CAPE PILLAR

 

1/ The line of cliffs extending from Pirates Bay to Cape Hauy, at the top left, are some of the most beautiful in the world.

2/ The tour is conducted in a powerful boat with a large canopy.

3/ The mate gives a life jacket drill before the crew issued the passengers with water proof coverings.

4/ The rock sculptures that you see are truly awesome. On left is an insulberg, then follow the two lanterns, while the pillar to the right is the "Candlestick".

5/ As you pass Waterfall Bay, you see the waterfall that gave it its name. In winter the water comes cascading down in a heavy torrent.

6/ The huge pillar in the middle is the "Candlestick". Behind it, just visible, is the "Totempole".

7/ The sea around Cape Pillar can be very violent. In this photo on the right you can see a 20 metre wave crashing against a 60 metre cliff.

8/ To the left are sheer dolomite cliffs, while the white color to the right indicates that this is a sea bird rookery. Their faeces have turned the cliff white over aeons of time.

9/ These rock terraces are frequently populated by large populations of seals.

10/ This is a telephoto shot of two seals on a terrace. Note the seagulls below them.

11/ A dolomite cliff juts into the sea.

12/ The cliffs presented numerous dolomite sculptures to behold.

13/ These were some of the highest dolomite cliffs on the way to Cape Hauy.

14/ This photo shows the entrance to Fortescue Bay. This bay was protected by a breakwater wreck, which made it surprisingly calm. Fortescue Bay is an entry point for walkers walking the Cape Pillar Track. They see these sights from the landward side.

15/ The wave movement through this gap was extremely violent. You can actually see the water level rising some metres. It would be disastrous for any boat to attempt to sail through it.

16/ The tour boat uses its powerful engines to take you deep into a grotto. Here you can see the strange colors and shapes that you see in a grotto sculptured by the waves.

17/ This is the view looking out of a grotto. I found it a bit frightening to be this deeply inside one.

18/This shows one of the grottoes that we passed. This one was similar to the one that we entered.

19/ An insulberg near Cape Hauy. The white covering indicates that this is a bird rookery.

20/ The tour boat does a thrilling dash between this insulberg and the cliff. The gap between them was only about 20 metres. It makes a great photo from the track above.

21/ This photo shows Cape Hauy as we approached it from the north.

22/ This photo shows the Pillar Rock bathing in a violent sea.

23/ This photo shows the gap between Tasman Island on the left and the tip of the Tasman Peninsula on the right. The sea was quite violent on the day of our visit.

24/ Tasman Island is a very forbidding place. On the left you can just sea the tip of the lighthouse.

25/ The landing on Tasman Island was at the bottom of this cliff. The people and supplies had to be winched up by a crane, as no mooring could be provided for boats. Resupply was, further, only possible in calm weather. It must be been a very isolated place.

26/ Late in the afternoon we approached the other great site, "the Totempole", which you can see jutting up from the rock on the extreme right.

27/ The Totempole was a massive column that seemed to be permanently fixed in a violent sea. Behind it you can see the Candlestick.

28/ As we returned back to Pirates Bay the colors of the sea changed significantly.