

We returned back to campsite and settled in for the evening. It’s amazing the wildlife that surrounds you. The most variety of bird life I have seen and heard. We had the Yellow Wattlebird camped up in the trees above us. They are a peculiar bird with dangly yellow bits hanging from their ears. The dangly bits are apparently called wattles. I also came across a mother possum carrying its baby on its back and a kangaroo with its Joey in its pouch. 

On Sunday we awoke to the alarm of the black cockatoos. The wind had picked up today which was a shame. We had our breakfast and then Mick headed out for a dive and I headed out to explore this place some more. I dropped Mick off and headed to the Northern end of Bay of Fires Beach. Along my way I saw a huge black snake with its head up ready to attack, with the toughest little solo bird pecking at it and giving out its warning cry to all who would listen. This made me nervous when I was about to walk through a low scrub track by myself to get to the beach. My eyes were constantly on the ground and looking up ahead. I made it to the beach unscathed. 

At the northern end of the beach I found a track that went up over the hillside and into another little bay with a beach. The rocks sticking out of the beautiful turquoise water looked stunning. The lighthouse in the distance made for some lovely photos. I also came across an old cement structure of some sort, that had steps. Possibly a place to anchor boats and make your way to land. 

It was really enjoyable exploring yet another lonely beach with no humans in sight. I was in my element. I carefully returned to the car without coming across any snakes and headed back to campsite. 

Most of the afternoon was spent relaxing and reading a book. Mick returned from spearfishing with another two fish to stock up our freezers with. Another Banded Morwong and a Bastard Trumpeter. 

We went for a fish off the rocks at Eddystone Point. Not a lot of bites apart from some stingrays. We then had a 1.5m Sevengill Shark come in to investigate the burley Mick was smashing over the rocks. They are a pretty impressive animal with the way they move through the water. This kept us entertained for quite a while. 

We cooked up some steak sandwiches for tea and sat by the fire under the stars at night, appreciating how lucky we are to live in such an amazing state. We had the whole campsite to ourselves which reminded us of camping in Flinders Island. 

I had four days of bliss out in nature with all of the wildlife. I was able to reset ready to take on the world again.