Yep holiday is over and it's back to work for me today. I'm exhausted but glad to be back at work especially not at my normal place of work. It's dessert time - a visit to Zumbos up the street to make up for not having the time to visit my favourite patisserie on Battery Point whilst I was at Salamanca Markets in Hobart Tasmania. I bought a cronut with chocolate creme filling 2 olive and rosemary cibarta rolls and a bacon and cheese cibarta roll. Yummy Yummy!
So here are the countries in order of highest to lowest that are reading my blog :
1. RUSSIA closely followed by the
2. USA
3. AUSTRALIA - come on Aussies you are no longer in the number 1 position!
4. FRANCE - suprised that I have a steadily increasing French following - Bonjour et Merci
5. INDIA - equally followed by
6. BRAZIL and
7. SOUTH KOREA - welcome back! and
8. LUXUMBOURG - I'm surprised by this as well. Thanks for your support and finally
9. POLAND
Countries that have dropped off the radar :
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
UK
CHINA
CANADA - question mark as I wonder if this is being counted as part of the USA
I know you are all out there!
Thank you to everyone out there who is reading my blog and possibly watching some of my youtube videos too. Hope you will all continue to read my blog! And don't forget to also visit my old blog about previous events and places I've been to at
Dulcineayee.simplesite.com
Friday, 29 July 2016
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Friday 22nd July - Wednesday 27th July 2016 - My Worst Trip Ever Winter Tasmanian Adventure
I've planned and waited patiently for so long to return to Tasmania which is one of my favourite holiday and adventure destinations.
For many years I've stayed in comfortable to luxury accommodation until I discovered backpacking and have been doing it ever since.
Have I become a cheapskate? Maybe/maybe not. I do it because of the social interaction but unfortunately not this time round! You get to meet and sometimes become life long friends with people you meet whilst staying at backpacker accommodation which is no longer dominated by the 18 to 35 year olds. The demographics of people backpacking has changed. My friend and I included.
I consider myself a lone traveller or what used to be called an FIT. I like to go places and discover new things without the hassle of fitting in with someone else's itinerary but like to join tour groups or meet up with fellow backpackers to participate in events or travel to destinations with them.
However this trip to Tasmania is all on my own. It's time for some "me" or "alone" time as I like to call it.
Friday 22nd July 2016 - Day 1 Sydney - > Hobart on Jetstar morning departure
and my first night in Hobart at Tassie Backpackers Brunswick Hotel Liverpool St
Now that I have begun my journey and am sitting at gate 49 at T2 Sydney domestic terminal waiting to board a Jetstar flight to Hobart whilst blogging - there is almost no turning back. My luggage is checked in, I've eaten my chapskate breakfast from McDonald's (- how can a hashbrown cost $2.10 ? - airport rip off) with my sausage tomato and lettuce no sauce muffin and byo banana and water and gone through the security gates.
Wait! My flight has been delayed over an hour so there is still time for me to turn back and go home to enjoy the warm Sydney Winter weather - no, I just booked my Hobart airport transfers just before the delay was announced so I'm going.
Maybe a delayed flight is a sign that this was not the right time to go to Tasmania. The plane looks full - observing the number of people seated at the gate lounge.
I forgot to tell everyone about my encounter whilst boarding the plane. After finally boarding the plane and placing my backpack under the seat in front of me ,I settled into my selected asile seat in row 9. The lady seated next to the window in the same row arrives later and puts her bag in the overhead locker. Unfortunately while she was doing this a glass bottle 2/3 full of orange juice drops out of the side pocket of her bag from the overhead locker and almost hits me on my head and landing into my lap. Fortunated it missed by a cm or so and landed hard onto the carpeted aircraft's floor without damage. It caused me quite a shock. She apologised and said she was going to put it back into the side pocket of her bag in the overhead locker before deciding it was not a good idea. Damn right it was not a good idea! The overhead lockers were still left open until just before take off therefore there was a chance it could have fallen out again and this time not miss!
To be continued........ hopefully I get to Hobart safely.
Just landed in Hobart! Finally. That was the longest short haul flight I've ever been on! Next time I plan to travel to Tasmania I will take the 6 am flight! It's now 2.40 pm and we are still waiting for the shuttle bus to depart Hobart "International" shed - I mean airport.
Quarantine is very strict at Hobart Airport - very cute sniffer dogs one at entrance to airport from the tarmac the other on the luggage claim belt - the dog must be quite fit having to keep moving with the luggage and luggage claim belt. In a matter of minutes the "biosecurity detection dogs" which are begals, picked up 2 suspect suitcases to be pulled aside for inspection. The dog bypassed mine straight away as it appeared on the luggage claim belt which meant I was all clear - so I should be! - I ate my banana at Sydney Airport for brunch before departing!
Prebooked transfers is a good idea. It is still 30 minutes to the city. I've now lost a whole day in Hobart already - local time is local time - no time difference between Hobart and Sydney. To make things worse it's cold and wet in Hobart and the shuttle bus driver announces snow is predicted overnight as it gets even colder! Does not help when a passenger on the same shuttle is told over her mobile phone conversation that it is 26 degrees C in Sydney - really - it's the middle of Winter!!!!! Rating for Hobart Airporter shuttle bus which is run by Redline 8/10 - very reliable on time airport shuttle and Hobart to Launceston return transfer service. Very impressed with their co ordination of picking up and dropping off of passengers around Hobart to/from Hobart airport as well as on time departure and arrival Hobart to/from Launcestion transfer service.
I sort of know where I am going so I'll just sit and enjoy the ride into the city - oh look it's actually sunny and clearing up! Wow I can see the whole of Mt Wellington in the distance!!!!!! It's still wet but not that cold!
Arrived at Brunswick Hotel Tassie Backpackers - oh dear what have I got myself into - this hostel has changed in the 2 years since I last stayed - it's now horrible! Run down and filthy. I will give it a rating of 5/10 straight away! 2 for 1 drink vouchers won't sweeten things neither will free wi-fi which I might catch a virus from - I'm probably more likely to catch a real virus here!
Here's the rundown of my Friday night's stay at Tassie Backpackers which is quite disgraceful.
1. There was a spider in my bed under the pillow which probably ran under my sheets or flicked off towards one of my roommates beds, so I slept on top of the sheets - we have a heater in the dorm room thank goodness as it was freezing cold that night.
2. I went to the toliet and was hit with the toilet paper dispenser lid. It fell open whilst I was trying to find the end of the roll. Showers work but to get hot water you need to let the tap run for at least 5 minutes.
3. I went down to make a cup of tea in the so called kitchen quite early on Saturday morning and there was no one there so I took some photos only to be harrassed by some lady staying there - probably a long term local . She verbally harrassed me not once but twice that morning therefore upon checking out I made a complaint to front desk about it. I later emailed them and cancelled my second reservation choosing to stay at Montgomerys YHA around the corner and down Argyle Street instead for Monday and Tuesday nights when I return to Hobart from Launceston.
4. The open courtyard below and large kitchen has now been barricaded off and used by the Brunswick Hotel as an outdoor social drinks bar meeting place which is incrediblely noisy every Friday and Saturday night from between 5 pm and 10.30 pm. The backpackers kitchen is now a tv room combined with a shelf for food storage in between and there is nowhere to sit and eat a meal except in the tv room which is far from comfortable. There is a table which is out in the corridor and takes up most of the space but far from adequate. The other table inside the kitchen is used as a storage and prep table only. Don't even think about your own food storage - the refridgerator and shelf for food storage was crammed full and open to thieft!
5. The luggage room has changed its open restricted hours to between 9 am and 9 pm - it used to be from 8 am - 8 pm therefore not good for day touring. Because there is no lift I leave my luggage in the storage room which is on ground floor, however I do worry about security as there is always foot traffic between the bar kitchen areas of the Brunswick Hotel and the luggage storage room. Thank goodness I'm only staying 1 night initially. I hope I have better luck with my stay in Launceston at the ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers!!!!
