Hobart, Tasmania

We stayed at the Moss Hotel during our visit to Tassie. Our room here very much reminded me of our perch in Hydra because of the view onto Salamanca Market and the nearby Pier. The historic Whaler Pub was right below us and the street full of restaurants, rooftop bars and night life. A great location! 

We checked out the Twilight Market the night we arrived. A small band playing covers, and a few food trucks offered quick eats. Can't say I'm a fan of Tasmanian Oysters (too big and chewy), but the  locally crafted absinthe - yes!

Saturday morning we watched 100+ vendors quickly set up for the  Salamanca Market. Packed with locals and tourists alike. Very popular, and very crowded. Within an hour they were selling everything from clothing, original art, used books, leatherwork, spirits, pastries, coffee, crafts, food...  We sampled the scallop pie (delicious, tasted like a chicken pot pie). 

Then it was onto the hop on/hop off bus to explore the city. Our first stop was Cascade Brewery for lunch and then the  Royal Tasmanian Botanical Garden, admiring sites in between. 

Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest continually operating brewery, has been in business since 1824. Right at the foot of Mount Wellington, it served a great lunch and offered a tasting flight of craft beer. The draft became our favourite for the remainder of our stay in Australia.

Dinner off the beaten track, at a place the locals ate called the Dumpling House. Being located a few blocks away from the trendy pier made it a fraction of the cost, and it was delicious! 

We visited the Museum of Old and Modern Art on Sunday. Definitely the highlight of our Hobart trip. We splashed out to ride the Posh ferry over, enjoyed a winetasting, and spent the day agog at the art and buildings. So much to say that I'll have to blog about ir separately.

Monday was a tour to Port Arthur and Tasman Park. Upon arriving at Port Arthur we could witness the remnants of a truly brutal penal system. Getting there we enjoyed beautiful scenery from the bus window and pleasant banter from the driver. He mentioned a book, The Floating Brothel, that I now want to read as it's about female convicts making their way to Australia. We stopped at several places in Tasman Park for photo opportunities, both coming and going. Truly breathtaking. 

Tuesday was a very pleasant walking day, wandering through the historical suburbs of Rose Bay, Battery Point, Errol Flynn Park (he's a hometown boy!), and making our way to the Royal Yacht Club Tasmania.  

We chatted with the former Commodore about past Hobart-Sydney races, including the one in 1998 where 6 sailors lost their lives - he was involved in setting new safety protocols for the races. 

As a kid I don't think I ever dreamed I'd make it to Tasmania - although we didn't see any Tasmanian Devils, we sure saw a lot more than I'd ever imagined.