Escape to an Island

Communication

2011-08-07T16:49:00.010+10:00

Communication on a remote island is very important - not only for us but for the many boats travelling in the area. A repeater was placed on South Hummock several years ago as it is the highest point in the area - 237 m. You are able to speak directly to the Coast Guard (Mary Kay) in Smithton 24 hours a day using a VHF radio on channel 21. The Coast Guard also does regular skeds - 6am, 8am and 5pm everyday (including Christmas day!) with a thorough weather report. Boats are also able to call in and report their location and that they are all OK. A great service for the area - and Mary is voluntary!

The new aerial goes on

Three weeks ago there was no signal on the VHF radio and on investigation there was no longer an aerial on the tower! It had completely disappeared. It is thought that maybe it had a lightning strike?? Oh well - now to organise a replacement. MAST - Marine and Safety Tasmania are the owners of the tower and arranged a Technician to fly over with Seair from Wynyard to replace the aerial and give it a check over.

Stuart - the technician, Chas -the pilot and John standing the tower back up.

So back on air again now!! Apart from having a radio phone, (which works like a normal landline phone) Telstra Next G mobile phones also work here - we also have wireless access to the internet. So we feel very comfortable having various forms of communication. It is so different from the "olden" days when they had absolutely no communication except for lighting 3 signal fires to attract local fishermen!! Scary!!!

Thank goodness communication has improved over the years!

Exploring the sand dunes

2011-06-07T14:29:00.004+10:00

There are many beautiful walks on the island. A favourite walk that guests keep returning to is the hike up the enormous sand dunes on West Telegraph Bay.

Easter saw three families (10 children) take up residence in the Homestead. The entire group headed up the sand dune one sunny morning.

A short trip up the beach in the "troupie" got everyone to the starting point.

Eager children took off up the sand.

The terrain is varied and fascinating. The sand dune changes from month to month, year to year, depending on the winds and other factors. In this section are lots of trees that have been covered up by the moving sands (and an eager person's football in the foreground.)

This is the fun part of the walk, where the slope is at a great angle for rolling, jumping or tobogganing down. Some plastic sheeting or flat cardboard would have been handy to fashion a ride out of at this point.

All along the way there are some beautiful finds; from bleached, silvery drift wood to interesting rocks and sand formations.

Then, when you get to the top the stunning views make it all worthwhile. This is looking south down West Telegraph Bay.

This is the view north to the protected cove at the top of West Telegraph Bay.

Spider Crabs

2011-05-23T16:55:00.015+10:00

Over the weekend we went to Home Beach to collect Cuttlebone for the chooks and garden, which John grinds up. We immediately noticed lots of dead crabs.

Spider Crabs Leptomithrax gaimardii were in abundance and we wondered why. So John put his research hat on and this is what he found out!

So why did they come to be washed up on the beach? Most of the crabs were just the cast off exoskeleton (exuvia) of the animals.

They would have been especially vulnerable to being washed ashore in windy weather as their muscles are reduced during moulting to allow their limbs to be extracted and spider crabs are very weak and spindly, even in peak health.

Reports have been made apparently every few years in the past 20 years of crabs being washed up on beaches. It seems to be a regular natural event.

If you would like further reading -

Hale, H.M. 1927-29 The Crustaceans of South Australia. Adelaide: Government Printing South Australia.

Meals on Three Hummock Island

2011-05-04T16:13:00.010+10:00

This week we had a visit from local Circular Head Council officers to inspect our kitchens and facilities - the aim to provide meals for guests - and we passed!! Left to right Matt and Alison from Council, Chas the pilot from Seair Wynyard and John (Manager).

Very exciting as now our guests can organise to have us provide meals for them. It will be self catering style so guests can eat when they like - after a long walk on the beach, an early night or a sleep in. All in the privacy of guest accommodation. Dietary requirements will be catered for.

Of course there is the option of bringing some or all of the food. Guests will need to bring alcoholic beverages if required.

Book your holiday to Three Hummock Island now and you won't even have to think about your meals! Included in our menu will be fresh home baked bread everyday and fresh vegetables from our garden. Of course Beverley will bake some yummy treats !!

