Australia – Tasmania

From Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania, it was a short flight but a world away. Hobart did not feel like it was at the end of the world, but if you look at a map, it sure looks as though it is! I guess that was the case perceived by the Europeans as some 76,000 convicts were sent to Tasmania between 1804 and 1853. “The remote island was a place of extreme labor, strict punishment, and devastating weather, making escape nearly impossible.” We loved our days there, but we did experience some of that weather with very windy conditions and intermittent rain, which made it quite cold.

We arrived mid-afternoon and so by the time we got to our hotel The Tasman, located just a block from the harbor, it was time to walk to Evolve, a very fancy bar, and then go on to dinner at The Wharf Restaurant. It was so cold walking along the harbor but worth the walk. We took an Uber back, as we did not feel the need to prove how hardy we are!

The photo above was taken from our room as we had a great view of the harbor. We have been very fortunate with hotel rooms that have had some spectacular views!

Both photos above were taken at Evolve with Steve’s background being the harbor and mine being the extensive bar at Evolve. In talking with people in Hobart, it seemed more of them were actually from Tasmania versus other parts of Australia or the world and opted to stay in Tasmania, or Tasie as the locals called the island.

The next morning was so cool and windy we opted to be a bit lazy until it was time to go on our “Iron Pot Harbor cruise,” fortunately in a covered boat. There were only six of us, so it was a very personal-feeling cruise. The captain was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a good overview of the area. Following are a few pictures from the afternoon.

After the cruise it was so windy and cool we stopped at almost the first bar we came to, and everyone else had the same idea! We did notice that Hobart has no shortage of drinking establishments, some basic and some very sophisticated. After going back to our comfy room, it took some effort to get ourselves to go out for dinner, but eventually we got motivated and braved the elements.

The next day was much nicer, thankfully! I went in search of a book store called Voyager, but after lots of looking found out that it had closed. All was not lost as there was an extensive street market in progress, and I wandered the town a bit. One of the booths was an author who had written about his hitchhiking journey from Tasmania to London to meet his girlfriend’s parents. Of course I have the autographed book! Following are a few photos from my wanderings.

Then early afternoon we went to Richmond, a small historic Georgian-era town known for its well-known Georgian architecture. It is rather a charming town, in part I believe because of its fantastic shops. We indulged in a pastry from The Bakery and also managed to make numerous purchases. In the photos below I included the one of the church as it is actually for sale. If it weren’t in Hobart but somewhere else Steve would be making an offer to buy it as he has always wanted to turn a small church into a condo or home. The second photo is the bakery, the third is of the charming woman who made the necklace I bought and the next photo is Steve tasting Tasmanian spirits, of which he has become fond. In fact, so fond that we stopped at Liquorland as we returned to Hobart so he could purchase the well regarded Tasmanian whiskey Lark!

For our last evening in Hobart we enjoyed a drink at Mary Mary, a well-hidden bar and then dinner at Peppina, the restaurant associated with The Tasman Hotel. Peppina is a popular, very good restaurant and it also meant we did not have to brave the cooler wet weather.

During dinner a young woman sitting at the bar with her husband and extremely well-behaved young son just turned around and asked if we would like to have her take our picture. Of course we said yes, and then we had a very pleasant chat for a few minutes. To end our Tasmanian visit I include a picture of the rainbow we saw on the way back to Hobart. The Uber driver was kind enough to stop so that I could take the picture. He commented that rainbows are common occurrences in Hobart!