OTR: Swansea

Leaving Triabunna for Bicheno, our first “dallying” point along our route today was the “unhurried” town of Swansea.

First, we made a quick stop at the Spiky Bridge, built in the 1840s by convicts. No one really knows why the spikes were added to the bridge. Were they supposed to serve a structural purpose? Were they to prevent cattle straying off the edge? Or were they a folly of Thomas LaFarelle, a civil engineer who historians believe supervised the building of the bridge.

A few stops at quiet beaches to check out the scenery. A walk along the short promenade in Swansea. A visit to the small East Coast Heritage Museum and War Memorial … housed in an old school building. A small purchase from a local hardware store. A quick coffee break at Artifakt … a gallery/café on the main drag.

And then we were off, continuing our drive north.Read more