Hobart's waterfront
Hobart is a bustling, vibrant city that hosts a cruise ship per day. There is plenty to keep visiting tourists occupied. It is full of parks, historic buildings, pubs, micro-breweries and distilleries for local (and international award winning) whisky, gin and vodka.
We saw a little of each, minus the gin. Our days there were full from waking up to collapsing exhausted in bed each night. We visited museums, including the incredible Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). We took tours of the venerable old theater and the Parliament building. We saw fireworks and had lots and lots of pleasant strolls followed by meals in cozy pubs.
Franko 'Street Eats' on a Friday night
Fireworks and festivities for the Royal Hobart Regatta (a public holiday)
River walk, and a beautiful day at the Botanical Gardens
We also rented a car for a day to see some of the more out of town sights before stopping at the dreaded supermarket for a bulk provision run. My favorite of the sights was the Bonorong Sanctuary. Here, they take in hurt or orphaned animals and rehabilitate them for return to the wilds of Tasmania. The best thing there for me by far was getting to see a juvenile wombat.
He hadn’t pupated yet, so no wings for the Whomp-bat. He was an adorable little furry ottoman that likes to cuddle the legs of his caretaker. His eyes are spaced just the right distance apart to give him a look of cherubic innocence as he toddles along on short legs.
After giving a little talk about the wombats, the caretaker/speaker picked him up and cradled him in her arms like a baby. The little fur ball was so comfortable there that he promptly fell asleep, mouth open and legs twitching. Oh, my. That is the cutest damn thing I have ever seen! {Maryanne: We were told that once they reach age two they start to get decidedly unfriendly and are no longer cuddly AT ALL!}
Don’t be fooled, though. The vegetarian creatures are very dangerous. Surprisingly fast runners, when they feel threatened, they take off in a sprint to gain some distance from their predator. When they have enough of a lead, they stop cold and turn to face their pursuer. This releases such a torrent of cuteness that the rapidly approaching animal is overcome in mid-stride by the overwhelming urge to tilt it’s head slightly to the side and say, “Awww!” This invariably causes them to trip and bash their head open on one of Tasmania’s ubiquitous rocks.
Bonorong also has Tasmanian Devils and Wallabies and lots of other Tassie fauna. I can’t recall many of the details. Our visit seemed particularly short, but then again, I seem to have lost a big chunk of time. My head also really hurts. {Maryanne: Kyle has gone a little crazy over the wombats}.
Kyle adored the wombats
We also saw Tasmanian-Devils, Echidna and the Spotted-Tail Quoll
among the offerings at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
[Maryanne]Kyle seems to be a bit overwhelmed with all the tourist stuff I had him do in Hobart, and totally in love with the wombats after the presentation at Bonorong. I'm pretty sure he'd take a wombat home with him if it were at all allowed. The tourist action started from the first night we arrived (with 'Street Eats' at Franklin Square - a pretty park - where the local council puts on free live music, lays out bean bags and mats on the grass bank, and encourages food trucks and mobile pubs to offer their wares while we relax and enjoying the music).
A challenging scramble along Mt Wellington's 'Lost World' Trail
The Cascade Brewery - just one of the many tastings...
We had a whole week in Hobart, and were docked right in the middle of things at Constitution Dock (a historic dock with a bridge lift required for the rather skinny entrance). There was a time when ALL the entrants of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race could dock there once finished - now the competition boats are mostly way too big to fit. Being able to step ashore so easily meant that we could readily return to the boat during the day and made us more inclined to go out after dark to explore some of the bars and nightlife (we even opted for a local pub quiz one night at the Duke pub). Within the same dock were some of the historic Tasmanian boats from the nearby Maritime museum, in addition to several seafood suppliers, fish and chip restaurants and even an ice cream store (all floating) - everything was way too easy to indulge!
MONA - the Museum of Old & New Art was a hit for us
Playful and dramatic
We explored a host of museums, including the Mawson's Antarctic Hut Replica, and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (both of those within the same block as the boat). MONA was an unexpected hit, the art experience starting with the special ferry service that delivers you to the door; much of the gallery is underground, mined into the local rock, and this adds a special extra feel to the place. We felt we'd finally found a modern art gallery we actually enjoyed; it even has its own brewery and vineyards! There wasn't so much of the old stuff, but we did see the best ever presentation of an Egyptian Mummy: Entrance was restricted to two people at a time, the artifact was in the center of a dark room, with stepping stones across dark water to get to the exhibit - once in the center of the room the mummy was on one side, while on the other a CT scan was shown on a life size screen and depicted the various image slices from the case through the bones etc - really impressive - you can see it for yourself at Visualizing Pausiris. Even more surprising is that MONA is a private museum; it is owned by David Walsh, a Tasmanian considered a bit of a rogue by the establishment since he made his fortune as a professional gambler.
We shared a tour of the Tasmanian Parliament with just one other couple and were amazed to learn that they have a majority female in both houses, and a female governor right now - Yay Tassie! Since there were no plays performing when we visited we chose to take a tour of the Royal Theater; the stage and seating are really nice and a host of famous actors have performed there and professed their love for it (we liked it too). The additional spaces were currently undergoing a major expansion program (which would explain the no performances while we were there).
We even found time to visit nearby picturesque Richmond with its wonky 1820s convict built bridge
(The oldest stone span bridge in Australia)
Along with mountain hikes, parks, gardens, pubs, cathedrals, markets, convict prisons, tastings of various alcoholic beverages, and generally strolling around the various districts - we kept ourselves busy and had a great time in Hobart, and I think we will forever think of it as one of our special places.
No comments:
Post a Comment