travelswithalice

It feels like the edge of the world. It’s breathtakingly beautiful. 

The spectacular windswept expanses, along with the neat chocolate-box houses, reminds me of the movie, “The Light Between Oceans”. 

No wonder. We’re staying in The Ark, a sweet little hotel nestled at the base of the great monolith they call The Nut. It has commanding views of the sea and happens to be where the film’s producer also stayed. 

We’re standing in the driveway looking out across the street into the sea. Chris, the hotel owner, points to a spot on the beach.

“That’s where Michael Fassbender’s character walks up from the boat.”

And whereas the movie’s lighthouse is actually located in New Zealand, several scenes were filmed here, as demonstrated by billboards posted at strategic areas in the town centre.

Last night, we spent the better part of two hours hunkered down on a bluff overlooking Bass Strait. Even in my hooded bubble jacket, I was freezing. I was also feeling a little scared sitting on the hard ground beside Stuart, fearing we may find ourselves skittering down from our steep perch into the rocks below.

We were on penguin watch.

The penguins didn’t show up. I did manage to see a baby one deep in its burrow waiting to get fed by its absentee mother. Apart from that, and coming across a wallaby that was too willing to be photographed I wondered if it was injured- it wasn’t, judging by the way it soon bounded out of the way- the outing was a failure.

The views however were nothing short of cinematic.