Tasmania Mania

We arrived on Saturday, 5 February, about midday. I traveled with parishioners (husband and wife) Bernard and Marilyn (with me in the third image below). As we had a few hours to kill before we could check into our hotel, we visited MONA. MONA stands for the “Museum of Old and New Art.” It’s a quirky place built above and underground by an eccentric owner. According to their website: “MONA is a museum in Hobart, Tasmania created by David Walsh to help him (in his words), ‘bang above his weight.’ Anything (they) say to describe it will date quickly, given (they) are constantly changing their mind about what MONA is.” I’ll let you decide with the photos in the gallery below.

One comment: the words on the sand stone below is an exhibit where drops of water fall at intervals, forming random words. Very engaging. the rest of the interior art I found dark and depressing. Like from the mind of someone who needs therapy! The outdoors were much more happy. I am not sure we saw it all. I am told you either love it or hate it. I think I lean towards the later.

The following day we took to driving. Hobarts sits south and on the east coast of Tasmania. We drove across to the north part fo the island. The first image is from our first stop: Ross. The bridge is historical and the town cute and sweet. It reminded me of midwest towns with a couple of churches, a cafe and artsy shops.

Further up we came to Cataract Gorge where we took a historical chair lift (thankfully it was well-maintained!) and met up with some of the locals! The wallabies were basically snoozing as they are nocturnal animals. It was sweet to see an older "joey!"

We continued driving until we got to Devonshire, on the northern coast (gallery below). There is a famous light house there. The scenery was breathtaking with clear blue skies, cool breezes and warm sun. A perfect day…except the long drive home! It took us about 3 hours to get back.

The next day we tried to stick closer to home and visit Port Arthur Histroic site. Scroll through the photos below (click on the arrow to the right) for some of the most spectacular formations of the trip. The firdst couple of shots were taken from an outlook. You can see teh blow hole we visited later only in the first image, front and centre. The small black hole right in the middle of the sandstone rock formation in the middle ground, by the sea.

That square of blackness is the arch you see next (4th image and following). It's a blow hole. Water comes in and is forced through the narrow opening (image 5) squirting up and out!

Images 7 and 8 below are of a blue wren, indigenous to Australia (including, apparently, Tasmania). They are so tiny and sweet. Always bring a smile to my face.

Most awesome of all is "Devil's Kitchen" (images 9 and 10 below). Not sure if you can see, but the sheer drop is something else. Like someone took an axe and just cut straight down.

Finally we have images of Port Arthur Historic site, home of an old prison. From their official website: "The Port Arthur penal settlement began life as a small timber station in 1830 and quickly grew in importance within the colonies. Ship building was introduced on a large scale to Port Arthur as a way of providing selected convicts with a useful skill they could take with them once freed."

Aadly, Port Arthur is also a place of tragedy. From Wikipedia: "The Port Arthur massacre of 28–29 April 1996 was a mass shooting in which 35 people were killed and 23 others were wounded in Port Arthur, Tasmania. The murderer, Martin Bryant, pleaded guilty and was given 35 life sentences without the possibility of parole. Fundamental changes of gun control laws within Australia followed the incident. The case is the worst massacre in modern Australia committed by a single person." Because of this incident, Australia was able to unite and pass safe gun laws and now this kind of tragedy no longer happens. Many times, they look to our country and just shake their heads. Many Australians worry if its even safe to come to America with the daily shootings there. I have no words.

The next day, we stuck even closer to Hobart visiting Mount Wellington, which overlooks the city. There you can get some glorious vies of the bay. Interesting how as you hget closer to the top, trees become shorter! We were literally above the clouds and some passed through as we tried to get great shots of the panorama.

Halfway down the mountian, Cascade Brewery and historical gardens offered a nice place for lunch. Below you can see the historic brewery and some of the beauty of the flowers in its pub gardens. Look carefull at the fountain and notice a big old crow sitting atop preening. It looked liek it belonged!

After lunch we visited the Royal Tasmanian Garden. From their website: "Among the oldest botanic gardens in the world, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is home to a magnificent collection of conifers and cool temperate trees, many dating from the 19th century, as well as extensive gardens that embrace the flora of the Southern Hemisphere.

Botanical features include a special conservation selection of Tasmanian plants in an extensive collection of natives, many of them rare and threatened species.…The landscaped grounds cover 14 hectares and are home to two remarkable convict-built walls and majestic entrance gates, a restaurant and shop, and furnish a popular setting for local events and weddings."

The images below, after the peach colored rose, are from the gardens.

Though near Hobart, Bruny Island took a bit to get there (below). "The Neck is an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island. It is an important habitat for Bruny’s native wildlife…Boardwalks and viewing platforms enable you to observe short-tailed shearwaters and little penguins (also known as fairy penguins). Timber stairs lead from the dunes to the Neck lookout, offering stunning 360 degree views." (We did not see any of the famous fairy penguins though we did see the rooks. the first six images below are of this isthmus (which is fun to try and say three times fast!)

The next three shots are of the lighthouse. "Cape Bruny is home to the famous Cape Bruny Lighthouse. The lighthouse at Cape Bruny was built between 1836 and 1838 with convict labour. The Lighthouse is approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes drive from Roberts Point" (where the ferry drops you off). As I shared, its all a bit of a drive, but from the photos, it was worth it.

Finally, onthe way back, we stopped off at Adventure Bay. "The area is also of cultural and historical significance with a decorated history. Adventure Bay was named after Captain Tobias Furneaux’s ship ‘The Adventure’ in 1773. The area was visited by Furneaux and also Captains Cook, Bligh, D’Entrecasteaux and Tobin in the 1700s." I'm told it was the first place in Australia where Captian Cook landed, though no one I could find corroborated this.

On the last day, after we checked out and awaited our late afternoon flight, we took a self-guided walking tour of the murals in Hobart! Really quite fun, and even met a Hobart-in creating art along the way! Below are also shots of the cool old architecture in the city.