BEAUTY POINT

 

1/ Beauty Point is on the Tamar River in central northern Tasmania. It is just north of Beaconsfield and is a great place to enjoy the River. This photo looks north past Redbill Point.

2/ The Beauty Point settlement is on a hill looking east across the Tamar River. It has a number of shops, cafes, hotels and a river front park. It also has the 2 major attractions of Sea Horse World and Platypus House. In the distance on the left is the Gunns Wood Chip Mill and in the centre is Middle Island. You regularly see ships, yachts and pleasure boats on the Tamar River at Beauty Point.

3/ This view looks south into the Beauty Point settlement. On the extreme left are the major attractions of Sea Horse World and Platypus House. In the centre is one of the beaches and to the right is the settlement. The river front is a landscaped park.

4/ This view was taken from north of the Beauty Point settlement and shows the Riviera Hotel. It was taken at low tide hence the large area of mud.

5/ This view was taken from just north of Beauty Point and looks west across West Arm towards the Asbestos Range. West Arm is a bay of the Tamar River north of Beauty Point.

5/ Just north of Beauty Point is Sandy Beach, which is adjacent to the caravan park. The land on the horizon was once a vast 3 metre high Aboriginal midden. It was destroyed to make lime at the start of the 19th Century.

6/ This view looks south down the Tamar River and shows the club house and the moorings of the Dalrymple Yacht Club. The famous 3 peaks yacht race begins at Beauty Point.

7/ This restaurant has a fine view of the Tamar River. There are a number of good restaurants and hotels at Beauty Point.

8/ This photo shows the Australian Maritime College. It is a major training centre for the whole Australian maritime industry.

9/ Beauty Point is a very old settlement and it still has some houses built in the 19th Century like this one. It was located quite close to the Maritime College.

10/ This house was built in 1830. It is the oldest house in Beauty Point and one of the oldest in Tasmania. It fronts onto the Tamar River.

11/ This photo shows the entrance to Sea Horse World, where you can see rare, exotic sea horses.

12/ The Lady Cynthia is a support ship for the nearby Bass Strait gas field.

13/ The rear of the Lady Cynthia shows a large working space for operations in the gas field.

14/ This rig was brought in from afar to do major repairs on nearby the gas field.

15/ A wide variety of vessels visit Beauty Point. I was fortunate in 2015 to find this Collins Class submarine berthed there. I was surprised at how large it was. The Collins Class submarines were built in Australia based on a Swedish design.

16/ This is another view of the submarine. Note the size of the two large ocean tugs for a comparison.

17/ This is the Beauty Point Marina. The large ship is the training vessel used by the Australian Maritime College. Many people in Beauty Point own pleasure vessels.

18/ This is another view of the Beauty Point Marina. The Tamar River has an ambience of deep peacefulness about it.

19/ At the Marina are these life boats. They are used for training by the Maritime College.

20/ This view looks east across the Tamar River to the port of Bell Bay. The strange orange hill to the left is a pile of wood chips belonging to the Gunns Wood Chip Mill.

 

1/ The Sea horses were kept in tanks and an informative guide made the tour very interesting. Unfortunately, sea horses are sensitive to light, so no flash photography was allowed and the photos also had to be taken through misty glass, hence the poor quality.

2/ The sea horses have the ability to flow with the current and easily blend into their surrounds.

3/ There were many species of sea horses on display and in this photo, you can see the complete profile. The photo here is about the actual size of the sea horse.

4/ The baby sea horses were fed brime shrimp and here you can see them in a feeding frenzy.

5/ Sea horses are popular in mythology, as they seem to cuddle and kiss like lovers.

6/ Sea horses are unique in that it is the male who carries the young for most of their gestation. Here you can see male sea horses with their yellow, pregnant stomachs.

7/ Sea horses are quite enchanting in the slow, gentle way that they approach east other.

8/ This sea horse looked like a piece of candy. Sea horses have the ability to quickly change their color which makes sub species identification difficult.

 

1/ At the entrance you can sea a display which includes these two stuffed echidnas and a stuffed platypus. These two animals belong to a unique class of animal called monotremes. They are survivors of the earliest type of mammal.

2/ Platypuses can swim quite fast. Here you can see its classic duck like feet. Behind the back feet are spurs, which have a poison similar to snakes. You are strongly advised not to attempt to hold them.

3/ Here you can see one from the top. Again note the duck like bill.

4/ This platypus took to swimming around underneath a log. On this occasion this platypus made capturing its full profile difficult.

5/ The guide was quite fond of her echidnas and knew how to hold them without hurting herself.

6/ Echidnas normally eat ants, so a special formula food had to be provided.

7/ I was privileged to have these two echidnas select my leg to climb. It was a lovely experience to look into their gentle, ancient faces.

 

1/ Dignitaries gather before the start of the race. Beyond the yachts are readying their positions.

2/ The race begins and the crowd watches intently as the yachts surge ahead.

3/ A speed boat monitors the safety of the yachts as they surge forward.

4/ This was one of the contestant yachts before the race began.

5/ These small craft were having their own regatta.

6/ The waiting crowd was entertained by these Japanese style drummers.

7/ These children also performed a modern dance routine.