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| This little boy was raising money for the Japanese Earthquake Victims | | | | | |
I know I promised you pictures of Tasmania, but my sister wasn't feeling that well, so we stayed a bit closer to home. It was just as well we didn't go to the East Coast, one of the places where I wanted to go, because it rained so much there (rare!) that there was flash flooding. There were also 120 Kmph winds and many of the roads were closed. On the first day we did a bit of impromptu blackberrying in the neighbourhood and discovered a fairy forest I had never noticed before. On Friday it was Mona and on Saturday we went to the market and then wandered on around the docks and Battery Point.
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| Two Greek girls inviting us to a festival in North Hobart on Sunday | |
There was also a bit of Greek dancing on the Parliament House lawns
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| One of the things I like about the docks in Hobart, is that as well as hosting the market, it is still a working port with a lovely mix of history, industry and art | | |
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| That's Hunter Street in the background. The old IXL Jam factory just behind the catamaran is now a very upmarket hotel. Further along, towards the end is the School of Fine Arts, along with some great little coffee shops and places that sell drawing materials and paints. Love the smell! Yet just behind this block you will still find find working foundries, ship's chandlers and sail makers, usually in very quaint old buildings |
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| Still a working port for big ships too |
Big ships still come in here, cruise boats too, and it's the place where the Wooden Boat Festival is held.When the bay is full of square riggers with their sails all unfurled, it's very easy to imagine that you've stepped back a century or two. You expect to see swaggering sailors and whalers, not tourists with cameras. There's a smell of ozone in the air. It always makes me think of far away places and hungry for fish and chips.
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| Guess which is the real bird? |
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| That's an old flour mill just behind the Art Deco Telegraph Hotel. Beyond it is the Lark Distillery and a couple of lovely old buildings where they sell souvenirs and antiques | | |
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| This is Flippers. This punt sinks occasionally, but has been here as long as anyone can remember. The fish and chips aren't bad either |
On this side there are lots of seafood places. Some like Flippers are really cheap and others are really expensive. In between, are places like Mures and Fish Frenzy, which are also well known Hobart institutions. It is also the jumping off point for Ferries and Cruises. Dinner Cruises start from around $45. A ferry to Mona is only $15 and would be much nicer than travelling along the busy Brooker Highway. Other places which can be reached from here are Peppermint Bay for a long trip south of the Derwent, or the Chocolate Factory or the Morilla Estate which are only a short distance upriver. A trip across the river in a funny little jelly bean punt costs around $10.
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| The seagulls eagerly await your order |
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| It's also home to pleasure boats. |
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| Old Salts (seamen) and yachties.... |
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| ...and Antarctic vessels. This is the French Antarctic Vessel L'Astrolabe |
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| The Aurora Australis wasn't in today, but I just thought I'd put this photo in from last time to show you how impressive it looks |
From Salamanca it's only a short hard walk up Kelly's Steps to Battery Point. I had planned to take my sister on the Sculpture Walk there among all the lovely old sea captain's cottages. Alas, I had pretty well worn her out by this time, though she didn't mind the cute little ones at Arthur's Circus.
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| Arthur's Circus is a proper English village green with the cottages arranged in a circle |
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| Fairy Forest at the end of the Road - Yes, it's all noxious weeds - forget -me - nots, blackberries and willows, but like the cottages, it gladdens my little European heart |
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