11.21. 19 Day of Fun in Hobart

This was a working morning so we headed out around 11 am.

First stop: Franklin Park. It was 80 degrees. Don't worry it dropped down to 60 degrees by the end of the day.

 

 Then we headed to the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery. It was a bit eclectic. I was uncomfortable with the amount of taxidermy. The best exhibit was an artist who each day drew a native Australian animal and then erased it. The pile of erasure shavings on the floor reminded me of the elaborate sand sculptures that Buddhist monks create and then blow away.
 

 

For lunch, we went to McHugo's. I'll let Glenn cover that one. The bartender was very friendly and enjoyed chatting about beer with us.  She was the first person who asked us about Trump.

 

We went to Lark Distillery for a whiskey and gin tasting. I love the gin scene here. So many choices. I also tried to help the staff rearrange the furniture design. That was less successful.

 

 

 At lunch, we decided on a whim to head to MONA - The Museum of Old and New. They have a ferry you can ride from downtown.

 
Of course, we upgraded to the "Posh Pit' VIP area for some snacks and wine. The 20 minute ride was very comfortable.

 
I really don't know how to describe MONA. It's wonderful and imaginative. It's like a Modern Art Museum combined with really interesting bars and restaurants combined with unique experiences.

 

 This is one of the walk through displays. We also walked into an exhibit that ended in a small room connected to the outside so we could talk to people walking by, but no one could see each other. One display even recreated the digestive system. It poops at 2 pm every day.

 

 Here's Glenn outside the Wine and Beer Tasting Bar with a Moo Brew tasting.

 

We took the ferry back and then headed to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. 

11.20.19 Cruise of Tasman Island and visit to Port Arthur

It's time for another all day tour! Even though we "hired" (rented) a car, we still booked a couple all day tours to give Glenn a break from driving. Plus we learn more on the tours.

This tour took us down the coast. We had great views of Mount Wellington and the coast line. We stopped for morning tea at the Port Arthur Lavender Farm. The scones were delicious. So delicious that Glenn packed away two in his pockets. If he starts carrying around Tupperware, I'll be staging an intervention.

 

Then it was time to board our boat:

 

 





 

After lots of warnings about strong winds, bumps, required seatbelts, and the distribution of ginger tablets to prevent seasickness, we were off. It was super windy and bumpy and so much fun.

 

It was incredible to see the cliffs from the water. We learned how the cliffs with horizontal lines were formed as sediment pilled up and then was under pressure from glaciers.

 

 

The cliffs with the vertical lines were formed by magna pushing up to the Earth's cruise and is some of the hardest material in the world.

 

 

 

We also  had a little wildlife viewing. It was fun to watch the seals play in the water.

 

 

The big adventure of the day was when a fellow boat captain discovered a super pod of dolphins. Our Captain estimated that over 1,000 dolphins were in the water around us. They swam right next to the boat and jumped around. It was incredible:

 

 







We also circumnavigated Tasman Island.

At one time, three families lived here. To get to the their home, they'd pull up their boat to a rocky cliff. A rope and basket was lowered. They'd climb into the basket and then be lifted up. Once up there, they'd sit on a seat attached to a track and then they'd ride up the mountain backwards pulled by a wench. I don't think I'd leave.

After the boat tour, we headed to the Port Arthur historic site. Glenn's scone came in handy.

This was a convict site where prisoners from England who had reoffended were held. They would do hard labor clearing timber. The site is huge and we only got a peek. It's very grim to know that English committed genocide to clear this land of the native people. Then, they sent people convicted of crimes of poverty - usually stealing food - to work here for years. If the convicts survived the boat journey, they'd be sentenced to hard labor. Once they completed their sentence, they'd have to find a job to pay their way back to England.

 

We headed back to Hobart. We visited Preachers Beer Bar where extra seating is available in a bus.

 

 

 

We had a lovely time at The Whaler. The bartenders were so friendly. We  loved chatting about beer and gin with them.

