Henty Dunes, sore bums and good eats/drinks

Our second day in Strahan was taken in rather slowly after a  night of fevers, " I need a bucket!!" and parties all around the caravan bringing in the New Year. Kids woke well though and we set off to the "Dunes" - sand boards in hand. After a hefty hike up some soft sand, the vista exploded in front of us - miles upon miles of soft white sand as far as the eye could see seemingly joining the ocean at the horizon. We eventually found a hill steep enough to allow us to build up some speed to try the sand boards - we ended up using them as tobaggans more than a board of sorts. Jen and I both gave the it a try and ended up getting sand in places we probably don't want to know about and we'll likely be finding it in clothing for weeks! It's a little like snowboarding but imagine instead of boots clipped in you're wearing a pair of thongs. Now imagine the snow is absolutely water-logged slush or even better - wet cement. You can start okay as long as you lean way back - as soon as you start to lean forward though it's game over and instead of gliding down the hill you end up somersaulting instead. Finally, there's no cushy chairlift to take you back up the slope - 100ms of heavy slogging (often with small child in tow) is quite a work out and should do our cycling legs some good!

After some lunch we headed back to town to see a few of the highlighted sights - the water tank viewpoint and Hogarth's Falls (a small hike into the bush and a small tranquil waterfall - but no platypus!). We ended our Strahan tour with a visit to the 42 degree View Restaurant for some afternoon Tapas and wine/drinks. Was very pleasant - the Velo Pinot Gris and 42 degree Sauv Blanc won out in terms of tastings. Tomorrow we're making the trek to Hobart for a sight see and catch  up with our good friend Jennie (Brodie) MacQueen and her new hubby, Keith!