Slightly less than salubrious, was our environs at the Hobart Showground! But it was pretty central and a few good walk/runs were had by me once I found my way to the Derwent! It was also great to catch up with the Spences and see the kids play, ride bikes, scoot and skate!
Our Hobart adventures on Saturday morning were centred around an unsuccessful search for the Rare Food stall at Salamanca Markets. Now with perfect hindsight we realise it was not there at all and has been replaced by the "a common ground" shop under the stairs in the arts centre... but at that stage there was a particularly unhappy chappy, by the name of Isaac, who almost ruined all of his day (and ours) with his frustration, which morphed into "homesickness". On this trip, homesickness generally has only been experienced when one has been significantly put out. It tends to be fairly mild and of a short duration. This was not one of those cases! I think we learned that unrecognised, and frankly denied, hypoglycaemia can also contribute a substantial amount to the severity and duration of these attacks...as can miserable weather...!
Despite some grumpy times we really did enjoy some yummy food both on the day and to take away! We also got a lovely litttle Scarlet Robin teatowel to remind us of Salamanca and Freycinet. It was hard but Dom coped very well with not buying all the lovely little wooden trinkets he had his hands into!
Despite some grumpy times we really did enjoy some yummy food both on the day and to take away! We also got a lovely litttle Scarlet Robin teatowel to remind us of Salamanca and Freycinet. It was hard but Dom coped very well with not buying all the lovely little wooden trinkets he had his hands into!
We spent Saturday afternoon chasing the Spences around the Tasman Peninsula. We took in some spectacular sights (Tasman Arch), historical landmarks (the Dog Line) and features of nature that were interesting but not spectacular (Tesselated Pavements), moving sights (people camping next to the burnt out shells of their homes in Dunalley, new green leaves springing from the burnt out gums). Not much rated a look for our oldest! Things only really improved after slowing down and eating some icecream for an early dinner at the Blowhole (which it seems was not a patch on the boys "own" blowhole at Bicheno!).
Note to self - DO NOT NEED TO LEARN THESE LESSONS AGAIN!
Note to self - DO NOT NEED TO LEARN THESE LESSONS AGAIN!
Echidna spotted on the way back home. Very cute.
Big place, Port Arthur - many people take two days to fully take it in. We did laundry on the Sunday morning to give ourselves a little more excitement and time pressure to squeeze it all in, and arrived around lunch time for a single day visit! On arrival, we had a yummy, healthy and cheap picnic from the back of the car, played some good, important, sword fights with sticks, then rugged up nice and warm and got into it for 4 solid hours! We were all pretty wasted by the end but we had loved most of it. Maybe we would have been just as wasted after a full day, at a slower pace, but we would not have smelled as fresh as we did the next few days!! I think we made the right decision!
No one loved missing our boat tour by being so caught up in the solitary confinement part or the failed sprint to catch the boat when we realised our error! But MOST us us cheered up fairly promptly and were able to enjoy the next ferry ride one hour later! We all loved the stories and the beauty admidst the ruins. The boys especially loved the hands on part, tracing the history of your "own" convict and trying on the leg irons etc. It was wonderful to have been reading some convict history in the car and find ourselves already knowing some of the stories... and feeling a little smug.
All up, I think Port Arthur really warrants its reputation of one of Tassie's "must do"s.
Another must do, while in Hobart, is the trip up Mount Wellington. This was uniformly loved for the most part. Some grumpy soldiers of all ranks by the end of the afternoon/evening! Cold and windy, but spectular views, and a beautiful wildness that makes you feel more alive by being a part of it. The lookout shelter looks like it belongs in a Bond film, don't you think? Also much appreciated was filling our water bottles from a mountain stream on the way down, and drinking the freezing cold, FRESH water!
Another must do, while in Hobart, is the trip up Mount Wellington. This was uniformly loved for the most part. Some grumpy soldiers of all ranks by the end of the afternoon/evening! Cold and windy, but spectular views, and a beautiful wildness that makes you feel more alive by being a part of it. The lookout shelter looks like it belongs in a Bond film, don't you think? Also much appreciated was filling our water bottles from a mountain stream on the way down, and drinking the freezing cold, FRESH water!
Again high on the list was the Tassie Botanical Gardens - unfortunately Tino's (Pete's) Patch is undergoing extensive renovations. being transformed into a community garden. Sad for us not to see it after enjoying it on telly but the right thing really!!
On our last morning in Hobart we had a little BBQ breakfast on the Derwent "Foreshore". We loved the birds, architecture and boardwalk.