After a 50-minute flight on Qantas Airways, we arrived in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, from Melbourne. We rented a car, and the Wilderness and Beaches Adventure began.
Day 6 and 7, Wednesday, September 11 and Thursday, September 12: Hobart
Hobart, Australia’s second oldest, is a very friendly city with a relaxed lifestyle, nestled between the River Derwent and Mount Wellington. We started our exploration from our comfortable hotel, the Vibe, in early afternoon, found a few very good bakery cafes, had lunch, and by mid-afternoon we were strolling through the waterfront admiring the scenery.
The exciting discovery was the ART MOB, a gallery of Aboriginal Fine Art. I wished to take home some of the beautiful art especially after a friendly talk with the knowledgeable young woman there, an employee of the gallery.
The gallery was in the building that was repurposed with an open courtyard designed for relaxation. However, the windy, cold weather didn’t allow us to sit on the inviting sofas.
On the second day in Hobart, we visited the Maritime Museum. Besides the exhibition, we got a lot of information from the two gentlemen working at the museum. From time-to-time, it was a little bit challenging to understand the Australian English, but we managed.
Throughout the city, there were information posts that helped us to find landmarks.
We visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery where we learned about the island’s history.
The Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum provided information about Australia’s Antarctic heritage.
By lunchtime, we found ourselves at the Salamanca Square, where we had our lunch at the unique Machine Laundry-Cafe, which combines a cafe and laundromat. It had a 50s vibe and yes, you could smell the laundry detergent while eating.
One really exciting thing was, especially for Steve, that he spotted an Alfa Romeo, that looked exactly like his first car, and even had a conversation about it with the owner.
Close to the Parliament House, we spotted many sulphur-crested cockatoos.
To finish our adventure in Hobart, we had Hungarian beef goulash for dinner at Irish Murphy’s pub! It was quite good.
P.S. We didn’t get to MONA, the famous art museum, because it was closed until Friday, and we didn’t visit the famous Salamanca Market either, since that is in operation only on Saturdays. Well, no trip can be perfect.
