Tamar River - Day 2

Hopefully the wind and seas will be calmer tomorrow but there is plenty to see here.

We had a maritime history day. First we visited the Low Head lighthouse, The current building (bottom left) dates from 1888. The foghorn no longer sounds for fog but it sounds every Sunday at noon and it’s VERY loud.

Not far away is the old pilot station. The river is treacherous with reefs, sandbanks and strong currents, so all ships have been required to have a pilot since the early 19th century. Some old pilot cottages have been turned into a lovely little museum. The church is bottom right and the view across the river (with a ubiquitous Norfolk Island Pine) is top right.

Then we went back to George Town to visit the Bass & Flinders Museum. Bass and Flinders were the British Naval officers who first proved that there was a strait ( now the Bass Strait) between Tasmania and the mainland in 1798-99. Ships had previously sailed around the bottom of Tasmania to get to Sydney. The museum is full of history and replicas of some famous boats (top left).