French Island on bike

French Island is one of our favorite getaways for the weekends when ever we don't have time to plan for something new. The fair heaven camp site had never failed us. But this time we thought we'd explore the island on bike as there we have heard there is quite a few interesting things to see around here.

So as usual we packed out bags and drove to the stony point after work on a Friday. The plan was to catch the last ferry leaving mainland and then walk to the camp site along the coastal walk before dark. We had a quick dinner while waiting for the ferry and it's always lovely to sit on the deck with the salty sea breeze in your face.

Finally we boarded the ferry and after around ten minutes arrived at the Tankerton jetty on the French Islands.

 It took a good few minutes to sort out bags and we were on our way to the camp site before long.

There was a fairly new entrance to the coastal walk track this time that we had never noticed before and it looked like it has been cleared very recently. It was just after the school holidays, and looked like the Island had a lot of visitors. 

Walking that 5 Km you get to walk by the sea and in lands alike and it has some spectacular views at that time of the day when sun is setting.

We stopped at few placed to take few photos and to enjoy the nice view. It was starting to get dark very quickly so we hurried to the campsite. It will be not fun to pitch the tent in the dark. And we so wanted to have a tea by the sea before the last light faded out. 

After arriving at the campsite, we pitched out tent at our usual spot and made tea. I didn't bother capturing that as it was way too dark.

When we walked to the beach however, we could still see the sky lit up over the main land. 

So we were all set up for the next days adventure and chit chatted on the beach until late night before going to sleep. Oh there was full moon so it was sort of magical to lie there under the dark starry skies by the beach. We love this feeling and it keeps us glued to this small, insignificant piece of land like a spell.

The island has totally a different vibe in the morning. The sun is mild and sea is calm. The only sound is from the birds and the wind. 

The plan was to walk to the Tankerton jetty as early as possible and get two bikes, and then come back for breakfast. So we left on foot to the bike hire place which was still closed. Lucky us and we met the daughter of the owner of the General store who was kind enough let us have two bikes and that we pay to her Mom at the store on our way back. I guess that saved us a lot of time.

So we rode back to our camp and had a lovely relaxed breaky.

It was summer and it could get very hot during the day. So we had to prepare for that with sunscreen, hats, jumpers, and lot of water. Everything in a small backpack and we were good to go.

First thing was to stop at the General store and pay for the bikes and then we couldn't resist but have some ice cream. In fact my partner has fallen in love with that strawberry soft ice cream. 

After all the indulgence, it's time to start paddling again. It's not easy to ride these bikes on that gravel roads specially when it's bumpy and hilly. To add to that, the bikes are very basic and had never seen any oil in their entire lives. the chains are rusted and we had to push really hard to get them working. In particular places it was easier to walk rather than riding.

There were two things we wanted to visit. One was the Tea rooms and the other, the islands barge over on the other side. 

All you get to see along the way is the endless dry grasslands with cattle and horses here and there and the wet lands. 

It's not difficult at all to find the tea rooms, but you can't actually see it from the road so there is a chance you miss it if you don't look for Name plates and signs. A short walk through the eucalyptus trees led us to the farm. On those trees we spotted a few Koalas just as we expected to. 

We were greeted by a friendly dogie who soon let it's owner know that we are there. A girl greeted us and confirmed that we are at the right place and offered to show around the place. 

So we walked around the farm house looking at packs of hens, few more koalas. 

They had two horses with them who were very friendly and we fed them few apples we had with us. It was lovely to watch so closely as they eat the apples with such appetite. 

We also fed the chickens. This was something I had never done before and it kind of felt wired to be surrounded by so many birds who aren't shy and would go all over you to get some seeds.

After all the animal fun, we went in the Tea rooms for a refreshment. It was an old Chicory kiln, now used as a small cafe. It has been kept so intact that you almost feel like you have time traveled back in to those days.

  

Tea was served with some homemade scones, cream and Jam. They also had homemade james and marmalade for sale. 

This was such a lovely experience for us. After a small chit chat, we left the place heading to the barge. 

Finding the right track was a bit challenging this time and what was even more challenging was to ride the bikes in those tracks. Some parts are washed off and we carried the bikes for the most part. We were so exhausted when we reached the barge.

We heard that this is where people come if they wan to transport their vehicles or other heavy goods.

It was so hot and we were hungry due to all the riding and walking. We sat in a shade and ate out sandwiches. After a while of resting, we started back. We wanted to explore further, but it was too tiring and we have to return the bikes before dark. 

So we rode back to the Jetty stopping by the General store on our way to replenish few items. Riding back was much easier as the road was in a better condition but still it has really hilly sections. We met a few horses on our way and also a strange looking goat.

After returning the bikes at the Jetty, we decided to walk along the beach to the campsite. During the day the beach is widely exposed due to the law tide. This leaves miles of sandy beach along the coast. 

You have to be careful when walking on those sandy stretches as some places are mudflats with lose soil underneath. 

There were millions of these tiny crabs all over the beach. They would run in herds and dissappear in to sand in a flash.

On to the land side it's the wetlands all along the way and they are full of mangroves and various shrubs,bushes and grass that are unique to this place.

At the end of a relaxed walk along the beach, we could finally see the land mark near our camp site. It's remnants of an old jetty.

It was good to be at the campsite again after a tiring day. We washed ourselves and changed in to fresh cloths and settled in for the night. It started to drizzle a bit so we cooked dinner early and kept in the tent. The rain set in soon after and we just had time for a wine.

The rain stopped in the night but we had spend the rest of the evening in the tend as the ground was wet and muddy. It would have been so much better if we could have dinner by the sea but we can do that next time. 

We rose early next day and packed our bags and headed back to catch our ferry to the main land. Caught this rainbow on our way.

This was one of the best weekend we spent on the French Island indeed. 

We drove home feeling energized and ready to face the busy week with refreshed minds.