Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Thursday, February 17, 2011    71 degrees                           7:00 AM – MIDNIGHT



The port of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Capital city of Tasmania. Surrounded by Derwent River and Mt. Wellington.  It is Australia’s second oldest city (after Sydney).  At first the city was an isolated prison camp.  A permanent detachment of 25 officers guarded the original 178 convicts.  It is not only the nation’s southernmost major city, it is also the smallest.  Residents are industrious, but fewer than 200,000 line in Hobart.  City is small with streets laid out in a grid.  Elizabeth St. Mall is the center of town.    

                            

About the size of West Virginia and with a population of less than half a million, Tasmania is an unspoiled reminder of a simpler, slower lifestyle. It is richly cloaked in mists and rain, glows with russet and gold shardes in Fall and has the chance of an evening chill year-round.  The island’s extreme southern position also results in a wild climate that is often hammered by Antarctic winds, so be prepared for sudden, severe weather changes, a snowstorm in summer is not unusual.

A busy seaport, Hobart serves as the home port for the Antarctic activities of Australia and France, loading in excess of 2,000 tons of Antarctic cargo a year for the Australian research vessel Aurora Australis.  Hobart has a thriving cultural scene and is home to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Tasmania’s acclaimed Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute.

We went on a shore excursion to Bonorong Wildlife Park, 45 minutes North of Hobart.  We were able to hand-feed kangaroos with complimentary food.  We saw Tasmanian Devils, wombats, and koalas.  Next we visited Richmond a small historic town with fine Georgian architecture.



Kangaroo with Joey in pouch





Tasmanian devil




Wallaby



wombat




Tour bus



Gift shop in Richmond





After lunch we went on the shuttle bus into Hobart and visited the Elizabeth Street Mall.  Next we went to Salamanca Place – Old whaling ships used to dock here. Today many of the warehouses that were once used by whalers along his street have been converted into crafts shops, art galleries, and restaurants.



Elizabeth Street



Salamanca Place