Day Five - Sunday 17th July

We had a wonderful night's sleep at Barbara's "Alexandria" B&B. Barbara and her daughter, Jo, made us a magnificent English Breakfast and Jonathan was made Apple and Cinnamon Pancakes. We relaxed in their Dining/Longeroom (with an open fire), and Nick and JR were able to help Jo with some computer issues. Unfortunately, it was a rainy morning but we still happily set off the 56km to Smithton to the Tarkine Forest Adventure to visit the Dismal Swamp. 

 It was a beautiful drive in the countryside with lush green rolling hills - we were in dairy country! We arrived at Dismal Swamp, under a dismal sky and to our dismay the giant dismal slide into the dismal swamp, was dismally closed, due to the dismal drizzle! The Swamp (over 100m deep) floor is covered in rainforest and it would have been wonderful for us to slide into the swamp but alas sunshine was needed. We will have to return to Dismal Swamp another time as it looks like a lot of fun. We drove back to Stanley and had a leisurely lunch in the "Chin Wag" Cafe. We then sought out accommodation for the night and paid $130,00 for a really cute and clean two room cottage called Pol's Cottage.  Afterwards we walked/climbed "the Nut" - a huge rocky outcrop in Stanley and we huffed and puffed to the top (although one of us ran most of the way) and then we walked around the summit.  The views were just stunning and we could see islands 30km away quite clearly as the drizzle and clouds had dissipated. 

 We then went for a stroll along the foreshore of Godfreys Beach in search of penguin's burrows but we were later told that the penguins hadd "moved along"and wouldn't return to stanley until October.  We dined at the bistro at the Stanley Hotel and once again we were not dissapointed with the choices and quality of the food.  Back to Pol's Cottage to sit by the open fireplace and relax with our books.