Umbrella Point or One Tree Point 2020

This week we're in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The U3A is closed down and there are limits on group sizes in public. At the time of the walk, groups were limited to 10 people (It's now 2). Because of this, this is NOT an official walk and has nothing to do with the U3A but is a walk with like minded people.

The decision has been taken since the walk not to have any more until things get better.

We're starting from Kettering which is 5-6km north of Woodbridge. I will be walking up to the Bruny Island Ferry Terminal where I will meet the others. Thanks to a roadworks delay, I have to wait a little while until the rest arrive. It's a beautiful day, so I really don't care.

The others do arrive, having traveled down from Kingston in their own cars, which means there was no close contact between them.

There aren't many vehicles traveling to Bruny and we have the entire upper deck of the Mirambeena to ourselves. The ferry will soon be replaced by two newer, smaller ones so this will probably be the last time we ride it.

The very nice track from Trial Bay around the point to the Kettering Terminal

Kettering habour

One of the new ferries waiting to depart

    After waiting until cars/trucks have loaded,  we walk down to make our way to the upper deck.

Plenty of room for all

 A few of the walkers mentioned that their children/grandchildren weren't too happy with them for going on this walk due to the virus.

As I said earlier they all came in separate cars and we maintained the required 2 metre square space around each individual as shown in the photo below. Everyone was also careful at the morning break and lunch to maintain separation.

Keeping our distance!

 It's not long before we leave Kettering to head to Roberts Point on Bruny Island.

On our way!

Tasmania is being shutdown both in non essential business and tourism to slow the virus down. We're really lucky to live in such a place that is so beautiful that the limitations being put on us really don't hurt. At least for me.

Looking south. The point is the one I walked around

The smaller ferry returning from Bruny Island

Looking south towards Woodbridge

Looking south. That small sailboat on the left, is just offshore of Bruny Island

Long shot of Woodbridge

You can just make out the jetty and the Marine Studies Centre in the lower centre. You can't see my place, but the white house in the bottom left corner is my next door neighbour on the southern side.

Roberts Point Bruny Island ferry terminal ahead

There are a few cars to load for the mainland

We've passed the waiting vehicles and entered this field through a small gate. The property owner, who I don't know, is happy to have walkers cross their land.

Before heading off, we walk out to the point to see an eagles nest in one of the gum trees by the water.

This eagle flew from the nest to another tree to keep an eye on us

This appears to be a Wedge-tailed eagle, certainly not a white bellied sea eagle. I'm happy to be corrected.

It's a pretty big nest and has been there for a while

Maybe I should invest in a drone.

We're back on track now

We're heading back to the main track to continue south. I noticed we were being watched as we walk.

Watch you!

We'll be walking around Apollo Bay

As we get farther around, we look back at Roberts Point with the Wellington Range beyond.

Looking back at Roberts Point

Sleeping Beauty has a few more bumps than usual. Mt. Wellington is off to the right

Sleeping Beauty is said to resemble a reclining female figure. 

It's a clear track for walking

This would have all been forest in the distant past

Beach walking is included today

We'll be following the shoreline as far as possible as this is a Public Reserve right around to Umbrella Point and beyond. Any private property is well back from the water line.

Looking across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel towards Woodbridge

Soon, we reach a house that always attracts attention. There are two other houses not too far away, but this one always impresses. Overlooking the Channel, the views inside would be very impressive.

It's sitting on a point jutting out into Apollo Bay

The inside walls as you can see are all glass. I've put a Google Earth photo below so you can see it also has a sheltered outdoor area.

Our track runs down near the water, below a fence.

On we go, still walking near the water.

A bit of rock hopping if you want, but you can walk above the beach and avoid that

Dedicated rock hoppers

Conditions become more varied as we walk through she-oaks and old timber. Soon, it's all tussocks.

There are a number of tracks here

You are free to take any and the only requirements are you must be around 1/2 a metre tall, have a tail and be really good at hopping.

Otherwise, it's a bit of a challenge.

As we move along, I get called up to photograph something interesting. Having had cataracts removed from both eyes fairly recently, my vision is crap at the moment for anything near. I'll be damned if I could see what was being pointed out to me. The others, tired of waiting, moved off while I tried to see what I was supposed to see. Finally it sprang into view! Only about 30cm long, it wasn't quite large enough to trip over.

It was a seahorse skeleton. Some distance from the water I assume it was dropped by a bird sometime in the past.

Seahorse? what seahorse?

 We pass several houses up in the bush, and their facilities sometimes creep down into the reserve. This isn't a problem, though.

Not long after we make our way down to the shore, finding a private jetty.

Private jetty

Slippery When Wet. Good to know health & safety operates out here

I would have thought that after slipping and sliding down this track with it's original handrail, a wet jetty would have been the least of your worries

 On we go making our way along the shore for a while before climbing back up to the grassy area.

Back to firmer ground

We're starting down to the shore again

We're getting close to our objective and will soon look for a lunch spot.

Nature, always the artist

That's a navigation beacon on the shore. I've been watching it blink for 50+ years.

Just around the corner of Kinghorne Point, we enter Snake
Bay to spot Umbrella Point.

That's Umbrella Point through the trees

The boulders get larger and soon we reach our lunch spot

Everyone finds a comfortable rock and we keep our distance, children.

As we eat, someone spots an eagle flying over the point. It was being chased by a couple of smaller birds who were trying to drive it away. Eventually, it lands in a tree and I manage to get a photo.

It's a White-bellied Sea Eagle

An interesting bird and I suggest you CLICK HERE to read a description. Evidently they are not really eagles, but giant kites. You can't see any strings, though.

Reading the article, perhaps a sea eagle was responsible for dropping the seahorse skeleton.

Lunch finished, we continue on to the point. We don't walk out, but cross to the bay on the other side of the neck that connects Umbrella Point to Bruny Island.

Looking south over Snake Bay

It's about now that Peter offers us a choice. We can walk around that distant point with fairly rough conditions until we reach Mulcahys Road, or we can take the old track that runs from here up to Lowes Road and doesn't involve rock hopping.

Peter had barely finished speaking when several shouts said to take the old track! Which we did.

The old track

Lowes Road, leading to Apollo Bay Road

We're going to walk along the road for a while and as we do, we pass something from our past.

Back in 2016, we did this walk and Bob found a long lost relative. I've put the photo at the time below.

Bob and his long lost brother (2015)

Bob's off doing other things and isn't with us today, but I'm sure he'd want to know that his 'brother' is taking appropriate cautions against the Coronavirus

When a vaccination is finally developed, a VERY strong, sharp needle is going to be required

 On we go, eventually making our way down to the shore again to follow the track back to the Ferry Terminal.

We get there just in time as the Mirambeena is in the distance.

We have just enough time to enter the small shop and get our traditional ice creams before the ferry arrives.

We had 8 widely separated walkers, and covered 10.06km in 4:19hrs. It was a great day for a walk, last one for a while.

Wildlife seen were two eagles, a wallaby, reportedly a snake (that's why I walk in the back of the group) and a dead echidna.

Oh, I called Val as I promised I would and after a long conversation she convinced me to let her pick me up from Trial Bay.

I think it went something like this.

Val "Do you want me to pic..."

Me interrupting "Yes!"

Now, there were several skeptic remarks about Umbrella Point because the yachties call it One Tree Point. The skeptics pointed out that the point was covered with trees, not just one.

Well, I took the photo below from my garden as Bryn and I set off for our morning walk. It's looking across the Channel.

Click here to download GPX file

And that's why the yachties call it One Tree Point!