It doesn't end here ............
I spent the entire Friday afternoon trying to book a day tour to Cradle Mountain from Launceston on Sunday but it is all booked out. So I tried Launceston Backpackers to see if they organised day tours - they no longer did but gave me a number to ring of what I thought was a company that ran day tours to Cradle Mountain. The person that answered said they had cancelled the tour because everyone was heading to the ski resort Ben Lomond instead so the day tour was changed for the Saturday. If I had know this information in advance I would have flown to and stayed in Launceston on Friday and Saturday nights instead. After countless email inquiries, phone calls, internet searches etc I finally booked a day tour to Cradle Mountain through Greyline. It cost me $30 more then all the other tour companies ie $165! with no YHA discount offered online.
I also checked with Redline to see how much notice I needed to give if I had to amend my return coach transfers Hobart to Launceston. I was thinking if it's not raining I would like to spend the morning at Cateract Gorge on Monday. It's beautiful there with its suspension bridge and there is a chairlift which I am a little too scared to ride as its quite high up and open old style - think dangling feet and t bar.
Later on Friday night I walked around the cold wet conditions of Hobart to orientate myself with the city. I got a quick reheat soup , a juice (from Woolworths which looks the same as all other mainland Woolworths but is not) and ate it with some slices of bread I bought with me when I returned to Tassie Backpackers . Because the nice large open court yard downstairs that I could relax in previously and the large open kitchen are now all barricaded off , it was so cramped - I had no idea where I could sit down and eat so I made do with the old filthy lounge in the so called "common" tv room which was tiny and off the kitchen area. I left as soon as I could. How I managed to use the microwave to reheat my soup in the kitchen crammed in between everything else I have no idea and I byo ed my own set of cutlery in case I caught something using the backpackers ones supplied in the kitchen.
It was so noisy I didn't really get much sleep that night. I fell asleep for a few hours but was woken up by my other roommates who were long term stayers at the backpackers with their all night hair drying and goodness knows what other preening habits they had and all night drinking and clubbing. They didn't even realise I was still asleep in the room until I rolled over because they had woken me with their loud voices.
So glad to be out of there early but my roommates all had the same plan for Saturday morning ie waking up early to head to Salamanca Markets. I left before they were even out of bed and it was between 8.30 am and 9 am - so much for their plans!
Saturday 23rd July 2016 - Day 2 Salamanca Markets and coach from Liverpool Street Hobart to Launceston on Redline afternoon departure to Bathurst Street and Overnight at the Ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers on Canning Street
My trip is going from bad to worse. The kyaking tour I wanted to do on Saturday either before or after my visit to Salamanca Markets was cancelled due to strong winds after the snow predicted for tonight but it's running on Sunday although no one else is booked on it. Unfortunately I was unable to go on it because I had already made plans to travel to Launceston on Saturday afternoon and spend 2 nights in Launceston so I can do the Cradle Mountain Day tour on the Sunday.
Despite the very cold and wet conditions at Salamanca Markets ( it actually snowed on the other side of the river and it sleeted at Salamanca Markets) I got up early and walked to the markets. I spent the entire morning at the markets from around 9 am to around 1.30 pm leaving enough time to walk back to Tassie Backpackers to pick up my luggage and walk to the Redline Hobart Transit Centre on Liverpool Street in plenty of time for my 3 pm departure to Launceston. Unfortunately I didn't have time to walk up the stairs to my favourite patisserie on Battery Point to grab a pastry this time round.
Highlights of the market were:
1. Smiths famous scallop pies - facebook it, it is a must try along with their new salmon and prawn pie - not this time next time for me. Rating : 9/10 pure yumminess! (Apologies no photos - couldn't wait to take a photo of it before eating it!)
2. Tasmanian wood products - my favourite is Sassafras but there is a large variety of lovely mixed Tasmanian wood products.
3. Tasmanian honey varieties - leatherwood pure or whipped into creamed honey. Absolutely delicious! I purchased 2 mini jars for travelling with (except to WA where it is prohibited) from the below stall.
4. Venus Confectionary - I discovered a traditional Colonial Tasmanian sweet called an Esmeralda Ball - I haven't tried it yet but it is a red toffee covered coconut ice ball. Looks yummy. Will let you know what I think of this sweet. I also bought some chocolate freckles in the shape of Tasmania - could not go back to NSW without a few of these! All sweets handmade locally with the actual shop on Bathurst Street somewhere. Rating : 7/10
5. Federation Chocolates - made in Tasmania this chocolate company is known for flavors of chocolate only available in Tasmania. The 2 flavours I chose to take back to NSW with me were apple chocolate and liquorice chocolate which is an acquired taste . Note the apple chocolate does not actually contain apple pieces in it it is apple flavoured and the liquorice chocolate does contain pieces of liquorice in it and is actually liquorice flavoured chocolate. Rating : 7/10
6. Fresh fruit and vegetables.The variety is amazingly fresh. Has anyone ever seen a stalk of brussel sprouts? In the supermarket they are always pre packed or sold individually. How about fresh whole Tasmanian truffles? You would rarely see a truffle in supermarkets it is usually sold as a condiment such as truffle salt - truffle oil - truffle butter or even truffle sausages at some gourmet butchers which smell like off meat. How about gourmet or wild mushrooms which I purchased and took with me to Launceston to make a nice pasta and sauce with? - no they were not magic mushrooms in case someone reading my blog out there was thinking of that! Rating 8/10 - some things are an acquired taste like truffles! Apple apples everywhere - that is why Tasmania is known as the Apple Isle.
7. Good old fashioned sausages on a roll cooked on bbqs but not just any old sausage - homemade salmon sausages with gourmet salad and there were several varieties of German sausages probably served with sour kraut. Then there were Tasmania's favourite source of protein - Wallaby burgers not just Kangaroo but Wallaby! I even saw a stall selling duck on a roll. I had from the food truck "Silver Hill Fisch" a salmon sausage on cibarta - I rated it only a 5/10 because to me it was too small a serving for $7, it was a salmon sausage nothing special about it's taste, they ran out of all the other flavours by lunch time therefore there were only plain salmon sausages left, they had very slow service and they forgot about my order - it took about 30 minutes I estimated before they realised I had already paid and not received my order and they were pushing me aside and serving other customers who were paying as they were served their orders. I do not tolerate poor customer service!
7. Fresh loaves of artesian bread and the pastries - yes the pastries - homestyle biscuits, cookies, cakes, tarts etc for example. Rather then buy a loaf of artesian bread from a bakery only stall, I purchased my loaf from a fruit and vegetable stall and took it with me to Launceston. It was yummy and very healthy. So healthy I forgot what type of bread loaf I purchased - it was brown and lumpy - full of grains. No pastries or cakes this time round - I had purchased my quota of chocolate and sweet treats from the markets already! Rating : 9/10 - the variety is amazing (photos below)
8. This is a Tasmanian specialty and I like to get a few of these for when I go on day tours as a snack because they are really light weight - Fruit leathers but not in little strips - these come in so many different flavours and are sold in large thin flat circles. All natural fruit so really healthy for you. Unfortunatey I only managed to grab 1 this visit and took it to Launceston with me - I was running out of time and loose change. Rating : 8/10
Time to head back to pick up my luggage and catch the Redline to Launceston. Sat on the coach and was able to relax a little even taking a little nap along the way - two and a half hours later I arrived in Launceston.
It was 4 seasons in one day - the beautiful countryside to the crossing of rivers to the snow covered hills in the distant. You saw it all between Hobart and Launceston - it rained - it snowed - and the sun was out - all within the 2.5 hour journey.
