Up pops a four-day Easter weekend. Airfares only about $50 more expensive than going to Melbourne (from Sydney). Good accommodation, no traffic to speak of. Welcome to Hobart!
We took a late flight on Good Friday afternoon mainly because the others were already fully booked! On the upside it allowed us to sleep in, clean up at home and get organised. We arrived in Hobart... and it was warmer than Sydney at 27 degrees! This was a little confusing, and also to our hosts who had left the goose-down quilt on our bed.
We stayed at the beautiful Bellerive House, which is 15min drive from the airport and 5min from the town centre. Greeted by a gorgeous golden Labrador called Tashi and hot cross buns, we were happy to call Bellerive home for the next three nights. Beautifully renovated, we had the biggest room and run of the house. Breakfast each day was really enough food for the entire day (oh the local porridge with fresh cream and brown sugar, this is before eggs or pancakes!) and there was also lots of free alcohol with sherry in our room and whisky in the hall, good for me, not so good for Mark :)
The next day we set off for MONA and I wasn't disappointed, the building itself is magnificent and the concept and story around the whole thing rather beguiling. The audio (more like multimedia) tour (which locates you amongst the artworks using GPS) is amazing and I really could have gone another day on my own to squeeze every last drop out of it. The only thing that let me down (slightly) was I really wanted to get the view of the tennis court as we entered... but they had markets on, so instead it was covered in stalls and huge beanbags for everybody to sit on. Mark was disappointed the MONA store didn't have more postcards, as he loves collecting postcards from galleries all around the place.
In the mid afternoon we headed across to 'Salamanca' (The tourist / shopping area) to meet my workmate and friend David Gowlland! It was great to share a few stories and hear about his 2 month road trip so far, he was looking so healthy and 10 years younger as well, bravo! We ate a Greek lunch and visited the excellent 'The Hobart Book Shop' together, where Mark got his postcard fill.
We didn't really get a chance to see much of the Salamanca Markets but that was OK considering we can't fit another single knick-knack or item in our apartment. It did look like quality though and the food looked amazing. In fact, I would say the food everywhere in Tasmania looked amazing! I particularly enjoyed our drive to Kettering the next day, where along the way there were lots of roadside stalls selling fresh, local produce. We actually passed a village called 'Snug!' If you'd like to find somewhere cosy to stay between Hobart and Kettering, I actually found this website today (after we got home!) with lots of good accommodation links (less than half an hour from Hobart).
The next day we headed out on a pre-arranged Bruny Island Cruise which promised lots of local information and adventure. The whole thing was organised very efficiently (you know I like efficient) and we scooted around the Southern Ocean, checking out rock formations and local wildlife, including seals. Bruny Island itself reminded me alot of Kangaroo Island in South Australia (which we visited about 3 years ago) and is very spare and calm. Might be a nice place to finish writing that thesis or get over a break-up... you know, THAT sort of place. As we were passing through, this looked like an interesting place to stay.
After that we ate a lovely Indian meal, a real treat... And that basically brings me to the end of our short Easter trip away! I really liked Hobart, but of course I need to write down some tips. So here they are:
- Gourmet Traveler has a good guide to Hobart Restaurants. We didn't even try to go anywhere 'happening' so I can't say if it's really any good. As I mentioned earlier, the fresh produce is amazing, so I would be enough satisfied with my own kitchen and a bag of ingredients!
- Here is the best Hobart walking guide I could find, although most of the shops were closed when I tried! I did however, visit 'The Maker' and decided there and then that I will definitely move into 'art wear' when I hit my 40s :)
- Hobart is not exactly a 'city' when you come from somewhere like Sydney, so I'd venture to say you do not have to stay in the CBD when visiting. Some of the lovely and price-conscious accommodation we saw around the place was an easy drive into the town centre, there really isn't enough going on to need to be right 'in there amongst it.'
- Hobart is a food place. You will think about eating the whole time you are there. Prices however, remain the same as in Sydney. A take away Thai meal from the suburbs cost us $45 (two mains and one entree to share) which is more than at home in Potts Point.
- Cascade beer tastes better in Tassie.
- For a place with a climate like England, the people there sure love the great outdoors! Lots of hiking, biking, fishing and riding. It is cold and windy though, so be prepared for that (we were not so well prepared and Mark got very cold -bones rattling- when we went to Bruny Island, by that I mean you need hat, glove, thermals.)
- There is no such thing as 'The Cadbury Tour' anymore. There is a factory store with everyday prices, but no tour of the chocolate factory like in the old days. A big boo from Cadbury fans everywhere!
- Things are slower, but the people are still switched on, optimistic and interesting. Everyone had time to talk, and inparticular, came across as very creative and diverse. I'd love to join a knitting group or silversmithing course, learn to catch salmon or grow an orchid if I were local!
I'd return for a longer road trip or another short break such as this. It's clear that Tasmania is a pretty special part of the world and it would be lovely to have friends there. I think it's an ideal place to meet up with an old friend and hit the road for Radio National and lots of chats. Sit by the fire, enjoy a glass of wine. This holiday was hassle free, very cosy and relaxing.
