Tessellated Pavement

Next stop was to see some of Tasmania’s well known landmarks, such as the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen.

Tessellated Pavement are ancient cracks which started 265 - 290 million years ago. Muddy sediments built up and dead shellfish were preserved in the siltstone. The process of erosion has created the ‘tiled’ appearance.

Dad, Jacob and I walking on the unusual geological structure.

This flat rock surface is called ‘pans’, which is eroding much quicker due to sand abrasion.

This raised rock surface is called the ‘loaves’. The joints channel the water, causing erosion, which leaves a loaf top appearance.

Jacob and I were really excited to find a perfect shell fossilised in the rock surface of a pan.

Dad, Jacob and I searching for remnants of fossils that had broken away from the main surface, then washed ashore. We all found a few small traces that had been worn away by the sand and sea.

The famous Tasman Arch was our last stop for the day. We walked over and around it.

Jacob feeding seed to the wild birds at the caravan park. They were really comfortable to come right up to us.

I looked up the species of the birds in my Birds of Australia field guide. They were Green Rosella’s, which are only found in Tasmania.