Got off at Bathurst Street, closest stop to Launceston Backpackers. On the bus there was an older lady who alighted where I had alighted and she was visiting relatives or friends - she asked if I had a mobile phone so she could call a taxi - I said that I did. She gave me the number and I dialled it for her and she spoke to the taxi company and made her booking and said thank you and offered to give me a few dollars for the call - I told her not to worry about it but was more concern if they tried to call her and couldn't as it was my phone. She said they won't. After this I walked straight to the backpackers and checked in.
So far so good? No - here's what happened when I checked in :
1. I was asked if I had a sleeping bag? What kind of a question is that? of course I don't have a sleeping bag with me, the backpackers provide free linen and blankets they don't allow sleeping bags - especially when I've booked a private room and not a dorm room! I expected linen and blankets to be included in the price. That will be an extra $$$$ please. You have got to be kidding.
2. So no linen but they gave me 3 blankets for no extra charge - 3 blankets? I asked them - Do I really need 3 blankets? I remember only receiving 1 blanket last time I stayed there! Ok 3 blankets and no linen it is! - at least a pillow is included in the room.
3. I found out I got ripped off booking online - I prepaid around $56 per night for a private single room with no bathroom. When I went to check in I was told if I had walked it I would have paid $38 per night - what? Who randomly walks into a Launceston Backpackers in the middle of Winter seeking accommodation for 2 nights ? Madness!
4. Key deposit that will be an extra $10 please - what? I only have $5 cash on me will that do? Ok accepted. Deposit given back upon checkout when key is returned.
I went to my private room which was freezing cold but the ceiling heater was switched on for me as I can never reach this - it automatically switches on at 7 pm. I think I had a nice hot shower (after dumping my stuff in my room) , I love the showers here they are instantly hot and there is very little change in water pressure and your stuff doesn't get wet when you having a shower. I then go back to my room and then head off to the nice large open plan kitchen - ah so clean like the bathroom!
I made a pasta and began eating it in the kitchen although there is a large dining room to sit and eat in.
I met a guy staying there and he was also preparing dinner so we chatted. He was making hamburgers for dinner - strange he made an awful lot of them. 4 to be precise but he had enough meat patties to make 8 or even 12! He said he was making dinner for his friend - a very illusive friend it was - his friend stayed in his roomand never came out therefore I never got to actually meet him - I was told he likes subway and very shy. Anyway this guy started to take a bite out if one of the 4 hamburgers he had made then took a bite out of another one before I told him he now had a bite out of 2 different hamburgers. Oops he realised. He asked if I would like to join him in the dining room - he still had a large salad to eat as well for dinner. Very interesting conversation then it was time to say goodnight and prepare for tomorrow - he was heading up to Cradle Mt as well. End of night 1 in Launceston. I will probably never see him again but that's with most people I meet on my adventures.
I had a great night's sleep as this backpackers was away from party central therefore very quiet.
Rating: 8/10 - only drawback too far from centre of Launceston and Redline transit centre - about a 20 minute walk with luggage. Basic rooms but clean and quiet with very good kitchen and bathrooms. Tv room and dining area to relax. Some parking on site but plenty of street parking. Across the road from a Coles supermarket petrol station and Chinese restaurant. Walking distance about 20 minutes to Cateract Gorge which I decided not to stay and do this time round after my Cradle Mt fiasco.
Sunday 24th July 2016 - Day 3 Crappy Craddle Mountain Day Tour McDermotts and overnight at the ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers on Canning Street
Words cannot describe how angry I am about this tour company that ran this so called "day tour" to Cradle Mountain from Launceston. So angry I requested a full refund. That was not a day tour I went on just a very late arriving shuttle bus picking up and dropping off passengers between Launceston and Cradle Mountain. I do not recommend this tour company to anyone and slam those companies that recommended them to me.
Stay tuned as I will write about ( when I calm down ) how much time and money I wasted on this day tour. I may have to dig out previous photos of a Cradle Mountain day tour I previously did to illustrate what I should have been and seen on this day tour and what I actually saw and went to on this day tour as a comparison. This much snow fall in Cradle Mountain is rare and not having the option to make the most of it really angered me. No other day tour - no matter how good will ever make up for this one on this Tasmanian adventure! I still haven't calmed down yet and have been back in Sydney for almost 10 days now.....
Changed my mind don't want to blog about it.
Monday 25th July 2016 - Day 4 Launceston -> Hobart on Redline morning departure and Magnificent MONA (Museum of Old and New) and overnight at Montgomerys YHA Argyle Street Hobart
Sometimes the best activities events and places visited are not organised through day tours. Rating : 9/10 The return ferry to and from MONA itself was worth the cost. MONA is a privately owned museum.
My favourite exhibitions at Mona this year would be Cameron Robbins - Field Lines (last 4 photos below) and Ryoji Ikeda - Super Symmetry (first 2 photos below also refer to video I have uploaded onto youtube) . Hound in the Hunt (next 2 photos below) I was a little disappointed by it however I was told it is a work in progress.
It is recommended that you should spend about 3 to 4 hours at MONA if not a day. I only had 2 hours therefore I saw the exhibits I wanted to see first then made my way around the museum. It helps if you have previously visited MONA's permanent exhibits.
After exiting MONA I had quite a good walk around the surrounding property, the trampoline, rusty iron sculptures , other pieces of artwork and the lookout building and took in the magnificent almost 360 degree views of the waterfront below - I took so many photos. I also walked up a set of stairs to the adjoining vineyards and indoor/outdoor bars with entertainment areas for holding functions and events.
I spotted native hens everywhere which I was told could be caught and boiled up to be eaten as they are not an endangered species unlike the bush or shrub (?) turkey in NSW. I think they would be likened to eating a Canadian Goose - the flesh would be really tough and would have to be boiled with a stone in a large pot of water for a very long time to tenderise it - maybe not such a good idea for a traditional Christmas in July dinner no matter how cold it is!
To get to the ferry back to Hobart city, there is a rather long steep set of stairs to descend - again there is no lift . You get your ticket scanned then head down to the ferry wharf. There are a few interesting things to see on the way down. Again I spotted 3 native hens having a great time foraging for food on a side patch of greenery along the cliff face to the right and also a feral rabbit also grazing on this greenery patch - where did it come from? Was it an escapee pet? It was on its own.
Apart from the wildlife there was also a building with a door of some type to the right along the cliff face - it was labelled someone's "cave" but looked like a door to a restroom more - curious I opened the door and others followed to see what was inside.
In there were a set of maybe 6 or 9 tv screens - similar to the "Brady Bunch" set up. It documents an old man's activities from 2011 which are stored on dvds in date sequence. Looking closer I noticed the dvds were a little behind - last dvd was labelled 14th July 2016 it was the 25th July 2016 the day I visited MONA! Along with other passengers travelling back to Hobart on the ferry we didn't quite understand it - is this someone's idea of art? Talk about pre selfie narcissitic behavour!
Stay tuned for my impressions of my first night staying at Montgomerys YHA........
What I liked about staying at Montgomery YHA was :
1. It is away from "part central" ie quiet yet still walking distance to the centre of Hobart city.
2. It is walking distance to most tourist attractions and needs around Hobart eg close to torist information centres, public transit, tour booking sites, a supermarket, major hospital, Salamanca, the mall, Airporter stop, parks, museums, galleries and pub(s) etc
3. Free luggage storage
4. Communial kitchen
5. Individual bathrooms
What I didn't like about staying at Montegomerys YHA was :
1. the kitchen is on the ground floor and rather small but clean - 1 x sink and 1 x 4 hotplate stove
2. Like many old buildings in Hobart there are 3 floors with 6 sets of steep stairs and absolutely no lift therefore very difficult if you have injuries and not recommended for eldery or less abled travellers. I had to carry my suitcase up and down these 6 flights of stairs myself as my 6 share dorm room was on the top floor. Tip : if checking out bring your luggage down the night before and put it in storage as long as you don't have to check out before 9 am in the morning as luggage is only accessable from 9 am in the mornings alternatively take out what you need and leave your luggage throughout your stay in storage.