 

 

11.19.19 Oyster Farm, Vineyard, and welcome to Hobart

This morning started with delight. At the Lodge, you can choose between dining in the restaurant for dinner or having a "hamper" delivered to your room. This morning, we chose the hamper and it was magical.

 

 

It was filled with yogurt, granola, fruit, rolls, pastries, butter, jam, meats, cheese, juice, and milk plus plates and bowls. We couldn't get over how nice it was. Of course we ate it all on the deck.

 

Check out is 10 am so we booked the Freycinet Oyster Farm Experience through Oyster Bay Tours for 10:00 am. This was such a great experience. We headed out to an oyster farm and got into the water to see how it all worked.

 

 

We even got to sample the oysters right in the water. Then, we headed back to dry land for more oysters, a shucking lesson, and to sample the mussels.

 

 

 

The owner started harvesting mussels when he noticed that mussels were growing naturally on the ropes that held the oysters in the bay. 

Back at the shop, we also tried Sea urchin. I'll let Glenn tell you about that on his blog. Spoiler Alert: It was not my favorite.

Then, we hit the road toward Hobart. We made one stop at Freycinet Vineyards. We met a nice couple from nearby and their guest from New Zealand.

Glenn did an awesome job driving. We passed farm lands, forests, coast lines, cliffs and rivers and then navigated through the city to our Apartment Hotel.

We enjoyed a happy hour with local beers, wines and spirits at Cascade Bar at the hotel. We also tried New Brunswick Hotel for a beer. We stocked up on water and breakfast food at Woolworths and then headed back to the hotel to do laundry and call it an early night.

11.18.19 Wineglass Bay

Today kicked off with the  included breakfast at the Lodge. It was very good.
 
Then, we headed over to Saffire - an all inclusive resort so I could meet with the Sales Manager and take a peek around.
 

 

 



The resort is stunning.

 

After that, we drove up the narrow, winding roads to the Lighthouse. 

 

 

 

Then, we hiked to the Wineglass Bay Lookout. I have to be honest. I tried everything in my power to avoid that hike. I looked into the 3 hour coastal cruise, but the timing didn't work. I booked us on the Aqua Taxi that drops you at a nearby beach so you don't have to climb over the really big hill to see Wineglass Bay. It was cancelled.

 

So up to the Lookout we went.

 

 

It's a 3 km moderate hike. You head uphill for about 45 minutes to get to this view.

 

 

 

Then back down in around 30 minutes - unless you are me and hate going downhill and freak out and whine and go slow as molasses. If you want to actually get to the beach, it's another  ONE THOUSAND steps down..and then back up.

 

The view was really nice. Wineglass Bay is lovely. I think the view from Wineglass Bay from the Lighthouse is good enough unless you really enjoy a moderate hike.

 

After the hike, we headed to Coles Bay to find lunch. We turned at the sign for "Town Centre". We had to laugh when it was two restaurants and a convenience store. We kept going and found Iluke Tavern. It was a tavern next to a large backpackers' campground. The food was great! Glenn got a burger, fries and wings.

 

I got a terrific beet and squash salad. We've been very impressed with the food in Tasmania. After all that, we headed back to the Lodge and spent the rest of the day enjoying the views from our Pavilion. I read a book. We had meats and cheese for dinner. It was so relaxing.

 

 

 

 

11.17.19 Samuel Pepys, Milton Vineyards, Devil's Corner and Freycinet Lodge

Our time in Launceston ended. It was time to head to the East Coast, specifically Freycinet National Park.

We started with breakfast at the 100% gluten free and #1 rated breakfast spot - Samuel Pepy's. Then we hit the road. Glenn took the advice of the people sat with at  Long Lunch and we planned stops at Milton and Devil's Corner along the way.

Milton is a lovely location.

Devil's Corner had a special event with a great guitar player so we enjoyed some oysters and wood fired pizza and a couple sets with him.

