Pot Bay to South Arm 2019

Today is a new walk for us, from Pot Bay to South Arm and Fort Direction.

We cross over to the eastern shore of the River Derwent via the Tasman Bridge to pick up the South Arm Highway that will take us all the way to our starting point.

It's a fair drive, but eventually we arrive and can look across the water to the Kingston/Blackmans Bay area.

We park at the end of Algona Street, at the northern end of Halfmoon Bay. The weather is overcast, but it's not windy and the temperature is fairly comfortable.

Off we go.

Just enough room at the end of the street for our cars

South Arm Beach, heading south

We don't exactly have to elbow our way through the crowds.

Cliffs south of Kingston

Mount Wellington behind Hobart

Downtown South Arm coming up

This area is mainly holiday cottages, known as "Shacks" in Tasmania, no matter how much they cost. I assume some are occupied by retirees also.

Reaching the end of the beach, we climb up to Jetty Road, following it to the start of the the Blessington Coastal Track.

We continue around to Johns Point where we have Morning Tea.

Morning Tea on Johns Point

Mount Wellington and Hobart in the far distance

After our break, we continue on 

Towards Tinderbox

 We continue after Morning Tea, heading towards Cape Direction in the distance.

Cape Direction in the distance

We continue following the shoreline of Pot Bay until we reach the first official warning signs.

Getting close to Fort Direction

About to enter Fort Direction

I'm not sure how many of the buildings are occupied,

 but there is one truck in front of a building not in sight at the moment.

I found a bit of information about the fort on Wikipedia which I've put below.

Fort Direction and Pierson's Point

With the outbreak of World War II, the Department of Defence acquired land near South Arm close to the mouth of the Derwent River on the eastern shore, from Courtland Calvert and his sister in September 1939. At first, the land was used purely as a training ground, with mock battles that were disruptive to locals being fought day and night. But as war preparations evolved, the Commonwealth decided that the port of Hobart would require some degree of defense to protect the state's vital zinc industry that was crucial to the war effort. Major Mark Pritchard was the first commanding officer of the new defenses that became known as Fort Direction. By the end of 1939, construction of two fortified six-inch (152 mm) Mk VII gun emplacements, and a small four room weatherboard control building had been completed. Soon there was also a flagpole and set of naval signals.

Throughout the war, a 24-hour watch was maintained every day, and the site was usually manned by at least 15 Royal Australian Navy personnel. A record of every ship entering the Derwent River between 1940 and 1945 was kept. Between 1941 and 1944, both guns were regularly used for training exercises. Although never used in hostile action against enemy vessels, the guns were fired in anger once. A liberty ship entering the mouth of the Derwent River failed to obey instructions issued from the Naval Command on the hill above the fort, and one shell was accurately fired across her bow, which immediately resulted in the liberty ship hoving to.

On the opposite western shore of the Derwent River, another emplacement was constructed with one four-inch (102 mm) gun. However, several huts to house men were constructed at that location as well as a complicated underground tunnel and command structure. Local residents recall barbed wire still surrounding the site well after the war and the site’s de-commissioning. Nearby Goat Bluff was also the location of further underground tunnel systems.

The only enemy action to ever affect Hobart happened on 1 August 1942, when a submarine-launched Japanese spy plane flew from the submarine’s mooring in Great Oyster Bay south along the east coast of Tasmania, before flying northward along the Derwent River surveying Hobart and then returning to its mother submarine. Although both emplacements detected the flight, the plane was at too high an altitude to fire upon, and no aircraft were available to intercept it. After this event, two anti-aircraft guns were positioned on nearby hills, but the Japanese never returned to Tasmania again during the war. 

Lone Pine Memorial at Cape Deliverance

 This memorial is dedicated to the WWI battle of Lone Pine. Originally there were seven pines (cloned from the original at the battle site) planted here to mark the seven Victoria Crosses won by Australian soldiers in the battle against the Turks, but they did not survive the environment here.

2000 Australians and 7000+ Turks lost their lives in the battle. I'm sure it was all worth it.

We follow the track around to the point where we have lunch.

We continue on, heading to Cape Direction

The Iron Pot Light in the distance

Looking back

Iron Pot Light

 You will often hear that a ship has passed "the Iron Pot Light" on its way into the River Derwent heading for the port of Hobart on the radio.

Is this the Defense Department saving money?

We continue on, heading for lunch

Old military storage

Pillbox on the point

Lunch...

...with a view

Bob has a good look around

Lunch finished, we begin our return trip

An unfortunate seahorse

Alex displays the horse, it's a good size...

...but not as large is this one

 We continue on, retracing our steps. The weather doesn't look very good, but that's a misconception.

Looks bad, but it isn't

Interesting hobby

Back to the cars

The weather held and I found this was an interesting walk. I've never been here before.

We had 13 walkers and covered 13.34kms in 4:17hrs. Mainly flat walking, but interesting all the same.

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