Rating : 7/10
Tuesday 26th July 2016 - Day 5 Beautiful Bruny Island Full Day Tour and overnight at Montgomerys YHA Argyle Street Hobart
The last day of my Tasmanian holiday before I fly back to Sydney tomorrow and the day tour I have been waiting so patiently for. It was not to disappoint either despite the extremely rough conditions out at sea and the wet cold weather with little breaks of sunshine every now and then.
The day tour starts with checking in at 7.45 am at the Pennicott Hobart Waterfront Booking Centre located on Franklin Wharf.
Then it continues on a mini bus to Kettering about 30 minutes from Hobart where the minibus boards a "ferry" - well it is a barge actually and there are only 2 of them used for the channel crossings . With the larger one out of service and the smaller one with only one working engine, a tug boat is used alongside it to aid the smaller barge with the channel crossing. Walk on passengers are allowed however unlike the larger barge, there is no overhead shelter for them if conditions are cold wet and rough - this is why it is a barge not a ferry! It is a single level barge holding approximately 30 cars/mini buses only, unlike the larger barge which is a double decker taking longer to on and off load with a higher vehicle capacity. Patiently the mini bus waits in the queue with all the other cars mini buses and walk on passengers arriving as early as possible in order to not "miss" getting on the scheduled barge - it's a 20 minute wait until the next barge arrives there - time to have a toliet break coffee snack or just walk around and take photos. If you don't get onto this barge the next scheduled channel crossing is an hours wait! Note : mini buses and day tours do not get priority boarding onto a barge - this would anger the locals.
On we all get into the minibus and drive onto the awaiting barge. This time round I did not get out of the minibus on the barge to take photos - far too cold and wet!
The crossing took about what seemed like 20 to 30 minutes including off loading. It was quite an awkward docking - bang and skewed a little but the tug boat was there to straighten the barge up. Off we go again - the other side of the D'entrecasteaux (oops spelling) Channel on Bruny Island towards Adventure Bay for a morning tea break at a cafe, of a hot beverage ( hot chocolate tea or coffee.) I asked for a moca originally- what's a moca the cafe owner asked? Then changed my mind as I realised that none of the hot beverages except tea was non lactose. Accompanying this was a fresh blueberry muffin unfortunately not gluten free so I gave it to a fellow couple who were picked up not far from Kettering for this tour.
Wait I forgot a very important stop before heading to Adventure Bay for morning tea - the most beautiful view of the 'neck' or 'spit' of Bruny Island overlooking the D'entrecasteaux Channel. It was freezing cold and the clouds were looming above the mountains angry waiting to storm. The mini bus stops for a photo opportunity - we ascend what seemed like over 100 relatively steep steps. The view from the top was magnificent. Another mini bus full of Asian tourists follows us but they were quicker to descend back to their mini bus then we were - we took our time even with the angry storm looming in the background. We were told to run by our tour guide if we saw the mountain in the background disappear into darkness. Hopefully I can upload some photos later . Please be patient these are also on my other device - I hope!
After morning tea it was time to get on "the boat" - a short walk from the cafe where the boat was moored, we board - I hate getting on this boat but don't mind getting off as I'm scared I'll slip and fall into the water between the wharf and boat - it is quite a large gap.
Once on the boat we are given a safety brief and put on red waterpoof head to toe "coveralls" which unfortunately are one size fits most and far too long for me causing me to trip over it everytime I try to get up from my seat on the boat. I chose a seat at the rear of the boat again because it is sheltered and if it gets really rough I won't get as sea sick. I was aware that the wife of the couple got motion sickness so signal them to join me at the rear of the boat so they had room to move around and sit together. The boat cruise was a full one. Ginger tablets were then offered to passengers on the boat to prevent sea sickness - I did't take one again. I don't seem to be proned to sea sickness and I came prepared with ginger gummy bears which are much easier to take then tablets - yes water was given out to passengers as well to take the ginger tablets as they were not the chewable ones .
Now we were off. We stopped along the very rocky cliff faces on the coastline of Bruny Island - there were sea caves , blow holes, rock formations, rock islands covered in white from what I describe as "pooping birds" with their distinctive black and white colouring and of course what is a boat cruise without seeing wildlife - a colony of NZ fur seals on a clump of rocks. Just one colony this time round and the sea was extremely rough - there was screaming and I was just cracking up laughing during the most extreme 10 - 15 minutes of "full speed ahead" boatride surfing - through meter high waves that could almost drench everyone in the boat if we had travelled any further out to sea off the Southern most tip of Tasmania. The wife of the couple did end up a little seasick during this ride all caught on video of her screaming by her husband - good thing was she did recover.
We saw a rainbow , an abattrose, crayfisherman's boat and even an unidentified flying object in the sky which everyone was trying to identify and looked like a very long white streak .
Back to shore and it was not as rough. I continued to take photos and videos of all the features we were up close and personal with on the journey out to sea except this time it was from the distance - the rock formations the blow hole the fur seals the sea caves and the pooping birds......
Once back at the wharf we take off our red head to toe coveralls - a feat in itself for some passengers and headed back to the cafe for a pre ordered lunch - the menu hasn't changed since my last day tour 2 years ago - in fact it hasn't changed for over 10 years!
It starts with the best pumpkin soup ever - mention throughout our day tour at least 20 times!!!! Yep it is good - hot and nourishing.
The it was s choice of 3 main rolls - smoked salmon with salad or ham with salad or vegetarian. Most of us chose salmon of course. Unfortunately I could not finish mine as I was feeling sick.
Dessert was a chocolate - random of course. This I did eat! Followed by a hot or cold beverage - in our case both if we wished - put on our tour guides tab as a joke!
Now where? - we were a little ahead of schedule and we had been hounding our tour guide on our way up to Bruny Island to visit Island Fudge, Get Shucked Oysters and Bruny Island Cheese Company. We managed to fit in 2 out of 3 - sorry Bruny Island Cheese Company lost out not enough time. We also had the opportunity to stop and take photos of white wallabies in the wild before stopping at Island Fudge - hopefully they don't end up as someone's lunch at Salamanca Markets next weekend!
(Photos will be uploaded and possibly another youtube video of the cruise at a later date currently uploading but may fail as it is taking an extremely long time - please be patient it is also on another device)
We make it in plenty of time for the scheduled barge - the mini bus is parked in the right hand queue- I was being a bit of a smart ass and asked the tour guide bus driver if the barge takes 1 and a half lanes of vehicles and youre in the right hand queue how do you know this queue will make it on the barge and not the left hand queue and only half of the righthand queue? I think he just knew he would get onto the barge!
Smoother docking this time. Off we go back to Hobart. On time on schedule.
Tour hasn't changed - consistant as the last time I went on it 2 years ago . This is why they have won so many tourism awards year after year. Best tour ever (although I said no other day tour will ever make up for the crappy Cradle Mt day tour) Rating : 10/10 - a must do day tour. Thank you very much for a wonderful day tour!
Wednesday 27th July 2016 - Day 6 Late morning Airporter tranfer to Hobart Airport and Hobart -> Sydney on Jetstar early afternoon departure
The Airporter shuttle bus was early at my pick up location on Elizabeth Street which meant I arrived at Hobart Airport earlier then the scheduled time of 11.30 am.
The Check In counter had not quite opened for my flight so I waited a while before checking in. What would you know? - the Jetstar flight back to Sydney has been delayed yet again by an hour and the electronic kiosk for printing out boarding passes for bag drop was not working either so I had to wait in the queue to manually check my bag in.
