Veronika Wild

Getting up close and personal with the "Investigator," the CSIRO's new research vessel- all ten storeys of it View from the bridge Another year has gone by and Hobart is once again celebrating its role as a Gateway City to Antarctica. True - it’s not the only one   -   Ushuaia   and Punto Arenas in Chile, Cape Town in South Africa and Christchurch in New Zealand also serve as supply bases and points of contact for visitors, but Hobart has held this role since the 1830’s, when whalers and sealers caught sight of the frozen continent while looking for new territory to exploit.  Scientific equipment, large cranes and submersibles take up a good deal of space   ... but there's still room for comfortable cabins   ...and a well stocked kitchen. So, how many litres of icecream do you think Australia's expeditioners go through each year?  a) 190 litres?    b) 1980 litres?   c) 19,800 litres?  ...

Not so imposing from the street these days, but Hadley's Orient Hotel is once again grand and decadent inside There is no doubt about Hadley’s Orient Hotel. It has the ambience and romance which the Canberra to Sydney train lacked -prices to match of course, but a lovely experience now and then. Mother’s Day was the perfect occasion. Potted palms, comfortable leather armchairs and paintings fill the lounges Hadley’s is a Hobart institution. Established in 1834, it has had chequered fortunes in its 184 year history, but was always the place to be. Many of the infant colony's leading lights such as surgeon, naturalist and parliamentarian William Crowther, or lawyer, and esteemed expert on biology and zoology, Morton Allport made their home here and it was also popular with the odd premier, Prime Minister and politician. Other distinguished guests included stars of stage and screen such as Errol Flynn and Dame Nellie Melba (1909), triumphant Antarctic explor...