Bay of Fires, Tasmania

The new tour group met yesterday eve in the hotel lobby then we dined together. Suddenly we are 11 people. The same tour leaders Jai and Larry. Emma, Cathy, Renee, and Carolyn I think had met on a previous holiday, Jenny, John & Judy. Emma is younger, all the others are late 60s ( I think). All Australian.
This morning we set off for St Helen’s stopping twice on the way, Jay driving the much more cramped minibus. My rucksack no longer has a seat of its own!
Once we arrived at the sea with turquoise sea, we stopped for a coffee and little wander. Then we dropped off the trailer of luggage at the panorama hotel in St Helens and drove to the start of the first walk.
The pace was slower obviously but it was lovely and warm with a breeze, walking along a beach and mostly through forested area and we spotted one echidna! We stopped for sandwich lunch viewing black swans from our big boulder seats on the beach.
This evening we ate out and got to know other people in the group. Nice chat with Carolyn who is retired ( university lecturer and business school) with 90 year old mum independent still, and volunteer friend of a person with dementia. Renee works for the government highways as environmental scientist working with the engineers, previously has taught at schools in Buckingham and Essex in U.K.
I tried Tasmanian oysters kilpatrick, ( bacon and Worcestershire sauce) slurped right from the shell.