TripRoundUnder

Apologies for the gap between our last posts, been a very busy time in the old retired/unemployed life.

So, after a sleep in Melbourne we were raring to get on with our trip and arrive in our third state so far in Tasmania. Steve had been once before and loved it and for Lauren, this was her first time visiting the island. In contrast with Steve’s cabin-full of randoms from his last trip, Lauren had very kindly booked a shared cabin for us. Unluckily, Lauren gets seasick and there was a strong wind warning for the Bass Strait and 2.5m seas, nice. Not knowing this yet, it was a nice smooth boarding in Port Melbourne and had a nice sunset to send us on our way. We had dinner and as things started to get a little more choppy, Lauren decided it was time for bed at a grand old time of 8pm (departure was at 7pm). Lets just say that the crossing was a little wavy if you pardon the pun…

Arriving in Devonport, we weren’t exactly running on a full nights sleep, so after a banging brekkie, we headed down to a cute little town called Penguin (aptly named) and had quick snooze in the car. After a quick nap, walk and dangerously, a second coffee for Lauren, we were off on the road.

Although, a large drive, we had planned to drive straight from the top of Tassie down the bottom capital of Hobart in order to see one of our good friends, Joey who was on holiday with his brother and a mate. Two coffees Lauren was buzzing and slightly frazzled, but we made it to our only stop which was a wildlife sanctuary just outside Hobart. Lauren got to see her first Tassie Devil and we decided every kangaroo at the sanctuary needed some snacks.

In terms of Hobart, we had a few key takeaways, Hobart rush hour is still a thing and we should have maybe thought about that when we were arriving around 5pm, Steve and Lauren don’t do straight spirits and especially whisky very well and Tassie sun hits different.

A highlight was Hobart’s famous Salamanca markets on Saturday morning. We managed to sample almost every distillery and brewery stall there was and on a pretty much empty stomach, not sure this was our brightest decision. Safe to say, we are not whiskey people and a key takeaway is that a double Tawny is not always a port! We also tried the much talked about Tassie scallop pie which in this example was a curried version, which left us very much underwhelmed.

We also ventured out and visited the strange world of the MONA Museum and things were a little confronting to say the least! We had a great lunch and cocktail to begin, but some of the exhibits were a little confronting to the stomach, including a room detailing the digestion process. A few other highlights included a wall full of vaginas, a room-full of engine oil and general abstract artwork. A nice chill wine tasting after the museum was very much in order and the first of likely many Pinot Noirs.

Following a tip from a local, we made our way to Longley waterhole and were treated to an awesome little spot with very few people around! The water was freezing, coming straight down from Mount Wellington, but we ventured in for a swim and a few bomb jumps. Such an awesome spot though and very refreshing! Just make sure you dodge the mozzies that come out around dusk!