Very good walk today to South Cape Bay. (Map here.) The track was quite busy, with many day walkers and also a number of people who seemed to be finishing the South Coast Track. Most of the latter were quite cheerful. It was a warm day, reaching 28°C in Hobart. I think it was a little cooler than that down south, but Blowhole valley was fairly warm on the return. The beach was great, with a gentle surf and a cool breeze.
The cliffs at South Cape Bay are weathered in a wide variety of ways. The cliffs themselves are shaly coal-like rock, with columns and boulders collapsing into the sea. This boulder sits below the cliffs just where the track arrives at the coast. It is among several with this mottled, honeycombed weathering. I'm thinking this is caused by salt water weathering this particular type of rock, but will stand corrected.
There was a lot of giant kelp lying on the beach, stretched out and piled up. I'm assuming this kelp is Macrocystis pyrifera.
There was a green scum in the foam, which deposited on the sand as the waves crept up the beach. I think it was an algae, but I'm unsure. Hope it isn't poisonous because I had a nice paddle all the way up the beach and back today.
I gather there is now a track to South East Cape, cut illegally. Some day I will try to find the start of it, the location of which has been described to me, but which only appears to be accessible when the tide is right. I think you'd want to make sure you had time to get back, or were willing to wait through a whole tide. South East Cape was apparently previously reached by climbing Bald Hill from Blowhole Valley, then scrub bashing for some hours along the hills to the cape. Didn't sound much fun, so if there's a track now, then it might make for a worthwhile trip.
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