Tasmania: A Weekend in Hobart

I booked the Ultimate 8 Tour with Under Down Under to start on the 31st January and was really looking forward to meeting and travelling with a bunch of people. To get a feel for the place I decided to preceed this with 3 nights on my own in Hobart. It was all rather last minute, I booked the flight and Pickled Frog hostel a couple of days before leaving Melbourne.

It was quite fun being back on a plane again, although I did have some fun checking in my bag and our flight was delayed. What do you expect for a low-budget airline? I was also asked if I would be able to assist the crew in case of emergency..?! Surely that's what they're paid to deal with, not me! We got to Hobart in one piece and my help wasn't needed. Good job too, I slept the whole way!

I took the airport shuttle to the Pickled Frog, a bright green hostel it wasn't hard to miss! Once I'd dumped my bag and freshened up, I decided to explore. It was getting a bit cloudy but I headed to Sandy Bay regardless.

I walked through Salamanca and stumbled across their Saturday Market. They were starting to pack up, but I managed to get some local made fudge called "Tassie Devil". Basically it was half chocolate and half vanilla. It was delicious. Just behind the market I found Shelly Steps which would take me to the oldest suburb, Battery Point.

Once I'd conquered the stairs I spotted a bright orange sign and funny looking sculpture. It transpired to be part of The Battery Point Scultpure Trail. I was unsure where it had started, so decided to head to the end and work backwards. This meant walking down a massive hill to the Erroll Flynn Reserve near the sea. A lovely walk, but I knew I'd have to go up soon.

I sat on a bench overlooking the sea for a while, then got a bit peckish so hunted for a Coles. Got a bit caught in the rain on the way, but it was clear skies again once I emerged. Back at the bench with my lunch I watched dogs playing in the sea. One of them got tired so sat with me for a bit. So cute.

Now was time to tackle the trail. But first, that hill. Certainly got the blood pumping! There were nine sculptures to find, all representing Hobart's history in some way. I only got lost once, it was hard going backwards. The signs gave directions to the one I'd just left, so I don't think I did too badly.

The trail ended back in Salamanca, where I spotted some kind of event, with large crowds and tents. It was Beerfest. If it hadn't have been $30, I may have gone in. Just for the atmosphere and live music, of course. Instead, I found a bench just one pier over where I could still hear the music and eat my dinner. Perfect.

After a bit of tanning in the evening sun and a short walk along the waterfront, it was time to head home.

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I hadn't set an alarm, and yet I was still awake pretty early. Lay in bed for a while reading before deciding to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens. The walk didn't take too long, once I got out of the CBD, I followed the Soldiers Memorial Walk through The Domain. This was lovely, so simple and beautiful with trees planted for each regiment and each fallen soldier.

I arrived just after 11am and followed a family through the beautiful iron gates. I somehow missed out on being given a map, but it couldn't be that hard to work out. The gardens were beautiful with lots of variety and fun. I loved the Subantartic House, it was freezing cold and had plants adapted to live in such harsh conditions. There are also sound effects of animals and crashing waves. Very clever.

I spent a good four or five hours exploring. I also treated myself to an icecream and a sunbathing session on the grass. The weather was perfect. There were a surprising amount of ducks in the many ponds and lakes throughout the gardens. I'd spotted a few sunning themselves, and even saw a few ducklings learning to swim.

The walk back seemed longer for some reason. Maybe because I kept stopping to take photos of the view. I also made use of the free gym equipment en route that I'd ignored in the morning. Yes. Me. Gym stuff. It was quite fun actually. We'll see how I feel in the morning!

Finished off the day with another wander along the waterfront. I went further up this time, as someone had told me the sunset would be better. Whilst waiting I read all about the beginnings of Hobart. It was amazing to be able to look at some of the original buildings, most still in tact!

The sunset was a little disappointing, couldn't see much as it fell behind Mount Wellington. Ah well, I tried. Maybe there would be better opportunities on tour.

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My last day alone and it looked like a rainy day. The museum is on the Top Ten list, and it was only a 15min walk from the hostel. Perfect. I was the first to arrive at Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery, at 9.50. It opened at 10am, so I didn't have too long to wait. When the lady opened the gate she looked rather amused at me sitting on the edge of the wall.

I took my time exploring the many galleries and exhibitions in the museum. Every day is a learning day! I loved all of the rooms, although one of my favourites had to be about the wildlife of Tasmania. When settlers first arrived, they were terrified of the noises and funny looking animals in the bush. Tasmanian Devils are not the only animal native to the state, there are also wombats, platypus, quolls, pademelons, echidna... the list goes on.

What surprised me the most was the Aboriginal Exhibition. It was one of the first to be completely designed, written, set up and maintained by Aborigines. And it had only been there a couple of years. This shocks me, it's 2017 and these wonderful, strong, admirable people, who have lived on and nurtured the land for longer than we could ever imagine, and have so much to teach us, are only just getting rights. How is that right?

I treated myself to a chicken salad sandwich and cuppa in the cafe. It was possibly the best sandwich I've ever had, I left the museum feeling satisfied with my visit overall. It was still quite early in the day so I headed off to cross the Tasman Bridge. I had read about how the bridge had collapsed in 1975 causing 12 deaths, an awful lot of chaos and confusion but ultimately bringing a sense of community. I wanted to experience this.

It didn't take too long to cross over, it was a tad windy but the views were great. On the other side I could see Mount Wellington much more clearly. I followed the Clarence Foreshore Trail from Montagu Bay to Kangaroo Bay. It was starting to warm up and the walk was lovely. Some parts took me right up to the water's edge, it was so clear and I could see for miles. There were several memorials along the route that commemorated the disaster, although all mentioned the positive community action.

Once I'd reached Kangaroo Bay I changed route and headed for the shops. There was a large Coles and Kmart. I found some delicious drinks, I think they're meant to be for kids, but they're so nice. They're basically just different fruit juices, my favourite is "daily juice", which has orange and carrot, amongst others. So nice! They were also on offer, can't be bad.

I chose to walk the less scenic route back, I still needed to pack my things and check out ready for tomorrow. I thought I'd got a little bit lost, but on checking, realised I was exactly right! Me and my amazing sense of direction. Ha.

I got back to the hostel just before 7, perfect timing to give my key back and give me time to organise. I was really looking forward to starting the tour! If Hobart is anything to go by, I'm going to love it!