Hobart, Tasmania Australia
December
28th 2015
We landed in Tasmania late on Sunday
night (the 27th). Mom was brave and had gotten us a rental car, so
we picked that up and she figured out how to drive on the other side of the
road! It’s a good thing we got a car though, as there isn’t much public transit
in Tasmania and a cab would be expensive given how far we were going. We were
wiped so when we got to the hotel in Hobart (which was also a casino!) we just
went right to bed. This hotel was nothing special, I’d give it a 3/5 stars.
Monday was Mom’s birthday, so we
packed up the car and left for Kettering, where we caught the ferry (minus the
breakfast rolls we paid for :( ) to Bruny Island. Once again we were thankful
for the car, as we would not have been able to traverse the beautiful Tasmanian
back roads and experience the scenic views (including wild echidnas!) otherwise.
We headed up to the north part of the island to Dennes Point, where we enjoyed
a lovely breakfast overlooking the channel. From there we wandered back down
the dirt roads (stopping for pictures of echidnas of course) to the Bruny
Island House of Whisky. I learned more about whisky than I ever had before, and
sampled the house single malt. The House of Whisky is home to over 40 kinds of
Tasmanian whiskies, many of them only found there. You can find Sullivan’s
Cove, which won world’s best whisky at the 2014 World Whiskies Awards.
After whisky came cheese, courtesy
of the Bruny Island Cheese Company. We sampled some delicious local varieties,
and learned about cheese making in the process. Lunch of fresh bread, cheese
wrapped in prosciutto and local wine was scrumptious. After having our fill we
ventured to the narrow land bridge that connects the north and south parts of
the island, referred to as The Neck. The stairs up were terrifying, but the
view was nothing short of breathtaking. We didn’t spot any penguins in their
nests sadly. Next we headed through Sheepwash Bay next and then stopped at
Bruny Island Premium Wines, where we did a sampling (Mom took the white, I took
the red) and shared a yummy cheesecake. Most of the reds in Tasmania are pinot
noirs, a cool climate grape that does better in the cool Australian south
(thank you Wikipedia). We didn’t venture much farther than that as the weather
looked to be changing and it was getting late, so we took the ferry back and
headed back to Hobart.
The Taste of Tasmania Festival started that
night, so we put on our best outfits and headed down. It’s sort of like the CNE
but with much tastier food and wine, and rather more distinguished atmosphere.
Lamb for dinner, cheese cake on a stick for dessert, chocolate strawberries,
cones of cheese, roasted chicken, wallaby, and salmon, craft beer, artisan
lattes…it was all so good. I lost track of how much wine I had, so I’d say it
was a pretty good night. The first boat also crossed the finish line in the
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race – the winner was American (a nice older gentleman congratulated
us on our win lol). Quite a way to celebrate your 56th birthday!
December
29th 2015
Our flight back to Sydney was not
until late Tuesday evening, so we had a full day to explore more of Tasmania.
Getting up early after all that wine was a little rough I’ll admit. We decided
to head to Brighton to check out the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. If you are
ever in Tasmania (which I would highly recommend!), I would strongly encourage
you to check out Bonorong. They are Tasmania’s only 24hr wildlife rescue, and
are currently raising money to build Tasmania’s first wildlife veterinary
hospital. Tasmania (and Australia in general) is home to so many unique and
wonderful species, some of them desperately fighting off extinction – like the
Tasmanian Devil that faces threats from motorists and a deadly transmissible
facial tumour (yes that’s contagious cancer). We joined one of Bonorong’s free
guided tours, where we learned A LOT about the animals, and even got up close
to the wombat and koala. Did you know wombats can run up to 40km/hr in short
bursts and weigh around 40kg? Did you know they have a thick cartilage shield
with minimal nerve endings on their hind end that protects them from predators
clawing at them when they run head first into their holes? And did you know
that if the predator keeps at it they flatten themselves out and let the beast
stick their face in…only to use all their strength to surge up and crush its
skull on the hard tunnel roof? Me either! We learned about how vulnerable the
Tasmanian Devil population is (nearly 80% wiped out by the facial tumour
disease), and how they are shy and greatly misunderstood creatures (though
still capable of breaking your arm if they did bite!). After posing with Luna
the koala we wandered through the green open area…where tons of friendly
kangaroos roam free and are eager to take treats from your hands! I was in
absolute heaven. Took about a billion photos. Sadly we could not stay the whole
day at this beautiful place, but I am so glad we managed to go.
After Bonorong we headed to nearby Richmond
to grab a late lunch. Unfortunately for us the Coal River Valley wine region is
VERY popular in the summer months, and we were turned away at three vineyards
due to 30 minute waits before venturing in to town to the Clemens Hill Cellar
Door and Kitchen. Best. Decision. Ever. The wine was good and the pizza was
absolutely amazing. Such a lovely little lunch in the beautiful garden. We
grabbed some Tasmanian ice cream after that and then hopped back in the car. We
had a little time to kill before the flight so we ventured to Seven Mile Beach,
which really is seven miles and was quite beautiful. Sadly we had to leave the
beautiful little island of Tasmania, but it was back to Sydney to ring in the
the new year!
(sorry blogger doesn't let me rotate the portrait images!)
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