Hobart - Tasmania: Day 2

Today was cloudy but clear.

We wanted to visit the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. We were advised it was 2-3 km walk and my map app told me it would take 40 minutes to walk. We could go on the hop on hop off bus to get there ($35) but there were no public buses. We decided to catch a taxi and it cost us about $8.

Steve really wanted to see a Huon pine and they had several in the gardens. The volunteer guides were able to direct us to the location of the pines. They're not much to look at but so prized for building boats especially. They have a unique tolerance for water and do not rot. They are very slow growing and so may not be cut down. People can only use timber that has fallen. We heard about someone who had located Huon pine in a drowned valley and was planning to recover them from underwater!

I love the gardens. They have so many unique plants. Plus it's Autumn so the leaves are changing colour.

 We caught the red explorer bus back to Hobart for $3. There was a sign about this at the gardens. A great way to end our trip! 

Time to head for home! Bye Tasmania. Our final sunset sail away - for now...

Hobart - Tasmania: Day 1

We sailed up the Derernt River all morning as we approached Hobart. We saw small dolphins beside the ship as we sailed which is always a joy.

We arrived at the port about midday. It was such a perfect day that the top of Mount Wellington was actually clear! It was definitely a good day for ascending the mountain. The information centre at the port advised us there were buses that could take us up the mountain. We were on our way to the bus when just at the dock we saw a private tour operator who was going to Mount Wellington and Richmond historical village for $60. We joined the tour which was much cheaper than those offered by the ship. We to be later we could have just done Mount Wellington for $30 but the extra sights were well worth the money.

We drove around Battery Point which has lots of historical buildings. These photos were taken at Arthur Circus which is like a private park surrounded by tiny heritage houses.

We went to a lookout for views iver the city.

It took a while to drive up the mountain in our mini bus but the views were so clear!

The journey down the mountain was much quicker!

Richmond was lovely. We saw the oldest Catholic Church in Australia, the oldest bridge (built by convicts) and a few arts and craft shops.

Burnie - Tasmania

Burnie caters very well for the cruise ships. It's a working port so you must catch the shuttle bus into town which is provided for free by the council.

Volunteers are very helpful and provide commentary on the bus. Burnie is small so there are only three stops but they went to the main places of interest. 

We started at the Maker's Workshop which is an art cooperative with a great range of handmade arts and crafts for sale. This self-contained module used for wood turning looks very cool. I'm sure I could fit one in my classroom!

The bus took us to a small museum and art gallery. The gallery had an exhibition about Michealangelo of all things so we had an unexpected opportunity to see replicas of his amazing sculptures.

Replica of the head of the Davd statue - I love that the pupils are heart shaped!

I didn't realise how big the statue of David is.

The detail in the feet and hands was amazing.

We also saw the Roma Pieta - Mary holding Christ after his death.

You could see the nail scars in Jesus' feet. Such detail!

We scored a few bargains at Rivers then headed back to the ship. We had an early "all aboard" time today as we have to leave soon on our way to Hobart.

Melbourne- Family Matters

Today it's my birthday and we're in Melbourne. The best part is we got to catch up with our nephew Curtis and his girlfriend Amber. We spent a lovely day with them eating great food, walking around Fitzroy Gardens and catching up! We loved being out and about with them and seeing their new studio (Curtis is a sound engineer). It's wonderful to hear him play the drums again and to hear some of his work. 😊

Cook's cottage

Very Parisian flower display.

Flinders Street Station on a busy Saturday afternoon - very Melbourne.