Perhaps a better way to do a mountain...

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  Hobart, Australia
Saturday, November 5, 2005

I got picked up this morning for the Mount Wellington Descent. We picked up Trey from Melbourne and with our guides Michael and Damo we headed up the mountain all in a mini bus - much better way to climb a mountain I say. Back in 1966 there was a big forest fire that wiped out most of the trees on the mountain and a large portion of the city of Hobart. Up at the top of the mountain you can see the old remains of the trees and the new, smaller trees that have grown around them since. We had a few minutes to wander round at the top, marvel at the view and take some piccies before we got kitted out with helmets, gloves and bikes. It was 1270m back down to sea level. I can highly recommend this as a fantastic way of getting down a mountain. At speeds of up to 40km/h we cruised down the mountain, the sound of the wind rushing past our ears, the whirr of the tyres on the road and the sheer exhilaration of speed. We stopped just below the Organ Pipes to marvel at people climbing up them, stopped again half way down at the site of an old hotel that was burnt down during the fire and then it was straight to the bottom. Having followed the road down it was nice to get off the road onto a track. It was fun doing some proper mountain biking! We stopped just next to Cascade Brewery (the oldest Brewery in Australia) and had some juice and Tim Tams before heading back into Hobart and down to the harbour where I hopped into a kayak for the next part of my adventure.

Along with my guide Gillian, we paddled out round the port, passing the first ship ever built in Australia and the Lady Nelson, a tall ship used to take disadvantaged kids on trips (much like the Spirit of New Zealand). It was heading out for a tour round the bay so we had to paddle out of the harbour to get out of the way. We paddled round the coast line and got fantastic views of the city and Mount Wellington in the background. There were 2 huge naval ships, 1 Australian and 1 American. Gillian said it was very unusual for 2 of them to be in port at the same time! We went out past some of the most expensive properties in Tasmania and it was easy to see why as the view was fantastic. We paddled round as far as the casino by which point my arms were beginning to protest a bit, so we started back. As we headed back we saw the Lady Nelson in full sail. Back in port we lounged around on the deck of the boat and ate fresh fish and chips! Yum. I then went for a wander round Salamanca Market before heading back to the hostel to pack.