HOSPITABLE HOBART

Japanese Reflections

During our cruise across Bass Straight in the Spirit of Tasmania, DD wandered into the Visitors Centre on board and they told him about this wonderful thing he could buy called an IVenture Card. The Card cost $130 per person and provided substantial discounts on a variety of cruises/tours/activities. There were a few choices and ‘we’ chose the most expensive card in the belief it gave the best value for money. We could not purchase the card on board, but had to wait until we hit land and then purchased our Iventure card from the Visitors Centre in Devonport. Some activities are even free with the card – one of the downsides tho’ is that we had only a limited time in which to utilise our card. In retrospect we wouldn’t purchase one of these cards again as there were a few problems with utilising them as even tho’ we purchased through the Visitors Centre, inevitably on each event, we could not book the cruise/trip/activity thru’ the Visitors Centres, but had to instead, go direct to the providers. There were a few other minor problems with the card, but we have managed to get our money’s worth over the duration. One of the results of purchasing the card, not sure if it is a good one or bad, is that we have found ourselves doing some things we perhaps would not have bothered with if we were not trying to get our maximum benefit. One of these activities was the Hobart Explorer. The tour was worth approximately $34 per head and involved a roughly 3 hour bus tour of Hobart and surrounds.

Opposite our Bus Stop in Hobart

Once again we jumped on a bus at New Norfolk and headed into Hobart in the morning. This time, as we had a little time up our sleeves, we sat at a corner cafe, enjoying a very passable coffee and watched Hobart go past – always a fascinating occupation trying to work out each person’s occupation or lack thereof. So........onwards and upwards, our old fashioned coach (once a tram) was it seemed, very unwell and so they had substituted a very comfortable air-conditioned coach – probably a good thing as it was just a tad chilly that morning.

We had a very, very quietly spoken guide – an Aussie bloke in pre-retirement mode with the usual dry sense of humour that so many Australian men do so well. Shame we couldn’t hear him very well due to his mumbling – obviously practising for driving his wife mad in retirement! The tour took us through old Hobart, our guide pointing out all the points of interest. Certainly Hobart boasts some wonderful historical buildings, some beautiful and some not. First stop for the day was the old Barracks where we jumped (read stumbled) out to stretch our legs and take a few photos of the memorials and old buildings. This was perhaps our first experience of the next stage of our lives when we no longer take our own tours but join a group of age enhanced, muscle depleted older folk on ‘Coach Tours’. I know my mum enjoyed these ‘Tours’, but not sure if I am ready yet. One really old fellow (oh, about 5 years older than us!), seemingly had a compulsion to read everything – his wife sardonically indicated this would mean that every time the bus was ready to go, old Alf would be ‘over there’ reading some script on some notice about something. To make matters worse, he was more than a little deaf and his wife who had her arm in a sling (probably broke it while choking him) was not inclined to get off the bus at all, but simply sat there glaring in his general direction instructing the driver very curtly, to “just blow the horn – he is reading again – just blow it!”

War Memorial - 1 day after ANZAC Day

So once we had Alf back safely on board, off we set for the Cascade Brewery Gardens – quite lovely with all the autumn colours – the old building sitting very grandly at the rear of the gardens. Another ‘leg-stretch’ and this time it was Alf’s missus who kept us waiting as she decided finally get off the bus to visit the amenities, once everyone else was on board. You know I really don’t mind all the waiting, after all we had nowhere else to be, it was just interesting to see how these two were so oblivious to how their behaviour affected the rest of us – not purely a proclivity of the young after all it seems.

Cascade Gardens

Cascade Brewery

Next stop was the old Women’s Gaol – this time it was me who didn’t get off the bus. The ruins of the gaol were very diminished – really only the walls left and they had been pretty well re-constructed. Instead, I stayed on the bus with the driver who regaled me with gruesome stories of the lives of the past inmates. I find that these places do affect me quite profoundly and I don’t always wish to go there. The lives these poor souls lived were abysmal to say the least. The driver did point out however, that a good number of the inmates (those who survived that is) ended up marrying quite well as there was such a dearth of women in the remote colony.

DD Thought It Was Worth Another Look!

Alf’s wife was last back on again as she had discovered a source of Bruny Island Fudge and had gone back to buy some. Oh well, at least she seemed a little happier by then. From the gaol we headed slightly out of Hobart and across the Tasman Bridge to a high vantage point across the Derwent. We were of course, told the story of the Tasman Bridge – most of us do remember the collapse of the bridge of course, but it was still interesting and horrific – especially hearing the story as you are passing over the same place where the bridge collapsed. What we hadn’t heard before tho’, was that the very lucky bloke whose Monaro had been perched oh so precariously on the brink of disaster that day, was the first person to drive across the new bridge, and he drove across in the same Monaro which he still has today! The other thing we learned was that they now stop the traffic when a ship is passing underneath. We have since experienced this in our own travels around Hobart.

Tasman Bridge

So, we stopped at the top of a hill which I’m very much afraid I have forgotten the name of, probably ‘cause I never really heard the name due to the combination of the mumbling of our driver and Alf’s wife, sitting in front of us, continually turning around to regale DD with stories of their caravan trip around Tassie some 30 years ago. JOY!!! From the ‘hill’ we could see a fair way up the Derwent and right out to sea and Bruny Island. The views were remarkable and would have been even better had it not been raining by that time.

From the Lookout Rosney Park

Hobart Bathed in Sunlight - Mt Wellington in the Background

Our drive then took us back across the bridge and to our last stop, The Royal Botanical Gardens. Here we were dropped off at one end and picked up 30 minutes later at the other end. We had a truly lovely wander through part of the gardens which are huge. The gardens seemed more like a park of yore where one would have promenaded to be seen rather than an abundant garden. As we only saw a portion of the gardens, I could be wrong of course. What was really beautiful were the Japanese Gardens there – at any other time of the year they would not have been the same; the colours of the autumn leaves were outstanding reflecting their glory in the still waters.


Beautiful Japanese Gardens


Were there any problems when we all assembled to re-board the bus, hmmmm, “Has anybody seen my wife?” asked Alf, perhaps hoping that nobody had, but “Yes” we had seen her, walking determinedly off to see the Japanese Gardens when the rest of us were about to board the bus. Oh well............doubtless she had a wonderful day.

Floral Beauty

More Bloomin' Flowers

So back on board and back to our starting point – we would have so say we enjoyed our bus trip – it was informative and we did learn a couple of things we most likely would have missed left to our own devices. It was also amusing in its own way with Alf and his wife, who true to form, held everyone else up disembarking from the bus as they had the front seat and Alf, seemingly in a bit of a world of his own, took forever to remove Mrs Alf’s stuff from the shelf above their heads – oblivious to the fact that nobody could get off the bus until he moved out of their way. He was actually a lovely man, just a bit vague – having met Mrs Alf, one can only surmise his state to be one of self-preservation. So, until next time when we will go to Port Arthur, be tolerant and adapt, adapt, adapt. Stephanie.

To Calm Your Mind

PS these photos give you a good insight into Hobart weather - all taken within 3 hours and approx 10ks.