Tasmania

The alarm went off at 7:45 am this morning and it was not well received! We had to be up and organised since we needed to get our suitcases packed before heading to the lobby to meet our guide, Nicole, for a walk to the Wineglass Bay lookout. We got up and got everything packed (including some extra bottles of wine!) before heading to the lobby (via the restaurant for take-away coffee).

To get to the start of the walking track we drove through the little town of Coles Bay, which was very quaint. We were told that it swells from a population of fewer than 500 to 20,000 in the summer!

When we got to the start of the walking track, it was raining (again!). So, we put on our rain jackets and set off for the climb up the hill. The walk is only about 3km each way but it’s steep in places and a bit slippery in the rain. We didn’t mind because we were thinking about the view from the top. But when we got to the top, all we could see were clouds! Still, the hike up was good so we didn’t mind. Since it was still raining, we didn’t wait around at the top. We headed back down to the bottom of the trail, hopped back into the van, and drove back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel, we checked out and hopped into our car for the drive to Hobart. But we only got about five minutes down the road before stopping for a delicious lunch of fish and chips. We don’t eat fish and chips much these days because it’s so hard to find a good fish and chip shop. But we had been told that the fish and chips at Freycinet Marine Farm were excellent, so we decided to give them a try. It’s fair to say that they did not disappoint. In fact, we think they’re probably the best we’ve ever had!

After lunch we set off in earnest for the trip to Hobart, a drive of about two-and-a-half hours. About an hour into the drive, we stopped at a very cute little roadside cafe (called Me and Mum’s) in Little Swanport for a coffee and snack.

After our refreshments, we hopped back into the car and set off on the remainder of the trip to Hobart. We got to our hotel (the Macq 01) in Hobart a bit after 4:00 pm and checked in. The hotel is on the water, right near Constitution Dock. We decided that we should head out and walk around the nearby area to stretch our legs. We ended up in a couple of very nice shops and didn’t get very far from the hotel!

By the time it got to 6:00 pm we started to think about dinner. We walked around the dock area but didn’t find any restaurants that appealed. So we headed back to the hotel and found a restaurant called The Lounge by Frogmore Creek. We had a fabulous meal there.

After dinner we headed back up to our room. The hotel is very quirky. It is dedicated to telling the stories of historical figures who shaped the area. It is built on the site of the original Ocean Pier, which was constructed in 1914 but destroyed by fire in 1948.

Tomorrow we’re meeting our friends, Peter and Joy, who are flying down to Hobart to join us for a couple of days. We’re planning on going to Mona (Museum of Old and New Art) and we’ll just see what else happens on the day.