With bags checked in I have a snack and drink my juice to rid some of the weight in my backpack. I pass through security. It's a pity my tea in my Contigo is now cold.
I am feeling a little tired and am sitting in the departure lounge of gate 4 blogging. Time for boarding is now 1.05 pm approximately.
1.16 pm still waiting at gate 4 Hobart Airport blogging. Very tired - too much touring around Tasmania meaning early mornings.
Boading time - 2.05 pm according to information on gate 4 screen. It's now 2 pm and I'm still blogging - good that I found a power point!
We finally depart Hobart Airport at 2.30 pm - original departure time 1.35 pm. Landed 4.05 pm Sydney Airport safely with no more flying glass juice bottles filled with orange juice!
For many years I've stayed in comfortable to luxury accommodation until I discovered backpacking and have been doing it ever since.
Have I become a cheapskate? Maybe/maybe not. I do it because of the social interaction but unfortunately not this time round! You get to meet and sometimes become life long friends with people you meet whilst staying at backpacker accommodation which is no longer dominated by the 18 to 35 year olds. The demographics of people backpacking has changed. My friend and I included.
I consider myself a lone traveller or what used to be called an FIT. I like to go places and discover new things without the hassle of fitting in with someone else's itinerary but like to join tour groups or meet up with fellow backpackers to participate in events or travel to destinations with them.
However this trip to Tasmania is all on my own. It's time for some "me" or "alone" time as I like to call it.
Friday 22nd July 2016 - Day 1 Sydney - > Hobart on Jetstar morning departure
and my first night in Hobart at Tassie Backpackers Brunswick Hotel Liverpool St
Now that I have begun my journey and am sitting at gate 49 at T2 Sydney domestic terminal waiting to board a Jetstar flight to Hobart whilst blogging - there is almost no turning back. My luggage is checked in, I've eaten my chapskate breakfast from McDonald's (- how can a hashbrown cost $2.10 ? - airport rip off) with my sausage tomato and lettuce no sauce muffin and byo banana and water and gone through the security gates.
Wait! My flight has been delayed over an hour so there is still time for me to turn back and go home to enjoy the warm Sydney Winter weather - no, I just booked my Hobart airport transfers just before the delay was announced so I'm going.
Maybe a delayed flight is a sign that this was not the right time to go to Tasmania. The plane looks full - observing the number of people seated at the gate lounge.
I forgot to tell everyone about my encounter whilst boarding the plane. After finally boarding the plane and placing my backpack under the seat in front of me ,I settled into my selected asile seat in row 9. The lady seated next to the window in the same row arrives later and puts her bag in the overhead locker. Unfortunately while she was doing this a glass bottle 2/3 full of orange juice drops out of the side pocket of her bag from the overhead locker and almost hits me on my head and landing into my lap. Fortunated it missed by a cm or so and landed hard onto the carpeted aircraft's floor without damage. It caused me quite a shock. She apologised and said she was going to put it back into the side pocket of her bag in the overhead locker before deciding it was not a good idea. Damn right it was not a good idea! The overhead lockers were still left open until just before take off therefore there was a chance it could have fallen out again and this time not miss!
To be continued........ hopefully I get to Hobart safely.
Just landed in Hobart! Finally. That was the longest short haul flight I've ever been on! Next time I plan to travel to Tasmania I will take the 6 am flight! It's now 2.40 pm and we are still waiting for the shuttle bus to depart Hobart "International" shed - I mean airport.
Quarantine is very strict at Hobart Airport - very cute sniffer dogs one at entrance to airport from the tarmac the other on the luggage claim belt - the dog must be quite fit having to keep moving with the luggage and luggage claim belt. In a matter of minutes the "biosecurity detection dogs" which are begals, picked up 2 suspect suitcases to be pulled aside for inspection. The dog bypassed mine straight away as it appeared on the luggage claim belt which meant I was all clear - so I should be! - I ate my banana at Sydney Airport for brunch before departing!
Prebooked transfers is a good idea. It is still 30 minutes to the city. I've now lost a whole day in Hobart already - local time is local time - no time difference between Hobart and Sydney. To make things worse it's cold and wet in Hobart and the shuttle bus driver announces snow is predicted overnight as it gets even colder! Does not help when a passenger on the same shuttle is told over her mobile phone conversation that it is 26 degrees C in Sydney - really - it's the middle of Winter!!!!! Rating for Hobart Airporter shuttle bus which is run by Redline 8/10 - very reliable on time airport shuttle and Hobart to Launceston return transfer service. Very impressed with their co ordination of picking up and dropping off of passengers around Hobart to/from Hobart airport as well as on time departure and arrival Hobart to/from Launcestion transfer service.
I sort of know where I am going so I'll just sit and enjoy the ride into the city - oh look it's actually sunny and clearing up! Wow I can see the whole of Mt Wellington in the distance!!!!!! It's still wet but not that cold!
Arrived at Brunswick Hotel Tassie Backpackers - oh dear what have I got myself into - this hostel has changed in the 2 years since I last stayed - it's now horrible! Run down and filthy. I will give it a rating of 5/10 straight away! 2 for 1 drink vouchers won't sweeten things neither will free wi-fi which I might catch a virus from - I'm probably more likely to catch a real virus here!
Here's the rundown of my Friday night's stay at Tassie Backpackers which is quite disgraceful.
1. There was a spider in my bed under the pillow which probably ran under my sheets or flicked off towards one of my roommates beds, so I slept on top of the sheets - we have a heater in the dorm room thank goodness as it was freezing cold that night.
2. I went to the toliet and was hit with the toilet paper dispenser lid. It fell open whilst I was trying to find the end of the roll. Showers work but to get hot water you need to let the tap run for at least 5 minutes.
3. I went down to make a cup of tea in the so called kitchen quite early on Saturday morning and there was no one there so I took some photos only to be harrassed by some lady staying there - probably a long term local . She verbally harrassed me not once but twice that morning therefore upon checking out I made a complaint to front desk about it. I later emailed them and cancelled my second reservation choosing to stay at Montgomerys YHA around the corner and down Argyle Street instead for Monday and Tuesday nights when I return to Hobart from Launceston.
4. The open courtyard below and large kitchen has now been barricaded off and used by the Brunswick Hotel as an outdoor social drinks bar meeting place which is incrediblely noisy every Friday and Saturday night from between 5 pm and 10.30 pm. The backpackers kitchen is now a tv room combined with a shelf for food storage in between and there is nowhere to sit and eat a meal except in the tv room which is far from comfortable. There is a table which is out in the corridor and takes up most of the space but far from adequate. The other table inside the kitchen is used as a storage and prep table only. Don't even think about your own food storage - the refridgerator and shelf for food storage was crammed full and open to thieft!
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| View from Tassie Backpackers upstairs outside my room down into the now barricaded off courtyard. |
5. The luggage room has changed its open restricted hours to between 9 am and 9 pm - it used to be from 8 am - 8 pm therefore not good for day touring. Because there is no lift I leave my luggage in the storage room which is on ground floor, however I do worry about security as there is always foot traffic between the bar kitchen areas of the Brunswick Hotel and the luggage storage room. Thank goodness I'm only staying 1 night initially. I hope I have better luck with my stay in Launceston at the ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers!!!!
It doesn't end here ............
I spent the entire Friday afternoon trying to book a day tour to Cradle Mountain from Launceston on Sunday but it is all booked out. So I tried Launceston Backpackers to see if they organised day tours - they no longer did but gave me a number to ring of what I thought was a company that ran day tours to Cradle Mountain. The person that answered said they had cancelled the tour because everyone was heading to the ski resort Ben Lomond instead so the day tour was changed for the Saturday. If I had know this information in advance I would have flown to and stayed in Launceston on Friday and Saturday nights instead. After countless email inquiries, phone calls, internet searches etc I finally booked a day tour to Cradle Mountain through Greyline. It cost me $30 more then all the other tour companies ie $165! with no YHA discount offered online.
