Hanging out in Hobart.......

As most of you will have gathered by now we love being out and exploring the more remote and smaller places around the country.  The big cities are great when you need them but life is so much more simple in the country.  And so with this thought in mind here we were heading for Hobart where we were going to spend the next few days.

Our home for this next adventure was the Hobart Showgrounds at Glenorchy a few km out of the city.  We arrived about an hour or so after we left the ferry and negotiated the traffic to arrive about 3.00 pm.  The Showgrounds seemed to have vans, motor homes, camper trailers and tents everywhere with no real rhyme nor reason as to where they parked.  We asked at the office about availability and they said just pick a spot and then come back to tell them where we were and pay.  We did and that was home for the next four days.

The next morning we were greeted by this lovely rainbow in front of a very cloudy Mt Wellington.  We braved the cold and caught the bus to town to have a look at the famous Salamanca Markets.  They were huge, people everywhere and a huge cruise ship in port as well added to the crowd.  Still lots to see and we enjoyed ourselves there.

We had a quick look in town but having been to Hobart before we didn't hang around and were soon back on the bus heading home.  

Later in the afternoon we drove to Goulds Lagoon to see what we could find.  Set right in the middle of the suburban sprawl this conservation park had more seagulls and coots than anything exotic but this chap captured Bills attention for a short while.  Leaving here we drove back home and settled in for a quiet night.

The next morning we woke and got the surprise of our lives when we opened the door.  Cars everywhere and a huge market taking place almost on our doorstep.  Apparently the Showgrounds are home to a huge Sunday market each week and people come from everywhere to attend.  

We decided to get out while we could and our touring today took us up to Mt Wellington.  An incredible drive up to the top but once there we found the entire summit in cloud.  We could barely see anything a few feet in front of us let alone the view from the top.  A shame but as we had been up last time we visited we weren't too devastated.

We drove down a little bit to the Saddle car park and from here were able to see a lovely view looking over the Derwent River and we could even see the Showgrounds.

Returning back down the mountain we detoured to Waterworks Reserve and enjoyed our lunch in this lovely park with its two reservoirs and nice walk tracks.  These waterworks reservoirs were first constructed in the1860s to capture the flow from creeks and rivers rising on the higher slopes of Mt Wellington.

The next morning we made our way to the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed a few hours in the gardens.    Said to be the second oldest botanical gardens in Australia they are very different to Melbourne but lovely just the same.  This gorgeous little Eastern Rosella was happy to pose for Bill.

We drove from here to Peter Murrell Reserve where Bill was hoping to find the forty spotted Pardelotes. We enjoyed a walk around the lake through the bush and found lots of birds but not the elusive forty spotted.  They are becoming rare so not an easy ask these days.

From here we drove up to Mt Nelson Signal Station and had lunch with the best view in town.  What was once the signal masters house is now a lovely little cafe on top of the hill and on a beautiful sunny day like it was there was no better place to be.  Built in 1811, this signal station was the first constructed in Tasmania.  Now it houses a number artefacts giving visitors an a fascinating insight into the history of the early colony.

After lunch we set off on for a walk on The Truganini Track and stopped to look at the monument to this most famous aboriginal lady in Tasmania.  The walk became very steep so I called it a day and returned to the top as Bill continued on for a bit longer.  Soon after he appeared too and it was time to head home once more.

Before heading home we stopped at the shops to stock up the cupboard and fridge as we were leaving the next day to begin our journey north to the East Coast of Tasmania.  We are not sure yet how far to go as we only have three days until Easter and we're sure most places will be busy.  For now it's a work in progress.

until next time......