Tasmania, the Island State

Tasmania is 150 miles south of mainland Australia. It joined the other states in 1901 after being a British colony. The population of Tassie is over 500,000 of which over 1/2 of these numbers live in the capital city of Hobart. From north to south the island is approx. 192 miles long and from east to west 150 miles in distance. It was a treat to drive a small car (hyundai), and park almost anywhere we desired for a change.
We stayed in Hobart and area for most of the 6 days. Nice change of pace, with no grocery shopping or cooking and the extra space afforded in the B&B was a treat.

Tasman Bridge over the Dewent River as we approach Hobart on a cloudy day from the airport

Three storey B&B that we habited for 6 days on Battery Point in Hobart. Circa 1831

All the streets are slanted towards the sea

Resting and looking for tours and cafes. This bedroom was 475 sq feet. That's huge for us and we loved every inch of it!

They even had a butler that brought tea to our room!

Sunrise from our B&B overlooking the bay

One of the many lovely structures we saw on our walks

And yes, the busy Hobart harbour with the boats, cafes, tours and seafood. It is so centrally located that we could park and walk everywhere including the parliament buildings and Salamanca Markets.

 A block from our B&B this is the scene that we feasted our eyes on every evening.

Barley refreshments as Dave will say. The Cascade Brewery, oldest brewery in Australia--1821.
Great tour with plentiful tastings afterwards.

Arch on the way back from Port Arthur

Some of the coastline

And this is the Tasmanian Devil. For some reason reason Irene thought they would be larger. Dave estimates these to be about 12- 15 lbs

Any one for a free ride from a mother kangaroo?

Quolls, aren't they cute. Even posed for us. These animals were in a conservation area.

 



Dave and a Tawny Frogmouth. We saw our first one in Port Douglas north of Cairns. This is not an owl.

The church shell that still stands in Port Arthur, where in the mid 1800's, hard core criminals were send here from Britain. Port Arthur was touted as what Alcatraz was to the Americans. No one was supposed to be able to escape.

The site is very well preserved. The prison was closed in the 1870's but was bought and maintained for tourism.

This is one of the main Tassie tourist locations and the drive is about 2 hours from Hobart.

Anyone for a snack?

And the awesome Salamanca markets on Saturday with Mount Wellington in the background. This market was only 6 blocks downhill from our B&B

I LOVE THE LOOK ON THE ABORIGINAL'S FACE AS HE TRIES TO BE KIND TO A FAILED ATTEMPT BY A WHITE MAN. (NOPE, THIS GUY IS NOT GETTING IT)

We enjoyed the entertainment also. From duets to ensembles to the bag pipes. The food venders were diverse and quite good.

The Town Cryer flirting with the tourist!!
Irene rang his bell!!!

Mount Wellington summit with Hobart and surrounds below.

The very top where everyone aspired to be after their long cycle ride. 1721 meters elevation.

This small black lizard was sunning himself at the top. There you are Jay, can you find the name of this one?

Strolling near the B&B.

Old Dutch settlement museum on our drive to Campbell Town about 2 hours north of Hobart.
The mill still grinds grains into flours.

 I think these were called Dim Wins and note the "tomato sauce" that was 30 cents extra.

Our air carrier from Hobart to Melbourne where we stayed overnight before our trip to New Zealand for 6 weeks. and the last of the Tasmania coastline.