I also checked with Redline to see how much notice I needed to give if I had to amend my return coach transfers Hobart to Launceston. I was thinking if it's not raining I would like to spend the morning at Cateract Gorge on Monday. It's beautiful there with its suspension bridge and there is a chairlift which I am a little too scared to ride as its quite high up and open old style - think dangling feet and t bar.
Later on Friday night I walked around the cold wet conditions of Hobart to orientate myself with the city. I got a quick reheat soup , a juice (from Woolworths which looks the same as all other mainland Woolworths but is not) and ate it with some slices of bread I bought with me when I returned to Tassie Backpackers . Because the nice large open court yard downstairs that I could relax in previously and the large open kitchen are now all barricaded off , it was so cramped - I had no idea where I could sit down and eat so I made do with the old filthy lounge in the so called "common" tv room which was tiny and off the kitchen area. I left as soon as I could. How I managed to use the microwave to reheat my soup in the kitchen crammed in between everything else I have no idea and I byo ed my own set of cutlery in case I caught something using the backpackers ones supplied in the kitchen.
It was so noisy I didn't really get much sleep that night. I fell asleep for a few hours but was woken up by my other roommates who were long term stayers at the backpackers with their all night hair drying and goodness knows what other preening habits they had and all night drinking and clubbing. They didn't even realise I was still asleep in the room until I rolled over because they had woken me with their loud voices.
So glad to be out of there early but my roommates all had the same plan for Saturday morning ie waking up early to head to Salamanca Markets. I left before they were even out of bed and it was between 8.30 am and 9 am - so much for their plans!
Saturday 23rd July 2016 - Day 2 Salamanca Markets and coach from Liverpool Street Hobart to Launceston on Redline afternoon departure to Bathurst Street and Overnight at the Ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers on Canning Street
My trip is going from bad to worse. The kyaking tour I wanted to do on Saturday either before or after my visit to Salamanca Markets was cancelled due to strong winds after the snow predicted for tonight but it's running on Sunday although no one else is booked on it. Unfortunately I was unable to go on it because I had already made plans to travel to Launceston on Saturday afternoon and spend 2 nights in Launceston so I can do the Cradle Mountain Day tour on the Sunday.
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| Salamanca Square where you will find a central water feature ATMs , toliet facilities and a cluster of specialty stores including a bakery cafe, Katmandu and a rather large kids store surrounded by old and new buildings |
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| Take a stroll through the many laneways and be amazed at the architecture around Salamanca |
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| Yes it was a very wet and cold day at Salamanca Markets! |
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| The water feature in the centre of Salamanca Square |
Highlights of the market were:
1. Smiths famous scallop pies - facebook it, it is a must try along with their new salmon and prawn pie - not this time next time for me. Rating : 9/10 pure yumminess! (Apologies no photos - couldn't wait to take a photo of it before eating it!)
2. Tasmanian wood products - my favourite is Sassafras but there is a large variety of lovely mixed Tasmanian wood products.
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| The above is an example of the lovely Tasmanian wood products available at Salamanca Markets - I chose this set of mixed wood coasters as a birthday gift to take back to NSW for my manager. On the back of them is a little information sheet about the different types of wood. |
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| Real or fake? These red cherries are carved out of wood and look so realistic they look good enough to eat! Wooden bananas in the background too. |
3. Tasmanian honey varieties - leatherwood pure or whipped into creamed honey. Absolutely delicious! I purchased 2 mini jars for travelling with (except to WA where it is prohibited) from the below stall.
4. Venus Confectionary - I discovered a traditional Colonial Tasmanian sweet called an Esmeralda Ball - I haven't tried it yet but it is a red toffee covered coconut ice ball. Looks yummy. Will let you know what I think of this sweet. I also bought some chocolate freckles in the shape of Tasmania - could not go back to NSW without a few of these! All sweets handmade locally with the actual shop on Bathurst Street somewhere. Rating : 7/10
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| Thumbs up for the Esmeralda ball - I took it to work and had my work collegue have a second attempt at smashing it up for us to share - like! |
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| I thought I would give one of these to Kate for her birthday - the other one I ate whilst I was in Launceston. |
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| Thumbs up for the apple chocolate but liquorice chocolate was hit and misss - it is an acquired taste. |
6. Fresh fruit and vegetables.The variety is amazingly fresh. Has anyone ever seen a stalk of brussel sprouts? In the supermarket they are always pre packed or sold individually. How about fresh whole Tasmanian truffles? You would rarely see a truffle in supermarkets it is usually sold as a condiment such as truffle salt - truffle oil - truffle butter or even truffle sausages at some gourmet butchers which smell like off meat. How about gourmet or wild mushrooms which I purchased and took with me to Launceston to make a nice pasta and sauce with? - no they were not magic mushrooms in case someone reading my blog out there was thinking of that! Rating 8/10 - some things are an acquired taste like truffles! Apple apples everywhere - that is why Tasmania is known as the Apple Isle.
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| Tasmanian whole fresh truffles |
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| brussel sprouts on the stalks! |
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| This salmon sausage on a roll I did take the time to photograph as it was not as appetizing as my scallop pie I had previously eaten |
7. Fresh loaves of artesian bread and the pastries - yes the pastries - homestyle biscuits, cookies, cakes, tarts etc for example. Rather then buy a loaf of artesian bread from a bakery only stall, I purchased my loaf from a fruit and vegetable stall and took it with me to Launceston. It was yummy and very healthy. So healthy I forgot what type of bread loaf I purchased - it was brown and lumpy - full of grains. No pastries or cakes this time round - I had purchased my quota of chocolate and sweet treats from the markets already! Rating : 9/10 - the variety is amazing (photos below)
8. This is a Tasmanian specialty and I like to get a few of these for when I go on day tours as a snack because they are really light weight - Fruit leathers but not in little strips - these come in so many different flavours and are sold in large thin flat circles. All natural fruit so really healthy for you. Unfortunatey I only managed to grab 1 this visit and took it to Launceston with me - I was running out of time and loose change. Rating : 8/10
Time to head back to pick up my luggage and catch the Redline to Launceston. Sat on the coach and was able to relax a little even taking a little nap along the way - two and a half hours later I arrived in Launceston.
It was 4 seasons in one day - the beautiful countryside to the crossing of rivers to the snow covered hills in the distant. You saw it all between Hobart and Launceston - it rained - it snowed - and the sun was out - all within the 2.5 hour journey.
Got off at Bathurst Street, closest stop to Launceston Backpackers. On the bus there was an older lady who alighted where I had alighted and she was visiting relatives or friends - she asked if I had a mobile phone so she could call a taxi - I said that I did. She gave me the number and I dialled it for her and she spoke to the taxi company and made her booking and said thank you and offered to give me a few dollars for the call - I told her not to worry about it but was more concern if they tried to call her and couldn't as it was my phone. She said they won't. After this I walked straight to the backpackers and checked in.
So far so good? No - here's what happened when I checked in :
1. I was asked if I had a sleeping bag? What kind of a question is that? of course I don't have a sleeping bag with me, the backpackers provide free linen and blankets they don't allow sleeping bags - especially when I've booked a private room and not a dorm room! I expected linen and blankets to be included in the price. That will be an extra $$$$ please. You have got to be kidding.
2. So no linen but they gave me 3 blankets for no extra charge - 3 blankets? I asked them - Do I really need 3 blankets? I remember only receiving 1 blanket last time I stayed there! Ok 3 blankets and no linen it is! - at least a pillow is included in the room.
