The Edge of the World: Next Stop Cape Horn

By Coral Waight

On her 60th birthday, Coral Waight set out, alone, in her little hatchback, thermos and Esky in the boot, to begin the first of four road trips around the island of Tasmania, south of where she lives in Melbourne, Australia. She planned to the 'nth' degree, but nothing could have prepared her for getting stuck on the side of a mountain, in the dark, her petrol tank on empty. Nothing prepared her for being alone in a caravan park at Arthur River in the middle of a violent storm, or forgetting she gets sea-sick and spending a boat cruise around Tasman Island with her head in a bucket.

The wild, untamed west coast contrasted with the ethereal beauty of Great Oyster Bay and the fishing villages of the east. Cheap country pubs offered friendliness and warmth - and the odd hole in a window taped over with cardboard and packing tape - more like the homes of friends or relatives than hotels. The giant ferns and the great trees of the rain forests nurtured and replenished her spirit, and the history, white and indigenous, not too far in the past, filtered through everything.

"Told with gentle humour and keen observation, this book will make readers want to visit Tasmania for themselves, all the while getting to know and like a woman whose unfailing good humour shines through the adventures she encounters." Elizabeth Kemp - Writers Victoria.

"An inspirational story, told with empathy and unfailing good humour." Dr. Glenice Whitting - Author and Tutor of Creative Writing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coral Waight
• Release date: Feb 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310823237

Coral Waight

Coral Waight started travelling alone at the age of sixty. She began by crossing Bass Strait, south of where she lives in Melbourne, Australia, to explore the island state of Tasmania. After four road trips around the forests, caves and coastlines of her beloved 'Tassie', she ventured further afield, across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, with its fiords, glaciers, volcanic valleys and its 'Lord of the Rings' trail. With these experiences under her belt, she took the leap to the other side of the world. England provided Dickens, the Brontes and Shakespeare; medieval cities and West End theatres; a malevolent rental car, indecipherable road signs and menacing roundabouts. Her 'Planning to the Nth' series describes the challenges, pitfalls - and joys - of a woman, 'of an age', discovering the world - at last. Coral can be found at www.facebook.com/coral.waight or her travel blog coralwaightravel.com