Freycinet Lodge and Freycinet National Park

At Lake St. Claire Visitors Centre and Ranger Station, we jumped in the car and raced towards Freycinet National Park, where we were to celebrate New Year's Eve. It was at least a 4 hour drive, and we wanted to have as much time as possible at yet another World Heritage park in Tasmania.

POS pulsar--after the accident

We took a "short-cut" via a curvy unsealed road, and our car, weighted down far too much with us and our luggage, skidded off the road and fishtailed three times before banging into a post on the side of the road. Fortunately Mike has experience driving in the snow, and the damage was minimal. We were lucky that none of us were injured. But the POS pulsar lost half (yes, HALF) of the rear bumper, which we were forced to leave because there was no room anywhere in the car to carry it safely!

We were bummed out about the car (and the cost of repairs, since we did not pay for additional insurance), but Mike and Chris tried to find the humor (and good fortune) in all of this, and we managed to enjoy a nice evening at the magnificently located Freycinet Lodge (the only accomodation within the National Park). Hot showers were delectable, and we donned our best clothes and hungrily anticipated a New Year's Feast!

Pictured here, Mom and I enjoy a glass of champagne (well, sparkling) on the deck at Freycinet Lodge.

And here is a picture of the four of us enjoying our first meal after our return to civilization--no skimping on this one!

We all spent New Year's Eve in our own way. Mike and I enjoyed the last moments on the quiet beach, where two small red flares told us we had passed into 2000.

Mom waited for the big fluorescent 2000 sign to illuminate on the dance floor.

And Chris drank gin and tonics and tried to impress the well-dressed Aussie women who surrounded him. It was a tough crowd, folks! "You're having a good time in that hat, aren't you!?"

We pretty much turned in just after midnight (well, all of us except the GnT man!), and were up early for a big breakfast buffet at the lodge. Then we hiked to Wineglass bay--the part of Freycinet known and loved best. Here is a photo of the bay (scanned in at low resolution to save space) from above. Mike and Chris and I hiked an additonal ~10 kilometers around the bay and back again, determined to see at least a small amount of what Freycinet has to offer.

Here is a photo of Mike down at the beach...those colors are real (I can't afford a filter!). We were blessed with a glorious last day in Tasmania.

The following day, we got back in the car and drove back to Launceston to face the rental car agent. An unexpected Christmas gift was that Mom's visa would pay for all repairs to the car, since she had used it to pay for the car rental, and since she was renting the car overseas. So next time you guys are travelling, check your credit card agreement again--you may be wasting money by purchasing "extra insurance" that isn't necessary!

We returned to Melbourne, where we had 1.5 more days to unpack (and repack Mom and Chris), open Christmas gifts, and just plain chill out! It was sad to see Mom and Chris leave, especially since we don't know when we'll see them again. But they received yet another unexpected gift from fate by being bumped up to business class ALL THE WAY back to the states! Unbelievable!