Trip to Albatross Island

2011-03-24T12:18:00.023+11:00

We were privileged to visit the magical Albatross Island west of Three Hummock Island. The island has no inhabitants - just the wildlife, particularly Shy Albatross Diomedea cauta. Friends of ours, Casey, Mel, Sam and Amy took us over in their boat. It was a perfect day weather wise to make the journey and we spent a couple of hours exploring the island and enjoyed viewing the fascinating Shy Albatross that breed there.

The rocky island from the sea on approach.

"Guyra" - Casey and Mel's boat safely anchored awaiting our return
- note the calm sea.

John takes his first step off the tender onto the island

John helping Amy down the ladder and into the valley.

John entering the big cave.

Looking back towards Three Hummock Island - you can see the three hummocks clearly from Albatross island - this aspect shows why both islands were so named.

The magnificent young Shy Albatross on their nests.

Goodbye Albatross Island - a wonderful adventure

The Shy Albatross is unique to Tasmania and Albatross Island is one of the three islands on which they breed. Albatrosses are one of the most threatened seabird groups in the world. This island is a Nature Reserve and a very special place.

The Vegetable Garden

2011-02-23T15:49:00.011+11:00

The garden has been flourishing over Summer and providing us with most of our vegetables - we have harvested - broad beans, potatoes, zucchini, lettuce, strawberries, onions, beans (bush and scarlet runners), spring onions, peas, carrots, rhubarb, leeks, spinach and rocket. The herbs we have growing are corriander, rosemary, oregano, russian tarragon, basil, sage, parsley, thyme, chives, borage, comfrey, mint and we are even have horseradish!

Soon we should have delicious tomatoes.

Nearly ripe

The old bath tub full of herbs

Scarlet runner beans - after they have finished we will cut them down and they will hopefully continue to give us beans for 7 years!

All our efforts have paid off - composting is essential in the sandy soil here, but finally we have it all sorted and everything is doing well. We are fortunate we don't have frosts which is certainly an attribute. The garden is fully enclosed to stop possums and birds from entering.

The garden provides us with great joy and it is wonderful to watch nature develop under your hands.

Come on down to the island and we are sure to have something fresh to supplement your meals!!

Island inhabitants

2011-01-18T21:12:00.003+11:00

Three Hummock Island was not immune to the rain that fell on the whole eastern seaboard of Australia this summer. After a relatively dry spring we were thankful for the rain.

The many roos that graze around the homestead were looking decidedly soaked after three days of rain.

Once the sun came out they spent the next couple of days lying around in the grass near the homestead drying out.

Three Hummock leek-orchid

2010-12-16T10:50:00.022+11:00

Three Hummock Island has it's own orchid! It was found here in 1999 and to date our island is the only place in the world where this species is found! It only grows on the main airstrip.

On December 14 a count was carried out. Over 300 plants were counted by 7 people. Quite a job as the airstrip is 1 km long and also has cross sections.

The scientific name is Prasophyllum atratum.

The group consisted of Wendy Potts from the Threatened species unit in Hobart, Peter Hefferon from Parks Tasmania, 2 volunteers - Janine and Alison - even the pilot Chas joined in - of course John and Beverley too!

One of the beautiful orchids on the air strip

The team arriving to do the count.

Wendy Potts from the Threatened species unit in Hobart.

The count is on!

Enjoying a cuppa after a rewarding afternoon

Left to right - Janine, John, Alison, Wendy, Peter and Chas pilot from Seair Wynyard Tasmania. Beverley took the photo.

It is just amazing that something so unique is growing on our airstrip!

A perfect island escape?

2010-11-06T13:27:00.001+11:00

There's something about Three Hummock Island that captures the hearts of all who are lucky enough to visit.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, the famous uniter of Italy, happened upon our shores in 1852. He was one of the first to try and capture in words what he felt for our island:

"O desert island of the Hunter Group - how many times have you pleasantly excited my imagination. When tired of this civilized society, so full of tyrants and gendarmes, I have often transported myself in my imagination into your gracious bosom."

Here is what some more recent visitors have had to say in our guest book:

Too wonderful to put into words.
A very special place
A magical place
It is refreshing to know that untouched wilderness still exists. In one week we saw only a few of the wonders this island can reveal.
Our stay has been a very special experience. You can feel the spirit of the island all around you.
Bliss!
Absolute serenity. A little piece of heaven untouched. Pristine beaches, turquoise waters. Simply utopia!

