Tasmania Part 1
The flight from Melbourne to Hobart only took an hour and I was so glad I'd gone for this option rather than the ferry. I was pretty tired and couldn't check into the hostel straight away but was able to leave my bags and go for a wander. I headed to the art gallery and museum which was free to look around.
It was nice to be in a good backpackers again and I had a good nights sleep. I was up bright and erly to do the Mt Wellington descent by mountain bike.
We drove by bus to the top of the mountain and had excellent views out over Hobart. We could still see some of the forest fires burning in the distance (see top left of picture below). Apparently the day before there had been a big scare as the fires were headng towards the city. What's worse is that the fires had been started deliberately then later someone had vandalised the fire truck.
After taking in the views we got on the bikes and raced down the mountain - we did some of the sections on the road and some on off road tracks. I managed to get a flat tyre on the second off road section but the support vehicle gave me a brand new bike so I could continue.
We stopped at the bottom of the mountain next to the Cascade Brewery for a snack before cycling back into the city to Salamanca Place on the Waterfront.
That afternoon I headed back to the Brewery for a proper look around. Cascade is definately my favourite beer I've tried so far in Australia.
Cascade Brewery is the oldest brewery in Australia. The brewery was founded in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England. It is now owned by Foster's Group. The animal featured on the logo is the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
I tried a tasting paddle of beer which included:
Cascade Premium Lager
Cascade Premium Light
Cascade Pale Ale
Cascade Draught (Only available in Tasmania, where it is the state's highest selling beer).
Cascade Extra Stout
Cascade Blonde (my favourite!)
On my way back into Hobart I stopped at the Female Factory. The Cascades Female Factory operated in South Hobart from 1828 to 1856 and was a prison for female convicts. There's not much to see on the site today but there are information boards telling some of the womens stories.
I'd booked a Six day tour around the island with a company called Under Down Under and I started this on the Saturday.
DAY 1
Our first stop still in Hobart was the famous Salamanca Market. I'm not usually a big market fan but this one was pretty good as all the stuff seemed to be high quality.
We then headed off towards the famous penal colony of Port Arthur.
Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. Known for its harsh conditions, dark history and stark beauty.
Port Arthur was named after Van Diemen's Land lieutenant governor George Arthur. The settlement started as a timber station in 1830; it is best known for being a penal colony. From 1833, until 1850s, it was a destination for the hardest of convicted British criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment.
We had an introductory tour when we arrived before doing a harbour cruise which takes you near to the Isle of the Dead. Between 1833 and 1877, about one thousand burials took place on the island. The majority were convicts and ex-convict paupers who were buried mostly in unmarked graves on the lower part of the island. The graves of free people were located on the high side of the island and were sometimes marked by elaborate headstones cut by the convict stonemasons.
We had some time to look around the building but the site was huge and I would have liked to have some more time there. There was lots to see including:
The Penitentiary
Separate Prison
Officers Row (including the Parsonage which is suposedly one of the most haunted houses in Australia)
The Commandant's Residence
Churches and Hospital
There was also the'Lottery of Life' Interpretation Gallery where each visitor gets a playing card relating to a convict and you have to follow a specific path through the exhibition to see what happens to him.
After Port Arthur we headed along the coast to see the nearby natural geological attractions of Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen and took a walk to Remarkable Cave.
We headed back to Hobart that night and stayed in Allports hostel in North Hobart. We found a good local pub with a live band.
DAY 2
Day two was spent exploring the Freycinet Peninsula National Park.
Our first stop was the historic town of Ross. One off the lads in the group was called Ross so he was trying to get his photo taken with anything mentioning Ross. I headed off to see the site of the Ross Female Factory. It wa built in the early 1840's, incarcerated female convicts from 1847 to 1854. Again there was not much left at the site other than the Superintendents Cottage which had a really eerie feel to it.
Next we took a walk to breathtaking Wineglass Bay. First we headed up to the lookout.
And then down onto the beach itself. The beach was fantastic but it was a bit cold for swimming. That night we stayed in the laidback surfing town of Bicheno where I had great steak meal.
DAY 3
On day 3 we explored the stunning coastline of the North East. Our first stop though was at a wildlife park.
We got to see Tazmanian devils close up. We were even there at feeding time. The devils had looked pretty harmless until then but were fed rabbit meat and quickly ate the lot bones and all.
There were loads of other animals including Kangaroos, Wombats and Wallabies.
After the park we headed to the beaches at the Bay of Fires, then head inland to the Blue Tiers region with its waterfalls and rainforests.
We also stopped off at a cheese factory and at pub in the paddock where we met Doris, the beer drinking pig!
