The home of yachts and spinnakers
Trip Start
Sep 22, 2008
1
41
50
Trip End
Feb 01, 2009
Hobart,
Tasmania,
Australia
Friday, January 2, 2009
Ranked the third most photogenic city, (don't know the top two) Hobart is absolutely gorgeous. There's so much water and so many peninsulas to explore. It doesn't seem to matter where you go, the view is always amazing.
It quickly became apparent that a traveller can base themselves in Hobart and pretty much cover all of the south- east on day trips. Nothing is too far away from Hobart. Two lovely bridges link the suburbs across the Derwent, so it doesn't matter where you stay.
So many of the 19th Century Georgian buildings in the city have been preserved; the narrow streets of Battery Point and the cottages that were built to house the port workers and merchants are now all private residences. Along the dockside, Salamanca Place is lined with sandstone warehouses that now contain restaurants, shops and galleries. It was a great area to wander through. Old Hobart Gaol and Cascade Brewery are two of the many city landmarks we looked at. The ruins of the "Female Factory", where for 50 years hundreds of convict women and children were housed, is a fairly bleak sight.
It's no wonder the city is known for its yachts and spinnakers.
Snow in Gordon-Franklin Rivers NP
The day we visited, locals and visitors were on the water enjoying the mild weather. We really enjoyed the Royal Hobart Yacht Club, photographing some of the yachts that were still moored after the Sydney to Hobart race. Wrest Point Casino, Australia's first, is right next door.There are numerous historic sites around the city. One that interested us was at Kangaroo Bluff, on the east side. Due to its location at the mouth of the Derwent, a large fortress was built to keep the perceived enemy from getting up the river. A shot was never fired in anger from this very impressive place.
The view from Mt Wellington is awesome. Even though it was a sunny day, there was still a mist hanging around that spoilt our photos. It was sleeting at the top only the day before!
Another day trip took us to Mt Field National Park, (Australia's oldest NP) where we enjoyed some more bushwalking. Russell Falls is a very pretty waterfall, as is the smaller Horseshoe Falls. We really hoped we'd spot a platypus in the creek, as there had been some sightings only half an hour before, but we weren't that fortunate. We completed three more walks on the "60 Great Short Walks" brochure. This is a beautiful NP; it has a lovely campground and all the picnic shelters have fireplaces for day use.
Our caravan park (conveniently located near the women's prison) on the east side of Hobart, was just a short 15km trip to Richmond. This town seems to hold the record for "The oldest" of things. For instance, the convict-built bridge (completed in 1825) is Australia's oldest; Richmond Gaol (1825) is Australia's oldest convict gaol; St John's Catholic Church (1836) is Australia's oldest remaining Catholic Church and the school (classes began in 1835) is the oldest state school in Australia that's still in use.
Of course, the Poppletons could not visit Hobart without a visit to Cadbury chocolate factory! Rumours that the factory is closed to visitors are correct and also very disappointing. The Visitor Centre now charges $15 for a family to view a short film of the chocolate making process and gain entry to the chocolate shop where there's an opportunity to purchase discounted choccies. We were all given a family block of Caramello and a snack size sample. It's definitely more cost-effective for Cadbury and definitely not as exciting for the visitor. If you're after a "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" experience, you won't get it here anymore.
Many visitors to Hobart day trip down to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula and the Huon Valley. We're actually staying in these areas for a few days, so we'll record our time from those locations.
