Visiting Hobart, Tasmania
I escaped the late-summer doldrums and took advantage of the Tasmanian Spring, staying at a modern apartment hotel created by remodeling the old Elizabeth Pier in the midst of the harbor. Cutters, ferries, trawlers chug past the window, with the mountain view beyond. Seafood restaurants and nightclubs abound along the harbor’s edge, beautifully lit at night.
Exploring the first day, I asked the proprietor of a small used book shop whether he had any great novels on Australia. He said, “Well, you’re asking a Scotsman!” In fact, the Tasmanian countryside viewed from a plane looks much like Scotland; very green and lush, with rolling hills. The climate is also similar, cooler than the rest of Australia, and the architecture and gardens are English in style.
A five-minute walk from the harbor will take the traveler to Salamanca Place, a row of convict-built warehouses from the 1840’s that has become a fashionable row of shops and restaurants. It is separated from the water by a small park that commemorates the whalers who used to frequent the area. Sample Tasmanian cider at Murphy’s Irish Pub, Vietnamese or Japanese cuisine, or a great steak at the Ball and Chain Grill.? Shops offer local handicrafts: lavender and fragrant oils, blown glass, fine wool sweaters and wooden products made from Huonville pine, a fragrant, fine-grained wood for superior kitchenware. On Saturday, this center hosts a colorful flea market. Seasonal vegetables are offered by farmers. Wool and cotton socks, fresh flowers, antiques, fish and chips and Tasmanian fragrances and pepper are all available.
Just beyond Salamanca, up the hill, is the old part of town, called Battery Place. This now upscale neighborhood is a great place to explore. Historic gingerbread cottages with a view of the sea create a feeling of the early settlement. Stop in at a pastry shop for a breakfast of egg and tomato pie, or cappuccino and croissant.
If you prefer to shop, Elizabeth Street becomes a pedestrian mall just a few blocks from the water’s edge. It boasts fashionable shops, an antique mall and a delightful place for the footsore to unwind- the new Savoy Baths. This spa in the city center had reasonable day rates for a sauna/soak/swim or a facial or massage.
The crescent town that rings the harbor also offers several nearby antique shops, specializing in furniture or antique Australian prints. A convenient visitors’ center provides maps and advice on what to see. A few blocks away, the Tasmanian Museum and Art gallery displays exhibits on the history and wildlife of the island state, including the extinct Tasmanian tiger and the convict era. Art exhibits feature 19th-century Australian painters: landscapes, portraits and still life paintings that bear a striking similarity to 19th century American art. John Glover, a famous painter of the Australian landscape, is comparable to the Hudson River School painters. Other displays range from a history of coins to an exhibition of contemporary fabric paintings by indigenous women artists.
From the harbor, boat rides are available to the Botanical Gardens, or for a tour up the River Derwent. Other attractions accessible for a day trip include:Mt. Field National Park. A scenic two-hour drive along the river leads to the Tasmanian temperate rainforest, with giant tree-ferns and ancient eucalyptus trees. A short walk from the visitors’ center through the rainforest includes Russell Falls, a majestic two-tiered waterfall broken by an amazing row of trees on the rim of the lower falls. Continue up the park road to sparkling snow-covered mountaintop fields. The light frequency, is a slanting Northern (but, of course, Southern) light that creates deep black shadows and makes each pool of fresh melting snow into a reflecting pond. The only sound is the trickling of the streams created by the thaw.
Two hours up the East Coast will take you to Wineglass Bay, a glorious and pristine crescent beach. Along the way, there are roadside shops with fresh oysters or fruit, and seaside villages where you can lunch on the local catch of the day.
To the south of Hobart, circle the peninsula to Hounville on the Channel Highway, a winding coastal road with beautiful water views, beaches, bucolic sheep pastures and farms. This is an area devoted to fishing and farming, with several apple orchards and blueberry farms.
To the southeast, the Tasman Peninsula has beautiful coastline with unusual geological formations, such as the Tasman Arch and the Tessellated Pavements (a natural formation that looks man-made). At the Port Arthur historic site, the ruins of the penal colony recall the convict past.
But despite its beginnings, Hobart today is a glorious place, offering the best of urban enjoyment with all the charms of country life nearby.
