Love Hobart! We have both enjoyed our short stay here (even if our caravan site was not picturesque).
It was an easy 45 minute trip from Huon Valley to the Hobart Showgrounds. We picked the Hobart Showgrounds for convenience being a 15 minute bus ride into the CBD.
In the morning we traveled around Hobart on the hop on / hop off bus which covered the top attractions: Brooke Street Pier, Salamanca Place, Battery Point, Wrest Point Casino, Cascade Brewery and Botanical Gardens to name a few.
After the bus we needed warming up so headed over to the Brooke Street Pier on the River Derwent to catch the catamaran to MONA. MONA was the Hobart highlight for us even though neither of us are into modern art! The museum was the vision of a Tasmanian millionaire who built it on his vineyard on the banks of the River Derwent. The museum is underground which gives you a strange feeling when viewing the art. Above ground there are gardens, sculptures, an open air stage, wine tasting, restaurants and bars.
We splashed out on a fabulous lunch followed by ice cream on the lawn listening to live music. We could have stayed longer but needed to get the catamaran back (also the live music changed from fabulous jazz to a duo that sounded like tuning a violin and strangling a cat – I kid you not!).
The next day was Saturday so we got up early to get to the Salamanca Markets. You have to be up for crowds so not for everyone but great to savour Tasmanian food: scallop pie, scallop and bacon sandwich, cherries, hazlenuts, cheese and chocolate. Not all eaten yet – looking forward to the scallop pie tonight!
Today was again an early start to drive up to Mt Wellington. Amazing road, narrow with lots of hairpin bends and vertical drops. I can see why a cable car has been proposed. Although Mt Wellington was not shrouded in clouds (a common occurrence) the view was hazy but it still gives a sense of the size of the harbour.
On the way back we stopped for a bush walk along which we encountered a wallaby and an echidna (rear only!).
We depart tomorrow morning (Monday January 20th) for a short drive to a free camp at Sorell for 2 nights. Sorell allows us a shorter drive to Port Arthur which is our next tourist destination.