THE first person to successfully swim the shark infested waters off the Tasman Peninsula was a bushranger named Martin Cash to escape the terrors of Port Arthur in 1840. Back then the penal colony was surrounded by high walls, armed guards, impenetrable bush, impossibly high sea cliffs and those uninviting waters, all making it escape proof. Well, almost.
I was introduced to Martin Cash by my Life’s An Adventure guide Danny as we began our Three Capes walk. Danny’s a local and knowing a whole lot about the state, loves telling stories about the characters who add so much colour to Tassie’s history. Our Three Capes walk started off with a lovely bus ride from Hobart to the start of the walk in Tasman NP on the peninsula. This place is pretty special as it’s home to over one third of Tasmania’s recorded plant species including more than 60 that are threatened.
Our destination for the day was Cape Raoul. From the carpark the 14km return trail started along a quiet eucalypt forest, past flowing streams and. After an hour the trail began to run along the edge of the rising peninsula offering stunning views of the mighty Tasman Sea, a taste of vistas to come.