3. I found out I got ripped off booking online - I prepaid around $56 per night for a private single room with no bathroom. When I went to check in I was told if I had walked it I would have paid $38 per night - what? Who randomly walks into a Launceston Backpackers in the middle of Winter seeking accommodation for 2 nights ? Madness!
4. Key deposit that will be an extra $10 please - what? I only have $5 cash on me will that do? Ok accepted. Deposit given back upon checkout when key is returned.
I went to my private room which was freezing cold but the ceiling heater was switched on for me as I can never reach this - it automatically switches on at 7 pm. I think I had a nice hot shower (after dumping my stuff in my room) , I love the showers here they are instantly hot and there is very little change in water pressure and your stuff doesn't get wet when you having a shower. I then go back to my room and then head off to the nice large open plan kitchen - ah so clean like the bathroom!
I made a pasta and began eating it in the kitchen although there is a large dining room to sit and eat in.
I met a guy staying there and he was also preparing dinner so we chatted. He was making hamburgers for dinner - strange he made an awful lot of them. 4 to be precise but he had enough meat patties to make 8 or even 12! He said he was making dinner for his friend - a very illusive friend it was - his friend stayed in his roomand never came out therefore I never got to actually meet him - I was told he likes subway and very shy. Anyway this guy started to take a bite out if one of the 4 hamburgers he had made then took a bite out of another one before I told him he now had a bite out of 2 different hamburgers. Oops he realised. He asked if I would like to join him in the dining room - he still had a large salad to eat as well for dinner. Very interesting conversation then it was time to say goodnight and prepare for tomorrow - he was heading up to Cradle Mt as well. End of night 1 in Launceston. I will probably never see him again but that's with most people I meet on my adventures.
I had a great night's sleep as this backpackers was away from party central therefore very quiet.
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| dining room Launceston Backpackers |
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| kitchen Launceston Backpackers |
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| single private room Launceston Backpackers |
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| Ceiling heater in private room Launceston Backpackers |
Rating: 8/10 - only drawback too far from centre of Launceston and Redline transit centre - about a 20 minute walk with luggage. Basic rooms but clean and quiet with very good kitchen and bathrooms. Tv room and dining area to relax. Some parking on site but plenty of street parking. Across the road from a Coles supermarket petrol station and Chinese restaurant. Walking distance about 20 minutes to Cateract Gorge which I decided not to stay and do this time round after my Cradle Mt fiasco.
Sunday 24th July 2016 - Day 3 Crappy Craddle Mountain Day Tour McDermotts and overnight at the ecofriendly Launceston Backpackers on Canning Street
Words cannot describe how angry I am about this tour company that ran this so called "day tour" to Cradle Mountain from Launceston. So angry I requested a full refund. That was not a day tour I went on just a very late arriving shuttle bus picking up and dropping off passengers between Launceston and Cradle Mountain. I do not recommend this tour company to anyone and slam those companies that recommended them to me.
Stay tuned as I will write about ( when I calm down ) how much time and money I wasted on this day tour. I may have to dig out previous photos of a Cradle Mountain day tour I previously did to illustrate what I should have been and seen on this day tour and what I actually saw and went to on this day tour as a comparison. This much snow fall in Cradle Mountain is rare and not having the option to make the most of it really angered me. No other day tour - no matter how good will ever make up for this one on this Tasmanian adventure! I still haven't calmed down yet and have been back in Sydney for almost 10 days now.....
Changed my mind don't want to blog about it.
Monday 25th July 2016 - Day 4 Launceston -> Hobart on Redline morning departure and Magnificent MONA (Museum of Old and New) and overnight at Montgomerys YHA Argyle Street Hobart
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| This is an advertisement for MONA I saw on a notice board at Montgomerys YHA |
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| One of the many deep sandstone walls inside MONA looking down from above floor |
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| Creepy sculptures hidden between ceilings and walls |
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| The writings on the walls - literally! |
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| The so called "pooping machine" is a permanent exhibition at MONA - Creepy ....... Stinky..........just outright bizarre. |
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| One of my favouite rooms at Mona - blank pages for inspiration |
My favourite exhibitions at Mona this year would be Cameron Robbins - Field Lines (last 4 photos below) and Ryoji Ikeda - Super Symmetry (first 2 photos below also refer to video I have uploaded onto youtube) . Hound in the Hunt (next 2 photos below) I was a little disappointed by it however I was told it is a work in progress.
It is recommended that you should spend about 3 to 4 hours at MONA if not a day. I only had 2 hours therefore I saw the exhibits I wanted to see first then made my way around the museum. It helps if you have previously visited MONA's permanent exhibits.
After exiting MONA I had quite a good walk around the surrounding property, the trampoline, rusty iron sculptures , other pieces of artwork and the lookout building and took in the magnificent almost 360 degree views of the waterfront below - I took so many photos. I also walked up a set of stairs to the adjoining vineyards and indoor/outdoor bars with entertainment areas for holding functions and events.
I spotted native hens everywhere which I was told could be caught and boiled up to be eaten as they are not an endangered species unlike the bush or shrub (?) turkey in NSW. I think they would be likened to eating a Canadian Goose - the flesh would be really tough and would have to be boiled with a stone in a large pot of water for a very long time to tenderise it - maybe not such a good idea for a traditional Christmas in July dinner no matter how cold it is!
To get to the ferry back to Hobart city, there is a rather long steep set of stairs to descend - again there is no lift . You get your ticket scanned then head down to the ferry wharf. There are a few interesting things to see on the way down. Again I spotted 3 native hens having a great time foraging for food on a side patch of greenery along the cliff face to the right and also a feral rabbit also grazing on this greenery patch - where did it come from? Was it an escapee pet? It was on its own.
Apart from the wildlife there was also a building with a door of some type to the right along the cliff face - it was labelled someone's "cave" but looked like a door to a restroom more - curious I opened the door and others followed to see what was inside.
In there were a set of maybe 6 or 9 tv screens - similar to the "Brady Bunch" set up. It documents an old man's activities from 2011 which are stored on dvds in date sequence. Looking closer I noticed the dvds were a little behind - last dvd was labelled 14th July 2016 it was the 25th July 2016 the day I visited MONA! Along with other passengers travelling back to Hobart on the ferry we didn't quite understand it - is this someone's idea of art? Talk about pre selfie narcissitic behavour!
Stay tuned for my impressions of my first night staying at Montgomerys YHA........
What I liked about staying at Montgomery YHA was :
1. It is away from "part central" ie quiet yet still walking distance to the centre of Hobart city.
2. It is walking distance to most tourist attractions and needs around Hobart eg close to torist information centres, public transit, tour booking sites, a supermarket, major hospital, Salamanca, the mall, Airporter stop, parks, museums, galleries and pub(s) etc
3. Free luggage storage
4. Communial kitchen
5. Individual bathrooms
What I didn't like about staying at Montegomerys YHA was :
1. the kitchen is on the ground floor and rather small but clean - 1 x sink and 1 x 4 hotplate stove
2. Like many old buildings in Hobart there are 3 floors with 6 sets of steep stairs and absolutely no lift therefore very difficult if you have injuries and not recommended for eldery or less abled travellers. I had to carry my suitcase up and down these 6 flights of stairs myself as my 6 share dorm room was on the top floor. Tip : if checking out bring your luggage down the night before and put it in storage as long as you don't have to check out before 9 am in the morning as luggage is only accessable from 9 am in the mornings alternatively take out what you need and leave your luggage throughout your stay in storage.
Rating : 7/10
Tuesday 26th July 2016 - Day 5 Beautiful Bruny Island Full Day Tour and overnight at Montgomerys YHA Argyle Street Hobart
The last day of my Tasmanian holiday before I fly back to Sydney tomorrow and the day tour I have been waiting so patiently for. It was not to disappoint either despite the extremely rough conditions out at sea and the wet cold weather with little breaks of sunshine every now and then.