Definitely one of the highlights of Tassie. Will be back.
A lovely, restful place.
This island may well be the best place in Australia.
It's been a dream come true and more. This island is idyllic and its lonely beaches and bush tracks, its birds and dolphins. Quite magic.
Wonderful, isolated environment.
What an experience - rugged beauty.

What will you say about Three Hummock Island when you visit?

John and Beverley - Managers

2010-10-23T11:49:00.025+11:00

Why do you live here?

This is a question often asked of us. Some think we are crazy, adventurous and many other thoughts! We just wanted to change our lifestyle - as simple as that. May 2008 we set our plan in action. We both resigned from our jobs, rented out our very cherished home to a lovely lady, who is looking after it really well and headed west! Sounds easy, but it was actually a big process! Our first stop was a month living on the western side of the Simpson Desert with a group called Desert Discovery - we identify mammals, birds, plants etc for an entire month - wonderful! Great group of people and we meet every two years in another desert - sadly because of our location we missed out this year.

Our rig - Leaving home!

Next was voluntary caretakers at the beautiful Eyre Bird Observatory, Western Australia - Old Telegraph Station built in 1897 - we spent 7 months there. We looked after day and overnight guests (including cooking all the meals!) Identified and counted birds and had an absolutely sensational time there. A great place to visit if you are travelling the Eyre Highway - it is located between Cocklebiddy and Madura and about 50 kms south of the highway along a very sandy 4WD track - a kilometre from the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean.

Taken from the top of one of the many sand dunes.

Some of the amazing birds that visited us - Major Mitchell Cockatoos

We were to go to the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley next as camp hosts but the position we accepted was given to a couple who had been there last season - we were very disappointed. What do we do now?? Luckily we had a guest at Eyre who told us of the position here! So the process started and finally we arrived here in March 2009 to manage the island. We are great believers in fate - we had never even heard of this island - neither had a lot of our friends and family.

Aerial view of the south west of the island -we live at the top right in the dark green section.
We love living on this beautiful island.

Flying visit

2010-10-10T13:13:00.014+11:00

Where did September go? We have been busy renovating the guest cottage. There are never enough hours in the day! We have also been doing our planting in the vegie garden for this season and with everyday chores and visitors we haven't seemed to stop! People ask how we spend our days here??? We have plenty to do.

On Friday afternoon we had 5 planes and 13 people visit the island. They left Melbourne on Friday morning, lunch at King Island, here for the night. They left here Saturday heading to Wynyard for refueling, Bridport for lunch, Flinders Island for the night and back into Melbourne Sunday afternoon. What a great trip! The picture above shows the 5 planes parked at the side of the main airstrip for the night. John is the traffic controller and has the vehicle ready for transport of luggage and guests.

The first plane as it landed at the main airstrip.

Bec and Shelley ready for departure. Shelley (left) is a writer for Aviation magazines and is doing an article on the trip. Shelley has been the first female pilot here since we arrived.

Beverley and John with eyes to the sky watching one of the planes leaving the island.

Jonathon Merridew from Lilydale airport with his plane - Jonathon organised the trip. He is one the pilots who regularly flies charter planes here from Melbourne.

A great visit was had by all - Friday afternoon was spent exploring the settlement area and a few guys even managed to throw a line in at the jetty! A group went to the Muttonbird rookery with John to watch the birds come in at dusk - an amazing sight. Of course a walk along the beach was on the agenda for some. Saturday came too quickly for them all as they bid us farewell till their next visit.

Telstra's visit

2010-08-28T10:50:00.016+10:00

Our fax line is not working so telstra came to fix it. Does your technican come by helicopter and also pick up your grocery order? It is quite an occasion for us! Beverley even got an opportunity to do some baking which was greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately they couldn't find the fault so will have to come back and maybe do some digging! John was helping!

Adrian the pilot and John unloaded the groceries - John is pretty excited as we had run out of potato chips! He now has them in his hands! We did get healthy food too.

Just another day of island life.

Nice to be home

2010-08-06T13:49:00.009+10:00

We are home from our holiday to visit family and friends - and this is the welcome we get! These babies only left the nest this morning and the parents are doing a great job protecting them. John got too close obviously.Tracy and her two sons Eli and Link came over while we were away and took excellent care of the island. It was a wonderful experience for them. As with other guests the island got into Tracy's veins and she was very sad to leave this paradise.

We are very happy to be home!

