Blogs from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, Oceania - page 9

We were surprised just how dry the country was as we drove further south on the Midland Highway. We stopped at the dear little old town of Ross, home of the Female Factory where women convicts were housed. At the corner of the crossroad in the centre of town are the stone buildings known as recreation (the town hall), temptation (hotel), damnation (the old jail) and salvation (the Catholic church). Before crossing the lovely old convict-built stone bridge to leave the town, we called into the Wool Museum which had some beautiful, if expensive, woollen garments for sale, as well as a great display of the history of Ross and of wool in Australia. On then to Oatlands, and first stop Cassaveen Knitwear, and then to the Callington Mill, built in 1837, and recently restored. When ... read more

2ndJanuary 2013. Okay, enough relaxing. After breakfast, we headed into town and visited the Botanical Gardens. It was a magical place and the best was definitely the Japanese garden. After the gardens, we went to the lookout at the top of old government house and it gave us a fantastic view of the city. Down the hill and on the other side of the Tasman Bridge was the Great Moscow Circus. Of course we couldn’t resist and off we went to the circus. The show went for at least two hours and it was amazing. It was 4.00pm and the girls wanted to visit the Cadbury chocolate factory. We arrived at the factory about 4.30pm and the visitor centre for Cadbury had already closed (sorry girls!!!). We went to Glenorchy for a bit of shopping before ... read more

Byron bay hat sich letzt endlich doch noch von seiner schönen Seite gezeigt. Ich bin rauf auf den Berg, bis zum Leuchtturm und hatte einen Wundschönen Weg zurrück in die Stadt bei Regen. Am Tag drauf bin ich mim Bus nach Ninbin gefahren. Ninbin is ein kleines Hippi Örtchen, dass ca 2 Stunden im Landes inneren liegt & für seinen Mariohana Konsum & Verkauf bekannt ist. Schon auf der Busfahrt, in das kleine Örtchen wurde im Bus kräftig geraucht und den Busfahrere hats nicht gekümmert. Ninbin an sich ist recht verschlafen. Eine Straße, rechts und links ein paar läden & das wars auch schon. Die Mentalitet und die Leute dort haben mir allerdings recht gut gefallen! Am Abend bin ich dann noch mit ein paar Leuten von der Tour was trinken gegangen und hab meine letzte ... read more

Before leaving this morning we went out on a trek for about an hour through mountain heath and back along the coast to the Jetty Beach Camp. From there we drove to the nearby Cape Bruny Lighthouse where we were treated to magnificent views along the rugged coastline. Heading back towards the northern part of Bruny Island we stopped at the Chocolate Company and sampled the delicious fudge made on site. Next was the Berry Farm where we tested some of the finished products including a splendid berry jam. After a quick bite to eat on the foreshore at Adventure Bay we hiked out to Grassy Point and read through some history on the whaling industry that once thrived in this region. After covering most of the Island, we decided to catch a late afternoon ferry ... read more

The end of a long day. We are sitting in the back of the van at the Treasure Island Caravan Park in Berriedale after the owners returned from their holiday this evening. After handing over the keys and having a quick chat we got back into the swing of things out on the road. Not a bad spot to land either looking out over the Derwent River as ducks and rabbits scurry around in the fading light. The previous four days flew by for all the right reasons. The home, the dog and the surrounding areas made for a thoroughly enjoyable time. Taking the dog for his daily walk was a great reason to exercise and see what life is like in the suburbs of Hobart. We would happily live here and a transition to a ... read more