Driving South

 We left mid-morning to head to Port Arthur for two nights.  We had all day, so if something catches our eye we could stop. Our route today took on dirt roads and narrow paved ones.  We were traveling down the coast to a former large prison facility.

But first, we stopped at an interesting phenomenon called Tesselated Pavement.  This geological outcropping of rocks is distinguished by lines carved in rectangular patterns by nature.  Among the rocks are kelp and a large patch of small shelled creatures.  It was very interesting.

Part of the reason a prison was built in Port Arthur was the difficulty of escaping.  A very narrow piece of land called the dog line connected the main land with the smaller piece of land that was home to the prison.  The reason it was called the dog line is that an actual line of very mean dogs were lined up to stop any escapee’s. It didn’t look like a very pleasant life for the dogs.

We stopped for a quick lunch along the way.  Fish rules the menus here.  I had a very lovely seafood chowder which will tide me over to our early dinner.  

Our house for the next couple of nights is on the beach.  We were surprised that a large Carnival cruise ship was anchored in the bay.  However, it moved out shortly after we arrived giving us back our view,  

We carried out fish and chips from the general store around the corner for dinner.  We had a choice of fish and also whether we wanted it crumbed or battered.  It was served with tartar sauce.  I’m used to malt vinegar but the sauce was fine.

The reason we needed to eat early was because we had a ghost tour at the prison this evening.  They run several of these each evening.  The abandoned buildings make for a perfect backdrop for the stories told along the way.  Our tour leader, Luca, wasn’t the most dynamic performer so the tour wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.  It was still interesting to wonder around the grounds in the dark.

Tomorrow: Port Arthur Prison