Homestead view

2010-07-10T22:23:00.011+10:00

Couldn't resist a photo of this magnificent view - photo was taken yesterday from the Homestead.

The bulbs are all flowering - Spring is in the air.

The windmill is in use. It pumps water to a tank on the hill and gravity feeds to the three houses. Of course rainwater provides the most delicious water for drinking and that wonderful cup of tea. Nothing like it.

New island residents

2010-07-04T18:38:00.015+10:00

We have our first Cape Barren Geese babies this week!

First Gosling hatched - four to go!

We regularly check the twenty two nests in the settlement area - recording the data for Birds Australia. It is very interesting when we check as the parents are very aggressive and protect the eggs by chasing us away!

Three are hatched fourth is nearly out.

Once the eggs are hatched the parents allow us close to the Goslings. Maybe they are keen to show off their new family. Cape Barren Geese are precocial which means they are self sufficient from the moment they hatch, so don't stay in the nest long as they have to feed themselves. To see them in the nest gives us a chance to see them close up. They are amazing to watch, they take a while to find their feet and often tumble over!

We feel very privileged to watch as new life begins.

Three Hummock Island Cake

2010-06-24T14:56:00.004+10:00

Inspired by a stencil design on a biscuit recently I wondered if I could come up with a stencil to represent the island. John was happy to design and cut it from acetate. A chocolate cake (so the hills could show up) was made using my new springform cake tin (why didn't I buy one years ago? ). I used a recipe from Sally Wise's book "Out of the Bottle," a fellow Tasmanian. It was served with a chocolate ganache. We were having guests for afternoon tea so thought here we go and this is the result. I was very happy and so were our guests!

Change of Season

2010-06-09T11:27:00.007+10:00

The Cape Barren Geese are starting to breed - they have found the spots for their nests and some have started to lay. They are extremely territorial and the males spend a lot of the day chasing away other Geese (and us) who invade "their" space. It is wonderful watching them as they wait for their eggs to hatch which is about 35 days.

Winter is now with us as the days are getting cooler. We still have some beautiful days but our wood shed is ready for cosy fires! Being an island we don't get any frosts and our lowest recorded temperature last winter was 6 degrees.

The Alliston Family

2010-05-07T16:13:00.008+10:00

The Alliston family have been here this week - they have placed a beautiful plaque for their parents - Eleanor and John. They moved here in 1951 and lived and worked here for over 50 years. Pictured left to right Warwick, Ingrid, Venetia and Robert.

The "kids" have had a wonderful week remembering their lives here - happy memories, favourite spots on the island, great company and just enjoying being here together again.

It has been a priviledge to be here to share such a special time with them.

In the vegie patch

2010-04-30T08:46:00.000+10:00

I love the vegie patch on Three Hummock Island. It's a large plot, completely enclosed with wire fences and chicken wire roof. The abundant produce that grows there needs to be protected from the kangaroos and many island birds.

Before John and Bev arrived in Autumn of 2009, the vegie patch had gone to seed. One year on, under their loving care, it is now a bountiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Because of the island's temperate climate and lack of frosts, a surprising variety of foods are successfully grown there.

John and Bev keep a garden diary, with notes on what worked well and recommendations on what to do differently regarding planting schedules and the like.

Anyone who came to the island in March or April was given a never ending supply of the sweetest cherry tomatoes you're ever likely to feast on. What wasn't consumed straight from the vine, Bev bottled as a tomato sauce for future cooking sessions.

If you're ever shipwrecked here, there's no chance you'll starve.

The larder

2010-04-28T10:56:00.002+10:00

There is a rockpool on one of the beaches near the homestead that is referred to as The Larder. Simply because the sealife is so abundant - it's like a larder full of food. Local lore has it that you just put you hand in, feel around under the rocks, and pull out crayfish for dinner.

Alas, we didn't have this kind of crayfish success over Easter, but the abalone was that easy to obtain. Maybe if you're there you could help John put one of his cray pots in the water and see what comes of it.

Oh, and did I mention surf fishing off the rocks? Yes, we had success there too.

There's nothing like....

2010-04-21T10:16:00.005+10:00

Tourism Australia is currently asking Australians to submit photos and captions (25 words or less) of their favourite holiday destinations in our great land. I couldn't resist sharing an image of Three Hummock Island.