The day tour starts with checking in at 7.45 am at the Pennicott Hobart Waterfront Booking Centre located on Franklin Wharf.
Then it continues on a mini bus to Kettering about 30 minutes from Hobart where the minibus boards a "ferry" - well it is a barge actually and there are only 2 of them used for the channel crossings . With the larger one out of service and the smaller one with only one working engine, a tug boat is used alongside it to aid the smaller barge with the channel crossing. Walk on passengers are allowed however unlike the larger barge, there is no overhead shelter for them if conditions are cold wet and rough - this is why it is a barge not a ferry! It is a single level barge holding approximately 30 cars/mini buses only, unlike the larger barge which is a double decker taking longer to on and off load with a higher vehicle capacity. Patiently the mini bus waits in the queue with all the other cars mini buses and walk on passengers arriving as early as possible in order to not "miss" getting on the scheduled barge - it's a 20 minute wait until the next barge arrives there - time to have a toliet break coffee snack or just walk around and take photos. If you don't get onto this barge the next scheduled channel crossing is an hours wait! Note : mini buses and day tours do not get priority boarding onto a barge - this would anger the locals.
On we all get into the minibus and drive onto the awaiting barge. This time round I did not get out of the minibus on the barge to take photos - far too cold and wet!
The crossing took about what seemed like 20 to 30 minutes including off loading. It was quite an awkward docking - bang and skewed a little but the tug boat was there to straighten the barge up. Off we go again - the other side of the D'entrecasteaux (oops spelling) Channel on Bruny Island towards Adventure Bay for a morning tea break at a cafe, of a hot beverage ( hot chocolate tea or coffee.) I asked for a moca originally- what's a moca the cafe owner asked? Then changed my mind as I realised that none of the hot beverages except tea was non lactose. Accompanying this was a fresh blueberry muffin unfortunately not gluten free so I gave it to a fellow couple who were picked up not far from Kettering for this tour.
Wait I forgot a very important stop before heading to Adventure Bay for morning tea - the most beautiful view of the 'neck' or 'spit' of Bruny Island overlooking the D'entrecasteaux Channel. It was freezing cold and the clouds were looming above the mountains angry waiting to storm. The mini bus stops for a photo opportunity - we ascend what seemed like over 100 relatively steep steps. The view from the top was magnificent. Another mini bus full of Asian tourists follows us but they were quicker to descend back to their mini bus then we were - we took our time even with the angry storm looming in the background. We were told to run by our tour guide if we saw the mountain in the background disappear into darkness. Hopefully I can upload some photos later . Please be patient these are also on my other device - I hope!
After morning tea it was time to get on "the boat" - a short walk from the cafe where the boat was moored, we board - I hate getting on this boat but don't mind getting off as I'm scared I'll slip and fall into the water between the wharf and boat - it is quite a large gap.
Once on the boat we are given a safety brief and put on red waterpoof head to toe "coveralls" which unfortunately are one size fits most and far too long for me causing me to trip over it everytime I try to get up from my seat on the boat. I chose a seat at the rear of the boat again because it is sheltered and if it gets really rough I won't get as sea sick. I was aware that the wife of the couple got motion sickness so signal them to join me at the rear of the boat so they had room to move around and sit together. The boat cruise was a full one. Ginger tablets were then offered to passengers on the boat to prevent sea sickness - I did't take one again. I don't seem to be proned to sea sickness and I came prepared with ginger gummy bears which are much easier to take then tablets - yes water was given out to passengers as well to take the ginger tablets as they were not the chewable ones .
Now we were off. We stopped along the very rocky cliff faces on the coastline of Bruny Island - there were sea caves , blow holes, rock formations, rock islands covered in white from what I describe as "pooping birds" with their distinctive black and white colouring and of course what is a boat cruise without seeing wildlife - a colony of NZ fur seals on a clump of rocks. Just one colony this time round and the sea was extremely rough - there was screaming and I was just cracking up laughing during the most extreme 10 - 15 minutes of "full speed ahead" boatride surfing - through meter high waves that could almost drench everyone in the boat if we had travelled any further out to sea off the Southern most tip of Tasmania. The wife of the couple did end up a little seasick during this ride all caught on video of her screaming by her husband - good thing was she did recover.
We saw a rainbow , an abattrose, crayfisherman's boat and even an unidentified flying object in the sky which everyone was trying to identify and looked like a very long white streak .
Back to shore and it was not as rough. I continued to take photos and videos of all the features we were up close and personal with on the journey out to sea except this time it was from the distance - the rock formations the blow hole the fur seals the sea caves and the pooping birds......
Once back at the wharf we take off our red head to toe coveralls - a feat in itself for some passengers and headed back to the cafe for a pre ordered lunch - the menu hasn't changed since my last day tour 2 years ago - in fact it hasn't changed for over 10 years!
It starts with the best pumpkin soup ever - mention throughout our day tour at least 20 times!!!! Yep it is good - hot and nourishing.
The it was s choice of 3 main rolls - smoked salmon with salad or ham with salad or vegetarian. Most of us chose salmon of course. Unfortunately I could not finish mine as I was feeling sick.
Dessert was a chocolate - random of course. This I did eat! Followed by a hot or cold beverage - in our case both if we wished - put on our tour guides tab as a joke!
Now where? - we were a little ahead of schedule and we had been hounding our tour guide on our way up to Bruny Island to visit Island Fudge, Get Shucked Oysters and Bruny Island Cheese Company. We managed to fit in 2 out of 3 - sorry Bruny Island Cheese Company lost out not enough time. We also had the opportunity to stop and take photos of white wallabies in the wild before stopping at Island Fudge - hopefully they don't end up as someone's lunch at Salamanca Markets next weekend!
(Photos will be uploaded and possibly another youtube video of the cruise at a later date currently uploading but may fail as it is taking an extremely long time - please be patient it is also on another device)
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| Island fudge store photos above you must try the persian fudge - it has figs in it |
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| Get Shucked Oysters drive through - the tour guide of the other day tour mini bus full of Asians was joking around telling us when we arrived that there were no more fresh oysters because his tour group had bought them all out ! I had them grilled with cheese and mixed herbs as an entree for dinner that night - absolute yumminess! |
Smoother docking this time. Off we go back to Hobart. On time on schedule.
Tour hasn't changed - consistant as the last time I went on it 2 years ago . This is why they have won so many tourism awards year after year. Best tour ever (although I said no other day tour will ever make up for the crappy Cradle Mt day tour) Rating : 10/10 - a must do day tour. Thank you very much for a wonderful day tour!
Wednesday 27th July 2016 - Day 6 Late morning Airporter tranfer to Hobart Airport and Hobart -> Sydney on Jetstar early afternoon departure
The Airporter shuttle bus was early at my pick up location on Elizabeth Street which meant I arrived at Hobart Airport earlier then the scheduled time of 11.30 am.
The Check In counter had not quite opened for my flight so I waited a while before checking in. What would you know? - the Jetstar flight back to Sydney has been delayed yet again by an hour and the electronic kiosk for printing out boarding passes for bag drop was not working either so I had to wait in the queue to manually check my bag in.
With bags checked in I have a snack and drink my juice to rid some of the weight in my backpack. I pass through security. It's a pity my tea in my Contigo is now cold.
I am feeling a little tired and am sitting in the departure lounge of gate 4 blogging. Time for boarding is now 1.05 pm approximately.
1.16 pm still waiting at gate 4 Hobart Airport blogging. Very tired - too much touring around Tasmania meaning early mornings.
Boading time - 2.05 pm according to information on gate 4 screen. It's now 2 pm and I'm still blogging - good that I found a power point!
We finally depart Hobart Airport at 2.30 pm - original departure time 1.35 pm. Landed 4.05 pm Sydney Airport safely with no more flying glass juice bottles filled with orange juice!
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