We headed  to Freycinet. I was absolutely floored when we entered our Coastal Pavilion at Freycinet Lodge. It's like a dream. Gorgeous views.

We spent the afternoon on the  deck enjoying some of the wine we bought. Then, we headed to the Lodge for dinner at Bay Restaurant. It was very nice.

11.16.19 Josef Chromy Winery

We started the day with a trip to the Harvest Saturday market. It's a great market with lots of options. I bought Metcalf Distilleries Reckless Gin that's distilled with native Tasmanian plants at the botanicals.

We also had a delicious gluten free salted caramel fudge brownie. I had a sausage roll that tasted more like meatloaf on the inside than sausage.

After the market, we headed to the City Park. We were surprised to find monkeys hanging out in little zoo enclosure.

 

The Park is lovely.

 

 

It was time to head to Josef Chromy Vineyards. Glenn had found a special event - Effervescence Tasmania that was offering a Long Lunch in the vineyard. Very exciting. Josef Chromy is the premier winery in Tasmania. We had the most wonderful lunch. Josef himself even sat with us and the winemaker Jeremy. It was very special.

 

Jeremy

 

Josef Chromy

We ended up sitting by Carl and Ananlese - Americans who live in Melbourne. We had a great time chatting them. Everyone around us was so lovely and offered lots of tips for the rest of our time in Tasmania.

 

 



 

11.14.19 Cataract Gorge and Exploring Launceston

Thursday morning we got a late start - about 11:30 am. I was working and Glenn was blogging.

We headed out and our first stop was Cataract Gorge. Every article I read this was a must see attraction. I agree. It's a wonderful park with easy to hard hiking trails, a suspension bridge, restaurants, and a chair list. Allegedly, this is the longest single strand chair lift in the world. It stretches from one side of the Park to the other.

 

 

After the Gorge, we headed to Penny Royal Wine Bar for lunch. I read good reviews. i was not prepared for everything this little area had to offer: Cliff Walk, Zip Line, Dark Ride, Rock Climbing, and Ghost Island. It was exactly the type of place you'd see on the main strip in Gatlinburg. Lunch was really good so it was worth the stop.

 

We dropped the car back at the apartment and headed into town. First stop was the Town Clock for some quick pictures. Then off to Boags Brewery - the main brewery in town. The best thing I had there was the gin tasting.

 

 

We headed up the street to a pub that advertised a beer garden. After walking through a very smoky keno lounge, we had the beer garden all to ourselves. Definitely a place to visit at night... only.

 

Our search for interesting beers continued to George Street - the main street through town. We had a great experience at Alchemy. The bartender was friendly. The place was clean and the gin and beers were very good. We decided to try Chinese for dinner. That also was very good. We headed back to the hotel to enjoy some Tasmanian Rose wine we bought.  



11.13.19 Launceston, Tasmania

We had a simple morning at the hotel so I could catch up on work. Then we headed to the airport for our Virgin Australia flight to Launceston. I adore Virgin Australia. Planes are comfortable. People are nice. I also enjoy how the Melbourne airport lets people know they need to chill out:

The options are basically:
You missed your flight.
Your flight is boarding.
RELAX. Stay away from the gate. Have a snack.

Our flight was easy. Launceston airport is small so we got our rental car and baggage and headed out. Glenn is doing a terrific job driving on the left side of the road. I got a little flustered giving directions.

We checked in to our accommodations: CBD Apartment hotel. It's a unit with three apartments. It's recently remodeled and clean. I'm not sure I'm sold yet on staying in apartments versus hotels, but we'll give it a try. We relaxed for a bit and then headed out to Saint John Craft Beer bar for dinner and then to the Bottle Shop to buy some Australian wines. It was an early night back at the apartment watching Hulu. We've learned it's good to build in rest days for me to catch up on work and just relax.

Today, we are heading out to explore Launceston.