"There's nothing like Three Hummock Island. Spectacular beaches, big blue skies, white sand, crystal clear water, rockpools aplenty and not another soul around. Your own private haven."

"There's nothing like breathing the cleanest air in the world from a beach like this."

What a great idea - to get all Australians to contribute to the success of our next tourism campaign. Visit the site. There are some wonderful photographs there.

Island hospitality

2010-04-10T08:44:00.001+10:00

You won't receive a friendlier welcome anywhere, than the one you receive from Bev, the caretaker, upon visiting Three Hummock Island.

Put diets aside, Bev is a sublime baker. Bev will spoil you with unexpected offerings of freshly baked bread, or in our case, the best Hot Cross Buns ever on Easter Sunday.

Four well tended hens provide the eggs for much happy baking. Bev's wonderful cooking is done largely in the old wood stove that once resided in the homestead. It is now in the Lodge - John and Bev's abode - and looks very much at home.

Bev and John will also spoil you with chopped barrow loads of wood at your back door, information and guidance on how to best use your time while visiting. Bev and John have had a fascinating life together and are full of wonderful stories of their working travels around Australia.

Treasures in the sand

2010-04-09T07:32:00.002+10:00

The paper nautilus was turning up on the beaches of the island over Easter. I was lucky enough to find one on Home Beach, and 4 more were picked up by others. It so happened that another guest on the island over the Easter weekend had written books on shells. I had the chance to ask her whether there was a pattern to their movements.

The nautilus is created by the squid. Technically, it isn't a shell, but is often categorized as one. They are likely to be found during a full moon in summer. It is also believed they run in 7 year cycles. We started a little collection of our finds on the shelf in the homestead.

There are some beautiful shells to be found on the beaches. Bev has been cataloguing her finds, identifying each one and displaying them in a wooden specimen box.

So pretty.

Feathered friends

2010-03-24T13:36:00.003+11:00

Three Hummock Island is a nesting ground for fairy penguins. Parent penguins go marching up the beach path and past the homestead every night to feed their babies who wait in the family burrow.

John the caretaker knows where to find the penguins and can take you bird spotting once night falls. In summer this can be quite late so be prepared for tired children.

Birthday makeover

2010-03-19T23:23:00.007+11:00

The homestead on Three Hummock Island is 100 years old this year. It was extensively renovated in 2009, to take it from a rather tired collection of rooms to a bright, happy house.

This is the view from the front door of the homestead. Home Beach and the jetty are just a short walk down a sandy track.

The homestead has 5 bedrooms and two bathrooms. It still retains its original charm, now enhanced by essentials like hotel issue king size beds and high thread count bedlinen.

The kitchen has been stocked with every conceivable implement, right down to the lemon zester. The two stoves can turn out roast dinners for the 14 house guests with ease, and do sublime roast potatoes. You can watch the kangaroos graze from the window while you do the dishes.

The dining room adjoins the kitchen and looks out over cleared fields and the windmill.

The living room can accommodate a large number of weary beach-combers, with a fireplace for cooler nights and a well stocked bookshelf for holiday reading. (The homestead has been a hideout for writers in the past.)

This is a house you're happy to spend time in, whether it's lying in bed in the morning listening to the cries of the seabirds, or retiring on the sofa with a good book in hand late into the evening.

Job of a lifetime

2010-03-15T13:59:00.006+11:00

This is John (with a fascinated Henri in tow).

John and his wife Beverley are the current caretakers on Three Hummock Island.

John and Bev have the very important job of looking after their island home and the guests who visit it. That involves keeping tracks cleared around the island, including to the airstrip and various beaches.

They maintain the three dwellings- their home, the homestead and the cottage (the latter two being guest accommodation).

Running a property in a remote location, with no help at hand, requires many skills and a resourcefulness. If a roof leaks or a vehicle has a problem John fixes it himself.

John and Bev take an active interest in the wildlife that shares their home. John always has his binoculars at the ready to spot the many bird varieties, and points them out to us as he takes us around the island.

When you visit they will happily share their local knowledge and fascinating stories with you.

A haven in Bass Strait

2010-03-14T21:58:00.004+11:00

Three Hummock Island is a magical place of unsurpassed beauty. It is a fascinating place with a varied history. It has a wonderful story to tell. This blog has been created to give you an insight into life on Three Hummock Island.

Maybe you will visit one day?