Tasmania August 2023
A short trip to Tasmania was a welcome taste of cooler weather, though Tasmanians are saying it is a very warm winter there this year. We booked into the lovely Macquarie Manor Hotel in Hobart for a week and used our hire car to make interesting day trips into the surrounding country side. The hotel, situated in the CBD, is in walking distance of most of Hobart's attractions. The room was huge, the pillows divine, the breakfast delicious, off street parking was available, and the staff were warm and welcoming.
Tasman Peninsula
Snow greeted us on the mountain overlooking Hobart on arrival, but we woke to a perfect, clear, blue sky the next day, which set a perfect backdrop for our trip to the Tasman Peninsula. It was a lovely hour and a half drive through beautiful countryside and by stretches of blue water. We stopped briefly at Eagle Hawk Neck to look at the infamous dog line area and stretch our legs at Pirates Bay.
Port Arthur was a picture of peace and beauty, which belies its horrendous past. The penal settlement was first established in 1830 as a timber-getting site using convict labour. From 1833 it became a punishment station for repeat offenders from all Australian colonies. By 1840 more than 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived here. It closed in 1877, and is now an Australian Convict Site World Heritage property.
After trying (and very much enjoying) our first Tasmanian scallop pie in the Port Arthur cafe, we drove around the peninsula via Nubeena and back to Pirates Bay, where we drove through the entertaining Doo Town and on to the Blow Hole and Tasman Arch. The spectacular formations have been created by millions of years of wind and sea erosion. Our final stop before heading back to Hobart was at the Tessellated Pavement.
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Historic Richmond
Richmond, in the Coal River Valley wine region, is only a half hour drive from Hobart. It is rich in history and architecture, with many historic buildings, mostly dating from the 1820s. Richmond was an important convict station linking Hobart with Port Arthur, and is known for housing fascinating landmarks, including Australia's oldest intact gaol (1825) and Australia's oldest remaining Catholic church, St. John's, built in 1836.
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The Derwent Valley
I decided to go to MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) on a grey, overcast day. It is located within the Moorilla winery on the Berriedale peninsula and is the largest privately funded museum in the Southern Hemisphere. Though interesting in many ways, I found it rather depressing and decided to drive further down the Derwent to New Norfolk.. Though an overcast day, the river was tranquil and very scenic.
The Huon Valley
We took a leisurely Sunday drive south through the beautiful Huon Valley, known for its apple growing, craft cider makers, boutique winemakers, quality salmon producers, and incredible natural beauty. We drove as far south as Dover, enjoying stops at Franklin and the lovely little village of Geeveston along the way.
Hobart
There is so much to explore around the city, and because it is small, most of it is accessible by walking. The waterfront sparkled on sunny days. The Salamanca Markets were a great place to try another scallop pie. It was enjoyable walking around Battery Point, once a poor man's village, but now full of cottages balancing modern chic with old world charm. Oh, and another good bakery selling scallop pies resides here. The Hobart Rivulet Park was a delight to walk through. I went along the rivulet from the city to the Cascade Brewery and back one day, enjoying many great views of Mt Wellington, historical sites, and beautiful trees and plants along the way. Of course a trip away for me is not complete without a visit to a cemetery. I was lucky to meet up for the first time with a distant relative, and she took me to see a family grave. Her grandfather and my great-grandmother were siblings, and it was great to share family history information with each other.
Hobart is dominated by kunanyi / Mount Wellington and if you get to the top on a sunny day, the views are incredible. The road is often closed in bad weather, but we were lucky to make it up on our final morning before flying home. The summit is a 30min drive (21km) west of Hobart’s CBD, and the road can be a bit scary in places. The mountain towers 1271 metres above the city. That’s almost 200 metres taller than the famed Table Mountain in Cape Town.