Bicheno - penguins, devils and a blowhole

The Bay of Fires was beautiful but we were camping on black sand so became unrecognisably filthy within the first hour. In serious need of washing we headed south to Bicheno where we stayed a couple of nights in a caravan park where we could scrub ourselves and our clothes clean. Also caught up with the local fairy penguin colony in the driving rain. We were wet, but they were cute. We learned that penguins are blue not black, and a group of them is called a parcel. Who knew? Then more Tassie wildlife the next day when we visited the first of many Tasmanian devil conservation parks. Kids were thrilled with feeding the farm animals - particularly a fat goat they named 'big greedy guts'. But the most amusing thing for Kate about Bicheno was her first sighting of the old-men-comparing-caravans phenomena. Conversations can go on for hours and provide the male grey nomad with obvious enjoyment. A few sympathetic old fellas smiled at our piles of boxes and generously suggested a tour of their massive caravan where 'there is a place for everything'. Kate is a bit concerned that Bill is showing the early signs of becoming an old man obsessed with his equipment (in a manner of speaking) but fortunately he hasn't bailed up any other fellas for lengthy discussions. Yet... Sash on the other hand has come out of his puzzle-doing shell and has started bailing up elderly couples in caravan park kitchens to tell them poo jokes and smack himself on his head for their amusement.