Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
June 21st (Sunday) - Day 112 - Tasmania (Hobart and Bruny island)
Sure enough 4am came way to quickly and we were out of the hostel and on the way to the airport. Everything went off without a hitch and at the other end I collected a hire car. They didn't even want any money to start with (pay at the end) result! Suddenly the sense of freedom came flooding back to me (no waiting for buses) so I picked the first place I could see near the airport and we went there. Okay I was slightly biased and picked a beach but never the less we could not have got there with a bus! Suddenly we had too much choice on where to go. We finally settled on Bruny island. It was not far past Hobart where we were staying. We arrived at the ferry port and the ferry was just loading (really lucky as they only go every 90 minutes). Once on the island we drove everywhere. Firstly to a penguin reserve (however I was then informed that they only come out at night (I was not reading the book in the car so you can imagine how disappointed I was to find this out once I arrived lol) then we pressed on to the south of the island. The place was unlike anything I have ever seen before. So green yet so baron at the same time. I imagine it is what highland Scotland looks like (mental note must see own country before seeing others). The roads kept dipping down right by the sea. As it was so sheltered it was like a mill pond. Really blue and really flat. We then wanted to cross the island. Either drive 50km or take 10km and go over the top. Over the top it was then. Only issue was it was a dirt track and we were only stingey enough to get a 1.2 litre, 2 wheel drive. A number of hair raising moments and 90% of it in first gear (or reverse) we made it over. Much more fun than driving around! We drove for a few more hours all over the place just taking in the scenery. Eventually we had to head back. Once we found our hostel we headed out for a walk around Hobart. There was hardly a sole in sight. It was really strange.
June 22nd (Monday) - Day 113 - Hobart
We had to be on the road by 8am as that is when the free Sunday parking ran out. It was still really cold out and there was low lying fog. We decided we wanted to climb mount Wellington so that we could the area in all its glory. It was a really steep climb. Would never have done it on foot, so it's a good job we had the car! The road was narrow and winding and as we got to the top it started to get icy. We could even see some snow that had not quite melted. Once at the top it was below 0. It was such a great view. Below us we could see Hobart and the sea mixed in with parts of the area still covered by fog. We could see the fog lifting and it was a sight to behold. We had a walk around the top and ventured into a covered viewing area. The viewing area was empty as was the whole of the mountain. I soon released it made a really loud echo so could not help shouting at the top of my voice! We continued to walk around taking in the 360 degree views. Eventually the cold got the better of us and we started to make our decent. On the way down we stopped at a few places to investigate but there was nothing worth writing about. Once we got back to town we parked up and went for a walk around the town. It was slightly more lively today as it was not late on a Sunday night. We took a look around the shops (mainly those selling winter clothes). Once we had looked and not brought anything again we drove over to the sea and had lunch in the car over looking the harbour. We did not have a lot else to do in Hobart so went for a drive around the surrounding areas. We followed a national park which had some great views back across of the water looking over to Hobart. We also found loads of sandy beaches that we took a stroll along. That evening we went for a long walk around the harbour, taking in the sights at night.
- comments