We finished this section of the trip with a stay in Launceston. We walked accross the city hoping to try a beer at the Boags Brewery but it had clossed for the day so we went to the pub instead.
It was nice to be in a good backpackers again and I had a good nights sleep. I was up bright and erly to do the Mt Wellington descent by mountain bike.
We drove by bus to the top of the mountain and had excellent views out over Hobart. We could still see some of the forest fires burning in the distance (see top left of picture below). Apparently the day before there had been a big scare as the fires were headng towards the city. What's worse is that the fires had been started deliberately then later someone had vandalised the fire truck.
After taking in the views we got on the bikes and raced down the mountain - we did some of the sections on the road and some on off road tracks. I managed to get a flat tyre on the second off road section but the support vehicle gave me a brand new bike so I could continue.
We stopped at the bottom of the mountain next to the Cascade Brewery for a snack before cycling back into the city to Salamanca Place on the Waterfront.
That afternoon I headed back to the Brewery for a proper look around. Cascade is definately my favourite beer I've tried so far in Australia.
Cascade Brewery is the oldest brewery in Australia. The brewery was founded in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England. It is now owned by Foster's Group. The animal featured on the logo is the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
I tried a tasting paddle of beer which included:
Cascade Premium Lager
Cascade Premium Light
Cascade Pale Ale
Cascade Draught (Only available in Tasmania, where it is the state's highest selling beer).
Cascade Extra Stout
Cascade Blonde (my favourite!)
On my way back into Hobart I stopped at the Female Factory. The Cascades Female Factory operated in South Hobart from 1828 to 1856 and was a prison for female convicts. There's not much to see on the site today but there are information boards telling some of the womens stories.
I'd booked a Six day tour around the island with a company called Under Down Under and I started this on the Saturday.
DAY 1
Our first stop still in Hobart was the famous Salamanca Market. I'm not usually a big market fan but this one was pretty good as all the stuff seemed to be high quality.
We then headed off towards the famous penal colony of Port Arthur.
Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. Known for its harsh conditions, dark history and stark beauty.
Port Arthur was named after Van Diemen's Land lieutenant governor George Arthur. The settlement started as a timber station in 1830; it is best known for being a penal colony. From 1833, until 1850s, it was a destination for the hardest of convicted British criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment.
We had an introductory tour when we arrived before doing a harbour cruise which takes you near to the Isle of the Dead. Between 1833 and 1877, about one thousand burials took place on the island. The majority were convicts and ex-convict paupers who were buried mostly in unmarked graves on the lower part of the island. The graves of free people were located on the high side of the island and were sometimes marked by elaborate headstones cut by the convict stonemasons.
We had some time to look around the building but the site was huge and I would have liked to have some more time there. There was lots to see including:
The Penitentiary
Separate Prison
Officers Row (including the Parsonage which is suposedly one of the most haunted houses in Australia)
The Commandant's Residence
Churches and Hospital
There was also the'Lottery of Life' Interpretation Gallery where each visitor gets a playing card relating to a convict and you have to follow a specific path through the exhibition to see what happens to him.
After Port Arthur we headed along the coast to see the nearby natural geological attractions of Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen and took a walk to Remarkable Cave.
We headed back to Hobart that night and stayed in Allports hostel in North Hobart. We found a good local pub with a live band.
DAY 2
Day two was spent exploring the Freycinet Peninsula National Park.
Our first stop was the historic town of Ross. One off the lads in the group was called Ross so he was trying to get his photo taken with anything mentioning Ross. I headed off to see the site of the Ross Female Factory. It wa built in the early 1840's, incarcerated female convicts from 1847 to 1854. Again there was not much left at the site other than the Superintendents Cottage which had a really eerie feel to it.
Next we took a walk to breathtaking Wineglass Bay. First we headed up to the lookout.
And then down onto the beach itself. The beach was fantastic but it was a bit cold for swimming. That night we stayed in the laidback surfing town of Bicheno where I had great steak meal.
DAY 3
On day 3 we explored the stunning coastline of the North East. Our first stop though was at a wildlife park.
We got to see Tazmanian devils close up. We were even there at feeding time. The devils had looked pretty harmless until then but were fed rabbit meat and quickly ate the lot bones and all.
There were loads of other animals including Kangaroos, Wombats and Wallabies.
After the park we headed to the beaches at the Bay of Fires, then head inland to the Blue Tiers region with its waterfalls and rainforests.
We also stopped off at a cheese factory and at pub in the paddock where we met Doris, the beer drinking pig!
We finished this section of the trip with a stay in Launceston. We walked accross the city hoping to try a beer at the Boags Brewery but it had clossed for the day so we went to the pub instead.
posted by Phil at 6:55 AM
1 Comments:
Spot the odd one out
Love Mam x
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