Maria Island National Park, Spring Beach

I spent a wonderful day checking out the natural attractions of Maria Island. I wanted to visit the Painted and Fossil Cliffs and Bishop and Clerk. I booked the 10am ferry across to the Island the 4.15pm return ferry. The assistant at the ferry terminal advised that low tide was at 4.30pm (which is apparently best for viewing the Painted Cliffs). Once we landed, I headed out toward the cemetery and then on to the Fossil Cliffs and onward to Bishop and Clerk. For those visiting the Fossil Cliffs, I’d advise you to push on up the hill on the path to Bishop and Clerk as there are magnificent views of the Cliff face. As luck would have it, Bishop and Clerk was blanketed in fog, but I pushed on in any case. The walking tracks are of excellent quality, however there is a fair degree of walking over rocks. I stopped just before the top as I was on my own and didn’t like the camber of the steps on the final push to the top. This plateau however was great for a lunch break and I imagine the views would be spectacular if clear. I then ascended and took the Brickfield Valley Track to Darlington and then on to the Painted Cliffs which I reached at just after 3.00pm. I still had time to check out the Darlington Settlement before heading to the ferry terminal. I was fortunate to have mild weather early in April with cloudy and occasional blue skies. You’ll need to plan accordingly for wet and/or cold weather. It was a full day, but just magnificent.

Beautiful National Park with amazing wildlife, beaches and scenery.