Cliffside clumsy

Another long day driving today… breaking up the journey with a pit stop in Cygnet for a delicious vegetarian lunch of southern fried cauliflower and Indian eggs. We took the Kombi on yet another boat ride, crossing the water to Bruny Island.

We spent the afternoon catching up on washing, using the extortionately priced laundry facilities here. But at least we have clean undies.

The campsite owners are a grumpy bunch. Daph can’t understand it. Surely, they are living the dream. Working from home, which happens to be a holiday park set right on the beach. Why so grumpy? Maybe it’s the kids who blatantly ignore the “no bike riding around the caravans” signs? Or maybe it’s Daph who keeps coming in for more dollar coins to use in the extortionately priced laundry, interrupting their precious television-watching time!

Tonight, we relax with the sound of the ocean crashing on the shore. Ahhhh. Daph loves being back on the coast. There is something special about falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.

Tomorrow, we tackle a walk up a cliffside. Stay tuned!

***

Ern rose to the challenge today and gave a big middle finger to his vertigo, for the most part. Today Daph and Ern did the Fluted Cape Walk. A ten-kilometre round trip from the caravan park to the top of Fluted Cape and back again. A trek uphill, dangerously close to the cliff edge, to a height of 272 metres.

Half an hour in, and Daph needed a wee. This is typical of Daph. But most places have toilets at the start of tracks. Especially if it’s a three-hour round trip. Not this one. No public conveniences for miles. Taking a bush wee is not easy for Daph. Her “stream” isn’t uniform and can be quite unpredictable, often finding its way into her trousers around her ankles. Daph can’t hold any more and finds an old tree stump with a perfect ledge to lean back against, simulating sitting on the toilet... but then more hikers come up the track. We twiddle our thumbs, pretending to be looking at the view until they pass… but everyone wants a quick chat.

Daph finally gets to relieve herself, successfully navigating the stream away from her trousers, except that she was on a downhill slant. Then comes a frantic rush to complete the task before the flow runs into her shoes. It’s a tricky situation. Ern rubs salt into Daph’s wounds by taking a wee with ease, as men do.

Daph: “I wish I had a doodle.”

The uphill climb was exhausting. Just when you think you’re almost at the top, there’s more. Ern’s knees only gave way three times, mainly caused by Daph tripping over a tree root or sneaking a bit closer to the edge for a better photo.

Ern: *Drops to his knees, “Oh, please don’t. Oh, babe. Stop it.”

Daph: *Probably too close to the edge, taking a photo of the breathtaking views, “I’m not going to do anything that puts my life at risk.”

Ern: “But you’re so clumsy. I love you so much. I just don’t want to lose you.”

Awwww. What a sweetheart. Though Daph suspects Ern really needs her to carry him back down.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at the top. Sitting with our backs to the view, so that Ern could momentarily forget how high up we were.

Daph: “You have mud on your trousers.”

Ern: “Remember that part where I was crawling up?”

Bless him.