Peter Greenberg visits the truly “underground” arts scene in Hobart, Tasmania at the Museum of Old and New Art, which features subterranean galleries. Investigate unusual works of art including an installation that replicates Greenberg’s heartbeat.
All posts in Hobart
Tasmania: What to See, Where to Stay
by admin on April 9, 2012 in Aussie Icons, Hobart, Life in Oz, Places to Go, Tasmania, Tourism, Travel Guides with No comments Tweet
The best time of year to visit Tasmania is during its summer, December through March . The temperatures are mild and there are a lot of festivals and events on offer during this time. If you have lots of time, just follow your nose on roads less travelled for some great discoveries-as you might do anywhere else. But just like most trips we take, time is limited so let’s hit a few highlights:
Port Arthur. You can’t visit a penal colony like Tasmania without visiting at least one prison and Port Arthur is the best preserved of the lot. A prisoner’s life was a wretched one and that is abundantly clear here. No walls or fences and yet, no escape. Great vistas, though.
Salamanca Markets. Go Bohemian, go local, go cheap…just go to the Salamanca Markets every Saturday in Hobart. Natives and tourists alike enjoy this experience and bargain hunting opportunity.
Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Located in suburban Hobart, this is a hugely popular attraction. It costs $7.50 to see the high school science lab type presentation of how chocolate is made (hey, no one does factory floor tours anymore) but the bonus is the huge shopping area with all of the products Cadbury offers. Locals pay the fee to shop here for their cheap and fresh chocolate. Cadbury will even mail a huge box of goodies you’ve picked out right from the sales floor. Alas, only to an Australian address.
Hobart Regatta. A horse race stops humanity in its tracks in Melbourne. Far more natural for a boat race to seize the public on an island state. It’s not just a boat race in February, it’s a long weekend of activities for everyone. Lots of shoreline to watch the regatta.
Launceston. Launceston, at the confluence of three rivers, has charms Hobart seems to be lacking. Historic buildings in great condition abound. The state’s viticulture industry is centered here. The Cataract Gorge is a lovely place to spend the day. And my personal favorite Tasmanian National Trust site: the Old Umbrella Shop.
Evandale. Location of the National Penny Farthing Championship Race, home to the Commonwealth’s most decorated soldier, also home to famous landscape artist Glover, a colonial mansion sits on the hill (Clarendon), an old-fashioned general store anchors the town shopping section and , in general, looks more England than England.
Faery Penguins. Head north to Burnie or Stanley to see faery penguins come out of the sea at night to tend to their nesting chicks on shore. Vigilant volunteers are quick to point out the rock-hopping penguins to visitors and quicker to make sure visitors don’t mess with the penguins. Flash photography is not allowed so the lasting images of this neat experience will be in your head.
Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list of things to do in Tasmania. But it will get you started on your journey through this beautiful state. If you are a walker, you are in great luck. There are numerous hikes of all durations here. Indeed, some of the best places are accessible only by foot.
WHERE TO SLEEP?
There is no shortage of hostelries in Tasmania although finding an ensuite room (bathroom inside room) for under $100 a night can be tricky. If you don’t mind a bathroom down the hall, plenty of country pubs offer decent accommodation for less than triple figures. Three unique options :
The Empire Hotel. In Queenstown. Showing her age a bit but still a treasure. The central blackwood stairwell is listed with the National Trust! Supper in their intimate restaurant upstairs is worth while.
Pendragon Hall. In Hobart. So many decommissioned churches are repurposed as art galleries, museums or homes. The undercroft of this church is rented out as lodgings. Awaken to sun filtering through stained glass windows. Ideal for multiple-day stays as multi-media entertainment and food preparation is possible in this self-contained unit.
Jail Cell. Maria Island. Maria [ma RYE ah] Island is a national park with no services (you pack in, you pack out-including trash) but with an opportunity for people to enjoy plenty of hiking by staying overnight in one of their jail cells. Surprisingly spacious with a fireplace for cooking and picnic table inside. Coin operated showers in the next building. A unique experience.
Pub in the Paddock. Pyengana near St Columba Falls. A true country pub—out in the bush, old and with lots of character. Close to the St Columba Falls and near an excellent dairy which brush massages its cows. But they’re not the only ones pampered. Pub in the Paddock has Priscilla, a beer swigging pig. For a mere buck, you too can share a drink with Priscilla, queen of the paddock.
It is so easy for visitors to Australia to catch the big eastern state cities like Sydney and Melbourne while ignoring gems like Tasmania. I can’t guarantee that a Tasmanian Tiger will come out of extinction long enough for you to take a photo of it, but the detour here will be memorable nonetheless. If nothing else, come here for the only tolerable summer in OZ.
Life in Oz: Introducing Tasmania
by admin on March 26, 2012 in Hobart, Life in Oz, Places to Go, Tasmania, Travel with No comments Tweet
First things first: Tasmania is NOT a foreign country floating somewhere in the Andaman Sea. It is the island state of Australia at the country’s most southern point. Actually, it’s a collection of islands much like Hawaii but that’s where the similarity ends. There is nothing tropical about the weather at this last stop before the Antarctica, rather entirely more like Wisconsin or Michigan in weather . The western 37% of Tasmania is reserve land, mountainous and snowbound in the winter.
Most of its half million people reside in the eastern and northern part of the state. An interesting bunch, this lot. Almost everyone is related to a crook. Tasmania was settled by the British as a penal colony, and where this was once a fact to be hidden, most people today embrace their … colorful… ancestry. There is a lot free spirit found here in the form of ageing hippies and their organic produce and earth friendly products. Despite the rumors you’ll hear on the mainland, no one in Tasmania has two heads (a not-so-veiled hint at small island inbreeding.) The state seems to be losing heads to the mainland anyway. Unemployment in Tassie is the highest in the country. The apple, beer (Cascade and Boag) , cheese (King Island cheese & beef is second to none!) and tourism industry cannot make this beautiful state more attractive to young workers and industries that would employ them. Retirees, however, find this a most suitable place.
Another misconception to correct is the Tasmanian Devil. Warner Brothers got the strong jaw and irritable temper correct but the rest is a bit fanciful. The Tassie devil, found in the wild only in Tassie, is small and black with a white collar. It is also suffering from a facial tumor that has been spreading like wildfire for 15 years now. Conservation and breeding programs are a high priority for the residents of the state. Unfortunately, this has also brought out bogus organizations looking to capitalize on people’s concern and generosity. Also capturing the natives’ fancy is the Tasmanian Tiger—more of a canine with stripes and huge mouth than a big cat. The last Tassie Tiger is said to have died in 1936 but tragics still hold out hope that their sightings and scat collections will resurrect the state emblem. And for all you wombat fans , wombat poop perfectly square bricks so identifying their scat is easy enough.
Some famous Tasmanians: actor Errol Flynn, actor Simon Baker (from “The Mentalist”) and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark who met her handsome prince during the Sydney Olympics.
Good Article: 48 Hours in Hobart, Tasmania
Reuters has a great article on Hobart, Tasmania – a destination often left out of the tourist guides.
Here’s an excerpt:
Flanked by mountains and the sea, Hobart is Australia’s most southern city. In late December through early January each year it becomes a “maritime Mecca,” with yachts sailing across the finish line in the grueling Sydney to Hobart race.
The abundance of sailors converging on the city then resembles its early days of white settlement when Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, was a bustling whaling port and former penal colony.
Hobart, a 70-minute flight from Melbourne, is also a base for Antarctic expeditions engaging in research from the deep south, and it’s not unusual to see these massive research vessels moored along the quay wall.
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most out of a 48-hour visit.
