4. Bicheno

Everyone goes to the Blow Hole in Bicheno, at the south end of The Esplanade.

It’s the first attraction you encounter as you enter town on the Tasman Hwy. The foreshore is strewn with huge boulders covered in orange lichen, and there are thick ribbons of kelp washing in the waters of the rocky shoreline.

There’s something thrilling about watching the ocean crashing against the rocks, forcing its way through the eroded tunnels, and forming explosive waterspouts that drench any unwitting rock scramblers.

I first went there in 1989, with my two favourite Tasmanians, Rood and Roods, in the days when James used to drive Cecil.  We certainly clocked up some miles in that little silver Suzuki.

Many of the houses along The Esplanade have beautiful gardens, filled with summers blooms. This was my favourite, opposite the foreshore sign.